serpents and sons | taekook

The Flu

****

Jeongguk should have known better, really. Should have known seafood and alcohol on a nearly empty stomach was just asking for trouble. Coupled with working in the service industry, and taking every hour available? Not having the money to buy what he needs to stay healthy? It was just a matter of when he got sick, not if.

He wakes up just a few days after the party with a splitting headache and an upset stomach. His mouth tastes like death and his vision swims. There's the buzz of his phone beside him, the screen lighting up, and Jeongguk just barely recognizes the bright green heart beside the contact name.

His muscles ache but he forces himself to grab at the screen, clumsy fingers unlocking it as he pulls it up to his face. Taehyung is asking him how he's doing, wishing him a good morning with another green heart emoji. Jeongguk groans just thinking about it, eyes slipping closed just a wave of exhaustion overtakes him.

When his eyes blink open again the sun is even brighter out, filling his run down apartment with natural light. His phone is still tucked between his palms, the time telling him he'd slept for another few hours.

He certainly feels a bit better, at least, he thinks as he pulls up his messages again. There's another message waiting for him, a "sweetheart?" that makes his heart skip. Although that could also be the cough that crawls up from his throat, whatever sickness he has digging it's claws into his chest.

Jeongguk doesn't think twice about sending off a text complaining about how awful he feels, smiling a bit as he tacks on a few skull emojis just for flavor.

He blinks and the text is marked as 'read' and then Taehyung is shooting off a response. Jeongguk's brows raise as he reads that Taehyung is leaving work, heading towards his apartment.. "Wait," he rasps, hurrying to reply. He tries to argue that Taehyung doesn't need to, probably blowing up the man's phone with his sickness-induced panic, but the messages go unread.

Jeongguk pulls himself from his bed as the reality that Taehyung is going to show up here sinks in, the fog over his brain lifting just far enough that Jeongguk can shuffle off to his bathroom. He practically throws himself into the shower, uncaring of the cold temperature or how he's barely coordinated enough to do more than half heartedly scrub through his hair. He only gags once, nausea rising and falling like he's standing on a boat in a storm, and he considers himself lucky he doesn't actually puke all over himself. So, bonus points.

He grabs the first pair of pants he finds, clumsily yanking a shirt over his head. He doesn't care how he looks, just hurrying to pick up the random bowls and plates he has sitting everywhere as he stumbles around his apartment. Jeongguk finds himself stuffing tissues in his pockets as he hurries between the rooms, sniffling constantly as he tries to tidy up.

Then, just as he's tidying the shoes by the door, there's a knock against the door and a cheeky little, "I'm here, sweetheart!" that makes him freeze. He slips, falls, and can't bite his tongue fast enough to keep the whimper of pain from escaping. Then there's suddenly a loud crack and the front door is swinging open. Taehyung's panicked face immediately finds Jeongguk where he lays sprawled out beside his shoe rack. "Are you okay?" He hurries to ask, dropping to his knees, and Jeongguk blinks.

A thousand replies race through his head, but it's "Did you pick my lock?" that wins.

Taehyung freezes at the sound of his voice, heavily congested though it may be, and Jeongguk's brow furrows. "Uh..."

"Tae," he whines, a hand already reaching for the tissues in his pocket. He feels a sneeze building and he just barely yanks them out fast enough, the sound echoing in the small space. "Normal people wait for the door to open," Jeongguk complains and he holds a shaky hand out. "Ugh, forget it - help me off the floor."