Fluffy SKZ Oneshots EP.2🧸

Can't sleep🌡️

Sickie: Chan

Caregivers: Stray Kids

No one’s POV.:

Chan had been nursing a cold for the past week. It hadn’t been more than a scratchy throat at first but that was soon joined by a persistent, pounding headache. Since they were preparing for a comeback, Chan didn’t allow himself time to rest. There were things that needed to be done and even if he lay down and tried to sleep, his thoughts would be racing, circling everything that was still left on his to-do list and keeping him awake. If he couldn’t sleep anyway because there were so many tasks left to be completed, might as well go about completing those tasks. At least, that was the leader’s reasoning. His dongsaeng’s had told him to rest and recover from his cold first but they hadn’t been successful and not even the reminder that he would end up making himself a lot sicker wasn’t enough to keep Chan from working.

They had seen it coming, well, everyone except for Chan had seen it coming. The other members weren’t all too surprised when their hyung’s health took a turn for the worse. Changbin and Jisung were sweating while working at the studio despite wearing short sleeve but Chan, bundled up in a thick hoodie, was still trembling with chills, so they had to keep the air conditioning off. It was obvious that the Aussie was running a fever. If the chills hadn’t given that away, the flush in his cheeks, that stood out against the sickly pallor of his face, and the glossy shine in his eyes surely would have. His eyes watered from looking at his laptop screen and no matter how many times he dabbed away the tears with the cuff of his sleeves, they were always replaced by fresh ones. The light not only made his eyes water, it also sent stabs of pain through his already aching skull but it couldn’t be helped.

Changbin and Jisung had repeatedly asked Chan to lay down and sleep. He could even take the studio couch if he didn’t want to go back to the dorm but no, the eldest still insisted he couldn’t sleep, so what use was there in laying down? “Hyung, for fucks sake, just rest your eyes or something. There’s no way you can actually see through all those tears. Even if you don’t sleep, your eyes need a break. You need a break”, Jisung argued, frustrated with his hyung for not listening and destroying himself for absolutely no other reason than being stubborn. Nodding along, Changbin hummed: “We’re perfectly on time with our schedules and you can easily afford taking a break. You’ve already made yourself sicker than you would’ve needed to be. Jeonginnie had this cold too but he rested and took care of himself, so it was little more than the sniffles. You on the other hand refuse to do any of that and already managed to start running a fever. Maybe listen to your body’s signal now or how far are you intending to push it?” The rapper just barely refrained from reminding Chan how bad his immune system was due to his usual sleep deprivation but the implication was there.

Jisung was impressed that Chan actually let them drag him back to the dorm when Changbin announced they were done for the day. He would’ve fully expected Chan to argue and insist on staying back at the studio on his own. Little did he know that the leader didn’t find the energy to argue back because his throat hurt too badly to speak and his fever was rising. Sluggishly throwing his belongings into his bag, Chan winced because every move, no matter how careful, made his head thump and he could feel his heart beat pulsating inside his skull. He weakly nudged his sleeve against his septum and gave a wet sniffle, eyes tearing up even more when the pressure in his sinuses increased. Yeah, maybe his bed didn’t sound so awful in the end.

Chan’s vision darkened as he got out of his seat, forcing him to tightly hold onto the edge of the desk. Alarmed by the leader’s quick and ragged breaths, Changbin spun around and cursed when he saw the faraway look in his hyung’s eyes before they rolled back. Wrapping his arm around Chan’s chest, he pushed the leader backwards into his seat and held him there, so he couldn’t fall. “Hey, you with us, hyung?”, the rapper asked but received no reply. Chan’s head had dropped onto his chest, no muscle tension left in his body. Worriedly fanning the older with a stack of lyrics sheets, Jisung muttered: “We should’ve taken him home a very long time ago.” Changbin hummed in agreement, lightly patting Chan’s burning cheeks. He sighed in relief when the Aussie finally came to.