Jihyo walked out of their bedroom – which had become the quarantine room, no one entered or exited unless they absolutely had to – practically chased by the thud of a pillow flying into the door after her. She unhooked her mask and faced the seven similarly masked faces curiously awaiting her prognosis, “Yep… she’s still sick,” she announced grimly to the chorus of groans from the rest of the members.

 

                “I can hear you!” Nayeon croaked through the closed door before erupting in coughs, causing Jihyo to frown.

 

                She lightly kicked the door, causing Nayeon to whine in response. She must’ve had her ear to the door, “Get back in bed!” the leader commanded.

 

                Mina was the first to unhook her mask, “She’s been like this for a week—is there anything else we can do for her?” her concern showing obviously through her now-exposed facial expression.

 

                “Yeah, anything?” Jeongyeon emphasized, “I’m so sick of her being sick,”

 

                “Not you,” Jihyo said with narrowed eyes to Jeongyeon, “If you get sick who will cover for you and Nayeon?”

 

                “I’ll do it,” Dahyun offered.

 

                Tzuyu raised her eyebrows in surprise and Chaeyoung snorted in laughter.

 

                Dahyun glared at them, “I meant, I’ll take care of Nayeon-Unnie!” she clarified indignantly.

 

                “Jihyoooooooo I’m bored,” as if on cue Nayeon moaned again from her bed.

 

                Jihyo shot Dahyun a pointed look, “Are you sure you can handle her?”

 

                “I think so,” Dahyun nodded confidently, “The real question is, Chaeng, can you handle thot dropping on national television if I get sick from this?”

 

                “H—huh?” Chaeyoung asked, her eyes widening. Her jaw would probably be dropped, but it was currently covered by an orange mask with a grinning tiger mouth on it.

 

                “Please don’t get sick Dahyunnie,” Sana teased, patting her on the back.

 

                “Hey, I could do it!” Chaeyoung said, finally taking off her mask and revealing what was supposed to be a pout.

 

                Sana reached forward and pinched her cheek, “I’m sure you could!”

 

                “Yah!” She grumbled, batting Sana’s arm away from her face.

 

                ~

 

                Dahyun had her white mask with the iconic tofu face drawn on it drawn tightly over and nose as she entered Nayeon’s room with a tray full of soup, cough medicine, and a box of tissues.

 

                Nayeon barked in laughter at the sight, “Where’s Jihyo? She sick of taking care of me already?”

 

                “N—no, I wanted to,” Dahyun insisted with a frown. Her eyebrows knitted together cutely.

 

                Nayeon rolled her eyes, “Its ok I know you’re all over me already. Trust me—” she breaked to cough loudly into her elbow, “—I’m over me too,” she flopped back in her bed and pulled the blankets to her chin.

 

                Dahyun recoiled, wincing, until Nayeon was finished coughing, “Unnie, please,” she pleaded, “I made you soup,”

 

                “Please, since when do you know how to cook?” Nayeon grumbled.

 

                “Well—I don’t, but Jeong-Unnie does and she offered to help,”

 

                That prompted Nayeon to sit up and look at the bowl curiously. She knew anything Jeongyeon had made would probably be delicious. She looked back to her nest of blankets before looking back at the bowl and her stomach grumbled, “I’m cold,” she whined pitifully, “Can you feed me?” she asked as she pulled all the blankets up around her and nestled inside so only her head was visible.

 

                Dahyun looked at the door where the others were surely waiting for her to return, before sighing, “Yeah, of course, Unnie,”

 

                Which caused Nayeon to smile brightly for the first time since she’d been sick, then she opened eagerly awaiting the first spoonful.

 

                Dahyun chuckled at that. she looked like a little kid. She took a spoonful of the steaming soup and raised it carefully to Nayeon’s mouth.

 

                Nayeon instantly recoiled, “Wait—it’s too hot!” she complained.

 

                Dahyun studied the steaming spoonful, before looking back to Nayeon, unsure what the older wanted her to do, “We could wait—”

 

                “Can you blow on it?” Nayeon asked, quickly discarding Dahyun’s idea of waiting.

 

                Dahyun sheepishly eyed the soup again. That would require her taking off her mask, and she didn’t want to get sick. Though the idea of Chaeyoung having to replicate her dance on television did kind of sweeten the deal.

 

                “Pleeeeaaase,” Nayeon begged with puppy dog eyes.

 

                That was the final straw that pushed Dahyun over the edge. She’d always been weak for her unnie’s deceptively youthful eyes.

 

                “Okay,” Dahyun agreed. She pulled the mask with her free hand down to her chin and blew carefully on the spoon, so as not to spill any before offering the bite to Nayeon again. The older girl gratefully took it this time and a large pleased smile spread on her face.

 

                “My taste buds aren’t fully recovered, but that’s the best food I’ve tasted since Jihyo forced me into isolation,” Nayeon practically moaned, before opening in expectance again.

 

                Dahyun blushed, before preparing another bite. She blew on it, and then raised it to Nayeon’s lips again, but before she accepted it, Nayeon gently grabbed her wrist and looked at Dahyun, “Thank you, Dahyunnie,” she said sincerely.

 

                The careful strength at which she’d taken Dahyun’s wrist had surprised the younger girl, causing her to fumble and drop the spoon, spilling soup onto Nayeon’s shirt.

 

                Nayeon whined, but it wasn’t because of the mess it was because of the waste of delicious soup.

 

                Before Dahyun could even think, she was grabbing tissues and reaching forward to scrub her shirt, apologising profusely.

 

                Nayeon began laughing. It was her loud, obnoxious laugh, where she threw her head back and reached forward to slap the nearest member… which was clearly Dahyun in this case.

 

                Dahyun froze, suddenly realising why Nayeon was cackling. Her hand was positioned right over Nayeon’s . Slowly she retracted her hand, her face bright red in embarrassment.

 

                “No, no continue—it’s the most action I’ve gotten in weeks!” Nayeon joked, taking Dahyun’s wrist gingerly again.

 

                “U—unnie—I’m—” Dahyun started to say, looking back at the door in fluster, trying to pull her arm back.

 

                “Wait, no, please don’t leave me!” Nayeon pleaded, suddenly sounding pitiful again.

 

                ~

 

                “She’s been in there for a while…” Mina pointed out, after they’d been sitting in silence for a while.

 

                “Should we save her?” Sana asked, already standing up.

 

                Chaeyoung shook her head furiously, “It’s too late—Nayeon has her now and she’s not going to let go!” she wailed theatrically, “Farewell my friend—see you on the other side!” she mimed stabbing herself in the heart before falling backwards onto Mina’s lap, causing the older girl to cover as she giggled.

 

                Jihyo rolled her eyes, “Don’t say that Chaeyoung. I’m sure she’s fine,”

 

                “It’s ok to admit you’re nervous,” Momo said with a smile, reaching to ruffle Chaeyoung’s hair, “I’ll teach you Dahyun’s part don’t worry,”

 

                Chaeyoung’s animated smile quickly melted into a pout again.

 

                Tzuyu leaned over to Jeongyeon and whispered while everyone else was distracted by Chaeyoung, “Hey, you’ve known Nayeon-Unnie longest—is she actually sick or is this just…” she gestured at Chaeyoung, “theatrics,”

 

                Jeongyeon grunted in amusement, “You’re observant,” she answered quietly before continuing to explain, “I think at one point she might’ve been, but since we were busy and all pretty much ignored her, she wasn’t able to get the attention she wanted. So… she’s kind of milking it now,”

 

                Tzuyu snorted, “So Dahyun is stuck taking care of a perfectly healthy Nayeon?” she asked, raising one eyebrow curiously.

 

                “I offered to do it myself,” Jeongyeon shrugged, “She’d have been out of her room by now if it was me,”

 

                “Poor Dahyun… she really is too good for this world,”

 

                “Let’s not tell Chaeyoung just yet… I really want to see Momo try to teach her to thot drop,” Jeongyeon admitted.

 

                Tzuyu smiled wickedly, “Me too,”

 

                ~

 

                “Will you lie with me?” Nayeon asked, opening her blanket nest to offer Dahyun space.

 

                “Is that even a good idea? You’re sick,”

 

                “I’m feeling much better from your soup,”

 

                “Unnie you had two bites,” Dahyun countered.

 

                “Well technically I had one bite and my shirt had the other,” Nayeon reminded.

 

                Dahyun blushed again and looked at her lap, “I—I’m really sorry again Unnie,”

 

                “It’s fine, I’ll just take it off,” Nayeon said simply, discarding her blankets and peeling the soiled t-shirt off.

 

                When Dahyun next looked up Nayeon was shirtless, causing her to blush even redder than before and look back down at her lap with a renewed concentration.

 

                “Dahyunnie, now you have to lie with me,” Nayeon pouted.

 

                “I—I can’t do—”

 

                “But you dirtied my shirt and now I’m cold,” Nayeon whined.

 

                “I—um—you can wear mine,” Dahyun blurted out, not thinking. Nayeon didn’t answer and so Dahyun began to shimmy out of her shirt, but before she could hand it to Nayeon and be done, Nayeon grabbed her and pulled her into the blanket nest instead.

 

                She practically purred, “Much warmer now,”

 

                Dahyun’s hot face was pressed against Nayeon’s chest, due to the tight hug Nayeon had wrapped her in.

 

                “Y—your heart is b—beating so fast Unnie are you sure you feel ok?” Dahyun stammered.

 

                “I promise Dahyun, I feel much better now,” she hummed contently.

 

                “C—can I put my shirt back on?” Dahyun asked.

 

                “It’s warmer like this,” Nayeon quickly shut down the idea.

 

                “If you say so,” Dahyun agreed slowly, before settling in next to Nayeon, knowing she wouldn’t be escaping anytime soon.

 

                “I love you Dahyunnie,” Nayeon murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “I’m so glad you took care of me,”

 

                ~

 

                She wasn’t sure when they drifted off to sleep, but when she awoke it was to screams.

 

                “SANA!” Chaeyoung yelled.

 

                “That was nearly perfect Chaeyoung!” Momo complemented.

 

                “She can not do that on stage!” Chaeyoung groaned.

 

                “I make no promises,” Sana replied.

 

                “Again, from the top!” Momo called.

 

                “No! Not with her behind me like that!”

 

                “It’s literally my position!” Sana protested.

 

                Tzuyu and Jeongyeon were laughing their asses off in the background.

 

                Dahyun felt Nayeon’s arms securely wrapped around her and decided she didn’t want to go out and face the rest of the members and whatever chaotic mess they’d gotten into just yet, so she snuggled back into Nayeon.

 

                “Sana, stop touching Chaeyoung’s —this is serious,” Jihyo reasoned, before sighing loudly, “This is like Nayeon and Dahyun all over again,”

 

                Dahyun felt Nayeon shift, and her hand descended to her , causing Dahyun to gasp and wiggle out of her hold once and for all, “Ok Unnie, it seems to me as if you’ve made a miraculous recovery,” she announced.

 

                Nayeon opened her eyes and pouted, “Fine—but if Sana ever does that to your …”

 

                “Unnie,” Dahyun whined, “I thought that was behind us,”

 

                “It’s certainly behind one of us,” Nayeon laughed loudly.

 

                Dahyun narrowed her eyes and suddenly it clicked why Nayeon wasn’t acting sick anymore, “You’re not sick!”

 

                Nayeon instantly stopped laughing, but the smile didn’t disappear, “It’s a miracle, isn’t it? Thank you Dahyunnie!” she exclaimed, kissing Dahyun on the nose before hopping out of bed with renewed energy. She rummaged through her drawers for a new shirt and tossed Dahyun her own shirt, practically skipping to the doorway.

 

                All Dahyun could do was stare at her unnie agape at how she'd tricked her--tricked them all.

 

                “Come on Dahyunnie, let’s show em how it’s really done,” She said holding her hand out to Dahyun.

 

                Dahyun shook her head, it didn’t matter. Nayeon was feeling better now and that’s all she had wanted in the first place.