Chapter Text
If it was something Jihoon hated then it was changing of seasons, more so when it went from the warm, airy summer to the cool, wet fall. For someone who had a weak immune system like Jihoon, it meant that he would catch a cold within weeks of the new season. He didn’t really mind being sick, to be truthful it was the only time for him to catch up on some much needed rest. The reason why he dreaded being sick was because of one person. Kwon Soonyoung. Soonyoung would fuzz and treat him like a hurt little puppy whenever he got sick. While he didn’t mind the older bringing him food and doing all the housework, Soonyoung didn’t leave him alone so the sleep he desperately wanted went out the window. He would get his temperature checked, ask if he was bored or hungry, get wrapped in a blanket and the worst Soonyoung would never stop worrying about him. So when Jihoon sneezed just when arrived at the office he couldn’t help but groan loudly. He immediately heard a chuckle from the desk next to him.
“Is the tiny baby sick?”
“Shut up, Cheol. I’ll have enough of a headache soon without you bothering me too.”
“It’s not nice to call that sweet boyfriend of yours a headache. How does Soonyoung put up with you?”
Jihoon just stuck out his tongue immaturely and turned back to his computer screen. This earnt him another chuckle, but Seungcheol let him be and they both continued with what they had been doing before. He had been working with the goofy looking character for 3 years now, and Seungcheol knew everything about Soonyoung’s overprotective nature whenever Jihoon got sick. It was amusing to almost all of their friends how the normally carefree Soonyoung became the mother hen whenever his boyfriend got a cold. Jihoon himself didn’t understand it either but the one time he tried to get Soonyoung to leave him alone so he could sleep, the taller looked at Jihoon as if he had kicked him. So he had just let Soonyoung do whatever he felt like after that, even if it meant that he got smothered by that fool’s affections.
He was feeling the waves of sickness hitting him sometime after lunch. Jihoon was starting to experiencing all telltale signs of a fever but he still had a lot of paperwork that needed to be finished today. It was always the busiest at the firm at the end of the month and it was just typical for him to get sick on the very last week of the month. Still he knew he wouldn’t get much done at this state, his head was pounding and the strong office lights were hurting his eyes too. He also knew that Soonyoung would have his head again if he found out Jihoon had stayed at work despite running a fever. It was one thing his boyfriend really hated and had nagged him countless times about the hazards of not resting while running a fever. Jihoon on the other hand had argued that a fever wouldn’t kill him and Soonyoung always huffed like an angry hamster and told the other that if the fever didn’t kill him, then his idiocy would. Maybe he could take some of his work home and work on it later this evening after a nap. He rested his head on his hands and rubbed his palms against his eyes.
“Jihoon?” Jihoon turned to the sound of his supervisor calling him “You don’t look too well, are you okay?”
“I think I’m running a fever, is it ok if I work from home the rest of the day?”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll settle your workload with the rest of the team. Go home, rest well and I’ll see you on Monday. Call me if you need to stay home longer.”
“But..” Jihoon didn’t want to put his team members under more pressure, it was stressful enough as it was without him adding them needing to do his workload too. Now his supervisor wanted him to take the rest of the week off.
“No buts, you aren’t doing anyone any favors by staying. So go home and get better before you make the rest of us sick.”
Mr. Jung’s words might have sounded harsh but he meant well and Jihoon could really use take the next four days to get well. He grabbed this things and sent Seungcheol an apologetic look as he handed him the file had been working on but Seungcheol only smiled at him. “Just go home Ji, don’t feel bad about work. We’ll be fine and you can’t help that you’re feeling unwell. Tell Soonyoung I feel sorry he has to deal with you for the next few days.”
Jihoon only scrunched his face in despair, how will he explain that he got sent home early to that overbearing love of his. Knowing Soonyoung, he would most likely suggest them to go to the hospital. He looked at his phone, it was only 1:40pm so if he was lucky he might have time to sleep the fever off before Soonyoung got home. That would save him from a trip to the doctors. Soonyoung worked at the local elementary school and he normally finished work at 3pm which meant that he would be home by 4pm. However it was a Thursday and they would have their weekly afternoon meetings. That meant that he wouldn’t get home until 6pm at the earliest. That would give Jihoon enough time to sleep it off before the endless fussing would begin. His phone chimed as he was walking across the parking lot.
Soonyoungie : Ji, I have to go to a teacher’s conference in Gwangju. Jisoo was going but his wife went into labor so they’re sending me instead. I went by the house quickly and took out some of the food your mom sent from the freezer so have that for dinner. I’ll be back on Sunday morning so don’t miss me too much. Love you!
Jihoon couldn’t believe his luck. He was saved, he was sure he would be fully recovered by the time Soonyoung will be back and his boyfriend wouldn’t know a thing about his cold. Soonyoung also knew that they had a lot to do at work so he wouldn’t call Jihoon much either and just keep it to texts as that was their established norm at the end of each month. Jihoon could have quite a temper when he was stressed and this was something Soonyoung did for two reasons, not to disturb him and to avoid any unnecessary fights between the two.
He sent back a quick reply telling Soonyoung to be safe and that he already missed him before he got into his car and drove home.
It was a relief traffic was slow so it only took him 20 minutes to drive home compared to almost the double at rush hour. He noticed that the front gate wasn’t properly shut once he got out of his car. Soonyoung must really had been in a rush when he was home earlier and Jihoon couldn’t help but feel warmth spreading in his heart. Even when in a hurry that fool had still thought of making sure Jihoon was taken care of. He could have taken the food out of the freezer and defrosted it in the microwave but the gesture really made him smile. The small male didn’t want to admit it to anyone, not even Soonyoung, but he really loved how he was taken care of a daily basis. It was just that it good a little too much whenever he was sick for the otherwise independent and capable Jihoon. Without Soonyoung the house around he planned to take care of his cold the way he had before, to sweat it out for two days and then he was just as new.
It was also a great opportunity to catch up on that anime he had been dying to watch. The previous episode he had watched ended with a cliffhanger and weeks has passed since then. He went into the kitchen to grab himself cold meds, water and a snack when he saw a note from his love with a reminder to put any leftovers in the fridge and also that he was sorry he had to be away for the weekend. He laughed at the cute love note, he suddenly didn’t feel as sick anymore. Nonetheless he made himself comfortable in bed, pressed play and before he knew it Jihoon fell asleep hugging Soonyoung’s pillow tightly. The faint smell of his boyfriend was the next best thing when he didn’t have his human pillow to snuggle against.
Jihoon wasn’t sure what the time was when he was woken by someone calling and sleepily answered the phone not even bothering to check the caller id. “Uhm, hello?”
“Ji? Thank goodness you’re home. I’ve been calling your cell for the past 20 minutes but it went straight to voicemail after a few calls. Hey, you weren’t sleeping were you?”
Glancing at the alarm clock before he replied “Soonie. Ah yeah, it’s been a long day so I think I just dozed off a bit. What’s up?”
“Ah, I see. I know you have a lot to do but please don’t overwork yourself. You know you get sick easily whenever you’re stressed and the seasons are changing. Don’t forget to dress warmly tomorrow, it will rain and..”
“Soonyoung, I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. I’m 28, not 8. You’re worse than my mom, you know that right?”
“Fine fine, I’ll stop. It’s just been so long since we didn’t see each other for a whole day and I’m just worried you’ll get sick and I’m not there to take care of you. Your voice does sound a little off. Are you ok?”
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Do I need to remind you that I just woke up? Relax, ok? How’s Gwangju?” Jihoon was lucky it was still early so his voice hadn’t gotten too coarse from the cold yet and he could mask it with his newly awakened voice. He felt a little bad for lying to his love but it couldn’t be helped especially now that Soonyoung was away, he would worry even more and that wasn’t necessary over a common cold.
“Here? It’s fine, it was just a little trouble checking in to the hotel when Joshua was the registered guest but other than that it’s been fine. Check your phone I sent you a photo of my view over the city.”
“Mhm, I think someone might have drained my battery so I have to charge it first.”
“Hey, you didn’t reply to my messages so I tried calling.”
“I probably forgot to take it off silent mode. Sorry I made you worry.”
“It’s ok Ji, you need to eat it’s almost 9pm. I’ll call you tomorrow night?”
“Eh..I promised Seungcheol I’d go out with him for drinks. I have to make good use of being stag for the weekend and we had a really long week.”
“Oh ok then, have fun and don’t drink too much.”
“I won’t, you have fun at the conference and be careful too love.”
“Yeah I will. Talk to you later, go eat Jihoon.”
“Yes mom.” Jihoon could hear Soonyoung roll his eyes at him. “And Soonyoung?”
“Mm?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
He felt his entire body aching once he got out of bed. It was really a blessing Soonyoung had chosen to one of his mom’s food boxes. Ever since moving to Seoul, Jihoon didn’t have the luxury of having those hearty home-cooked meals whenever he wanted. Both he and Soonyoung wasn’t bad at cooking, but living far away from home made him appreciate the efforts of his own mom a lot more. His mom’s food also tasted the best on the days when he was feeling unwell. He was also thankful towards Soonyoung for picking this one for today, it was Jihoon’s favorite dish. He snapped shot of his food before eating and thanked his mom for the food. His mom seemed to have a sixth sense and send him a message back asking him if sick, to which he replied that he was fine, just caught a cold and that she needn't to worry, he would take care of himself.
He ate the food quickly, a lot hungrier than he thought he was. He found himself missing his boyfriend while he ate in silence. Soonyoung was right, they were rarely away from each other overnight and now Soonyoung would be gone for 2 more days. If Jihoon wasn’t sick and expected himself to sleep a lot then he was certain that he would be missing Soonyoung all the time. Jihoon went on take a warm shower before taking another dose of the medicine and burying himself under two blankets. He had to be well before Soonyoung come home on Sunday, he just had to and drifted once more to sleep.
By the time he was fully conscious the next time it was already early Saturday morning. He was feeling a lot better, cleared his throat and there was a hint of the slight soreness that had been there when he was at work Thursday. Fever was all gone too but he wasn’t fully recovered yet. He checked his phone and while he didn’t remember it, he had apparently texted Soonyoung yesterday afternoon. There was the new message asking him if he had gotten home alright, that came in right after midnight. He chose not to reply to the message, Soonyoung would message him again soon anyway. It was only 5am but he guessed his boyfriend would get up at 6:30am, head to the hotel gym before breakfast. On that note he was entirely different from Soonyoung, Jihoon would rather sleep as long as possible in the morning and set any exercise sessions after work. He liked the feeling of relieving all stress from the day in the gym and get home just in time for dinner. Speaking of food, his stomach was growling. Not a surprise considering how he hadn’t eaten for a day and a half.
Thankfully there was still a portion left of his mom’s food but he decided to fill it out a bit with some side dishes. He grabbed some vegetables from the fridge and began preparing them the same way his mom had taught him as a kid. He wanted to be a couch potato all day but since it was so early he should maybe try to do some cleaning. He also needed to change the sweaty sheets before Soonyoung came home and he might as well do some laundry while he was at it. It was around 10am when he heard his phone chime. Must be Soonyoung he happily thought and almost bounced over to the device lying on the kitchen table.
Soonyoungie: Jihoon, I very much like to know exactly why your mom sent me a recipe and asked me to make her son some healthy soup.
Jihoon let out a curse and then a string of the messages came in one after another.
Soonyoungie: I really hope you're not sick.
Soonyoungie: I swear to god if you're sick Jihoon.
Soonyoungie: Why aren't you answering me!?
Soonyoungie: Shit you're really sick, aren't you?
Soonyoungie: Baby, are you ok?
Soonyoungie: Jihoon?
He didn't have time to figure out a reply when the phone rang and Soonyoung's name flashed angrily on the screen. He gulped, what should he do? There was no way he could avoid this conversation with Soonyoung now and he knew he was in big trouble already. He picked up his phone and tried to sound as casual as possible. "Morning love."
"Don't you 'morning love' me. Are you sick Jihoon?"
"I don't know what you mean. I'm fine."
"Then why did your mom send me that message?"
"I don't know she's probably just worried I'll get sick. You know how she gets whenever fall comes around, you're both the same." He heard Soonyoung huff on the other end.
"I don't trust you, turn on video."
"I just woke up and look like crap. Call me tonight instead ok?"
"Turn on the video Jihoon, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you."
"But Soon.." he tried to whine
"Now Jihoon." Soonyoung was sounding really annoyed.
He groaned internally and pinched his cheeks quickly for good measure before pressing the video button.
Soonyoung furrowed his brows "You are sick"
"I'm perfectly fine, do I even sound sick to you?"
"Don't give me that bullshit. I've seen you sick so many times and this is your sick face. I can't believe you Lee Jihoon."
There really wasn't a point of hiding it anymore "Fine, I started feeling sick on Thursday but I'm all better now, trust me. The fever is all gone too."
"You've been sick since Thursday!?" his boyfriend half shouted.
Jihoon winced, he was really in deep trouble. Soonyoung would rarely raise his voice at him unless he was really mad.
"You didn't only hide it from me but you lied to my face when I asked you about it."
"I'm sorry Soonie" his head was low, he was feeling really guilty.
"I don't have time to talk to you right now, the conference is about to start but know we're not done with this conversation Jihoon."
"I know I'm wrong for not telling you and I'm sorry Soonie, but I'm really all better so don't worry. I love you"
Soonyoung had only hummed in response before ending the call. Soonyoung didn't even tell him he loved him back. He needed to prepare himself to get scolded by Soonyoung later and decided to make sure the house was spotless so it was one less thing Soonyoung had to think about once he got home. He was really tired after all the housework, his energy levels wasn't back to normal yet so he decided to take a nap before the call from his love would come. It wasn't something he wanted to take over the phone but he was the one in the wrong. Besides Soonyoung wouldn't be able to keep his feelings within him until tomorrow, so Jihoon knew they had a long talk over the phone ahead of them.
Jihoon stirred in sleep when he felt a pair of arms around him. Did he sleep for a long time again, was it already Sunday? Opening his eyes it, he noticed that it was dark outside. "Soonyoung?" He turned around to face the person who had woken him from slumber. "What are you doing at home?"
"I was worried so I took the first train home once the conference ended. Are you really feeling ok Ji?" his voice was filled with concern there wasn't a hint of anger in it unlike the Soonyoung he had talked earlier.
"I told you I was fine this morning."
"Why did you hide this from me Ji? Do you know how worried I got when I got that message from your mom?"
"It's just a cold Soonie, and I didn't tell you because I knew you would worry."
"My heart stopped at the thought of you being sick and me being miles away from you."
"You silly fool, look I'm alive aren't I?"
"Promise me you won't ever try to do anything like this again, or I'll never leave your side"
"Aren't you a bit too dramatic now?"
"Jihoon, promise me"
"Fine, fine I promise I'll never hide anything from you again. I'm really sorry I lied Soonyoungie."
Soonyoung nodded and hugged him tight "I missed you Hoonie"
"I missed you more"
Their moment was disrupted by a knock on their front door. "Come, I ordered food on my way home, must be the delivery guy."
Soonyoung answered the door while Jihoon set the table. Soonyoung told him some interesting projects they had talked about at the conference and he told Jihoon that Joshua was now a proud dad of a healthy baby girl. Soonyoung had already sent their friend message congratulating the couple of finally meeting their bundle of joy from the both of them. The couple spent the rest of the night watching the anime Jihoon wanted to watch while cuddled together on the couch. It wasn't that bad to have an overbearing boyfriend Jihoon thought and leaned closer to Soonyoung.