Work Text:
When Felix woke up, the first thing he noticed was the burn in his throat. It was unforgiving—like if he ate a bunch of mala hotpot with extra spicy peppers and exotic seasoning.
After that, he took note of the stuffiness his nose was harboring, it was hard to breathe without using his mouth, and that just made the burn in his throat worse.
And then it started.
On the outside, his skin was flushed red and burning to the touch, but internally, a coldness that gathered in his nerves had taken root.
A violent tremor wrecked his chest, sending a sharp spasm through his ribs that made him gasp. Every heavy pulse of his heart seemed to drive the ache deeper into his muscles, turning his own body into an unmoving mess.
His jaw ached as it chattered from pure coldness, but his face was hot. His face was so. So burning hot. Every other part of him was cold. So freezing cold.
With one more involuntary shake and twitch of his muscles, he pried himself up and out of his bed.
When he first got up, he was greeted with black spots in his vision that danced along to Gods Menu. Oh, hello little dots.
He reached out blindly, his hand grazing the wall just in time to steady his body. His knees buckled slightly under the sudden weight of his fever, his breath coming in shallow, ragged puffs.
The black spots in his vision receded just enough for him to orient himself in the deep gloom of the room. Panic began to cut through the heavy fog of his sickness.
An idea popped into his head. The duck, named Yakult. He needed the light up duck. He needed that soft, warm glow right now.
Turning back toward the nightstand felt like trying to move underwater. Every muscle screamed in protest, an ache that made him want to collapse right there on the floorboards.
He dragged his feet forward, his hand sweeping across the cluttered surface of the table until his fingers finally brushed against the silicone of the little duck. A small wave of relief washed over him.
Felix brought his hand down, tapping the top of the duck’s head with a trembling finger.
Nothing happened.
The darkness stayed thick and heavy, pressing in on him from all sides. He tapped it again, harder this time, his heart hammering against his ribs as a cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
He pressed down harder, begging silently for that comforting amber light to pierce through the shadows. But the duck remained completely dark, its battery fully drained, leaving him entirely alone in the pitch black.
Did he forget to charge it? He always remembered to charge the duck every morning when he got up! It wasn’t something he’d forget!
…At least he thought he didn’t forget to.
A rolling wave of nausea caused him to careen into the wall once again, oh.
He was going to throw up.
But he couldn’t! Not without any light—not without anyone with him there!
He stumbled out of the door frame, opening it with his hands lack. His feet pattered on the cold floorboards, he want(ed) so bad to press his face onto the cold wood. It would feel so good on his burning face.
The wall was a nice friend to him, guiding his way through the maze of the dark dorm. He reached a door, near the end of the hallway, and knocked.
Oh, that was weird.
Chan was normally awake at this time, or, what he assumed to be near 1 am.
He opened the door, peaking his head in, looking for the familiar glow of Chans laptop.
“Chan?” He coughed out, regretting it as the feeling in his throat increased tenfold. He looked into the dark room with wide eyes, bringing himself inside and shutting the door softly.
But Chan wasn’t in there, he knew that because he checked everywhere in the room.
He sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair.
Oh great, the nausea was getting even worse.
His eyes started to well up with tears, he was scared. He was really scared. He opened Chans door and moved along the wall again.
The dorm seemed to be creaking with the wind, making noise he wanted to shy away from.
When a larger creak came, he couldn’t take it anymore. He collapsed to the ground in a heap and started crying.
All of it was so much, the scary sounds, the dark that surrounded everything, the cold burning his skin, the sweat that sheened it, the heat that radiated off of him.
And the nausea.
Out of sheer spite, he pulled himself up, relying on the wall even more than before because what he could see beforehand was now purely covered by tears.
He finally reached another door—his last hope—and opened it with a shaky hand and a large sniffle.
“Minho..?” He called out, and he got no answer. He walked in, just like he did with Chans room.
“Hyung?” His voice was more desperate this time, crying out regardless of the horrible feeling in his throat.
But there wasn’t anyone there.
Okay, for real this time. He was going to throw up.
The realization hit him like a freight train. They were gone. Everyone was gone—probably still at the studio or the company building, working late while he was trapped in the dark.
A violent heave rolled through his stomach, forcing a strangled gasp from his throat. There was no more time to cry, no more time to look for a comforting hand to hold.
He had to get to the bathroom now.
Spurred by pure panic, Felix bolted from Minho’s room. He didn’t care about the creaking floors or the terrifying shadows stretching across the hallway anymore.
He stumbled blindly through the pitch black, one hand dragging heavily against the wall to keep his balance as his knees threatened to give out entirely.
The world was spinning in violent, sickening loops behind his tear-blurred eyes.
He practically threw his weight against the bathroom door, bursting inside.
The room was freezing, the tiled floor sending a shocking jolt of cold straight through his socks, but he barely registered it.
Guided by memory alone, he dropped to his knees in front of the toilet, his hands gripping the porcelain rim.
He gagged—a horrible sound that ripped from his throat.
As he threw up, he felt his stomach constricting in and out, like it was dispelling the entire history of anything he ever ate.
He lost count of time, his sickness and throwing up seemed to go on forever.
That was until a sound echoed from inside the dorm.
“Do you think Felix is asleep?” A voice—Hyunjin?—called out.
Oh, yeah. All the members were coming over after they ate. Felix didn’t go with them, because he was asleep.
He could see a light being turned on and highlighting the dorm. But he couldn’t do anything but keep throwing up.
Light was nice. That’s what he wanted all along. He was scared of the dark, he didn’t like the dark.
He heard a gasp behind him. Someone probably found him. “Seungmin! Can you get some water?” A voice called out as the person sat next to him.
When a strong hand found his back, he knew it was Chan.
“It’s okay mate, I think you might be sick.”
Felix wanted to reply, but he couldn’t, as, you know, he was still throwing up.
Chan kept patting his back, mumbling small words and incoherent sentences that comforted Felix as his stomach expelled its entire contents.
Chan turned around, he guessed, by the pressure leaving his back.
“Thanks, Seungmin.”
“Hyung…Is he okay?”
“I think he has a fever. He’s burning up.”
As Chan was already up, he sat the water glass down with a thunk and grabbed a towel from the bathroom sink, he wet it in cold water under the faucet.
Chans placed the towel on Felix’s neck, almost immediately it got hot again.
Chan sighed, he guessed it was best to let Felix’s immune system let the fever burn through him.
“You can go, Seungmin, tell the others Felix might be sick.”
Seungmin nodded and padded out.
With, finally, one more heave of his stomach, Felix weakly arose back on his knees and tried to sit back. It didn’t work, his limbs were shaking too hard.
“You done, Felix?” Chan hummed
Felix didn’t respond, he didn’t know if he could. He just leaned his head back, aiming for Chans chest.
Chan shuffled around so that Felix was in between his legs, but leaning on his chest while facing forwards. He put a piece of hair from Felix’s sweaty forehead and tucked it behind his ear.
Chan grabbed the water, bringing it up to Felix’s lips. Felix took a sip, swallowed, and then lunged for the toilet again.
Felix’s stomach was weaving again, but nothing was coming out other than the small bit of water and pure saliva.
Dry heaving was infinitely worse, the violent spasms wrenching his empty stomach and leaving him completely breathless.
Felix gripped the edge of the seat, his knuckles turning white as he trembled, tears fresh on his hot cheeks. Chan didn't pull away. His large hand returned to Felix’s back, rubbing steady, grounding circles between his shoulder blades.
"Shh, I've got you. Just breathe, Lix, let it pass," Chan murmured, his deep voice vibrating right against Felix’s back. "You're okay. I'm right here."
Slowly, the painful contractions in his abdomen began to ease, leaving Felix completely spent. He slumped backward, utterly devoid of energy, and Chan caught him easily, pulling him back against his chest.
The wet towel on Felix's neck had already lost its chill, but the cool of Chan’s clean hoodie felt like an anchor.
The bathroom light was bright—almost blinding behind his swollen eyelids—but the sheer relief of not being in the dark anymore made him want to weep with gratitude.
"No more water for now, okay? Let's just get you cooled down a bit," Chan said softly.
Felix could hear soft footsteps outside the door, the hushed, worried whispers of the other members as Seungmin delivered the news.
Usually, the noise of the dorm would overwhelm him when he felt this bad, but right now, knowing they were all safe and nearby was the best medicine he could ask for.
Chan wrapped his arms securely around Felix’s chest, holding him steady as another faint shiver ran through the younger boy's frame. "Let's get you out of here, Lix. The floor is too cold for you."
With a careful groan, Chan shifted his weight and lifted Felix into his arms. Felix didn't even have the energy to protest. he just buried his face into the crook of Chan’s neck, his hands weakly bunching into the fabric of Chan’s hoodie.
The hallway was completely illuminated now, the harsh shadows from before replaced by the dorm lights.
As Chan carried him into the living room, a few worried faces immediately popped up. Hyunjin was standing near the couch with a thick, plush blanket already unfolded, his eyes wide with concern.
"Is he okay? How bad is the fever?" Hyunjin whispered, stepping back to give Chan room to gently lay Felix down on the cushions.
"It's high," Chan replied softly, settling Felix against the pillows and tucking the blanket securely around his trembling shoulders. "He's completely exhausted."
Felix blinked heavily, his vision still a little hazy from the tears and the fever, but he looked around the room anxiously.
The light was nice, but the lingering panic from being trapped in the pitch black still made his heart race. He reached a shaky hand out from under the blanket, his fingers twitching in the air.
"Yakult..." Felix croaked out, his voice barely a raspy whisper, his throat burning terribly from the effort.
The members paused, looking at each other in confusion for a split second until Han’s eyes lit up with realization.
"The nightlight," Han said, his face softening with immediate sympathy. "The duck I gave him. He calls it Yakult. Hold on, Lix, I'll get it."
Han hurried down the hallway toward Felix’s room, returning a moment later with the small silicone duck and a charging cable in hand.
He quickly plugged it into the outlet right next to the couch. As soon as the cord connected, the little duck emitted an amber glow, cutting through the remaining anxieties in Felix's mind.
Han placed the glowing duck on the side table right within Felix's line of sight. "There you go, buddy. It's charging. You're not in the dark anymore."
Felix let out a long, shaky breath, his tense muscles finally starting to relax against the couch.
Minho appeared from the kitchen, holding a fresh, damp washcloth that wasn't freezing, but just cool enough to be soothing. He gently pressed it against Felix's burning forehead.
"Just close your eyes and sleep, Felix," Minho said, his tone unusually gentle as he smoothed back a stray lock of Felix's damp hair. "We're all right here. We aren't going anywhere."
With the soft glow of the duck beside him, the cool cloth on his forehead, and the reassuring murmur of his members surrounding him.
Felix finally let his heavy eyelids close, the terrifying darkness of the night gone.
He was so tired the thought didn’t even cross his mind that the duck had a button at the bottom you had to turn on for it to glow, then you pressed its head.