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Seungmin had never been the athletic type (outside of baseball, at least), but he was having fun.
The one-on-one air suit chicken fight was amusing to watch, even if he did lose against Felix (the mats were a tripping hazard!), and secret king dodgeball wound up being way more enjoyable than he initially thought it would be.
But now he was sticky and tired and his hair was soaked from how much he’d been sweating, and he really didn’t want to get up and do whatever game the staff had prepared for them next.
His stomach was pleasantly full from the bibimbap he’d scarfed down barely a few minutes ago, and the post-meal sleepiness was already kicking in. If they wanted him to get up then they would have to get someone to pry him off this chair–
Someone tugged on his wet hair, his head moving along with the motion easily. Offended, he looked over, immediately coming face-to-face with familiar feline features.
Minho-hyung.
He and Minho had a stare down for a few seconds before the second eldest broke it, straightening up and motioning to where the others had started to gather in front of the cameras again.
“We’re about to start the third game. Think it’s a relay race.”
Seungmin inwardly groaned, his legs aching already.
Hadn’t they run enough already?
He stood despite his unwillingness, sighing heavily through his nose.
“I knew that already, hyung,” he retorted, playing into their ‘divorced couple’ relationship for the cameras he could feel trained on them.
Minho wrinkled his nose, pinching Seungmin’s ear between his fingernails. “See if I look out for you again, brat. Next time I’ll just let you be late and embarrass yourself.”
(He would do no such thing, and they both knew it.)
“Yeah, yeah,” Seungmin grumbled, swatting Minho’s cat claws away from his ear before he tore it off.
“Don’t mess with me, Kim Seungmin,” Minho called, moving to stand beside Chan and Jisung.
“We’re on the same team, Lee Minho!”
“Alright, alright,” Chan laughed, “break it up, lovebirds.”
Seungmin faked a gag and Minho shot Chan a withering look, and then the staff began explaining the next game they would play.
Apparently, they hadn’t done enough running, because that was basically all the last game was. They would each be given special items (though in Seungmin’s opinion they were more like handicaps) and compete with the other team in a relay race using whatever they were given.
Seungmin scrunched his nose in confusion when the staff started explaining what his and Jeongin’s item was. They gestured over to a table a few meters away, and on it were two bowls with multiple apples floating in water.
He had to bob for an apple and then run with it in his mouth?
How was he supposed to do that?
Jeongin was evidently on the same page as him, as he shot Seungmin a disbelieving look.
“Aww! Our cute maknaes!” Changbin cried in a high-pitched voice, Hyunjin following it with a disgusting coo.
He and Jeongin exchanged another look, this one disgusted.
A few minutes later they were being told to move to their stations, and then the race was starting. After Jisung nearly choked Felix out with his parachute, it was his and Jeongin’s turn.
Seungmin grabbed the baton first, quickly turning back to the table. It was there that he hesitated, glancing around at the staff and members. He knew he would be caught if he cheated now, but he did not feel like drowning himself in a bowl just to get an apple.
So, he brazenly stuck his hand inside the bowl of lukewarm water and grabbed a piece of the bright red fruit, placing it in his mouth and latching onto it with his front teeth before taking off at a sprint. He heard the members laughing, no doubt at him, and Jeongin’s upset yell at being left behind.
He focused on running and soon he reached Minho, where he quickly handed off the baton. His hyung laughed in his (no doubt stupid-looking) face before hopping off on his ball, Changbin quickly following after grabbing the baton from Jeongin.
Drool and juice from the apple were running down his chin, and Seungmin grimaced as he pulled the fruit out of his mouth and strings of spit followed. He wiped his face off with the back of his hand, disgusted.
Jeongin laughed at him, but he was in no better state.
When the race finally ended and Seungmin’s team was declared the winner, he looked forward to going home, where he could take a nice shower and finally lay down–
But then the staff were saying that Seungmin and Jeongin couldn’t grab the apples using their hands, and the members of the losing team were immediately asking for a second round to make up for their ‘blatant cheating.’ (It was blatant. He needed to get better at cheating inconspicuously.)
Loudly complaining, Seungmin and Jeongin returned to their station. The youngest started groaning that if you hadn’t cheated, then I wouldn’t have done it, either! but then Jisung and Felix reached them at nearly the same time, and they were forced to grab the batons.
Seungmin dunked his head into the bowl of water without a second thought, the cheers and laughter of the members being drowned out as his ears were submerged. His front teeth grazed the skin of one of the apples and he bit down harshly, sinking his teeth into the flesh.
He immediately came up for air, blinking hard as water dripped into his eyes and he began running. Through his blurry vision he could see that Jeongin was still struggling to grab an apple, and Seungmin cheered a little in his head. His team would win even without cheating!
The members’ shouting and laughing followed him to the next station, where he practically threw the baton into Minho’s hands. His hyung must’ve scratched him with his cat claws on accident while grabbing it, because the back of his hand stung. He would have to tell him to cut them later, or maybe threaten to declaw him.
He spit the apple out into his hand, using the other to brush his hair back and wipe the water off his face. Jeongin rushed past him, and Seungmin knew his team won this round– Minho was already over halfway to Chan.
Sitting down on the grass beside the other two who finished, Seungmin took a bite out of the apple. It was sweet and juicy, and Jisung was immediately leaning over his shoulder to ask for a bite.
Seungmin rolled his eyes (fondly, though he would never admit it) and handed the whole thing over. “Just take it, I don’t want anymore.”
Jisung cheered, pressing a quick, discrete kiss to the shell of his ear in thanks.
Seungmin flushed, but he would blame it on the heat if anyone asked.
Soon Chan was crossing the finish line with a disgruntled Minho in his arms, the eldest dragging him along as he jumped and laughed.
They were called to regroup in front of the cameras, and Seungmin stood with Jisung and Felix. He felt dizzy from the position change, and idly scratched his itchy hand while he waited for the head rush to pass. Felix shot him a worried look, and he smiled to reassure him and hurried to catch up.
As soon as they met with the rest of the group, everyone immediately began getting ready to deal out the punishment to the losing team. The other members of his team rushed off to grab water guns, but Seungmin waited for Chan to bring over his– he was still too out of breath to run and act excited. (He ignored the fact that it’d been over five minutes since he last ran– he’d had more than enough time to catch his breath.
He was just tired, he guessed.)
Felix hung his medal around his neck and bolted, eyeing Seungmin’s water gun warily. The scratchy fabric made his neck feel itchy and hot, but he resisted the urge to scratch.
The losing team ran around screeching as members of Seungmin’s team chased after them, but it all sounded muddled to him. It felt like his head was back underwater.
There was a tickle in his throat, so he coughed into his elbow.
After a few minutes of letting the members chase each other around, the staff eventually called them back to the middle to give their final comments and say goodbye. Seungmin could barely talk past the sudden tightness in his throat and chest, so he opted to wave at the camera and smile (though it felt more like a grimace) as the others shouted their farewells.
As soon as the cameras were turned off, he tugged the medal off and dropped it into the grass. He pulled at his shirt collar like it would help him breathe better, because why couldn't he breathe?
His breaths came out more like wheezes and gasps, and each pass of air through Seungmin’s too-tight throat ached. It wasn’t long before his head began to throb from the lack of oxygen, and he felt so faint he had to sit down.
A hand tugged at his shoulder and someone spoke worriedly into his ear, but the touch burned and itched all at once and he yanked himself away, his voice breaking as he yelped in pain.
“Sorry, I’m sorry, Minnie!” The person, who Seungmin now recognized as Felix, cried. “I just– are you okay? You don’t look well–”
He didn’t feel well, either.
But he couldn’t say any of that– his throat was so closed up he could barely even breathe, let alone speak. So instead he reached up and grabbed at his throat, looking up at Felix through teary eyes as he gasped for breath.
Felix’s eyes widened and he looked around frantically, searching for the members or staff. “Oh– oh, god. Hyung, Chan-hyung! Hyung, we– Seungmin can’t breathe !”
The silence was deafening, and then there were at least ten sets of footsteps rushing in their direction. The members crowded around him, hands raised hesitantly like they weren’t sure what to do. Chan took one look at him and rushed off, frantically yelling for a medic.
Seungmin was so, so confused.
He didn't know what was happening to him; all he could tell was that he couldn’t breathe and the members were staring at him like he was on his deathbed (which he probably would be if he didn’t get help soon, but he couldn’t think about that right now. He wasn’t going to die, he couldn’t die. He was so young, he still had so many things he wanted to accomplish–).
Through the tears pouring down his face he saw Minho crouch down in front of him, his expression uncharacteristically worried. “Seungminnie? Can you hear me, baby?”
Seungmin nodded, unconsciously scratching at his neck.
Why was he so itchy ?
Minho’s eyes tracked the movement and his hand reached out, but then he hesitated.
“Hey– focus on hyung, okay? Don’t scratch so hard, you’ll hurt yourself.”
He grunted, but it came out weak and raspy. He balled his hand up into a fist and dug his nails into his palm.
“Good job, puppy. Just breathe, alright? I’m gonna ask you some questions while Channie-hyung gets the medic, hm? Just nod or shake your head for me.”
Seungmin nodded, and his neck burned.
“Do you feel faint?”
He nodded again, and Minho pursed his lips. He glanced around quickly like he was looking for someone; probably Chan and the medic. He turned to face Seungmin again and smiled reassuringly.
“Okay, Changbin and I are going to lay you down and elevate your legs, alright? That should help a little.”
Minho helped him lay back on the cool grass and Changbin held his legs up a little, thumb rubbing soothingly over his exposed ankle.
With the blood rushing back to his head he felt a little better, but his throat and chest were still unbearably tight.
“Alright, let hyungs know if you feel any worse, baby,” Minho said, moving so Seungmin could see him.
Someone cleared their throat, and Seungmin sluggishly rolled his head to the side to see Jeongin looking at him worriedly.
“Are you hurt, hyung? Does– does anything hurt?”
And, it might’ve been insignificant to them, but Seungmin immediately remembered how Minho had scratched him, and how the back of his hand was still burning.
So he held his hand up, waving it in front of Minho’s face, and spoke, a little petulant, “Hyung scratched me. He needs t’ be declawed.”
Minho scrunched his nose, a retort clearly on the tip of his tongue, but then he glanced at Seungmin’s hand and his face paled. He reached up and gently grabbed his wrist, turning his hand so Changbin could see… whatever it was they were looking at.
Changbin exchanged a look with Minho, and he looked scared.
Now Seungmin was worried. What was wrong?
Minho cleared his throat, lowering Seungmin’s hand into his lap, his grip still gentle.
“Hyunjin, uh– can you go look for Chan-hyung? Tell him he needs to get back here now .”
Hyunjin nodded, detaching himself from Jeongin and running off without a word. Before he even left, Minho was pulling out his phone, dialling a number and raising it to his ear.
“Hyung?” Jisung spoke up, his voice wavering, “What’s going on? Who are you calling?”
Minho swallowed harshly, and Seungmin felt his fingers tremble where they were wrapped around his wrist.
“119. I think– I think Minnie’s having an allergic reaction to a bee sting.”
-
Jisung gaped, his heart thudding against his ribcage.
Stung? Allergic reaction? Like– anaphylactic shock allergic reaction?
“But–” Seungmin coughed weakly, his voice wrecked, “’m not allergic?”
He was having trouble talking (because his throat was closing up–), but they all understood what he meant.
“I don’t know, Minnie–” Minho started, but then he cut himself off and started speaking rapidly into his phone. The operator must’ve answered.
Jisung gulped, unable to take his eyes off of Seungmin. He was lying on the grass, his neck and face an angry, blotchy red from hives, a symptom of the potentially fatal allergic reaction he was having. He watched the singer’s lips turn a pale shade of blue and almost puked, but then Chan was collapsing by Seungmin’s side, the medic and Hyunjin hot on his heels.
“Epipen! He needs an Epipen!” Felix cried, gripping Jisung’s arm so tight he knew it would bruise as they watched the medic dig into her bag with bated breath.
But then she was dumping it out haphazardly onto the grass, and there was a distinct lack of the yellow medical device and oh, god Seungmin was going to suffocate to death because they had no Epipen for him and he couldn’t lose him, no, no–
“Epipen! Does anybody have an Epipen?!” Felix yelled, turning and running toward the group of staff standing worriedly off to the side. Jisung saw a few of them on their phones, realizing they must’ve called emergency services as well. (At least they were doing something, unlike him–)
Less than a minute later, Felix was racing back to them, followed by a woman who Jisung distantly recognized as one of their sound technicians. In her hand was an Epipen.
-
Seungmin gazed at the clouds moving sluggishly above him, his wheezy breaths loud in his ears. He jolted when a cool hand was placed on his burning face, blinking to see Felix hovering above him. His mouth was moving but Seungmin couldn’t understand what he was saying past the blood rushing in his ears, one of the only sounds he’d been able to register for the past few minutes. (Or hours? He didn’t know.)
Then something was being shoved harshly against his thigh and he didn’t have time to be confused because it was immediately followed by a sharp stinging sensation.
He jumped and whined, his legs weakly twitching in Changbin’s hold. A strong hand grabbed his, and he glanced over to see his oldest boyfriend smiling at him sadly.
“It’s okay, baby. I know it hurts but this will help you until we can get you to a hospital.”
“H’spital?” Seungmin murmured, his tongue too big for his mouth.
“Yes, honey, the hospital. The medic just injected you with an Epipen, that’s what that stinging was. We think you’re having an allergic reaction to a bee sting– Minho says you got stung on your hand.”
“Stung?”
He didn’t remember getting stung.
“Yes, you dumb doggy,” Minho spoke up, leaning over Seungmin so he didn’t have to move. “You got stung by a bee– I didn’t scratch you.”
His voice was wavering and his eyes looked suspiciously wet, but Seungmin felt too tired and sick to tease him about it. He felt better than he did even just two minutes ago, but his throat was still sore and his head throbbed between his ears.
“”m not a dumb doggy,” is what he chose to say instead, his voice weak.
Minho and a few others laughed, his hyung pressing his sweaty forehead against Seungmin’s temple.
“You’re right, puppy. Hyung’s sorry.”
“Mmm,” Seungmin hummed, his stomach churning and the sky suddenly way too bright for his pounding head.
He wiggled his hand where it was still in Chan’s firm grip, looking over at his hyung fearfully. “‘yung, up. ‘m gonna be sick–”
Chan and Minho immediately moved, lifting Seungmin up into a sitting position by his armpits and supporting him so he didn’t fall over. He felt shaky and his heart was racing in his chest.
He suddenly retched and pitched forward, his head hanging between his shoulders. He didn’t understand where the sudden nausea and rolling in his stomach came from; he was fine a few minutes ago.
There were hands soothingly rubbing his back and gently carding through his sweaty hair, and Seungmin wanted to sleep so badly.
His throat felt raw and tight, like he had an awful case of strep throat. His neck and arms still itched and burned at the same time, and he glanced down to see red blotches covering his exposed skin.
Hives.
A wailing siren interrupted his hyung’s whispers of encouragement, and a few paramedics rushed over with a stretcher. He whined when he realized that he would have to get on it, that he would be transported to the hospital and probably stay there for the rest of the night, away from his bed and the comfortable atmosphere of the dorms.
His members rushed to hush him, all of them reaching out to touch him in some way as Chan and Changbin lifted him from the grass.
“It’ll be okay Minnie, we’ll be right behind you,” Jisung said, Felix nodding quickly beside him.
“We love you, our cute puppy,” Hyunjin whispered, swiping Seungmin’s bangs away from his face.
His heart jolted in fear when the paramedics started moving as soon as he was strapped onto the stretcher, quickly reaching out to latch onto whoever was beside him.
It was Minho, and he met the younger halfway, grabbing his hand tightly.
“Me and Chan-hyung are right beside you, Seungminnie. Manager-hyung is going to follow us to the hospital with the others, okay? None of us are leaving you.”
Seungmin swallowed roughly, his throat beginning to tighten again. This time he couldn’t tell if it was from the allergic reaction or the tears welling up in his eyes.
Chan was on his other side so he reached out to him as well, the eldest quickly lacing their fingers together.
His hyungs both ran beside the stretcher as he was moved to the ambulance, continuing their stream of gentle praises and soft touches the entire time.
The edges of his vision swam and darkened as the paramedics slammed the ambulance doors behind them, and an oxygen mask was quickly pressed against his face. Chan and Minho were forced to move to the side so the paramedics could work on him, but they refused to let go of his hands.
The last things he felt before he lost consciousness were the soothing grips his hyungs had on his hands and the cold, clinical touches from the paramedics.
—
When Seungmin came to, he was in a dark, unfamiliar room. Machines beeped next to him and the strong smell of hospital burned his nose. His throat was raw and his chest ached like he’d just run a mile.
Two familiar hands were tightly holding one of his, and a glance down told him his other hand was loosely wrapped in a bandage.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness surrounding him, he was able to make out the figures scattered around the hospital room.
Chan and Minho were sitting in two chairs on his left, both of them holding his hand in their sleep as they leaned against each other. Hyunjin, Felix, and Jeongin were all squeezed into one cot on the other side of the room, and Changbin and Jisung were curled together on the small couch beside the door.
His heart warmed at the sight of all his boyfriends around him, staying true to what they told him before he had left in the ambulance.
A few minutes passed, and he didn’t want to wake them up, but the pressure in his bladder was growing uncomfortable and left him with no choice. He slowly sat up, his head spinning with the movement.
His stomach churned ominously and he held his breath, slowly reaching out to pat Chan’s arm in the hope that it would wake him.
“ Hyung. Wake up, hyung.”
Chan jolted up, jostling Minho off his shoulder.
Seungmin would’ve felt bad if he couldn’t currently feel stomach acid crawling up his esophagus.
“Hmm, Minnie?” Chan mumbled, clearly still half-asleep.
“Hyung– need th’ bathroom–”
Chan immediately stood, all sleepiness replaced by a serious expression.
“Okay, okay– let’s get you up, baby,” he said gently, supporting Seungmin as he slowly stood up. His stomach lurched and he whined, tightening his grip on Chan’s arm.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re going right now–” The eldest soothed, walking them towards the connected bathroom quickly but carefully.
As soon as they got inside, Seungmin was leaning over the toilet, white knuckling Chan’s hand while he dry heaved. He heard footsteps and a few concerned voices, but he trusted his hyung to handle it.
There was nothing in his stomach for him to throw up so it eventually settled, leaving Seungmin panting and sore. A cool hand pressed against his forehead and pushed his hair back, and he slowly peeled his eyes open to see Felix crouching beside him. He hadn’t even realized Chan had left.
Felix smiled sadly at Seungmin, gently scratching his scalp. “How are you feeling, Minnie? Do you think you’re going to be sick again?”
Seungmin shook his head for both questions, leaning heavily into Felix’s side. The blonde cooed sadly, pressing a loving kiss to Seungmin’s temple.
“I’m sorry you feel so awful, baby. Let’s get you up and back into bed, hm? The floor can’t be comfortable…”
Felix helped him stand back up and politely turned away so Seungmin could use the toilet, only turning around after Seungmin flushed.
He helped Seungmin brush his teeth and tenderly wiped his face off with a wet washcloth for him, peppering his cheeks and forehead with kisses throughout the process.
By the time they left the bathroom, Seungmin was exhausted all over again. His thigh ached where they injected him with the Epipen, and he didn’t have to look to know it was bruised.
His upper body was still covered in hives, the bright red blotches standing out on his pale skin. They didn’t itch much anymore, but he felt gross just looking at them. He distantly wondered how Felix was even able to stomach touching him when he looked like this.
He felt sick and he wanted to go home.
When the bathroom door closed behind Seungmin and Felix, Jisung and Hyunjin immediately rushed over.
“Seungminnie!”
“We’re gonna get you back into bed, okay, baby?”
Seungmin nodded wordlessly, pliantly moving into Hyunjin’s secure embrace. Felix gave him one last peck on the lips before stepping away and letting the other two coddle him. They walked him back to his bed, supporting most of his weight the entire time.
Chan was sitting at the end of the hospital bed, and Minho was still in his chair. They both lit up when Seungmin arrived, and Hyunjin and Jisung handed him over after pressing two big, wet kisses on his cheeks.
Chan smiled fondly at Seungmin’s no doubt flushed face, and he could tell Minho was holding back his usual teasing.
“How are you feeling, puppy?” Chan asked quietly, reaching out to hold Seungmin’s unbandaged hand.
“Bad,” he responded honestly, not having to think about it. His voice came out uncharacteristically weak, further revealing how shitty he felt.
But despite his exhaustion, he still had to ask; “What happened?”
Minho pursed his lips and Chan sighed sadly, carding his fingers through Seungmin’s greasy hair.
“We’re pretty sure you had an allergic reaction, baby. Probably to a bee sting from how your hand looked.” Chan said quietly, shifting so Seungmin could lay his head on his shoulder tiredly. “The doctor came in to talk about it while you were in the bathroom, but I told him to give us a few minutes.”
A bee sting. That made sense, but…
“But ‘m not allergic, hyung.” He was confused and exhausted, so he couldn’t help the few tears that welled up and dripped down his cheeks.
Chan and Minho immediately crowded around him, petting his hair and tenderly wiping his tears away.
“I know, puppy. We’ll get it all figured out, okay? Don’t worry.” Minho said soothingly.
His hyungs waited for him to calm down before asking him if he wanted to lay back down, to which he immediately nodded. Chan moved to settle against the pillows and Seungmin leaned back against his chest, Minho tucking the thin hospital blankets around them.
Seungmin blinked tiredly, gazing around the room. Hyunjin and Jisung were leaning on each other on the couch by the door, watching Seungmin with a mixture of love and worry in their gazes. He hurriedly looked away when he felt his cheeks begin to heat up.
No matter how long they’d been together, he would never get used to how his boyfriends looked at him.
It was then that he realized Jeongin, Changbin, and Felix weren’t in the room.
“Hyung. Where’s everyone?”
Chan hummed, smoothing the blankets out over Seungmin’s legs. “They all went down to the cafeteria, I think. They should be back any minute now.”
Seungmin nodded, relaxing further against his hyung’s strong chest.
He fell into a light doze, waking a few minutes later when the door opened. His three missing boyfriends entered, each carrying a few trays of food.
“Minnie! You’re awake!” Changbin cried, setting the trays in his arms down onto the table before engulfing Seungmin in a careful hug. He easily leaned into his hyung’s arms, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne.
Jeongin appeared over Changbin’s shoulder a second later, ruffling Seungmin’s hair affectionately. “You scared us, hyung. We didn’t know what was happening.”
“‘m sorry, Innie,” he replied earnestly.
“It’s okay, hyung,” Jeongin said immediately, just as seriously. “It wasn’t your fault.”
Seungmin reached around Changbin and grabbed Jeongin’s hand, interlacing their fingers and giving a quick squeeze.
They eventually broke apart to eat, everyone migrating towards the hospital bed to be closer to Seungmin. Changbin and Jisung even pulled the couch over so nobody would have to stand or sit on the floor.
Seungmin loved them.
Just after they finished handing out the trays, the door to Seungmin’s room opened again. A man in a white coat and slacks walked in, obviously Seungmin’s doctor.
“Ah, you’re all eating,” he said, taking in their positions. “That’s alright; this shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, anyway.”
He softly shut the door behind him to give them some privacy, flipping through what was presumably Seungmin’s chart.
“So, Seungmin-ssi, yesterday evening you were brought in for anaphylaxis caused by a severe allergic reaction. We believe it was caused by a bee sting since we found a stinger lodged in the back of your right hand. You were kept on oxygen therapy for a few hours until the swelling in your airways went down, and we administered corticosteroids and antihistamines through an IV upon your arrival.”
Seungmin blinked.
A few hours ?
How long had he been here?
“We’ve been closely monitoring your vitals all night, and have deemed it safe for you to be discharged. The additional symptoms, like the hives, should disappear within the next few hours or days. Though, if they start to bother you then you can apply a cold compress or an anti-itch cream.” He flipped Seungmin’s chart closed, looking up at him and the members. “Do you have any questions and or concerns? I understand that this was quite traumatic for you all.”
Seungmin swallowed, clearing his throat. “Um– I have a question. Before now I’ve never had an allergic reaction to a bee sting, so where did… this come from?”
The doctor nodded along, his expression kind. “Yes, that is, understandably, confusing. Usually people are born with allergies to things such as bees, but some people develop them later on in life. These reactions can come seemingly out of the blue, making them especially dangerous. This is what happened to you earlier.”
Seungmin nodded in understanding, his stomach swirling with anxiety.
If he could experience an allergic reaction this bad out of nowhere once, who’s to say it wouldn’t happen again?
“Alright then, that’s all I have for you all. Here’s a prescription for an Epipen,” he handed Hyunjin, who was the closest to him, a slip of paper, “You can just take that to your preferred pharmacy and they will sort everything out. Don’t be afraid to come back if any further complications arise. Have a good rest of your day, everyone.”
Then he left, the door swinging shut behind him.
The next hour and a half after that passed by in a whirlwind for Seungmin. He knew they left the hospital soon after finishing their food, none of them too keen on staying there any longer now that Seungmin had been cleared to go home. He was helped into the company van by Jisung and Jeongin, the two squeezing in on either side of him and encouraging him to take a nap before they reached the dorms.
He remembers waking up briefly after the van stopped, and Chan coming back with a brown paper bag with a pharmacy logo on it a few minutes later, but his memories were fuzzy from exhaustion.
They arrived at the dorms soon after, and Changbin gave him a piggyback ride up to their floor so he wouldn’t have to walk.
As soon as they got inside, Felix and Chan helped him to the bathroom while Jeongin ran off to grab clean clothes for them. The water was hot when they got under the spray, and Seungmin allowed himself to relax into his boyfriends while they washed his hair and gently scrubbed him off.
Minho was there to help him get dressed after they got out, his hyung pressing ticklish kisses against his exposed skin as he helped Seungmin slip his clean clothes on. They weren’t even his clothes either, instead a mismatched set stolen from the others’ closets. He wasn’t complaining, though– he found them more comfortable than his own.
When they left the bathroom (which was way too cramped to fit the four of them, but they made it work), Seungmin found that the others had made a huge bed in the middle of the living room using Jeongin and Felix’s mattresses and nearly every blanket and pillow in their apartment.
The TV was playing a rerun of some Disney movie on low volume and the lights were all off, the faint glow of sunlight peeking around the curtains.
They all immediately piled onto the mattresses, Jisung and Jeongin fighting their way next to Seungmin via rock paper scissors. Even then, everyone wound up touching him in one way or another, none of them keen on letting him go anytime soon.
He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, his upset stomach and aching throat long forgotten in the comforting embraces of the people he loved.