They stood face to face, hands fidgeting.

“You didn’t have to accompany me all the way up here, Taeyeon-ah.”

Taeyeon shrugged, not wanting to show how concerned she really was about the girl in front of her.

After the revelation the leader shared, the two stayed in companionable silence till the night air turned chilly despite it being summer. Taeyeon seemed to enjoy the cool breeze but soon noticed her member’s obvious discomfort as the evening progressed, forehead scrunched up and skin visibly clammy.

The kid leader decided to save their talk for another day, feeling remorseful for forgetting that Jessica wasn’t feeling all that well to begin with but allowed themselves to stay outside for long. Not to mention how alarmingly slim her member had actually gotten upon closer inspection, her cardigan hanging loosely from her small frame something to be anxious about.

It took a bit of coaxing from the older girl, but Jessica didn’t have the spare energy to argue anymore as she gave her car keys to Taeyeon and allowed her leader to drive her home, her body succumbing to exhaustion from the past week, not to mention the tests she underwent earlier that day.

“Uh, this is it then. Thanks for tonight, Tae. I guess I’ll see you in a few days,” Jessica said, a sweet smile on her lips before turning around and opening her door. A small hand swiftly reached out and cupped the younger woman’s elbow forcing her to turn around, surprise and confusion etched on her pale face.

“I know I don’t have any right to ask this of you but, would you mind very much if I spend the night?”

Jessica was momentarily stunned from the seemingly innocent request, her heart palpitating in a way that was fleetingly familiar, of which she was sure only Taeyeon could invoke these days but couldn’t grasp the exact reason why.

“…Wh-what?”

Taeyeon blushed, unable to hide how shy she suddenly became from how intensely the other woman was staring at her. They’d been to many sleepovers before with the other girls but never had Taeyeon ask to sleep over anyone’s house alone before, most especially at Jessica’s.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s just that you said that you’ll be alone tonight, and it’s obvious you’re sick, and I just really want to make sure you’re okay.”

Jessica’s tired eyes softened, her sweet smile returning as she gazed at her leader. She knew that it would take a while for the awkwardness and distance between them to abate, but Taeyeon knew how to take care of her members regardless of personal issues.

“You really don’t have to, Taengoo. I’m sure I can fend for myself for one night.”

Taeyeon shook her head, not giving up. “Then come home to the dorm with me instead.”

Jessica couldn’t count how many times this stubborn little midget was able to render her speechless in a span of a few hours.

“I actually heard from Manager-unnie that you visited the hospital today, Sica. You know how she is, always uptight when one of us goes against our schedules. Apparently, she found out that Oppa rearranged some of your activities again without her knowing so she was ranting.”

The younger woman rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing full well she’d get an earful again from her “favorite” manager. She really should complain about her biased treatment to the company but was too soft-hearted to actually go through with it.

“I only told Sooyoung that I’d drop by tonight and she insisted that I don’t leave you alone for some reason. I know our relationship’s not exactly the greatest, but I still would’ve wanted to know if you’re unwell or something. I’m not as heartless as you think I am,” Taeyeon said, voice laced with something akin to hurt.

Jessica’s heart ached and wanted to hug the older woman for unintentionally upsetting her, but a sudden wave of dizziness consumed her, making her clutch her head and unconsciously reach out for something to hold on to.

“Sooyeon!”

The taller girl continued to rub her temples to try and ease the pain somewhat as Taeyeon held her body against hers.

“I-I’m okay, Tae. I just really want to sleep right now.”

Taeyeon carefully assisted the younger woman inside her unit. “I’m not going anywhere, Sica. I’ll take care of you.”

“How is she?”

Taeyeon took a quick peek inside the room before answering.

“Her fever spiked for a while but had gone down now and she finally stopped tossing around, thank goodness. She looks so pale, Sooyoungie. I’ve never seen her like this before.”

’Trust me, she’d had worse,’ Sooyoung thought. “Thanks for being there for her, Tae. Hyo said she’ll drop by after her last schedule which is still a few hours away. Soojung’s a bit busy right now and their mom accompanied Papa Jung back in the US, so we’ll be off to Japan by the time she returns.”

The older woman quietly padded her way to the living room and plopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh.

“What did the doctor say? You were there with her, right?”

Sooyoung didn’t respond right away. Truthfully, no one should’ve found out about Jessica’s check-up, but Manager-unnie was being nosey again. Good thing their Manager-oppa was quick-witted and made something up to cover for them.

“Doctor said she’s a bit dehydrated so they gave her some fluids. She had deadlines to make before the tour so she overworked herself. You know how she is,” Sooyoung answered as concise as she could.

Taeyeon adjusted herself so she was laying down instead as she massaged her head, thinking of just how much work Jessica was taking on for her to warrant a visit to the hospital without even directly informing all of them. And so close to their tour, too.

“So, did you get to talk to her?” Taeyeon nodded absentmindedly before remembering that Sooyoung couldn’t see her.

“A bit, yeah. Apologized and explained myself, that I’m still against the whole business idea but I’ll try to be more open-minded and supportive as much as I can.”

Sooyoung couldn’t help but smile gratefully on the other side of the line, happy that her sisters were finally starting to reconcile.

“Thanks, Taengoo. I’m sure you made her day. She missed you a lot even if she doesn’t say or show it, and right now she needs all the support she can get,” Sooyoung said, not entirely referring to the business alone.

Taeyeon hummed in reply and soon bade the taller girl goodnight with promises of calling her if anything came up. She wanted to stay there and rest her eyes since it was way past midnight but was afraid that Jessica might need her, so she lazily stood up and stretched, deciding to just bunk inside the younger woman’s room instead. She was thankful that they didn’t have any activities the next day.

She stopped short of entering the suite when she noticed a tall cylindrical object covered by a thin white sheet standing conspicuously out on the hall. ‘Is that a tank?’ Curiously, as she never noticed it before the very few ti