Fluffy ATEEZ Oneshots🧸

How could you not notice?🌡️🩹

Sickie: Hongjoong

Caregivers: Yunho & Wooyoung

No one's POV.:

Hongjoong couldn't even remember the last time he had gotten more than three hours of sleep, yet here he was, at the studio, trying to perfect one of the songs for their upcoming album. Mingi had been with him for most of the night but the leader had eventually sent his dongsaeng home. They were both tired and Hongjoong felt guilty for overworking the younger, so he wouldn't keep him there any longer but the same couldn't be said for himself. He knew he was pushing his limit but he really needed to get this done. As he glanced at the clock, he realized that he wouldn't be getting home tonight. There were only a few more hours left till he would have to meet up with Yunho and Wooyoung at the practice room. With how exhausted Hongjoong was, he had had a hard time learning the latest choreography and while most of the members had already nailed it, he still didn't get any better, so his two dongsaengs took the time to teach him. No matter how grateful the leader was for their effort, he already dreaded it. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so sore and he was too tired to move, yet here he was. By the time he would finish the song he was working on, he wouldn't have the time to go to the dorm and sleep, so he'd best finish up as fast as he could and then take a nap at the studio if he wanted to get any sleep beforehand at all.

Laying down on the small couch in his studio, Hongjoong hugged himself as a shiver ran down his spine. He should probably adjust the air conditioning, if he didn't want to feel cold all night but getting up seemed like too much of an effort. He just wanted to sleep. It probably wasn't even all that cold in the studio, he had just gone without food for too long and his body didn't have the energy to keep itself warm. Wincing at the soreness of his muscles, Hongjoong forced himself back up and adjusted the air conditioner before digging through his bag to find a granola bar. It wasn't ideal but it was food and he hoped that it would help him feel less weak later when he'd do his best at learning the choreography. What an embarrassment he was for the group. Being the leader and not being able to keep up with the rest was unacceptable. He should be the one helping the others to learn new stuff, not needing his dongsaengs to go out of their way to teach him. Pathetic.

Hongjoong eventually dozed off on the couch, not really feeling any warmer, so the pain of having to get back up had been all for nothing. He woke up to the alarm on his phone going off and groaned as his head pounded. A few more hours of sleep certainly wouldn't hurt but he didn't have the time for that. The leader had set the alarm just early enough to get the time to chug an energy drink and collect himself, so his dongsaengs wouldn't notice just how disheveled he looked. Opening his front camera, Hongjoong noted with relief that he didn't look nearly as bad as he felt. Sure, there were bags under his eyes but they didn't betray just how sore his eyes felt and how they stung when he tried to focus his vision on anything. His head spun and he had to steady himself on the door frame for a moment before making his way to the practice room, hoping for the best.

"Oh, good morning, hyung", Wooyoung greeted, "Where have you been? We've been waiting for you for half an hour." - "What?", Hongjoong stammered, checking the time again, "What time had we said we would meet? I thought it was seven." - "It would've been half seven but it's fine, hyung", Yunho corrected with a smile, "We used the time well, already warming up and going over some stuff, so don't worry we kept ourselves busy." The leader looked at him with a dazed expression, needing a moment to comprehend everything before apologizing repeatedly. He couldn't help but feel even worse. Not only did they need to take the time to teach him but he had also kept them waiting. Though Yunho and Wooyoung were already warmed up, they insisted, they'd take the time to warm up with Hongjoong to prevent him injuring himself. The leader winced as he tried to stretch, his muscles protesting even the slightest pull. Yunho looked at him with concern, as the older wasn't usually that stiff. Hongjoong only barely held himself back from asking whether they could turn the lights down a little. His eyes stung but he didn't want to worry the other two, so he decided to put up with it.