The past six months have felt so surreal. I never thought V would ever let me leave Rika's apartment. The even bigger shock was getting his approval for me moving in with Yoosung. The first step in them rebuilding their relationship after everything they've been through. When I first started talking to Yoosung, I never would've guessed I'd be living with him one day. Every single day, I got to wake up next to him.
However, this morning would prove to be different. When I rolled over, my beloved boyfriend was nowhere to be found. I checked the living room. Nothing. I checked the office. Nothing. I knew he wasn't in the kitchen. After the great smoothie disaster of last Thursday, he wasn't allowed in the kitchen anymore...So much yogurt on the wall...The banana peels...I'm ok. Kind of.
I went back into our room and sat on the edge of our bed. Where the hell was Yoosung? He didn't do something silly like go to class early, did he? No, because he would've woke me up to kiss me goodbye. Out of the corner of my eye, I may have solved this mystery. Our bathroom door was shut. And a few soft coughs cackled on the other side.
"Yoosung?" I knocked.
"What?" Found him.
"Just wondering where you were," I got a bit nervous, "Are you ok?"
"Hold on," Yoosung made some of the weirdest noises, but this sounded like he might have been possessed. Or maybe in the middle of an exorcism. That can't be good, "What did you want?"
"Do you feel alright, sweetie?" I asked, clearly aware of the answer.
"Yeah," he came out of the bathroom pale as a ghost and lucky if he could stand, "I'm fine."
"You sure about that?" I caught him as he tripped over his own two feet.
"I'm sure," Yoosung's voice was harsh and raspy compared to its usual musical lilt, "Don't worry about me, MC. I'm ok."
"So," I figured, "Ok must mean you throwing up just now?"
"You heard that?" he winced.
"I did," my hand went to his forehead, "I thought so."
"What?"
"You're sick, aren't you, Yoosung?" I cut right to the chase.
"No," he lied through his teeth, "Really, MC. I'm fine."
"Yoosung," I sat him down before he hurt himself, "You were just throwing up. You're running a fever. You look awful. You're not fooling anyone, honey. You're sick."
"I know," Yoosung fell back on our bed, "But you can't fault me for trying."
"No one said I was," I assured him.
"But MC," he thought, "If I'm sick, what about you? I don't want you catching this."
"Don't worry about me," I hushed him, "Yoosung, I love you. Of course I'm going to take care of you. Besides, I have an immune system of steel."
"But..."
"Yoosung..." I didn't want to have to resort to threats, but he left me no choice, "Either I take care of you or I call Seven and he'll come over in full Nurse Joy cosplay and convince you you're dying of some rare disease that can only be cured by learning French."
"You," he picked without hesitation, "Definitely you."
"Good," I pulled our quilt over him and kissed his warm little cheek, "Go back to sleep for now, ok?"
"Ok," Yoosung got comfortable, "Thank you, MC."
"You're welcome, baby," I flipped the light off, "You want anything while I"m up?"
"Some water would be nice."
"I'll be right back," I made a beeline for the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. By the time I got back, this poor angel was already out again. I should probably take advantage of the downtime.
With Yoosung asleep, I left him a quick note and headed to the drugstore. We were low on a few things. And I'm positive we're going to run out of water. Yoosung doesn't get sick often, but when he does, I never have to worry about him dehydrating. I felt bad for him, though. I knew he hated when I had to take care of him and hated even more when there was nothing he could do about it.
For the longest time, Yoosung wanted to be more like Zen for me because it was what I deserved. It'd piss him off when I'd call him cute. When I'd suggest going to an amusement park over a movie for a date, he'd suppress the little glimmer of excitement in his eyes and we'd end up seeing a movie anyway. When it rained on our first Valentine's Day together, I told him I wanted to make a blanket fort in our apartment and watch Studio Ghibli movies, he shot that down and said he wanted to make me dinner instead...That ended up with us getting a crash course in how a fire extiguisher works...
What Yoosung failed to realize was that I didn't want Zen. If I did, I'd be with him. I wanted Yoosung. My sweet, lovable, adorable little Yoosung. My little weirdo game addict that I wouldn't change for anything. Besides, if it was the one thing Yoosung and I saw eye to eye on, Zen was a narcissist. And honestly, I can't stand someone who's too full of himself. That's half the reason why I'm with Yoosung in the first place.
I grabbed some medicine for Yoosung and a few bottles of Gatorade and went back to our place. When I opened the door, I heard soft whimpers coming from the bedroom. I'm pretty sure Yoosung was sleeping when I left. And I know I left a note. If he was that freaked, he'd know to call my phone. At least shoot me a text. I stuck my head in the bedroom door and found him twitching a little. How bad had his fever gotten?
That wasn't Yoosung seizing. That's just him being twitchy in his sleep. But the crying...The crying was breaking me. I sat at the edge of the bed and put the Gatorade in the mini fridge that replaced Yoosung's nightstand. Immediately, his arms latched around my waist like a reflex and his sobbing stopped. Aww...Yoosung...I love you, too, sweetheart. You just missed me.
I wasn't going to turn that down. So, he got cuddly? Big deal. I can still handle RFA stuff while I was here. And when I get done answering emails, I could play Tetris on my phone. Although, I wasn't going to answer anything from Longcat. After what happened at the last RFA party, he's not invited to the next one. That was at Jumin's insistence. Especially with the money he had to shell out for Elizabeth 3rd's therapy sessions and the open lawsuit. It's not every day when Daddy walks in on his little girl being promiscuous with another kitty.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't get one of those bottles of Gatorade for me. And after drinking half the bottle, I had to pee like a racehorse. Although, when I tried to get up, Yoosung knew. He felt me move. Whether or not he was entirely aware of it was a different story, but if I even considered getting up, Yoosung would start crying again. And I didn't want to put him through that. Stay strong, MC. Your bladder can hold out. You made it through that flight from Seoul to San Francisco that one Christmas. You can do this.
Ring, ring!
Crap! He's sleeping! Yoosung's not exactly a heavy sleeper! But that wasn't my phone either. I pulled the charger out of the bottom and slid my finger across the screen, "Hello?"
"...Hello?" a woman's voice answered, "Who is this? I know I didn't dial the wrong number."
"MC..." I was skeptical, "Who's this?"
"Where's Yoosung?" she demanded, "What have you done with my son?"
"Oh!" I let out a sigh of relief, "Hi, Mrs. Kim. I didn't kidnap him. I promise."
"Why do you have his phone?" she asked, just as confused as I was.
"Yoosung's sleeping."
"Why?" Mrs. Kim was a persistant one. That's for sure, "He should be in class right now."
"He didn't go to school today," I told her, "Yoosung's sick. He was throwing up this morning and he's running a pretty bad fever."
"I'll be right over," she insisted.
"No need," I assured, "He's not that bad. I got him."
"But..." If I would've punched her in the face, I think it'd have the same effect, "My baby's sick."
"I understand that," I nodded, "But I got him. I promise."
"What are you doing there anyway?" she wondered. And I froze. Yoosung and I hadn't exactly told his parents we were living together quite yet. They didn't even know we were dating. And V knew when to keep his mouth shut. I knew Yoosung's mother would be a hard pill to swallow. She has him on a very high pedestal and no one is ever good enough for him.
"I..." Come on, MC. I know you suck at lying like this, but do it for Yoosung. Keep the RFA out of this and keep your relationship under wraps. Yoosung doesn't need any added stress right now, "I'm a friend of his from school. When he didn't come to class today, I got worried, so I went to visit him and I've been helping him with a few things. I got him, Mrs. Kim. He'll be fine."
"He better be," she grumbled, "I'll be checking in periodically..."
"Looking forward to it." Like a colonoscopy.
Click.
How the hell did you do it, Yoosung? No wonder you're so soft and sweet and squishy. And cuddly. I bet your mom babied you until the day you moved out. And here you are, laying on my hip. I just wanted to get up and pee, but the odds of that happening any time soon were pretty slim. Unless Yoosung woke up in the next thirty minutes, I'm pretty sure my kidneys were going to revolt. I just needed something to take my mind off things. I wonder what the others are up to. The chat seemed to be booming.
[MC has entered the chatroom.]
Zen:
For the last time, Seven! I'm not sleeping with Jumin!
707:
No one used those words.
I'm just saying
If I were you...
I wouldn't be buying allergy medication and condoms at the same time.
And you're only allergic to one thing...
And Jumin has that one thing...
Jaehee Kang:
707, that's enough.
707:
Jaehee, you're such a mom.
I'm surprised you don't have kids.
Jaehee Kang:
I do.
Sort of.
Zen:
She's got Jumin. Isn't that enough?
MC:
Did I come in at the wrong time?
And Zen, are you really the one to be talking about Jumin?
707:
Thank you, MC!
See?
I love when she takes my side.
MC:
I'm not necessarily taking your side, Seven.
I'm more or less saying that Zen and Jumin are cut from the same cloth.
Zen:
*crying emoji*
MC!
How can you compare me to that jerk?!
MC:
If Jumin had emotions, he'd be you.
707:
lololololololol
If Jumin had emotions...
Jaehee Kang:
Hello, MC.
How are you today?
MC:
Hi, Jaehee.
I wish I could say I was fantastic, but alas. I'll have to settle for good.
707:
What's the matter, MC?
Zen:
Like you care.
707:
Of course I do!
MC:
Boys!
I didn't come to the chat to separate you two.
Jaehee Kang:
What's wrong, MC?
MC:
It's Yoosung.
707:
WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH POOR LITTLE YOOSUNG?!
MC:
Ease up on the capslock, Seven.
He's not feeling well.
Jaehee Kang:
Is he going to be ok?
MC:
I think he's got the flu.
But he'll be fine.
Zen:
That's good to hear.
707:
Give him a kiss for me.
MC:
No.
707:
Whyyyy nooooottt?"
*crying emoji*
You're monopolizing him, MC!
It's not nice!
Jaehee Kang:
Would you like to date Yoosung, Seven?
Zen:
Yeah, Seven.
Are you buying condoms and allergy meds?
707:
The difference between you and me, Zen, is that you think you're in my head by insinuating I have romantic feelings for Yoosung and that your opinion of me matters.
Jaehee's opinion differs. She could probably kill me with her bare hands. But you? I don't think you'd go that far.
Zen:
Then, what makes Jaehee any different?
707:
She has years of penned-up aggression toward Jumin that could come out at any given moment.
MC:
...
Jaehee Kang:
...
Well, he's not wrong.
MC:
That was a surprisingly deep analysis, Seven.
707:
And quite a distraction, if I do say so myself!
God 707 strikes again!
*celebratory emoji*
MC:
Aaand he's back.
707:
And better than ever!
Jaehee Kang:
I should be going. Mr. Han is calling.
Zen:
I got rehearsals.
707:
More time for MC and me!
MC:
I have to go, too, Seven.
I have Yoosung to take care of.
707:
Lonely...
I'm Mr. Lonely...
I have noboodyyyy...
For my oooooowwwnnnnn...
Jaehee Kang:
I'm sure we'll be back on later.
MC:
If not at least me.
707:
Keep me posted on Yoosung.
Despite what SOME PEOPLE say.
Zen:
Assuming that's me?
707:
Don't you have rehearsals, Zen?
Zen:
You're right.
[Zen has left the chatroom.]
707:
But Yoosung does have me worried.
And I do care about him.
He's like a little brother to me.
MC:
I'll text you later.
Jaehee Kang:
Pray for me.
707:
I will!
MC:
Yes. The ever pious 707...
707:
Later!~
[707 has left the chatroom.]
MC:
Good luck, Jaehee.
Jaehee Kang:
Thank you, MC.
[Jaehee Kang has left the chatroom]
[MC has left the chatroom.]
I put my phone back on the mini fridge and checked on Yoosung again. My hand found his forehead again. Still pretty warm, but when my cold hands rested on his skin, it made him smile in his sleep. It almost made me wonder if he was still sleeping. But I knew he was. My poor baby...However, his smile didn't last long.
All of a sudden, Yoosung started shaking in my arms. Maybe he's just cold? I pulled another blanket over him and held him a little closer. Then, he started to babble in his sleep. Mostly nonsense about LOLOL and his avatar and how he's running low on mana and he needs a healer. But things took a little darker turn at the drop of a hat.
"Why...?" Yoosung wept, "Why couldn't I save you...? Rika...Was I not good enough? Why couldn't I save you...?"
Not good. I put my hand on Yoosung's shoulder and gave him a nudge, "Yoosung...Yoosung, sweetie, wake up."
"What if I can't save MC either?" his tears soaked through my shirt, "Rika...Rika..."
"Yoosung," I raised my voice, "Wake up."
Slowly, his bloodshot, tear filled eyes opened up. And all he could do was hug me tighter, "MC...I'm so glad you're ok."
"I haven't left," I promised, "Everything's alright. Your fever must be screwing with your head."
"That's a thing?"
"Yeah," I cradled him, "But don't worry. Everything's fine. I'm good. You're still sick, but you're good, too, for the most part."
"I'm sorry for putting you through this," Yoosung laid his head on my thigh, "You must think I'm pretty path-"
"No," I stopped him before he could start, "Don't do that to yourself. It's not fair. You just had a bad fever trip. How you feeling?"
"Still pretty bad," he groaned, "But I think I'll make it."
"Good," I kissed his forehead, "Since you haven't thrown up since this morning, you want to try eating something?"
"Sure," Yoosung wasn't going to let me go, though. Whatever just went on in his head really hit him hard. He usually was a bit shaken when he'd talk about Rika. And with his fever, it only amplified things.
"What do you want?" I wasn't going to dwell on it, though. It'd only upset him more.
"What do we have?"
"What do you want, sweetheart?" I reiterated, "Anything you want."
"You know what I want." There it was. There was that little smile only Yoosung could do. He was feeling better.
"Alright," I put him down on the bed, "By the way, there's Gatorade in the fridge."
"What kind?"
"The only kind you drink," I rolled my eyes, giggling a little, "Come on, Yoosung. We've been together for how long?"
"The green kind?"
"Duh."
"I love you, MC," he leaned over the bed and reached in the mini fridge.
"I love you, too."
I left Yoosung in our bedroom and got in the kitchen. Ever since we started dating, I cringed at the thought of Yoosung cooking. Why? Because he's a disaster on legs. Anyone who has ever met him knows this. It's no secret. And I liked our kitchen. It was my happy place, my inner sanctum, my place of peace. So, when a little whirlwind like Yoosung comes in and disrupts the chi, I get testy.
There was one thing I made on rare occasions that if it wasn't the key to Yoosung's heart, nothing was. According to him, I made the greatest chicken and dumplings he's ever eaten in his life. And everything was made from scratch. Not that it was hard. Just really time consuming. I checked in the cabinet to make sure we had everything. I hadn't baked in a while, so whether or not we had flour was a bit sketch. I might have to make a run to the grocery store.
Nope! The staples were good. Plenty of flour. Plenty of baking powder. But I was going to have to go to the store anyway. I didn't have heavy cream and I didn't have chicken broth. I didn't need the chicken broth. I could make my own. But I did need that heavy cream. I poked my head in the doorway of the bedroom, "Hey, Yoosung?"
"Yeah?" he popped his head out of the mountain of blankets on top of him.
"I have to go to the store real quick," I told him, "I shouldn't be gone longer than ten minutes. Are you going to be ok until I get back?"
"I think so..."
"I'll be right back," I gave him a quick kiss, "And no more weird fever dreams, got it? Your last one scared the hell out of me."
"I'll try."
I left Yoosung to get a little more sleep and headed for the grocery store. Ok. I didn't need the chicken stock. The chicken was in my slow cooker in some water with some butter and some bouillon and everything was golden on that front. I needed that heavy cream, though. It was already getting kind of late and this would take at least an hour and a half. Tell him you're going to make him chicken and dumplings, MC. That's a great idea. This is why you don't make this often!
I got everything I needed and started back home. To the inner sanctum. Yoosung's been pretty low maintenance today aside from his Rika fever dream, so I could take my time. Making dumplings was such a centering thing for me. I wasn't sure why. I guess the repetition and how mind numbing it could be. It works. Once everything was done and the gravy was perfect, I let it sit for another half hour to incorporate.
"Hey, MC," Yoosung called from the bedroom.
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"When did my mom call?" he wondered, "And why did she call you a floozie?"
"I don't know why." But I'd have a stern talking with her soon enough, "But she called earlier while you were sleeping. She was going to come over, but I told her I was more than capable."
"You stood up to my mom?" Yoosung gasped.
"Was I not supposed to?"
"It's not that," he assured, "It just took me by surprise. What did you tell her?"
"That I was a friend of yours from school," I tasted the gravy. Hot damn, MC, "I stopped by to check on you."
"So, she still has no idea we're living together?"
"Not a clue."
"Good," he sighed out, "How long until everything's done?"
"It could be done now," I thought it over, "You want some?"
"Yes, please!"
I got a bowl for each of us and brought them into the bedroom. All day, I haven't seen that boy's face light up so much. Yoosung's color was starting to come back, too. While he was eating, I felt his forehead again. It's safe to say his fever's broken, so no more scary Rika dreams. I could see it in his eyes, Yoosung was definitely feeling better.
When we were done, I took our dirty dishes and put them in the sink. I had little to no desire to even touch the dishes. They can wait until tomorrow, right? I put the rest of dinner in a container and put it in the fridge. Then, I crawled back into bed with my boyfriend, who slid right next to me, burying his face in my full belly.
"What did I do to deserve you, MC?" Yoosung asked, "Maybe I rescued a nun from a burning building in a past life."
"Yoosung," I teased, "The other day, you cried over a spider in the office and made me go kill it. I don't think you were running into burning buildings."
"I love you," he laid his head on my thigh.
"I love you, too," I rested my hand on his cheek, "When you're feeling better, do you think we should tell your…"
"Hold on," Yoosung cut me off, "What time is it?"
"Eight-thirty," I checked the clock, "Why?"
"I HAVE A LOLOL RAID TONIGHT!" he freaked, "I CAN'T MISS THAT!"
"Yes, you can," I held him down, "Yoosung, you're sick. I'm sure the guild will understand. You're not playing LOLOL tonight."
"But…!"
"No," I shoved my finger in his face, "You're. Sick. Yoosung. Your guild will understand."
"But…" I glared at him and Yoosung let out a sigh of defeat, "Fine…Wait a minute!"
"What?"
"MC…" Yoosung snuggled closer to me, "How much do you love me?"
"I took care of you all day," I reminded him, "I don't think that's even a question."
"In that case," he begged, "Will you-"
"Not even as a joke," I put my foot down, "I love you, Yoosung, but I'm drawing the line at running LOLOL raids for you."
"Can't say I didn't try," Yoosung let out a little giggle that melted my heart.
"How about this?" I suggested, "I'm going to go put pajamas on and I'll turn on the Netflix account and we can watch our favorite guilty pleasure."
"Stranger Things?"
"And let you have nightmares over the Demogorgon again?" I giggled, "I spent an hour after that trying to calm you down! That's my guilty pleasure. I'm talking our guilty pleasure."
"…Boys Over Flowers?"
"Bingo," I jumped out of bed, "I better not catch you in the office either or so help me, Yoosung…"
"I won't!" Yoosung squeaked. Even his voice was coming back. I'm sure after a good night's sleep, he'll be 100% again. I got in a onesie and crawled back in bed with Yoosung. He stole the remote from me and turned on Boys Over Flowers. I'm glad to see he's feeling better. And that we can mutually fangirl and we don't judge each other. This wasn't exactly how I pictured my day going and I wouldn't wish Yoosung getting sick again, but this? This little part here? This was ok. This I liked.
The next morning, I woke up and found my precious boyfriend opening his sparkling purple eyes, "Good morning, beautiful."
"Good morning," I smiled, breathing through a spell of nausea, "How are you feeling?"
"Much better," Yoosung gave me a little kiss, "Thank you, MC. I couldn't have gotten better without you."
"That's good to hear," I groaned, pulling the blanket over my head.
"MC…?" he worried, "You ok?"
"I'm fine…"
But Yoosung saw right through me, "Immune system of steel, huh?"
"Shut up, Yoosung."
"Admit it," he dug deeper, "You got sick, too, didn't you?"
"Shut up, Yoosung."
But he was right. I felt like I was dying…
"Alright," he let it go, "I have to go to class, but…I could always call Seven."
"Yoosung, I swear to God."
"What's a god to a non-believer?" Yoosung pulled me into his chest, "Might as well return the favor, right?"
A/N: I love this. Yoosung is such a cutie and my cinnamon roll son and my little ball of sunshine. I hated that I made him sick, but in a way, I made him better, too. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge sucker for a sic fic, ok? Especially when it's a character as sweet and precious and adorable as Yoosung. And to MimichanMC, I hope Yoosung's squishy route was up to your expectations, if not a little higher. Now! It's that time again. Who's next, guys? Who do I give a route to next? Cast your votes in the reviews and I'll see you next chapter! xx