TW: they puke bc they're sick but it's not written in massive detail.

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It's been a couple days since what Jeongguk has dramatically dubbed as “The Attack” (despite Taehyung telling him not to call it that), and he can confidentially say he’s had better days before.

It feels like he’s been hit by a truck.

That was towing another truck.

That was holding a bunch of broken-down cars.

That was on fire.

Yuna tells him to stop being so dramatic, but Jeongguk is adamant that there’s something wrong with him. He can hardly see straight and it feels like his body is burning. Not to mention his entire being aches after taking on an entire group of people by himself.

Sue him for feeling a bit under the weather.

When he has enough strength in his body, he finally manages to haul himself off to the GP, who tells him he’s got a fever. She instructs him to stay at home for the next few days to wait for the fever to break and tells him not to go to work.

He sighs as he leaves the office, ready to go home and burrow under the blankets and pretend he doesn’t exist for the next few days, until his phone rings in his pocket and stops him in his tracks.

“Hello?” He answers on the third ring.

“Come over.” The caller demands.

“Huh?”

“I said come over.” The voice repeats impatiently. Their voice is hoarse and muffled, barely audible even though Jeongguk has it on speaker. “Don’t go to work today and just come to my house.”

“Tae, I can’t. I'm-”

“Please.” He begs, which takes Jeongguk by surprise. He's never heard Taehyung ask nicely for anything before. He sounds kind of desperate. “I'll make sure you don’t get in trouble, Jeongguk. Just...come – you still have my address from last time.”

“I really can’t. I've got a-”

“Please.” He asks again, “I need you.” He admits reluctantly.

“You need me?”

“Yeah.” He sniffs through the receiver, shuffling about noisily. “I just want some company.”

“Oh.” Is all Jeongguk can say.

A small stretch of silence unfolds between them, and Taehyung’s embarrassment is almost palpable.

“It’s fine. Don't worry. I’m being weird. It was stupid anyway. Bye.” Taehyung rushes to say, about to hang up the phone in shame that he’d actually displayed real human emotion, but Jeongguk beats him to the punch.

“No wait!” Jeongguk says quickly. “It’s fine. It's not weird at all, I swear. And I would, but it’s just - I'm sick."

A beat of silence.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I just left the GP, and she said I should stay at home for the next few days because I have a fever.”

“Oh.” Tae says again. “Well...I’m sick too.” He says. “That’s why I wanted you to come over.”

“Oh.” Jeongguk says.

“I just want someone to cuddle me.”

“Oh.”

“I’m home alone and I don’t like it. It's lonely.”

“Oh.”

“Can you stop saying oh? Before I lose my fucking mind.” Taehyung snaps.

“Sorry.” Jeongguk laughs. “Well, if we’re both sick, then surely it doesn’t matter, right? I can come over since you won’t catch what I have.”

“Right. You can come over.”

“Should...should I bring stuff over? Like medicine?”

“No. It's fine- I have everything here. I only need you.”

“Oh.” Jeongguk responds lamely, cheeks heating up.

Taehyung sighs aggressively on the other end of the speaker.

“I’m fucking hanging up now.” He grumbles, and Jeongguk thinks his embarrassment is nothing short of totally endearing.

“I’ll see you later then.” Jeongguk bids goodbye.

“Hurry up, okay?” Taehyung commands bossily.

“You’re cute when you’re needy.” Guk can’t help but say.

Taehyung drops the phone call promptly, making Jeongguk laugh.

His heart skips a beat at the realisation that Taehyung likes him enough to want him around even when he’s sick.

Goddamn; he’s got it bad.

●

He makes it to Taehyung’s house a little over an hour later, and he’s tired to the core. Taehyung answers the door for him, wrapped in a giant blanket from head to toe, blearily pulling Jeongguk inside and tugging him up the stairs behind him.

“I feel like death.” Taehyung groans as he collapses on his bed. “My head hurts so bad. I think I ate something off."

He turns around to look at Jeongguk and shrieks when he sees him.

“What in fuck’s name are you doing?”

“I told you man; I have a fever.” Jeongguk shrugs casually as he takes off his top and pulls down his trousers to leave himself in his dark blue boxers. “I’m too hot in my clothes but I wanna get under the covers.”

“You’re ridiculous.” Taehyung says judgementally, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s scootching over and making space under the blanket for Jeongguk to climb in and join him.

He presses a wet towel with cold water on Jeongguk’s head, who hums appreciatively. Guk blindly reaches out a hand underneath the covers and links their fingers together gently.

Taehyung blushes and looks away.

“Thanks for coming to keep me company.” He mumbles quietly in embarrassment. They've only kissed once and he’s already acting so needy. “I don’t like being left home alone when I'm sick. It freaks me out.”

“No worries, Tae. I don’t mind keeping you company. Your medicine is probably 10x better than mine anyway.” Jeongguk says as he takes two tablets and swallows them with orange juice.

“You can leave whenever you want. I know I'm just being silly and wasting your time. You probably want to be on your own bed in your own room.”

“Nah. It's fine. I like being here with you. It's nice.”

They lie there together in relative silence, passively watching the TV as it drones on in the background. Then Taehyung’s stomach makes a weird noise.

“What was that?” Jeongguk asks, “Did you just fart?”

“No, bitch.” Taehyung rolls his eyes, “I don’t know what that was.”

“Oh.” Jeongguk says. Taehyung glares at him sharply.

“Stop it, idiot.”

They go back to watching TV, and Taehyung’s stomach makes the same weird noise, but considerably louder this time.

“Dude, seriously.” Jeongguk says. “If you gotta take a dump then just get up and go. I ain’t gonna judge you.”

Taehyung flushes red in the face.

“I do not need to use the toilet. And your vocabulary is barbaric. I've seen more eloquence from a raccoon.”

“Whatever.” Jeongguk shrugs. “I swear will never speak to you ever again if you shit on the bed.”

“Well don’t tempt me.” Taehyung responds, and Jeongguk pokes him playfully in the tummy as they laugh.

This time, Guk feels the rumbles as they happen, and Taehyung sits up sharply, unlacing their fingers and slapping a hand around his mouth in fear, eyes wide and alert.

“I think...I think I'm gonna be sick.” He blurts, darting up from the bed and bolting to the ensuite bathroom, narrowly making it just in time to puke heavily in the toilet. He empties his guts in the bowl, heaving loudly for a long time afterwards. The tap runs as he washes his face and cleans his mouth out, before he trudges back to the bed blearily, feet shuffling slowly on the floor.

“Gross.” Jeongguk says as Taehyung gets back into bed.

Tae scowls at him and kicks him half-heartedly.

“Leave me alone.” He grumbles, and Jeongguk pats him on the head gently. Tae falls asleep lie that, lulled into unconsciousness by the warm touch of Jeongguk in his hair. He doesn’t realise he’s fallen asleep until he wakes up around 1 hour later to the sound of Jeongguk now puking in the bathroom instead.

“I’m dying.” He calls out dramatically as he cleans himself up, washes his face and mouth and heads back to bed. Taehyung realises that Jeongguk has helped himself into a spare change of clothes from
his wardrobe, but he doesn’t have the energy to care.

Besides, it’s kind of cute.

They lay in bed side by side together, groaning and complaining about their ailments and misfortunes. Jeongguk complains that he’s hungry after having cleaned out his stomach in the toilet, but neither of them are bothered enough to get up and cook, and all of Taehyung’s house staff are off call.

“Jeongguk will you go make me soup please?” Taehyung asks.

“No - I just threw up like 5 minutes ago.”

“Yeah well so did I.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Let’s just order something. Like Mcdonalds.”

“But then we’d have to go all the way downstairs to collect it and then bring it all the way back here again, and I don’t feel like moving.”

“You whine so much.” Guk groans.

“Bite me.” Tae snips.

Jeongguk rolls his eyes and exhales heavily through his nose.

“Fine. I'll collect it when it arrives, and you can stay in bed. Happy?”

“Good. But I'm not paying for it either.”

“What?” Jeongguk protests. “Taehyung you’re literally rich.”

“Yeah, but you’re supposed to be taking care of me, not the other way around.”

“You’re being stupid.”

“Oh good, that means my impression of you is getting better.” Taehyung says sarcastically.

“Why would it be only me who has to pay for it? Can't we at least split it?”

Taehyung shakes his head.

“You’re a dickhead, Gucci boy, you know that?” Jeongguk frowns, “There are literally two £50 notes on the floor over there, and you’re making a poor uni student pay for your meal instead? How do you sleep at night.”

Taehyung rolls over and pretends he doesn’t hear. Jeongguk can feel the bed shake with Tae’s little giggles of amusement.

“Fine. Two can play at that game.” Jeongguk says smugly, “Either you pay, or I leave.”

Taehyung sits up abruptly and turns to face him.

“Alright. You win. I'll pay.” He concedes immediately, pouting slightly.

“Nice.” Jeonguk grins. “But let’s order later; I need a nap before my head fucking explodes.”

“You’re such a baby.” Taehyung says, wrapping his arms around Jeongguk’s back.

“But this time, I’m the big spoon.” Jeongguk says, rolling over and moving Taehyung’s arms.

Tae exhales heavily through his nose.

“Son of a bitch.” He mutters, but he still moves forward and buries his head into Jeongguk’s neck regardless.

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