A/N: requested chenbaek where Chen faints on stage and bbh takes care of him? I know you asked for this to be long, but I tried my best to make the most of the prompt! So sorry if it's not as long as you wanted, but I'd be more than willing to make a part 2 or another prompt <3 hopefully you all enjoy

Jongdae was the little- known baby of EXO. He was loud and borderline obnoxious at times, but always ended up being coddled and adored by everyone. It was a sort of love that was different from being the maknae, or having a naturally adorable and youthful face like their eldest member Minseok. Rather, Jongdae just had a natural affinity to him that made people want to love and cherish him.

Especially Baekhyun. Everyone knew the two chatterboxes were joined at the hip, and no one wanted to be near them when they decided it was time to… get to know each other better than they already did. Jongdae was the first one Baekhyun went to for vocal help, and Jongdae always knew where to find Baekhyun when he wanted to whine about how difficult the choreography was, or how his feet absolutely ached from all their concerts lately. 

Jongdae trusted and loved Baekhyun and it was very obviously a mutual feeling. So why did he feel so guilty from not telling Baekhyun what he’d thought to be a very minor throat ache turn out to actually be a full- blown fever?

He knew hiding it wasn’t going to benefit anyway. Hell, he felt like the entire room where they were lounging around before the show was spinning. Even the little fluorescent light bulbs lining the mirrors hurt his eyes to look at. 

“Jongdae, look at this,” a bright voice said next to him and Jongdae smiled, shifting over to make room on the couch for Baekhyun as the other snuggled up close to him and shoved a phone screen under his nose.

It was a silly video of a puppy and a kitten playing with each other, the floppy- eared puppy obviously being toyed around by the kitten, who seemed regal as ever, occasionally swatting the dog’s nose.

“It’s cute,” Jongdae commented fondly, and pulled his legs up onto the couch, wiggling into a more comfortable position with Baekhyun curled into his collarbone and on the inside of the couch, one leg thrown over Jongdae’s stomach with his body nearly on top of him. Not that either one of them minded, really. Baekhyun was always a touchy person, and for Jongdae, it just helped distract him from the fact that he felt like his head was going to explode just thinking of two hours of belting out high notes and dancing his remaining lifespan away.

“You’re the dog, I’m the cat,” Jongdae snickered and Baekhyun pouted, taking his phone away. 

“Hey, that dog was cute but it looked stupid. What are you trying to say, huh? I’m stupid or something?” Baekhyun jeered, clearly trying to get a rise out of the other vocalist so they could banter around as usual before their concert.

But Jongdae really wasn’t in the mood. As much as he loved Baekhyun, he really wanted nothing more than to cop a quick nap before hitting the stage and pasting a smile on his face, acting as if it didn’t hurt his throat just to laugh.

Jongdae flicked Baekhyun’s cute little nose and grinned when he wriggled it. 

“Yeah, you’re probably the dumbest person I’ve ever met in my life. And that’s saying a lot because I’ve met Chanyeol,” Jongdae retorted sarcastically. At the mention of his name, the long- legged snapped his head up from where it was wresting on a table, laying on it while watching something on his phone. 

“Someone say my name?” He asked, darting his eyes around at any of the members currently in the room. 

“No one said your name, !” Baekhyun yelled and let out a huff, shifting again so both legs were plastered across Jongdae’s middle. 

“Baek, get off, you’re heavy. And I don’t feel that good,” Jongdae said the second part quietly, hoping the other wouldn’t hear as he moved his own legs out from under Baekhyun and resting them on top the other for a change.  

Baekhyun was currently sporting a dirty blonde- pink hairstyle that Jongdae actually quite liked, and would have laughed at how it was currently sticking out all over the place when he bolted upright, had it not been for the fact that he really- really- wanted to just have some peace and quiet. 

“You don’t feel good? Why? Where?” Baekhyun immediately asked like a concerned mother, and Jongdae felt his heart swell with love. Nevertheless, he reached out and grabbed one of Baekhyun’s hands with his own, resting both atop his chest as he closed his eyes.

“Nothing, it’s really not that big of a deal. I’ll live. I think I’ll feel better if I take a nap for like an hour before hair and makeup later,” Jongdae assured the other, making his voice sound as nonchalant as possible. 

Baekhyun didn’t seem very convinced, but he seemed to sense that Jongdae really didn’t want to argue, so he let the question die without a satisfying answer and lied back down, tucking his fluffy, cotton- candy color head under Jongdae’s chin. 

With Baekhyun curled right by his side, Jongdae already felt loads better. Tonight was the last concert of their world tour anyways- he just had to get through tonight and then he’d be able to rest. Maybe it really wouldn’t be as bad as he originally thought.

---

It was worse than he thought.

It was as if the moment he heard the opening VCR playing and the stadium glowing with their signature lightsticks, a raging headache decided to make its presence known in his head. Not to mention the pounding bass from the high- def speaker made his teeth rattle, the intense strobe lights doing nothing to soothe his steadily rising temperature, either.

Of course, under the brightly flashing stage special effects and sporadic puffs of fireworks near the front of the stage, it was hard to notice one of the nine members struggling to keep a bright smile on the entire time, face gleaming with sweat from both exhaustion and the effort it took to will away the dark spots blotting his vision. 

It was easiest for Jongdae to loosen his mask a little while singing the heart- wrenching, sad songs, because he really didn’t have to act at all to express his pain through the lyrics. He just had to make it a point to keep his face turned away from Baekhyun the entire time, because he knew the other would make a big fuss out of nothing.

It wasn’t until thirty minutes from the end that he really started feeling his walls crumbling. His breaths were coming out faster and shorter, teeth clenched impressively tight with the strenuous effort it took to not puke his guts out right there in front of thousands of their devoted fans. The thought almost made him chuckle. He was sure the tabloids and reporters would have a field day with that. 

Jongdae stood off to the side and smiled good naturedly as Junmyeon delivered the final speech. 

“Thank you all for coming out today! It’s been such a wonderful experience tonight and we hope to always show you guys the best performances,” Junmyeon shouted into his mic, one hand steadying it. 

Jongdae flashed a bright smile, his signature cat- like grin with the way the corners of his mouth curled up. As he waved to the numerous lightsticks illuminating the dark stadium, he suddenly stumbled back, a wave of dizziness rushing over him. 

Across the large stage, the small movement had caught Baekhyun’s eyes, and he immediately turned to look at the other vocalist, who seemed to be slightly swaying. 

Jongdae shook his head and wiped the sweat from his brow. Now wasn’t the time to be falling over. No, not now, not in front of thousands of devoted fans . They had paid good money, endured hours of standing, all to hear him sing and watch him perform to the best of his abilities, and damn it, that’s what they deserved. Nothing but the absolute best. 

Jongdae pressed his lips into a thin smile and scrunched his eyes closed as he continued waving, hoping it’d look like a bright, easy- going expression. 

He lightly jogged along one side of the long pathway running down the middle of the stadium, briefly brushing the outstretched hands of eager fans, desperate for even just a mere high- five. 

Jongdae sang along to the concert’s last song, Growl, with breathy air and shortened notes. Thank goodness he’d said something to the manager beforehand to have his mic synced up to the pre recorded version. He sounded like nothing but a chain smoker at the moment. 

His thighs ached, throat was on fire, and he felt like he was looking through a milky film with the way his vision was swimming. Damn, had he really been this sick? Jongdae remembered a few coughs here and there two days prior, when they were on their way back to Seoul, but he hadn’t thought his condition would have worsened to such an extent. 

It was even worse knowing it was the last song of the concert, as nearly the entire Growl performance was dancing, doing nothing but putting more pressure on Jongdae to struggle to even stay upright. 

“I…” Jongdae faltered at one part of the chorus, his leg failing to sweep out under the other in the point move of the choreography. He quickly planted his palms on the floor, pushing off just in time to join the other eight members during Chanyeol’s rap. 

Jongdae felt like throwing up. He really felt awful. Chanyeol’s voice sounded nothing like its usual soothing baritone, but instead, like a semi truck of noise hurtling his way. Everything was too much for his sensitive eyes and ears at the moment. The screaming fans, the amplified mics, the glaring stage lights- absolutely everything. And it made him feel the absolute worst for not being able to show the best side of him to the fans who deserved so much more than the wreck he was today. 

This was it. They were supposed to get up off the ground and then the concert would be over and Jongdae could take a long shower and drink some honey lemon tea and it would all be fine. Maybe even cuddle with Baek-

His body felt overwhelmingly hot- too hot. Everything was overloading him. It was too much. 

And the last thing he saw before hitting the ground was someone yelling, a white t- shirted body rushing over in front of him

He prayed it wasn’t Baekhyun. He knew that boy would do something stupid and land everyone in hot water.

---

 

“Jongdae- ah… why did you push yourself so hard?” Baekhyun whispered with pursed lips as he lightly patted the forehead of the aforementioned man with a slightly damp towel. 

Jongdae was wrapped in a blanket, Baekhyun’s own pikachu- printed one- to be exact, and currently snoozing away in the comfort of a dimly- lit room where there weren’t thousands of screaming fans to put on a brave face for.

It had scared Baekhyun half to death when he’d noticed his fellow bandmate had somehow collapsed and hadn’t gotten up after everyone else had. It was in that split second of seeing Jongdae’s eyebrows furrowed in pain, lying still on the hard stage floor, that Baekhyun had immediately bolted to the other’s side, uncaring of anything else.

“Yah, Jongdae! Jongdae!” Baekhyun yelled, a shiver sent up his spine upon seeing the usually upbeat and loud singer still and unmoving. Their song was still playing, but the other members were slowly ceasing their movements, heads turning around in confusion as to what was happening. 

Perhaps a fan screamed, or maybe the whole stadium went silent in shock. Baekhyun couldn’t really hear anything apart from the white noise in his ears. He jogged across the stage to where Jongdae was, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. He skidded down on his knees, his long leather pants thankfully cushioning the slide as he knelt down besides the unconscious boy. 

“Hey, Jongdae, what’s the matter? What are you doing, huh?” Baekhyun asked in a panicked voice, one hand curling around Jongdae’s shoulders, cradling his lolling head in the crook of his elbow like a small child. When the brown- haired boy still didn’t wake up, Baekhyun frantically looked around and spotted both a black- outfitted manager rushing toward them from behind the stage and Junmyeon and Chanyeol coming over in a hurry. 

“What’s happening?”

“Here, give him to me,” the manager said, holding his arms out. Chanyeol was looming over their crouched over figures, and thankfully they were positioned more toward the back of the stage, where the side wings slightly blocked them from view. 

“Junmyeon, I- Jongdae h- he’s not,” Baekhyun’s words spewed out of him like a fountain and he couldn’t quite wrap his mind around what was happening. 

“Ok, ok, we need to get him some help then. Come on,” Junmyeon was resting a hand on his shoulder, saying something else to him and then Chanyeol was gently prying his hands from Jongdae’s body and helping the manager take him. 

“No, stop!” Baekhyun yelled for a second before Junmyeon shushed him, throwing an arm over his shoulders and steering him away from the back of the stage. 

“Baekhyun, calm down, it’s going to be o-”

“He was unconscious!” 

“Hey, listen to me,” Junmyeon said just loud enough for Baekhyun to hear, his head slightly lowered so any fan cameras couldn’t quite catch what he was saying as looked at Baekhyun with a piercing stare, “he’s going to be ok, alright? But we have a concert to finish. Come on, the fans are going to get worried.”

With a clap on the back, Junmyeon threw Baekhyun a forced half- smile and jogged forward, waving to the fans and apologizing for the accident. 

Baekhyun stood there frozen. Apologize? He didn’t want to apologize. He didn’t feel like saying sorry to anybody but Jongdae, because no one deserved to be apologized to except him. He always tried to think of himself as the uplifting spirit, the glue that held the group together, but at the moment he wanted nothing more than to run off that stage and hold Jongdae in his arms.

The stage lights were bright. Really bright. From the audience point of view, it looked like Baekhyun’s glowing face was illuminated by his sweat and the stage light effects, and the glassy look in his eyes was just a result of it as well. 

He wanted to cry. He suddenly felt so tired, all his previous energy immediately sapped by knowing Jongdae had been in pain the entire long concert, and he hadn’t even known. He felt like throwing up. 

So he forced himself to bow slightly, schooled his shocked expression into an apologetic and slightly melancholy one. He said something too, his mouth formed the words to say “Chen suddenly felt unwell; our manager hyungs are taking care of him right now. It’s a pity he couldn’t finish the concert with all of us, but he wants to thank all of you. We’ll come back better than ever!”

And he ignored the looks of concern sent by the other members. Baekhyun could feel the stage vibrating under his feet as the rest of Growl continued to play, the members opting to just bop around and relax rather than continue the rest of the dance. The song was already more than half over, anyways. 

Baekhyun stayed in one part of the stage, not going closer to the edge and not scooting farther away either. He waved his hands to the rhythm of the song, smiling a close- mouthed smile. He hoped he looked relaxed. He hoped the cameras wouldn’t be able to pick up on his shaking hands if they were moving in the air.

 

And then finally, finally, someone, Kyungsoo, was guiding him away and off the stage. There was confetti everywhere and sparkling fireworks and the cheering of thousands of energetic fans. 

Baekhyun couldn’t hear any of it. There was a bitter taste in his mouth as he left the stage. It was as if the moment his foot touched the stairs leading down and away from the stage, his body went into auto mode. His legs moved faster, feet landing heavier as he jogged down the winding hall to wherever Jongdae was.

Where was he? Where was he? Did they take him to a hospital? Was his condition that bad? Why was he even performing tonight if he was sick to the point he had fainted?

“God,” Baekhyun whispered through gritted teeth and he angrily hit the wall with his fist before turning around and slumping down against it. 

He couldn’t explain why, but he was so incredibly angry at Jongdae. Not truly mad at him, of course, Baekhyun thought he loved the other too much to ever really be furious with him. But he was upset that Jongdae hadn’t told anyone he was feeling unwell. Did he not trust Baekhyun- was that it? He found it hard to believe that Jongdae didn’t trust him, to be honest. After all the late night practices and rehearsals, when it was just the two of them working on a section of choreography or when they had all showered and gotten ready for bed, and most other members had gone to their own dorms and it was just the two of them, talking until early morning hours. Talking about their difficulties, their futures, their hopes and wishes, anything that came to mind. 

....but Baekhyun supposed Jongdae had his own reasons for keeping his condition a secret. It didn’t really matter because either way, in the end, Baekhyun would get it out from him anyways.

 

Baekhyun sighed deeply, running his thumb over the back of Jongdae’s hand. Of course, after everything was said and done, his anger and sadness had suddenly all flown away upon seeing Jongdae’s peaceful face. Baekhyun obviously was still upset it had taken Jongdae fainting on stage to finally get some rest, but he was glad at the same time. He was being selfish, and that was ok.

Tonight had been their last concert in Seoul. So their schedules were mostly free- at least for the next week and a half for so. 

Baekhyun had originally planned for all of EXO to go out and eat, or maybe even take a small day- trip somewhere. He hadn’t mentioned it to any other members, but now that Jongdae was sick, Baekhyun was actually glad he hadn’t said anything earlier. He didn’t want anyone feeling bad or being disappointed. 

“Hey,” a small voice said that immediately caught Baekhyun’s attention. He leaned over the little bundle of messy hair and blankets that was Jongdae and smoothed out the sideswept hair. 

“Hi,” Baekhyun said, chuckling humorlessly. It was a little too dark to make out Jongdae’s exact expression, but he could tell the other boy was biting his lower lip.

Baekhyun reached out to smooth out the lip from between Jongdae’s teeth with his thumb, tracing the pretty outline of Jongdae’s mouth. Quietly, he leaned in and softly planted a sweet kiss on his lips, savoring the intimate moment, imprinting it into his mind. 

“I guess I… fainted, huh?” Jongdae laughed softly and Baekhyun couldn’t help but bite his lip to suppress his grin as he felt his eyes start to water up. 

“You’re really stupid, you know that? Really, really, really, stupid,” Baekhyun muttered, toying with a few strands of his lover’s hair. Baekhyun loved Jongdae’s hair because he hardly ever dyed it and had never even bleached it. Unlike his own, which was probably damaged beyond imagination from all the constant dying and products he used on it. Jongdae was his little angel, his absolute treasure that he wanted to both show off to the world and tuck away for himself. 

Jongdae made a noise of agreement and closed his eyes, enjoying the soothing, feather- like touches of Baekhyun’s fingers threading through his hair. 

“I wish you hadn’t pushed yourself so hard,” Baekhyun said quietly. 

“I know.”

“You should have told someone you didn’t feel good. Not just me.”

“I know.”

“You know I was really worried about you, right? I couldn’t even finish the rest of the concert without thinking about you.”

“I’m sorry,” Jongdae said softly, the tightening up in his throat having nothing to do with his sickness. 

“I love you too,” Baekhyun sighed in a resigned sort of way, and crawled up next to Jongdae to rest on top of the covers. He’d get up later to shower and wash all his makeup off, but for now, he just wanted to assure himself that Jongdae was alright and he wasn’t going anywhere. 

“Can you make me chicken soup or something?” Jongdae said in the most defenseless, pitiful way, and Baekhyun’s heart squeezed. 

“Ugh. I guess,” he exaggerated his words, lightly kissing Jongdae’s cheek as he succumbed to the other’s wishes and got up to prepare the food. 

Jongdae smiled softly and wrapped the blankets tighter around himself. Being sick was a pain, but at least he had someone there by his side every step of the way to help him recover.

<3