Chapter Text
Minho wakes to what feels like an earthquake, immediately shooting up in bed in shock.
He pants with a hand securely placed to the center of his chest, trying to understand why his body is doing a 360 in the middle of the night.
Almost as suddenly as it has started, the shaking stops.
The first thing his brain registers is Jisung’s panicked gaze, face resting only a few inches away from his own.
What he does not catch onto, is the reason why he is being pulled out of his slumber in such a brutal manner.
"Ilino, you’re awake."
He hears a deep exhale, which is a good indicator to how stressed Jisung is.
Minho nods to confirm that very obvious statement, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to adjust his vision to the extreme darkness of his bedroom.
For once, he’s grateful for Jeongin’s annoying little night light, because it helps him catch onto his little brother’s worried expression.
"Wh-What’s going on?" Minho stammers, still trying to put two and two together.
He takes a glance at the alarm clock next to his bed, big shiny numbers blinding him momentarily.
He knows there’s only one logical reason that would explain why Jisung is waking him up at two in the morning.
"Did you have a nightmare again baby?" Minho’s expression softens as he questions the boy, being quite used to this type of encounter.
As a matter of fact, it is not rare for Jisung to crash in his bed in the middle of the night, needing some comfort after a scary dream or a panic attack.
Strangely though, this feels a little different this time.
The atmosphere seems heavier.
As if something bad is about to happen.
There’s this odd lingering feeling filling the room and Minho really doesn't like it.
And as if to reinforce his dreadful suspicions, Jisung slowly shakes his head.
So, no nightmare.
"I’m here because…I…I think you should check on the cats." Jisung tries to explain calmly, but nothing about his tone is relaxed.
It would be a lie to say that Jisung’s words don’t send Minho into instant hysteria.
He goes from drowsy to I just drank three energy drinks in less than a millisecond.
Minho wastes no time to kick the blankets to the side with his feet, jumping out of the bed so quickly that he feels dizzy. Thankfully, Jisung is quick to steady him, placing an arm around his waist to keep him from falling over.
"Hey whoa, breathe Hyung. I haven't even explained anything yet." Jisung keeps his tone calmer this time, realizing how urgent he had sounded earlier. "It’s just that on my way to the bathroom, I noticed a little pile of sick in the middle of the corridor. I think one of the cats probably threw up."
Minho feels himself relax a little as he listens to Jisung’s clarifications.
His cats have definitely thrown up before after eating something bad and it has never been something to be concerned about.
This was probably caused by something similar.
It had to be.
"Can you just show me where the vomit is so I can pick it up and quickly check up on the three of them? You can go to sleep after Hannie. Thanks for letting me know, I really appreciate it." Minho smiles lightly as he walks out of the room. "Close the door behind you so you don’t wake Innie up." He adds with a whisper, thinking of his poor roommate who really needs all the rest he can get.
Jisung does as said before opening the hallway light switch, squeezing his eyes shut at the sudden brightness that fills the room. Very slowly, Jisung walks along the narrow corridor of the dorm, remembering that the little splatter was only a few feet away from their shared bathroom. Minho follows him carefully, trying not to trip on anything as he walks with half shut eyes. It does not take long for the youngest to find the piece of evidence, pointing the sickness on the wooden tiles. Minho rubs his eyes, slowly kneeling down to get a closer look.
Straight away, his composure is replaced with an uneasy sentiment.
Why is the vomit a deep shade of red?
Minho feels his soul leave his body as he inspects the thick liquid further, not believing what he is seeing.
He blinks very slowly as if it would change something, but the redness remains.
Did one of his cats really throw up blood?
"H-Hannie…I…I think there’s blood in it." Minho affirms, slowly looking up from the floor and into Jisung’s eyes.
His face is so pale that Jisung is scared that he’s going to pass out.
"Wh-Why is there blood in it?" Minho questions with a tremor in voice, unsure of whether he actually wants an answer to his question. Saying it out loud seems horrifying enough.
Jisung stays completely silent as he approaches his Hyung to also get a better look at the small tower of bile, equally confused and worried. He’s suddenly very glad that he has woken Leno up.
"Let’s check up on them. I’ll help you find the babies, yeah?" Jisung tries his best to reassure him, ready for an all night scavenger hunt if needed.
Minho inclines his head before urgently getting back up on his feet.
He feels incredibly unsteady, worry setting in fully.
Soonie, Doongie and Dori are all so precious to him and knowing that one of them could be severely sick is enough to make him feel nauseous. To Minho, losing a cat would be, without any exaggeration, one of the worst things that could ever happen to him.
"I’ll search the kitchen. Can you search the living room?"
Jisung quickly nods.
"Just call me if you spot any of them." Minho adds as they part ways, nearly running to the kitchen in the crucial search of his three babies.
He begins by looking in the hidden corners of the room, desperately hoping to spot them. He then searches under the table, inside the cabinet’s and at the back of the fridge, praying to find at least one. Discouraged and with none in sight, he gets ready to aim for the other members' bedrooms at risk of waking them up. He hates to do this to them, but he also feels like he doesn't have a choice. As he walks to Chan’s shared room, he hears his brother shout out for him from the other end of their dorm.
"Hyung! I found Soonie!"
Minho’s heart jumps out of his chest, completely dropping his search to rush to where Jisung is. As soon as he sees his cat, he feels his heart sink. There’s some very obvious red stains on his fur, which can only mean one thing.
Soonie is sick.
Very sick.
"Shit…What in the world happened to you darling?" Minho addresses the cat, leaning down to its height on the floor and scooping it up into his arms. The cat’s mood does not look any different than usual, which confuses the boy even more. "I don’t understand…" Minho states, turning back to look at Jisung’s worried expression.
"We should keep an eye on him, just in case." Jisung suggests as he gets closer to his brother and presses a comforting hand onto his shoulder.
Minho is quick to shake his head, slowly walking to the couch and laying Soonie protectively onto his lap. The cat immediately nuzzles into his dad’s stomach, purring loudly when he starts petting him.
Minho tries to hide the way his hands are shaking.
"You should go to bed Hannie. It’s really late and we have a pretty busy day tomorrow. You know how your anxiety gets when you don’t sleep much…" Minho protests, trying to smile slightly at his brother to reassure him, even if he feels seconds away from a total meltdown.
His cats mean the absolute world to him. They are his children.
To know that one of them is possibly extremely sick makes him go feral.
Minho sighs in relief when he sees Jisung leave the common area, thankful that the boy is going to at least get a few hours of sleep. His relief is momentary though, because only an instant later, Jisung is back by his side with a blanket. Minho tries not to cry at the sight of his best friend so carefully placing his arm around him and draping the duvet on top of them three.
"If the plan is to stay here for the night, we might as well make ourselves comfortable mhm?" Han states, gently laying his head onto the older boy’s shoulder. "You’ve lost your mind if you really thought I was going to leave you alone tonight after all the sleepless nights you’ve spent helping me."
Minho can’t help but feel a bit emotional, the build up of the stress and the gratefulness really playing with his mind right now. He would want to debate and insist that Jisung needs some rest, but he simply can’t do it right now, too thankful to have him right by his side in such a critical moment.
"Thanks Hannie…I…It really means a lot." Minho ends up saying, eyes glued to his baby. "I’m just really scared…I can feel that something is wrong with him." He admits, unable to hide the way his body is slightly shaking.
Jisung reaches out, taking his Hyung's hand and squeezing it tightly in comfort. He can only imagine how worried his friend is, aware of how important his cat’s are to him.
"That’s why we will keep an eye on him, just to make sure that things are fine mhm? Which I'm sure they are." Han reassures him as much as he can, reaching for the remote on the coffee table and turning the television on at low volume. "Let’s watch something to relax alright? There’s no need to wait for something dramatic to happen, especially since it probably never will." He continues, putting on a random movie.
Minho nods, really thankful for his best friend's presence. He rests his head on the other boy's shoulder, trying to focus on what is happening on the screen, rather than catastrophizing on all the worst sicknesses that Soonie could have caught. For a little while, the silence is comfortable. Apart from the sounds coming from the television, the only other thing heard in the apartment is Han’s soft breathing. It brings comfort to Minho in more ways than he would like to admit. The relaxed ambience is sadly replaced by frenzy once more when Soonie starts retching, jumping down from where he was resting on Minho’s lap and aiming for an isolated spot behind the couch.
Han and Minho are both on their feet in an instant, noises of the poor distressed cat being sick ringing through their ears. They work together to push the couch away from the wall, which to Minho’s fear allows him to see another pile of red barf on the floor.
No longer calm, Minho completely shuts down. He feels like one by one, his senses are giving out. At first, it’s the dizziness that hits him, making him fall into a sitting position on the couch. Then, it’s his vision that blurs, black spots dancing all over the white walls. The loud buzzing in his ears is next, causing his head to hurt. Panic simply invades him, now convinced that something is seriously wrong with one of his kids. Jisung, fully aware of what is happening, takes place by his Hyung's side, pressing a hand against his thigh before lightly squeezing it in support.
"Ilino, Hyung. Hey, I'm right here alright? Let’s breathe together. You can’t help Soonie if you get sick yourself." Han indicates, rubbing up and down his leg.
Minho shakes his head, feeling absolutely devastated. He simply doesn't know what to do, feeling his body tremble with extreme nerves. Tears quickly fill his eyes, leaking along his cheeks a few seconds later. Han is quick to offer him shelter in his arms, rocking him back and forth into his chest.
"Shh…I know babe. I know…It’s going to be alright. We’re going to figure it out." Han promises as he caresses his brother’s back, trying to help him with the sweetness of his words.
Minho can feel a shiver run along his spine as he hears Jisung’s gentle words, relaxing fully in the boy’s tight embrace. Strangely enough, crying in Han’s arms feels extremely familiar, already having this level of vulnerability going on with him for years.
"He’s…He’s the first cat I've ever adopted, Hannie. I-I love him so much…I can’t lose him." Minho chants, blinking back his tears.
If Jisung could feel his shirt getting wet, he kept it to himself.
"I know Hyung. As soon as the vet open’s tomorrow, we will give them a call so they can check up on him." Han promises, gently running his thumb across the boy's quivering chin. "I’ll make Channie clear our schedules tomorrow so I can tag along, and before you start debating, there’s nothing you can say that will keep me from going with you."
Minho nods repeatedly, not even disagreeing. Simply knowing that his brother will be there with him if ever things go to shit , really makes him feel more at ease. If ever the veterinarian has bad news to give, there is no way Leno would make it home on his own.
He would no longer be able to function.
"Soonie…Soonie come here. Your dad really needs a hug right now…" Jisung calls out for the cat, opening his arms.
In his usual cuddly nature, Soonie marches to Jisung’s side, allowing the boy to scoop him up into his arms. Jisung wastes no time to lift him off from the ground, placing him carefully in Minho’s lap. The older boy immediately presses his face into his fur, nose deeply tucked into his neck. He cries a little more loudly as he cuddles him.
Han remains by their side the entire time, simply caressing Lee Know’s back in soft circular motions.
As if the night couldn’t get even more intense, Jeongin appears in the doorway out of nowhere and completely unannounced. Jisung is the first to catch onto his presence, taking note of the worried expression printed all over the maknae’s face. He analyzes him with curious eyes, worry filling his chest. He offers him a light smile, not wanting to preoccupy Minho more than he already is. Just to let him know about the younger's presence, Jisung gently squeezes his brother’s hand before speaking to their frightened member.
"It’s alright Innie. Go back to sleep, I'm sorry if Hyungs woke you up." Han tries, hoping that the boy would go back to his room without protesting.
Without much surprise, Jeongin doesn't follow the directions, walking deeper into the living room and closer to their side.
"But…Is Leno Hyung okay?" He asks, concern filling his bambi eyes.
Bless his heart.
"Soonie is not feeling too sharp and Leno Hyung is a little worried is all." Jisung attempts to explain in only a few words, not trying to make the atmosphere heavier and not wanting to worry their little maknae.
Jeongin decomposes himself even more at the confession, shoulders dropping inwards.
It makes Jisung raise an eyebrow in confusion, ready to step into action if needed.
"Innie…Is everything alright?" Jisung asks with an inch of worry in his tone. "Do…you need to sit down?"
And then, Jeongin starts crying.
No actually, he starts bawling .
"Leno Hyung…I’m so sorry…I’m so sorry…I didn’t think it would make him sick! I really didn’t think it would make him sick." Jeongin hyperventilates, hands shaking so badly Jisung’s sure he’s about to faint.
"Hey…Easy there little one."
The rapper is quick to step on his feet, wanting to bring assistance to the youngest. He wraps his arms around his shoulder and helps him sit on the couch with both Minho and Soonie.
Lee Know is no longer crying, now very aware of what Jeongin has just confessed to. His eyes are now as wide as saucers, about to completely lose his mind.
"What do you mean Jeongin? Why…Why is my cat throwing up blood?!" Minho grunts his teeth. He doesn't mean to shout, but he can’t help his harsh tone.
"Blood?!" Jeongin starts to panic even more.
Jisung shakes his head and grabs the boy's hand.
This is all starting to look like the perfect recipe for disaster.
"Whoa…Hey. Let’s all calm down here huh?" Hannie indicates, looking at Minho with pleading eyes. "Let’s let Innie explain himself before we all lose our minds." He continues, patting the maknae’s shoulders. "Go for it love, we’re listening."
Jeongin sucks in a breath and rubs his tears in frustration with the sleeves of his jumper before he starts talking.
"I dropped the jar of strawberry jam while grabbing it from the fridge before going to bed and…and Soonie licked some of it from the tiles before I could pick the mess up. You were already sleeping so…so I didn’t wake you up Hyung…I…I googled it and it said it couldn’t harm cats so…I…I didn’t think it would make Soonie sick. Hyung…I’m so sorry…I…"
Red strawberry jam.
Red strawberries.
Red.
"Oh my god!" Minho shouts, which startles Jeongin at first, but seconds later the youngest is being pulled into a hug so strong he feels like he is about to be suffocated. "Thank you Innie. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Jeongin, as confused as ever, melts into his Hyung’s arms, still feeling extremely guilty. He looks up at him with tearful eyes, about to start crying all over again any second.
"Innie. I thought Soonie was throwing up blood when all along he was actually throwing up undigested strawberry jam. I-I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am right now." Minho nearly cries as he explains his realization, looking at Soonie and slowly patting his head. "So, I guess you were too full buddy huh?" He says with a voice an octave higher, now understanding why his behavior was not different from what it usually was like.
Jeongin exhales in relief, guilt disappearing in a flash.
"I-I promise i’ll tell you next time…" Jeongin continues, sniffling before offering a slight smile to both his hyungs. "I really didn’t want to worry you both. I’m so sorry."
Jisung shakes his head lightly before patting the boys back.
"Stop it Innie. No one’s mad. We’re just happy Soonie’s going to be alright. Now please, go to bed. You really need to sleep." Jisung insists, pointing the rooms to the maknae. "Hyung and I will join you really soon alright?"
Jeongin nods before standing up on his still shaky legs.
"Night Hyung’s. I love you."
Minho and Jisung both watch him wobble out of the living room, exchanging one little glance before they both start laughing. Minho rubs his tears away, trying to not feel too ashamed. The whole situation is so ridiculous that it almost seems like a prank.
"Sorry for being so extra and for having a whole ass breakdown." Minho sighs, pulling Jisung back into a hug. "It’s crazy how I can always count on you in every single situation."
"Actually Hyung, that’s not quite right. We both can count on eachother." Jisung corrects him, allowing himself to melt into the tight embrace. "You know I'll always have your back, just like you always have mine in return."
"Does that mean that you will come cuddle with me in bed tonight if I tell you it would make me feel better?" Minho tries, pouting a little just to be more convincing.
Hopefully for him, it does not take much more convincing for Jisung to accept the proposition.
"You know I'd want to be nowhere else. Come on Hyung, I'll be the big spoon just for tonight."
Minho’s smile grows, propping himself down to press a soft kiss to Sonnie’s head before getting up from the couch.
"Well let’s go then mhm? I wouldn’t want to miss a single second of that opportunity."
Jisung shoves him playfully before taking his hand and slowly dragging him back to his bedroom, ready to spend the night enlaced in his Hyung’s arms, promising him that they will never be talking about this whole frightening misunderstanding again.