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Sunday
Jungkook. It always starts with Jungkook.
This time is no different. Jungkook spends one full weekend doing photoshoots and attending a movie premiere and having back-to-back dinners with his friends. He comes home late in the morning on Sunday and he’s exhausted– from socializing, from working, from not sleeping in his own bed for two nights in a row.
Seokjin clocks it right away, within thirty minutes of him stepping through the front door.
“You didn’t sleep,” he says, a statement rather than a question, cupping Jungkook’s cheek with a frown when he shuffles into the kitchen for a snack. “You’re gonna get sick, if you’re not already.”
“I’m not already sick,” Jungkook mumbles around a yawn. “Just tired.”
“I’ll make you something warm.”
Jungkook sniffs. “I was gonna make myself some ramen…”
“I’ll make you ramen, then. Go change into something comfy.”
Something comfy, to Seokjin, means pajamas.
To Jungkook, it’s his biggest sweatshirt and a pair of baggy sweatpants.
Seokjin eyes Jungkook’s bottom drawer of his dresser, full of unworn pajama sets, with a pout as he sets a bowl of ramen down on the nightstand.
“Take it easy today, Jungkookie. You’ve worked hard this weekend. Call hyung if you need anything, okay?”
“Thank you, Hyung.”
With a fond smile, Seokjin kisses the top of Jungkook’s head and leaves him to rest.
Monday
After sleeping for a good chunk of the day on Sunday, Jungkook goes to bed at 8:30 p.m. with a sore throat, sleeps all the way until 9:17 a.m. the next morning, and wakes up with a full-blown cold.
He drags himself to the bathroom, standing in front of the sink in a daze for a few minutes before he works up the will to rummage around in the medicine cabinet for a box of DayQuil. It takes him entirely too long– another couple of minutes, maybe– to punch the two pills out from their blister pack and swallow them down with a mouthful of water from the sink. His hands are shaky and he feels too slow, too sleepy.
“Hey,” Seokjin says from outside of the half-open door while Jungkook uses the bathroom and washes his hands. “You up for the day? Or going back to sleep?”
It takes a moment for Jungkook to reply. He dries his hands in a hurry and then scrambles for the tissue box on the counter, sniffling against a suddenly runny nose.
“Think I slept too long,” he finally croaks out from behind his tissue. “I feel gross.”
Seokjin eyes the box of medicine on the counter. “You probably need more sleep,” he counters. “You are sick, then?”
Jungkook nods sadly and pulls out another handful of tissues.
“Just take the whole box if you need it,” Seokjin snorts. “Go back to bed. I’ll bring you something to eat in a bit.”
By the time Seokjin appears in Jungkook’s bedroom doorway with a plate of toast and a mug of tea, Jungkook is asleep again, flat on his stomach with his face buried in his pillow.
“He’s going to get us all sick,” Seokjin mutters to himself, leaving the food and retreating with a sigh and a plan to go shopping at the pharmacy later.
Seokjin stops in front of the dry-erase calendar hanging in the kitchen next. He’s the self-designated keeper of their schedules and he likes to keep track of everything in one place. Luckily, this week isn’t the busiest they’ve ever had, but with Jungkook sick today he’ll have to cancel a meeting that’s scheduled for the afternoon.
Erasing the meeting from the calendar, Seokjin also notices that Jungkook has added his little gym magnets to every day this week. He gathers them up and returns them to their allotted whiteboard-parking-spot along with the others. Then, he grabs the blue marker– blue for chores– and adds grocery shopping to today.
“Huh?” Taehyung’s voice is whiney as he appears out of nowhere and presses himself against Seokjin’s back. “I don’t wanna go grocery shopping today, I just went!”
“I’ll do this trip,” Seokjin chuckles, capping the dry-erase marker and returning it to its basket. “Jungkook has a cold so I need to pick up a few things.”
“Jungkookie has a cold?” Jimin gasps, never far from Taehyung’s side. He shuffles up behind Seokjin and surveys the calendar. “I should go check on him and see if he needs anything.”
Seokjin hooks an arm around Jimin’s waist before he can get far. “He’s resting. You can come with me to the store.”
Taehyung starts backing away. “Well, I better get started on those emails…”
He’s gone before Seokjin can turn around.
Jimin, however, looks more than eager to join Seokjin on a shopping trip. “Did you already make a list, Hyung?”
Seokjin pulls out his phone and shows Jimin his running notes, currently at eleven items and counting. “I always have a list, Jiminie.”
“I brought you another blanket,” Jimin whispers from the doorway, trying to determine if Jungkook is awake.
It’s late afternoon, and though the sun is bright outside, Jungkook’s room is cloaked in darkness, courtesy of his blackout curtains.
Jungkook coughs a few times and shifts restlessly in his bed. “Min?”
Jimin is across the room in a second, spreading the blanket out over Jungkook. He tucks it around his shoulders, then untucks it so he can climb into bed next to him.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, smoothing his palm across Jungkook’s forehead.
Though he’s clearly feeling miserable, Jungkook doesn’t complain. He just turns onto his side and presses his face into Jimin’s shoulder, coughing softly into his shirt.
The door creaks the rest of the way open, and Seokjin appears holding another blanket. “Oh,” he murmurs in surprise when he sees Jimin and Jungkook already cuddling in the bed. “Does Jungkookie need a blanket?”
Jimin shakes his head and answers for Jungkook. “No, I just brought him one.”
Seokjin carries the blanket over anyway, folding it up and draping it over the back of Jungkook’s desk chair. Then, he cleans up the small mess of used tissues and empty water bottles and prepares Jungkook’s next dose of medicine.
“I can make sure he takes that,” Jimin offers. “What time?”
Jimin has been Seokjin’s shadow all day, helping him care for Jungkook and only leaving his side to cuddle with the sick maknae. It makes Seokjin smile to see how attentive Jimin has been to Jungkook’s needs. As he watches, Jimin tugs the blanket higher over Jungkook’s shoulders and leans over to kiss his temple; Jungkook, having already drifted back to sleep, doesn’t even stir.
“He can take it any time now,” Seokjin finally replies after checking the time. “Whenever he wakes up next.”
“Got it, Hyung!” Jimin whispers.
Seokjin finishes cleaning up. He retrieves two new bottles of water to set on the nightstand for both Jimin and Jungkook, then presses kisses to the tops of their heads before leaving and closing the door quietly behind him.
In the evening, Seokjin makes a full family dinner and starts laying it out on the table in front of a half-family of only three.
“Where are they all?” he mutters to himself, already starting down the hall.
He finds Jimin and Taehyung both in bed with Jungkook, curled around either side of him. Both of them are sleeping, but Jungkook is awake. He sneezes once– uncovered, unbothered– and then gives a soupy sniffle as he looks over at Seokjin.
It takes him clearing his throat three times before he can speak. “Hi.”
“Hi. How are you feeling?” Seokjin asks, hands on his hips. “Did you run out of tissues?”
Jungkook sneezes again and shrugs one shoulder.
Seokjin spots the box of tissues on the floor. It’s one of eight new boxes that he and Jimin picked up at the store earlier in the day. Still completely full.
As Seokjin sighs and bends to pick it up, Jimin shifts, his face moving closer to Jungkook’s until he’s only centimeters away from the germ zone.
Before Seokjin can act, two things happen at once: Jungkook inhales sharply, gearing up for another sneeze, and Jimin’s hand flies up, somehow already armed with a tissue that he cups over Jungkook’s mouth and nose just in time.
“Bless’ya, Kookie,” Jimin murmurs, still appearing to be half-asleep.
Jungkook sniffles and nuzzles into the tissue. “Thanks.”
“This isn’t going to end well for any of us,” Seokjin mutters under his breath.
There’s nothing that can be done about it now, though. Seokjin has already rescheduled tomorrow’s recording session for Jungkook; he might as well do the same for Jimin and Taehyung.
In his sleep, Taehyung coughs once, then rolls over onto his back, and Seokjin finds himself sighing yet again.
“I’ll bring you three dinner in a moment. You can eat in here.”
“M’kay, Hyung,” Jungkook croaks. “Thanks.”
Neither Jimin nor Taehyung are willing to leave Jungkook’s bed after they eat. Jungkook seems content to have the company, so Seokjin doesn’t push it too hard, though he does remind them that they’re setting themselves up for quite a few sick days.
“M’not gonna get sick, Hyung,” Taehyung grumbles in response, uncharacteristically prickly. His voice is already walking the line of hoarseness.
Seokjin is sure to leave extra water for the three of them while he waits for the kettle to heat up in the kitchen.
“At least try to take care of your voices,” he urges, turning on Jungkook’s humidifier. “I’ll bring you tea in a minute. Any other requests?”
Taehyung shakes his head with a frown, Jimin blinks sleepily up at him and doesn’t seem to realize he’s being asked a question, and Jungkook requests a long list of snacks and items that has Seokjin regretting asking.
“No problem, Kookie,” he says anyway, plastering a smile on his face. “You just stay here and rest. Be right back.”
Tuesday
Sure enough, both Jimin and Taehyung wake up on Tuesday morning with sore throats.
Somehow, a cold is never a simple thing in their house– and certainly not when three of them have colds all at the same time.
“My poor sick babies,” Seokjin tuts as he doles out doses of medicine to Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook.
“You’re all sick?” Namjoon asks from the doorway, getting the update in real time. “Wasn’t it just Kook yesterday?”
“They’re sharing,” Seokjin sighs.
Namjoon takes a step back. “How generous.”
Seokjin does a quick hand-gauged temperature check on the three sick maknaes’ foreheads, then starts gathering used tissues and cough drop wrappers and empty water bottles into a trash can.
“Yoongi is making breakfast. Do you three want to eat in bed or come out to the living room?”
Jungkook, silent until now, presses his face against the side of Taehyung’s neck with a soft groan. “Don’t wanna eat,” he whines, voice thick with congestion.
“That’s not a good sign,” Namjoon mutters from the doorway.
Jimin gently pats Jungkook on the chest, making eye contact with Taehyung for a moment before he turns to Seokjin.
“We’ll eat in the living room.”
Namjoon goes ahead of them to prepare the living room, gathering up blankets and moving tissue boxes before he turns on the TV.
They settle on the couch, with Jungkook in the middle, tucking themselves under blankets. Yoongi brings three bowls of egg juk and three glasses of orange juice on a tray.
“Thank you, Hyung,” Taehyung says, sipping on his orange juice.
“Thank you, Hyung,” Jimin echoes, cradling his bowl to his chest.
Jungkook scrunches up his nose, still not feeling hungry. “Thank you, Hyung,” he pouts, trying to remain polite. “Wish I could smell it.”
“It smells really good,” Taehyung confirms, grinning up at Yoongi.
Hoseok appears a moment later carrying three steaming mugs. “Honey only for Tae,” he says, setting the first one down on the coffee table. “Lemon only for Jiminie. And, honey with lemon for Kookie.”
“Thank you, Hyung,” Taehyung says hoarsely. “You’re the best.”
“Thank you, Hyung,” Jimin echoes.
Jungkook frowns at the mug– he hates tea– but picks it up regardless. “Thank you, Hyung.”
“Enjoy your breakfast,” Hoseok grins. “Let hyungs know if you need anything.”
After receiving three nods of confirmation, the four eldest move to the kitchen table to eat.
“Looks like I’m taking a few more sick days,” Seokjin comments, eyeing the calendar. He’ll need to erase a few things, reschedule a few more things.
“I can’t believe all three babies are sick at the same time,” Hoseok says, glancing toward the living room.
“I can,” Yoongi snorts. “It’s only a matter of time before–”
“Don’t say it,” Namjoon stops him.
They all know it’s true, though; it’s not a matter of if, but when, the rest of them will come down with the same cold that’s currently plaguing their three youngest.
Wednesday
Wednesday morning brings rain, and an atmosphere inside the house that’s nearly as gloomy as the weather.
Seokjin wakes to the distant sound of coughing. And sneezing. Lots of it, from multiple people. A whole house full of sick people. For a moment, he doesn’t want to get out of bed, but after a few more minutes he forces himself to get up, sluggishly shoving his covers aside.
He catches Hoseok coming out of the shower, coughing into his fist as his wet hair drips onto his shoulders.
“That was you coughing?” Seokjin asks, his stomach sinking.
“Huh?” Hoseok frowns. “No, I was just clearing my throat.”
Seokjin fixes him with a look, but Hoseok dodges him and calls over his shoulder, “Dance practice is in thirty minutes, Hyung! Better hurry and get dressed.”
Dance practice. Seokjin makes a U-turn and heads to the kitchen so he can check the calendar. Sure enough, there’s a dance practice scheduled for today, but he’s been all mixed up with all of the cancellations on their calendar and forgot about it.
By the time Seokjin gets ready for practice, it’s just about time to leave. Yoongi, Hoseok and Namjoon are already waiting by the front door, but Seokjin takes one more minute to stop by Jungkook’s room. The three maknaes are still asleep in Jungkook’s bed, same as they had been before Seokjin got dressed, but he can’t help needing to see with his own eyes that they’re resting peacefully and not in immediate need of anything.
“How are they doing?” Yoongi asks him when he finally makes it back out to put his shoes on.
“Resting. They’re on the mend, hopefully. I’m sure by the time we’re back from practice, the three of them will be up and messing around with their usual energy.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Hoseok agrees, squeezing Seokjin’s shoulder. “Now, let’s go dance your worries away!”
“You’re awfully warm, Tae,” Seokjin tuts, frowning hard.
Curled up on the couch in front of him, Taehyung sniffles pitifully. “But I feel really cold.”
Pressing the back of his hand to Taehyung’s forehead, Seokjin calls over his shoulder, “Yoon?”
Yoongi appears just moments later, coming to stand behind Seokjin with a questioning hum.
“Does Tae feel hot to you?” Seokjin guides Yoongi’s hand to Taehyung’s forehead, eyes wide with renewed worry.
Yoongi feels Taehyung’s flushed face, sliding his hand first to his cheek and then to the back of his neck.
“He still has what Jungkook and Jimin have,” Yoongi replies calmly. “Just a cold. And he might have a low-grade fever. Nothing to worry about.”
“I’ll get the thermometer,” Seokjin says anyway, hurrying off to the bathroom. “What if it’s the flu?”
“Is it bad?” Taehyung asks quietly, looking up at Yoongi with watery eyes.
Yoongi chuckles. “No, baby. Don’t let Seokjin-hyung worry you. You always get a bit of fever when you’re sick, hmm?”
Taehyung nods, though he still looks a bit unsure.
When Seokjin returns with a thermometer, Hoseok is with him, concerned eyes zeroing in on Taehyung’s shivering form.
“How are you feeling, TaeTae?” Hoseok asks, dropping down onto the couch next to him while Seokjin crouches back in front of Taehyung.
“I feel gross.” Taehyung clears his throat and swipes at the sweat on his forehead. “Need a shower…w-wait, I need a tissue first.” He curls forward, eyes squeezing shut, and lets out a thunderous sneeze into his hoodie sleeve.
Hoseok grabs the box of tissues from the coffee table for him. “Bless you! Let hyung take your temperature real quick and then you can take a nice warm shower.”
Seokjin waits for Taehyung to blow his nose and then slides the thermometer under his tongue.
“Joon is at the art exhibition,” Hoseok murmurs to Yoongi as they watch Seokjin fret. “He’s stopping back by the company afterward to update them on our sickies. We’ll have to do tomorrow’s dance practice without them too.”
“I figured as much,” Yoongi sighs. “We’re lucky those three already have the choreo down so well.”
“Let’s take it one more time, just to be sure,” Seokjin says, squinting at the thermometer reading.
“It’s not even 38°C, Hyung,” Yoongi interrupts before he can put the thermometer back into Taehyung’s mouth. “Looks like he’ll be fine with a little Ibuprofen.”
Seokjin looks at Yoongi, then at Hoseok, and then back at Taehyung. “Okay. Right. Fine.”
Yoongi pulls Seokjin up off the floor, his hands gentle on his back. “I made lunch,” he says, softly, as if he’s trying not to startle his hyung. “Go get a drink of water and sit down at the table.”
There’s a moment of hesitation, and Yoongi just waits patiently, his expression neutral and his hand moving to Seokjin’s elbow. Then, Seokjin nods, and he lets Yoongi guide him away from the couch, both of them pretending like they can’t hear Hoseok coughing as they leave the room.
Taehyung makes it halfway through his shower before Seokjin finds himself outside the bathroom door, hand raised to knock.
“Come in,” Taehyung croaks out, barely audible over the sound of running water, but Seokjin is already turning the knob anyway.
“Doing okay in there?” Seokjin asks. “You’re not dizzy or anything, right?”
A weak cough sputters out from behind the shower curtain, and then Taehyung pushes it aside a few inches. “Nope. Doing great!”
Seokjin opens his mouth to reply, but Taehyung is already stepping back under the spray.
“I can wash your hair if you want,” he offers after a minute, inching closer to the shower.
“Hyung,” Taehyung sniffles from behind the curtain, “I like it when you help me. But I just want to take a quick shower. Don’t need help for that.”
“...Okay. If you’re sure.” Seokjin takes a step back, then another. Taehyung just sniffles again, and Seokjin can hear him squeezing shampoo out of what sounds like a nearly empty bottle. “I’ll, um…I’ll go, then.”
Seokjin’s shoulders sag as he turns around. He knows that Taehyung is right, and that he’ll be completely fine showering on his own– he’s worrying way too much about a low-grade fever. It’s silly, but Seokjin still can’t quite shake the feeling in the pit of his stomach, even–
“Hyung?” Taehyung calls out hoarsely just as Seokjin is about to open the door to leave.
Seokjin whips around so fast he almost turns a full circle, wobbling in place for a second before he rights himself and steps towards the shower.
Taehyung is peeking back out past the shower curtain, looking half like he’s about to sneeze and half like he’s about to laugh. “Wanna come in?” he offers softly, extending a wet hand. “I guess I do need some help rinsing my hair.”
Later in the evening, after a hearty home-cooked meal and a round of cold medicine, Jungkook, Taehyung, and Jimin get tucked into bed together once more. Seokjin takes their temperatures as everyone converges in Jungkook’s bedroom; Namjoon bringing two new boxes of tissues, and Yoongi cleaning up used tissues and gathering empty cups.
Hoseok comes in carrying an armful of blankets, warmed up in the dryer. He doesn’t look well as he drapes them over the bed– a little pale, a little sniffly– but no one seems to notice how unnervingly quiet and subdued he is.
No one except for Seokjin, that is.
“Looks like you brought one too many blankets,” Seokjin says softly, draping one over Hoseok’s shoulders. “Good thinking, warming them up first. The babies will be so much warmer now.”
Hoseok melts beneath the warmth of the blanket, his eyelashes fluttering closed for a long moment before he blinks around the room.
“Hyung?” Jimin’s small, raspy voice draws Seokjin to his side in an instant.
“What do you need, Jiminie?”
Jimin cups his sleeve-covered hand over his face and sneezes twice in a row before answering. “Tissues?”
Seokjin bites back a smile and grabs the tissue box that’s just an arm’s reach away on the nightstand. Jimin has been so quiet the past couple of days, but he’s never hesitated to ask for help. Seokjin can tell he’s fighting to stay awake as he dabs at his reddened nose with a tissue.
“What else?” He urges gently.
“Thirsty,” Jimin whispers. “And Kookie needs water too, please.”
“On it,” Yoongi says, leaving to fetch more water.
By the time Yoongi returns with water, Seokjin has herded Hoseok and Namjoon toward their own rooms to get some sleep, and both Jimin and Taehyung are sleeping. Yoongi sets water bottles on the nightstand and uncaps one for Jungkook.
“Thank you, hyungs,” Jungkook smiles.
He’s looking sleepy now, but restless between Jimin and Taehyung in the bed. Yoongi waits for him to drink and then takes the water back, setting it on the nightstand next to the others. He then hands Jungkook a tissue so he can blow his nose.
“Try to get some sleep,” Seokjin says, tugging the warmed blankets up once Jungkook settles on his back.
Jungkook nods, eyelids drooping. Taehyung coughs in his sleep and Jimin is snoring softly, curled up small against Jungkook’s side. Seokjin stands there watching them fondly until Yoongi takes his elbow and tugs him out of the room.
“You’re hovering,” Yoongi whispers, almost laughing. “Let them sleep.”
Seokjin closes the door and wraps his arm around Yoongi’s waist. “Hoseokie wasn’t looking too good earlier. I should go check on him.”
Yoongi guides Seokjin to his room, shaking his head. “I’ll check on him. You can start washing up. I’ll check on Joon too, before you get any thoughts in your head about doing anything other than getting ready for bed right now.”
Yawning, Seokjin stretches his arms above his head. “Okay, fine. But only because I’m tired. They really wore me out today.”
“Wore yourself out,” Yoongi mutters under his breath in response. “Rest well, Hyung.”
“You too, Yoon. Good night.”
Thursday
Early on Thursday morning, Seokjin appears in the doorway of Jungkook’s room, yawning and rubbing sleep from his eyes.
The bed is a mess of tangled limbs and rumpled sheets and used tissues. Seokjin is pleased to see that Jungkook is already awake, sitting up against the headboard right in the middle of the bed between Jimin and Taehyung, and looking much better than he had the day before.
“How are you feeling?” Seokjin asks softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and reaching up to feel Taehyung’s forehead with the back of his hand. He’s happy to feel only sleep-warmth and not the heat of fever he’d felt there yesterday.
“Pretty good,” Jungkook replies, looking up from his phone. He still sounds a little congested, but his face is back to a normal, healthy flush.
Seokjin smiles. “That’s great–”
Taehyung coughs himself awake then, whining hoarsely as he curls up under the blanket. The movement jostles the whole bed and Jimin stirs with a liquidy sniffle.
“Huh?”
Jungkook drops his phone into his lap. His hands move to Jimin’s and Taehyung’s shoulders like he’s trying to soothe them back to sleep, but Seokjin thinks this is a perfect opportunity for a transition.
“Jungkook, why don’t you go take a shower?” he suggests, standing so he can hand Taehyung a bottle of water from the nightstand. He grabs the box of tissues and goes around to the other side of the bed, where Jimin is snuffling into his sleeve. “I’ll get your bedding changed. You can rest on the couch when you’re done, okay?”
“I wanted to go to the gym,” Jungkook replies over the sound of Jimin blowing his nose.
“Funny,” Seokjin deadpans. “You can go to the gym in a few days when you’re fully recovered.”
Jungkook frowns and crosses his arms over his chest. He looks so adorably petulant that Seokjin almost reconsiders.
“Go take a shower,” Seokjin chuckles. “Tae, Jimin, come with me.” He pulls back the blankets. “We’re doing a transfer.”
Taehyung and Jimin are sleepy but compliant. They crawl out of bed, shuffling after Seokjin as he leads them across the hall to Hoseok’s room. Jungkook is right behind them, brows furrowed in confusion until Seokjin opens the door and Hoseok greets them with a pitiful cough-sneeze combo.
“Hoseokie is sick now too,” Seokjin announces, as if they can’t hear that for themselves.
“Oh no, Hyung,” Jimin murmurs, already climbing into the bed. He wraps his arms around Hoseok’s waist. “Sorry we got you sick.”
Hoseok waves a hand dismissively. He tries to speak, but his voice cracks. After clearing his throat, he gets out a “don’t apologize” that’s immediately followed by a loud cough.
“So sorry,” Jimin whispers, resting his head on Hoseok’s chest.
Seokjin presses the back of his hand to Taehyung’s forehead again, lingering for just a moment before nudging him forward. “Go get some sleep with Hoseokie,” he instructs, then turns to Jungkook. “Shower time, Kook.”
As soon as Hoseok, Jimin and Taehyung are cuddled up together in bed, and Jungkook is in the bathroom, Seokjin sighs and heads back to his own bedroom. He flops down face-first onto his bed and closes his eyes, only then registering the slight headache that’s forming behind his eyes.
“Great,” he groans out loud. It’s probably because he hasn’t had any water yet this morning. And coffee– he’s definitely going to need several cups of coffee. And maybe some breakfast.
Deciding he’ll wait until he hears Jungkook get out of the shower before he gets up, Seokjin keeps his eyes closed and starts running through a mental list of everything they currently have in the fridge, and wonders what he should make for breakfast.
Seokjin doesn’t mean to take a nap, but he ends up falling asleep and wakes two hours later feeling like his tongue is too big for his mouth. There’s drool on his chin and he clumsily wipes it away in disgust, stumbling towards the bathroom so he can brush his teeth and wash his face immediately.
It takes him far too long to feel like he’s fully awake. Even after he splashes cold water on his face, there’s still a heaviness in his body when he moves that makes him want to crawl right back into his bed, and the only thing that stops him from doing just that is his desperate need for a drink of water.
There’s a half-empty bottle of water on his nightstand. He doesn’t even care that it’s room temperature and at least a day old as he chugs the rest of it down greedily. It quenches his thirst just enough that he can focus on the task he’d promised to do next– wash Jungkook’s bedding.
Seokjin’s heart sinks when he steps into Jungkook’s room and sees that his bedding has already been stripped off, and only then does the sound of the washing machine running just down the hall register. He nearly curses under his breath, but bites his tongue and drags a hand down his face instead.
“Did you have a good nap, Hyung?”
Seokjin yelps and turns around to see Jungkook standing in the doorway.
“I didn’t nap!” He blurts out, even though he very obviously did.
Jungkook scrunches up his face. “...Okay, Hyung. Do you want to come to the gym with me?”
Seokjin’s brain doesn’t quite process Jungkook’s words fast enough, so he starts nodding before he realizes what he’s doing. “Wait– what? No, absolutely not–”
“You can’t stop me from working out,” Jungkook says, with far too much amusement in his tone for Seokjin’s liking. “I’m not even sick anymore.”
Seokjin’s hands fly to his hips. “Jungkook, you still sound sick. You should be resting, not working out.”
“I don’t need my voice to lift weights,” Jungkook giggles, infuriatingly nonchalant. “I feel good, I’m only a tiny bit congested still– but I’ll wear a mask. And I’ll make it to practice in time, promise.”
Closing his eyes, Seokjin takes a deep breath through his nose, then exhales slowly. He opens his eyes to look at Jungkook, who’s pulling on a hoodie. He’s already dressed in his gym clothes and Seokjin feels his sense of control rush out of him, like he’s trying to catch something that’s slipping right past his fingers.
No, he thinks, but he can’t get his mouth to say it. No, you can’t–
Then, Jungkook is standing right in front of him. “You doing okay, Jin-hyung?” he asks quietly, one hand coming up to hover somewhere near Seokjin’s shoulder.
Instead, Seokjin ducks away and stalks towards the door. “I’m fine, Kook,” he lies, not looking back. “Be safe at the gym. Please–” He swallows thickly, suddenly extremely thirsty again. “Please don’t overdo it, okay?”
He leaves before he can hear Jungkook’s response, and before he spirals further out of control.
“Thank you, Hyung.” Hoseok has the blanket pulled up to his chin. His face is pale, sleep-warm beneath Seokjin’s palm. But not fever-warm– Seokjin has checked twice already in the past ten minutes.
“Of course, Hoseokie. Anything you need, you just call Hyung, okay?”
Hoseok nods and closes his eyes, already close to falling back to sleep. Seokjin sits on the edge of the bed for just a moment longer, watching over him as his breathing evens out. On Hoseok’s other side, Jimin and Taehyung are sleeping face to face, their congested breaths mixing together.
Slowly, Seokjin stands and backs out of Hoseok’s room, pulling the door shut softly. He’s feeling tired again after a long day of caring for his sick dongsaengs and a gruelling dance practice– and, annoyingly, very thirsty again.
Before he gets a drink of water from the kitchen sink, Seokjin stops in front of the calendar. Today, there had only been dance practice, which Hosoek, Jimin and Taehyung had skipped out on. Tomorrow– Friday– there’s only a meeting on the calendar for Namjoon and Yoongi, plus a recording session for Jungkook that Seokjin is almost certain he’ll have to postpone until his voice is back in shape.
And then, it will be the weekend. Seokjin has never looked forward to a weekend more. He sees a couple of social events on Saturday that he briefly considers erasing, but decides to leave just in case. He reaches out to touch the eraser anyway, his fingers hovering for a moment.
Behind him, whoever is sitting in the dining room sniffles loudly– loud enough to remind Seokjin that he had been on a mission to get water. He drops his hand just as there’s another sniffle.
It sounds like Namjoon.
Sure enough, he turns around just in time to see Namjoon swipe at his nose with his sleeve, sniffling yet again.
Suspicious.
Seokjin sighs and makes his way to the kitchen, deciding he’ll make some tea for both himself and Namjoon. He fills the electric kettle with water and finds two mugs and the tea, leaning on the counter and staring absently at the backsplash until the kettle starts to whistle.
When he brings everything out to the table, Namjoon is writing in his notebook. Seokjin sets a mug of tea down in front of him and sits down in the chair across from him. Up close, he can clearly see that Namjoon is exhausted, dark circles under his eyes that stand out against his too-pale face.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?” Seokjin asks, instantly regretting it when he sees the offended look that crosses Namjoon’s face. “Sorry, maybe it’s just me. Felt like I was waking up every two hours.”
Namjoon deflates a little, leaning back in his chair with a small sniffle. “Yeah, guess I didn’t sleep very much either.”
That’s all Namjoon gives him verbally, though. Seokjin stares down at his mug of tea. Namjoon’s a little more sensitive than the others when it comes to illnesses. While Seokjin understands all too well the pressure Namjoon feels to appear strong in front of the other members, he still wishes their leader wouldn’t be so stubborn about getting sick.
He clears his throat, keeping his eyes down as he asks, “You feeling okay?”
“Yep.”
Seokjin nearly smiles. He glances over to see Namjoon watching him with narrowed eyes.
“And what about you?” Namjoon asks pointedly. “Jungkook texted me earlier and said you were acting weird, whatever he means by that.”
“I was just being a little overprotective, that’s all,” Seokjin scoffs. “I still don’t think he should have gone to the gym when he’s recovering. I don’t like how pale he was looking at dance practice, either.”
Namjoon, having successfully deflected from his own health, looks almost smug as he responds, “We were all looking pale by the end of that choreo run Sungdeuk-hyung put us through. Imagine how it’ll go when Hoseok is feeling better.”
Seokjin shudders and takes a sip of his tea. “Yeah. Just imagine.”
Friday
On Friday, Seokjin has to finally admit that Jungkook isn’t really sick anymore. Even Jimin and Taehyung are clearly on the mend, feeling much better, their symptoms nearly gone.
Namjoon, on the other hand, can’t say the same.
“Just because you’re saying you’re fine doesn’t make it true,” Yoongi says dryly as he watches Namjoon struggle through making himself breakfast while trying to stifle a cough. “Go to bed, Joon.”
“Better yet,” Seokjin adds, “Go to Hoseok’s room. Jimin has already vacated so there’s a spot for you.”
“Don’t need to go to the sick room,” Namjoon mutters under his breath, sniffing sharply. “I need to get ready for my meeting.”
“We’re sending Jimin and Jungkook in your place, actually,” Seokjin informs him, bracing himself for their leader’s response. “You can’t deny that they’ll have wonderful ideas for the marketing team, and you’ll be able to add your input next week when you’re no longer dripping from your nose.”
Namjoon flushes pink and takes the tissue that Seokjin hands him without a word.
Ten minutes later, after Namjoon has struggled stubbornly through a bowl of cereal and accumulated a pile of used tissues, Yoongi and Seokjin are able to convince him to rest with Hoseok and Taehyung.
Reluctantly, Namjoon joins Hoseok in his bed, grumbling under his breath but rapidly losing steam. Taehyung is in the shower, and when he gets out he heads to his own bedroom instead, claiming that his hyungs will sleep better with more room in the bed.
“I’ll still rest today, Hyung. I promise,” he grins before Seokjin can protest. “I just have a few things I need to work on. I won’t even leave my bed.”
“I’ll be keeping you to that,” Seokjin replies, reaching up to feel Taehyung’s forehead. “There will be frequent checks. Now, go drink that water I gave you this morning that you’ve barely even touched yet.”
“How did the three of them recover so quickly?” Yoongi murmurs after Taehyung leaves the room. “If I end up catching this, I’m going to be stuck in bed for a week.”
In response, Hoseok lets out a hacking cough, Namjoon sneezes loudly, and Seokjin sighs.
“They’re young,” Seokjin says.
“You’re only five years older than Jungkook,” Yoongi points out.
“Is that all?” Seokjin muses, dragging a hand down his face. “Feels more like ten, sometimes.”
A loud snore interrupts, and Seokjin and Yoongi look over in surprise to see that Namjoon has already fallen asleep, his mouth open and his hands bunched up into fists in front of his face. Hoseok, yawning, turns to face him, his eyelids drooping.
“Poor thing has been more tired than he was letting on,” Seokjin tuts, pulling the blanket up over Namjoon and Hoseok and tucking it in around their shoulders. “So stubborn.”
“Yeah. Well, you should get some rest too, Hyung,” Yoongi murmurs. “You’re doing a lot to take care of everyone.”
Seokjin hums noncommittally, but he knows Yoongi is right.
They leave Namjoon and Hoseok to sleep. Seokjin peers through the door for a moment before he closes it the rest of the way, a tired yet fond smile crossing his face when Namjoon lets out a loud, stuttering snore.
“Kook and Jimin and I are going to head out now,” Yoongi says. “Text me if you need anything.”
“I need this cold virus to stop attacking my members,” Seokjin chuckles wryly, leaning against the wall to watch Yoongi pack his work bag. His gaze flits to Jimin and Jungkook pulling their shoes on by the front door. “Keep an eye on them for me?”
The corners of Yoongi’s mouth turn up. “Only if you promise to get some rest while we're gone,” he negotiates.
Seokjin waves a hand in dismissal. “Yeah, yeah. Of course.”
Instead of resting, Seokjin decides to use the time to catch up on laundry.
The chores have fallen a bit behind over the past few days; Seokjin is almost certain that they’ll be doing laundry for a week straight until they’ll be able to catch up. He gets a few loads out of the way, at least, lugging piles of clothes and laundry baskets throughout the various rooms of the house.
He stops by Hoseok’s room after he finally gets the towels sorted and folded. A nap has left Namjoon more congested and no less stubborn than before. He’s sitting up in bed with his laptop in front of him, a tissue clutched against his nose.
“How are you feeling?” Seokjin asks, whispering since Hoseok is still sleeping. “You’re not working, are you?”
“I have a lot to catch up on already,” Namjoon replies, blowing his nose one-handed. “I saw you canceled both of my meetings on Monday.”
His tone clearly implies his dissatisfaction with the schedule change, but Seokjin isn’t too worried about that.
“Oh no, you sound stuffy. I’ll bring you some medicine with lunch.”
Namjoon sniffles, frowning and scrunching up his nose in discomfort at the resulting shift of congestion in his sinuses. He plucks another tissue from the box and swipes at his nose. “I’m not hungry. And I’ll be fine to work on Monday.”
“I admire your optimism,” Seokjin chuckles, checking Namjoon and Hoseok’s water bottles. “Drink some of that water, please.”
Seokjin pretends not to see Namjoon rolling his eyes as he leaves to go check on Taehyung, knowing he’s probably much more miserable than he’s currently letting on.
Taehyung is in his room, sitting in his bed similarly to Namjoon, with his laptop propped up in front of him. He’s watching an anime, but pauses it and smiles up at Seokjin when he comes in.
“How are you feeling?” Seokjin asks, sitting down next to him and cupping the side of his face. “You’re sounding a lot better.”
“Feel a lot better,” Taehyung says. “No more fever. No stuffy nose. I think tomorrow I’ll be–”
“Nope,” Seokjin cuts him off. “Tomorrow, you can rest.”
Taehyung crosses his arms over his chest. “You let Jimin and Jungkook go to work today,” he protests.
“Jimin and Jungkook didn’t have fevers just yesterday,” Seokjin counters. “And that meeting couldn’t really be postponed. Trust me, those two aren’t going anywhere tomorrow, either.”
Whining, Taehyung rolls away from Seokjin. “I’m just going to see my friends, Hyung. They don’t care if I’m sick.”
“Then they shouldn’t mind if you take one more day to recover. Wouldn’t want to get them sick too, would we?” He pats Taehyung’s hip. “Now, I’m going to go get started on lunch. Drink some more water, please.”
When Yoongi, Jimin and Jungkook return from their meeting, Seokjin herds them all to the table and serves them steaming bowls of samgyetang.
“How was the meeting?”
“Productive!” Jungkook chirps, and Jimin nods in agreement.
“Boring,” Yoongi mutters around a yawn. He pulls his bowl closer and starts eating enthusiastically.
“Thank you for lunch, Hyung,” Jimin says. “It’s really good.”
Seokjin lingers a moment longer, watching the three of them eat with a smile on his face, before he takes lunch to Hoseok, Namjoon and Taehyung in their rooms.
After everyone is done and Seokjin has cleaned up all of the dishes and the kitchen, he feels tired enough to nap. Instead, he decides to do one more load of laundry for the day. As he passes through the living room, he sees that Yoongi is sleeping on the couch, curled up under a blanket. He stops to feel his forehead, checking his temperature and only moving on when he’s satisfied it’s normal, though he pulls the blanket up a little high over Yoongi’s shoulders first.
Saturday
Yoongi holds out for as long as he can. He eats tangerines by the bagful until he’s undeniably fortified with vitamin C. He hauls around the disinfectant wipes with him everywhere he goes. But after a week of living in the same house as sick people, he is inevitably bound to get sick sooner or later.
He just wishes it would have been later, and not when Hoseok and Namjoon are still sick. Not when Seokjin is likely on the verge of getting sick too, but too focused on taking care of everyone else to even take care of himself.
He wakes up on Saturday morning and can’t even pretend he’s not sick– not that he ever would. He’s not stubborn like Namjoon and Seokjin. But he’s also not looking forward to letting everyone know that he’s finally caught this cold, and instead waits until Jimin walks into the kitchen while he’s getting himself some water to quietly admit that he has a sore throat and a runny nose.
“Oh no,” Jimin gasps, wrapping his arms around Yoongi. “I’m so sorry, Hyung.”
“Nothing to apologize for,” Yoongi shrugs.
“What do you need? Medicine? Should I make you some tea?”
The corners of Yoongi’s mouth twitch up. “You’ve been spending too much time with Jin-hyung, huh?”
Jimin huffs, feigning offense.
“He doesn’t know yet, by the way,” Yoongi sighs. “I’ll tell him later, but for now I’m going back to bed.”
“Want me to cuddle with you?” Jimin offers, and Yoongi shakes his head, aiming a cough into the crook of his arm.
“Thanks for the offer, but maybe later.”
Jimin follows him down the hall anyway, stopping by Jungkook’s room to grab a spare box of tissues. He hovers as Yoongi climbs into bed– his fussing eerily similar to Seokjin’s– and only leaves after he’s sure Yoongi is comfortable.
In the afternoon, the whole house is quiet.
Yoongi is napping in his own room, and Hoseok and Namjoon are napping in Hoseok’s room.
Seokjin seems to be missing until Jungkook checks his room and sees that he’s asleep in his bed, sprawled out like he flopped down and was too tired to move. Jungkook can hear that his breathing is labored and stuffy, and his chest tightens with concern. It’s all because of him, after all, that everyone in the house ended up getting sick.
“I’m sorry, Hyung,” Jungkook whispers as he tugs a blanket over Seokjin’s sleeping form.
Sun is shining through the windows, bright and cheery, when Jungkook goes back out to the living room to find Jimin and Taehyung.
“Jin-hyung is sleeping,” he tells them. “And I’m pretty sure he’s sick now.”
“Well, I guess it’s up to us now to take care of the hyungs,” Taehyung says. “They took care of us. Really sucks that all of us got this cold, but I guess that’s kinda how it always goes, huh?”
“Sharing is caring?” Jungkook grins sheepishly, holding out his hands until Jimin and Taehyung laugh and roll their eyes.
They spend the rest of the afternoon quietly taking care of their sick hyungs and playing video games, and the day passes with surprising calmness. None of the four sickies are feeling well enough to do much other than nap, and the fact that it's a weekend seems to help with any lingering guilt about missing out on work after a week of so much missed already.
Jimin checks in on Seokjin twice, each time finding him more deeply asleep than before.
The second time, he presses his palm to Seokjin’s forehead the same way Seokjin always does for them, frowning at the slight warmth there. He pulls the blanket a little higher over his shoulders, sets a fresh bottle of water on the nightstand, and tiptoes back out.
“He’s definitely sick,” he reports when he rejoins Taehyung and Jungkook in the living room.
Jungkook frowns, feeling guilty all over again, but Taehyung pats his knee.
“Hey,” he says softly. “No blaming yourself. It’s not like we tried to avoid cuddling with each other. This was basically inevitable.”
Still, Jungkook frowns and buries his face into Taehyung’s shoulder. “I just hate that I really stressed hyung out this week,” he says.
“I think hyung would be stressed if he knew that you’re feeling guilty about that,” Jimin says gently, rubbing Jungkook’s back. “As long as you give him lots of cuddles when he’s suffering, he’ll be just fine.”
A couple of hours later, Jungkook has made a run to the pharmacy for a restock, Taehyung has picked up a few extra neglected chores, and Jimin has offered his cuddling services to all four sick hyungs, and the house falls quiet again by the time the sun starts to set.
“What should we make for dinner?” Jimin asks Taehyung and Jungkook. “Any ideas?”
“I think,” Taehyung replies, “that we should order takeout for dinner.”
Jungkook nods. “Not a bad idea.”
Jimin laughs, relieved he doesn’t have to cook. “Takeout it is. I’ll place an order now.”
They decide on a restaurant and order more than enough food for the seven of them. When the food arrives, they plate it up and arrange it on trays with water and tea and orange juice before carrying it to their sick hyungs.
Hoseok, Namjoon and Yoongi have all taken over Seokjin’s bed, but Seokjin is nowhere to be found. Once they’ve delivered food and make sure their three hyungs have everything they need, they go in search of their eldest hyung.
They find Seokjin in Namjoon’s bed– which makes sense, since his room is a bit crowded.
Seokjin is clearly not feeling well, but they decide not to address it just yet.
“We brought you dinner,” Jimin says, climbing into bed next to Seokjin. “Everyone else has already eaten.”
Seokjin sniffles wetly, taking a moment to respond. He looks like he’s still in the process of waking up after a long sleep, his eyes puffy and his face slack. Jungkook props a pillow between his back and the headboard and Taehyung arranges a variety of drinks on the nightstand within Seokjin’s reach.
“Thank you,” Seokjin finally says, his voice cracking. “You’re sure everyone else has already eaten? What about–?”
“Yes, Hyung,” Jimin interrupts. “Everyone else ate. We just ordered food, so it’s nothing special, but hopefully there’s something here that looks good?” He hands Seokjin a pair of chopsticks and nudges a bowl of rice closer on the tray.
Seokjin picks at the food, sniffling frequently. Taehyung hands him a tissue and Seokjin doesn’t even seem to realize that all three of them are watching him as he wipes his nose with it.
“Do you want some tea, Hyung?” Jimin asks, reaching out to brush Seokjin’s hair back from his forehead. His palm lingers for a moment before sliding down to the side of his face, his thumb brushing back and forth across the apple of Seokjin’s cheek.
In the end, Seokjin only has a few sips of tea and less than half of his food before he declares he’s done, but eating seems to give him a boost of energy.
“I should go check on the others,” he says, surprising them. He grabs the tray and starts gathering everything up, too fast for any of them to help before he’s carrying it out of the room.
“We already checked on everyone,” Jimin calls out after him, but he knows it’s pointless to try and stop him now.
He trails out after Seokjin, with Taehyung and Jungkook right behind him. Seokjin sets the tray on the kitchen counter before going to find Yoongi, Namjoon and Hoseok in the living room, where they’re watching a movie together.
“How are you all feeling?” He asks them, eyeing the crumpled tissues and half-empty mugs on the coffee table in front of them. “Did you all eat already?”
Namjoon pauses the movie and nods. “Yep. The maknaes took care of ordering dinner tonight, so we’ve already had food.”
While Seokjin interrogates, Taehyung grabs Jungkook’s hand and pulls him to the kitchen.
“We have to clean everything up before Jin-hyung tries to do it,” he whispers. “Let’s hurry.”
In record time, Taehyung and Jungkook clean up the kitchen, box up the leftover food for the fridge, and wipe down the counters until they’re sparkling. They manage to sneak back out to the living room just in time to hear Jimin convince Seokjin to head back to his room to rest, claiming that he and Taehyung and Jungkook are going to do the same.
“Good idea,” Taehyung nods, throwing his arm around Jimin’s shoulder. “We can all turn in early tonight.”
“We’re going to bed as soon as this movie is done,” Yoongi promises, smiling up at Seokjin.
“That’s good,” Seokjin murmurs absently, rubbing at his nose. “Okay, then. Get some rest, everyone.”
All six of them are left shocked when that’s all they get from Seokjin– no more fussing, no protest. He just turns and heads back to his room, moving sluggishly and sniffling the whole way.
“He’s sick, isn’t he?” Hoseok asks once they hear his bedroom door close. “Think he’ll be okay?”
“Of course,” Jimin replies confidently. “He’ll probably just need a little…encouragement to rest once he accepts it tomorrow.”
Namjoon reaches for a tissue and blows his nose. “Want to watch the rest of this movie with us?” he offers, looking at Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook over his tissue.
“Sure,” Jungkook responds, watching as Hoseok grabs a tissue next. “But first, I think we better get a few more boxes of tissues out here.”
Sunday
Seokjin finally succumbs to the unavoidable shared cold just when the weekend is reaching its end.
Truthfully, he’s been fighting off the cold for much longer, but it’s on Sunday afternoon as he’s sitting on the edge of his bed checking his emails on his phone when he feels it all hitting him at once– a sore throat, a runny nose, the sense of dread he feels at having to cancel yet more meetings and practices and events.
“Shit,” he whimpers to himself, allowing himself to curse. Allowing himself to wallow for just a moment in self-pity, because, shit. This really sucks.
“Fuck,” Seokjin adds, wincing at how hoarse his voice already is.
He presses both hands against his face, groaning softly and preparing himself for what lies ahead. He’ll need to let the others know. He should take some medicine, to lessen the symptoms. He’ll definitely have to call the company to discuss schedules and rearrange some things on the calendar.
What Seokjin wants, though, is to curl up in his bed and pull the blankets over his head and pretend like he’s not sick. Maybe he can just sleep it off. Maybe he can keep fighting it for just a little–
A harsh sneeze rips its way out of him, painful and wet. Uncomfortable. The thought of his poor dongsaengs, all six of them, having to go through this is more than Seokjin’s heart can handle at the moment, and he feels his eyes welling up with tears as he lifts his blanket and curls up on his bed and squeezes his eyes shut.
Just a little sleep. Just a little longer.
“How long has your throat been bothering you, Hyung?” Jimin asks, startling Seokjin as he sips on a glass of water at the kitchen table that evening, wincing with every swallow.
“Probably since Thursday, when Hobi-hyung said his throat hurt and Jin-hyung whispered “same”,” Jungkook shrugs. “Don’t worry, I’ve been keeping an eye on him.” He wraps a blanket around Seokjin’s shoulder and then wraps his arms around him from behind so he can’t shrug it off.
“You’re mishearing things,” Seokjin huffs, wiggling around weakly in Jungkook’s hold.
Taehyung sets a mug of tea down in front of Seokjin. “Drink this, Hyung. It’ll help your throat a lot.”
“You can go back to bed, Hyung,” Jungkook murmurs. “We’ll take care of everything.”
“I haven’t even started making dinner yet,” Seokjin huffs. The thought of standing and even just walking to the kitchen makes his legs feel shaky.
“Tae is already on it,” Jimin tells him. “Do you want to go to your room, or to the couch?”
Seokjin doesn’t even reply. He just stands and lets Jungkook guide him down the hallway. It doesn’t feel right to have the youngest members taking care of him, the eldest member– but it feels necessary, considering how exhausted he is currently.
Yoongi, Namjoon and Hoseok are already sleeping in Seokjin’s bed, each of them snoring away. It’s a tight fit, but Seokjin crawls in next to Namjoon and curls around him easily, face buried in Namjoon’s shoulder. Jimin tucks him in alongside the other three, smoothing the blankets over them until Seokjin settles into sleep, his breathing evening out into soft snores that are drowned out by the congested breathing of the others.
“They sound so miserable,” Jimin frowns sadly.
“Are the four of them really going to snore like this all night? How are they not waking each other up?” Taehyung asks.
“They need a humidifier,” Jungkook decides. “I’ll go get mine and bring it in here. Turn them so they’re lying on their sides instead of their backs.”
When Jungkook returns with his humidifier, he finds that his four sick hyungs have been maneuvered to face each other– now Namjoon and Seokjin are chest to chest, while Yoongi and Hoseok are curled around each other, Yoongi’s head tucked under Hoseok’s chin.
“They’re still snoring,” Taehyung whines.
“That’s just Joonie-hyung. He might not stop.”
Jimin checks his phone. “I’m setting a timer for their next dose of medicine. We can wake them up for food, give them meds, and then put them back to bed.”
Jungkook’s hand settles on Seokjin’s forehead. “Poor Hyung,” he whispers. “He took really good care of all of us.”
Jimin gives a small smile. “And we’ll take good care of him, too.”
“What are we doing this week?” Jimin asks, staring at the calendar in confusion.
It’s nearly midnight and the three youngest members of the household are gathered in the kitchen before bed.
“I don’t know,” Taehyung replies, equally perplexed. “Jin-hyung usually does the calendar, but he erased everything for the rest of the month. How long did he think we were all gonna be sick?”
“Don’t you two ever look at the other calendar?” Jungkook asks, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
Jimin and Taehyung turn to face him. “What other calendar?”
“The shared one. Everyone puts their stuff in it?” Jungkook spins his phone around to show the screen. “All of our meetings and other work stuff, plus practices and lessons and everything? How do you not know about it?”
Jimin grabs the phone, eyes going wide. “How long has this existed?”
“I just found out about it like a year ago,” Jungkook says. “But probably since debut. How do you think hyung keeps track of everything? He just likes to write it out so we can see it easier.”
Taehyung gulps. “Uh, that’s a shared calendar? Like, with the whole company?”
Jungkook smirks. “Yes, Hyung. Everyone knows about your Friday night anime marathons and your online book club.”
“There’s a lot of stuff on this calendar for tomorrow morning,” Jimin says, still looking at Jungkook’s phone.
“Guess we should head to bed, then,” Jungkook replies, hiding a yawn behind a fist. “It’s getting late.”
“Or we could stay up and watch something on TV?” Taehyung suggests.
“I mean…” Jimin looks between Taehyung and Jungkook. “We might as well call in sick tomorrow too, right? Someone needs to be here to take care of the hyungs.”
Jungkook nods. “Good idea. Maybe Tuesday, too.”
“It won’t be hard to catch up on stuff,” Taehyung adds. “We’ll be back to work in a few days.”
Their decision made, the three maknaes head to the living room, piling onto the couch and pulling blankets into their laps.
That’s where they all fall asleep a few hours later, and that’s where Hoseok finds them on Monday morning when he shuffles out of Seokjin’s room in a half-awake daze.
For a moment, he just stares blearily at them, rubbing at his eyes and yawning. Then, he shuffles into Jimin’s room and pulls the comforter off his bed, dragging it back out to drape it over the three of them, tucking it gently around their sleeping forms.
With a smile on his face, Hoseok goes back down the hall, slipping quietly into Seokjin’s room. Seokjin, Namjoon and Yoongi are all still fast asleep. Hoseok crawls into bed with them, snuggling against Seokjin’s warm body and closing his eyes so he can catch a few more blissful hours of sleep.