Taekwoon is sick.

He's been feeling a little off for a few days, but when he wakes up this morning he's in full blown sickness. He feels like he has every symptom at once. His head is cloudy and stuffed up, his nose is so blocked he can't breath through it, and his entire body aches terribly.

He has no energy at all. He doesn't have the brainpower to talk, or even think clearly. All he can do is lay in bed almost lifelessly as a very concerned Hakyeon places a hand onto his forehead.

"You're burning up," he says. "I'm going to call in sick for the both of us, okay?"

Taekwoon is glad Hakyeon will be staying home with him because he knows he can't function alone in this state. He does fight through the cloudiness to drag himself to the bathroom, and then to pour Bibi some dry cat food as Hakyeon speaks on the phone. He's trying to head back to their bedroom, but he kind of stumbles and falls into the wall.

Hakyeon is there immediately, grabbing onto him. "Taekwoonie? Are you okay?"

"Weak," Taekwoon mumbles. It's so much effort to speak even a single tiny word it hurts.

Hakyeon picks him up effortlessly and carries him the rest of the way to their bed. He gently sits Taekwoon down and pulls the quilt over him. "I'm taking you to the hospital," he says.

Taekwoon shakes his head. "No," he whines. Nothing is worse than hospitals and doctors and needles and medicine. Even being sick like this has it beat.

"You're really sick, Taekwoon," Hakyeon tells him. "I don't want to force you into going, so just think about it. The hospital will make you feel better."

"No."

Hakyeon sighs, but doesn't argue any farther. "I'll go heat you up a can of soup."

Taekwoon eats just a few spoonfuls of the chicken and noodles soup at a time, sipping on orange juice in between. Hakyeon gives him some over the counter medicine that's supposed to help lower fevers. He feels a tiny bit better after that. The clouds in his head are clearer and he doesn't feel as hot.

He is still without energy though, and very tired. He hopes that if he takes a nap he'll sleep right through being sick and will wake up feeling all better. Hakyeon sits next to him on the bed, and hums softly as Taekwoon drifts off into sleep.

-

Hakyeon sits and watches as Taekwoon sleeps. He hates seeing him sick. He's usually a healthy person and illnesses come rare to him, but when they do hit, they hit hard. Hakyeon is especially worried after seeing him stumble earlier. He had looked as if he was going to faint.

Taekwoon lets out low pained whimpers as he sleeps. Hakyeon thought the medicine he gave was helping, but as he lays his hand to Taekwoon's forehead he finds it as burning as ever. Hakyeon frowns. If his fever doesn't ease down at least, Taekwoon is going to have to go to the hospital whether he likes it or not. Hakyeon is not sure on how to go about it though. He doesn't want to make Taekwoon do something he doesn't want to do. He's an adult who can make his own decisions, but getting him to willingly visit the hospital is going to be a challenge.

Hakyeon passes time by eating cereal, cleaning the litter box, scrolling through his social media timelines. He's catching up on the local news when he hears groaning sounds coming from their bedroom.

Taekwoon is awake, sitting up in bed and rubbing at his eyes with his fists. He points towards the window with agitation - too much light. Hakyeon closes the blinds for him.

"How you feeling?" he asks.

Taekwoon answers with a slurry of words and sounds that Hakyeon can't decipher. He shakes his head. "I can't hear you, love. Try to speak slowly."

Taekwoon huffs. He hates having to repeat himself. "I'm still sick," he says.

"Let's go to the hospital," Hakyeon tries again. "They'll help you."

"I don't want to."

Hakyeon sighs but keeps his patience. He knows this isn't going to be easy. Taekwoon is even more stubborn than usual when he's sick. "Please? I'm worried."

This sways Taekwoon a bit. "Why?"

"You look and sound bad, and it scared me when you almost fell."

"Because I was weak."

Hakyeon nods. "The doctors at the hospital will help you feel better again."

Taekwoon seems to be deep in thought now. Maybe persuading him isn't going to take as long as Hakyeon initially thought. He waits patiently as he watches Taekwoon consider it. He knows gears are turning in his head and that he's laying out all of the benefits and downsides of going, possible scenarios, and people he'll have to interact with.

"I guess," Taekwoon responds, unenthusiastically.

Hakyeon lets out a breath. "Okay," he says. He sees how afraid Taekwoon is, so he gives him a kiss and a reassuring smile. He understands Taekwoon has solid reasons for his dislike and distrust of hospitals and medical personnel. He just wishes Taekwoon knew that as long as he is with him, he has nothing to be scared of.

-

The ride to the hospital seems to take so long, but Taekwoon is not complaining. He's not looking forward to it at all, and is mostly only going because he doesn't want Hakyeon to worry. He's also a little bit afraid of this sickness killing him. He wants to ask Hakyeon if he's going to die, but he refrains from it for now.

Hakyeon talks during the entire drive. He tells Taekwoon about the hospital. They'll have to wait in the emergency room until the nurse says his name, then the doctor will see him. He'll probably ask a bunch of questions and do tests and give Taekwoon medicine. It doesn't sound that bad yet, but it'll be different as it's happening.

Taekwoon doesn't speak at all. He just listens and saves his energy for the hospital visit. He dozes in and out of the clouds in his head and tries to think about good things.

The emergency room is noisy. There's a crying baby, and Taekwoon likes babies but only when they're quiet. He has gotten good at managing noises in public so he no longer carries his headphones with him everywhere, but he really wishes he had brought them here because being sick makes the sensory onslaught a million times worse.

He has to cover his ears with his hands instead. He squeezes his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the bright florescent lights. Hakyeon even tries to help but putting his own hands over Taekwoon's for double protection.

On top of all of this, there's still the sickness. The fever and stuffy nose and the aches. Taekwoon grows more and more frustrated as the minutes go by. He hasn't head banged in years, but he's feeling a sudden urge to get up and begin bashing his head into the wall repeatedly.

Hakyeon always tells him that if he ever feels like he wants to hurt himself, let him know. "Red," Taekwoon whispers.

Hakyeon immediately gets it. "Okay, come on."

He takes Taekwoon to the front desk, where he explains to the receptionist there about Taekwoon's sensory processing issues and asks if there's a quieter place they can wait in.

She lea