I slowly step towards him, and once I reach him out, I bend over the bed and lay down next to him.

My first instinct is to check his breathing before doing anything. "Jungkook," I say his name in a soft and low voice and brush his hair away from his face, his skin exposing some excessive sweating, which could be a good sign that his temperature is lowering.

"My big baby," I rub my hand over his chest, holding back from kissing him, and his head slightly moves. He opens his sleepy eyes, and my lips turn up out of happiness. "Good morning."

He squints his eyes, which are obviously blinded by the mere rays of sunlight in the room, and takes a deep breath, and he looks for his mask on his nightstand to put it on before talking to me. "Good morning, baby," he speaks in a broken voice and pushes his blanket down to his hips. "How are you feeling?" I slide my hand down to his waist, and his long fingers skim over my forearm. "Well...not worse than yesterday, but still pretty bad."

"I warmed the pancakes up but cooked some new ones for you, and I cut some fruits, and I'll give you some hot milk with honey once you're at the table," I tell him what is waiting for him downstairs, and his smile cause some bags to form under his eyes and expose it. "Thank you. I wish I could kiss you."

"I wish too, but I'll wait," I do not insist or annoy him than he already is by his sickness, and I caress his skin with my thumb over his stomach. "Are you going to take a shower?"

"I really don't want to, but you're here, so yeah," he drifts his hand up to mine and covers it all with his palm, and he tenderly wraps his fingers around it. "It will make you feel better. We can take it together though, you won't have to do anything but stand there while I'm washing you."

"Hell no. If I wasn't sick, I'd have taken you in that shower with me right away, but not like this," he shakes his head and creates some unbearable curiosity inside of me. "Why? We can wear our mask and avoid the water from hitting our faces."

He listens and lets out a small husky laugh. "And you think I'm gonna be okay with standing right in front of you while you're touching me, rubbing your hands over me, both totally naked with water wetting our skins? If you're able to stay chill in that situation, you're a strong girl, but I'm not," he does not hide the explicit reason why he does not agree to that, and I regret not asking for it one week ago when he was fine. "Oh, I'm not, but does that mean you're a weak girl?"

"Yeah, I'm a very sensitive babygirl," he smiles, and I giggle, relieved to see him feel fine enough to joke. "Aw. Good to know I'm not the only one."

"You're worse, stop it," he passes his hand over his face and puts them both on the sheets to sit up. "What? No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Don't argue with your weakened and pained man," he groans and already rests his strained body on the headboard. "Stop pointing it out," I lean forward to put my arms around his hips and put my head on his lap. "Well, it's hard to not acknowledge it though," he pats my head, tangling his fingers in my hair. He gently grasps a handful of it and plays with it, and I push my head up to his abs, and he gives me more pets.

"I wish I was a cat, but like, yours, and no one else's," I do not fear to speak my mind and what just went through it, and a noise of mockery vibrates through his throat. "My cat? No, thanks. You'd be the most annoying cat on earth."

"Excuse me? I'd be the most loving and cuddly one you could ever have," I raise my head up to look at him, offended by his words that I cannot believe to be something he meant. "You'd meow nonstop to get my attention and ask for pets every five seconds, so no. I'd put you up for adoption after a day," he smiles, telling those words while continuously patting my head. "And you'd lick me all the time too, I know it."

"Because you're always stinky, so I'd always have to clean you myself," I move back to not crush his crotch with my chest anymore, and I kneel between his legs. "Fine. Got it. I'm taking a shower, mean girl. I was on the verge of changing my mind, but no, you'll never be my cat," he goes out of the bed, so I do the same. "We'll see that. I know you won't resist me."

"Bold of you to think so," he snees and disappears behind the bathroom's door, so I go back downstairs to take care of his milk with honey drink.

20 minutes later...

I keep my eyes on Jungkook and look at him come up to the table, and he sits down in front of me. "If you ever don't feel like eating fruits or pancakes, I got you some rice crisps here," I touch the two bags I added. "It's the only thing I can eat when I feel sick, so I thought it'd be good for you too if your stomach is too sensitive."

"Thank you, baby, but I'm sorry, I'm gonna eat a pancake because you took time to cook them, but I don't want to puke again, so I'll probably have to eat the rice crisps," he picks one and lays it on his empty dish. "It's okay, don't worry. I don't want you to get even more sick."

"That's why I told you not to cook for me, I'll waste what you took time to do," he eats small bits at a time, going slowly, and he drinks some flavored water. "What you don't eat goes into my stomach, so stop worrying."

"Good," he constantly pulls his mask down and up to take a bite and cover his mouth the most he can. "Did you sleep well last night?" he asks me, and I nod. "Yeah. I woke up multiple times, but it was okay."

"I did too, not too many times, but I woke up at least two times," he worries me with what sounds like the truth, and he gazes into my eyes, and with no more words said, I understand what this means. "I heard you, damn brat. You told me you'd stay in the other room."

"I had to check up on you! I'm sorry if I woke you up, I tried to be as quiet as I could," I give him the right excuse and reason, which he should understand given his health. "You didn't wake me up, I was already awake when you came."

"Wouldn't you do that if it was me? I'm pretty sure you would not even have gone in the other room but taken my mask off without giving me another option, so stop complaining," I fill my mouth with a big piece of pancake, and he smiles under the black material. "That's exactly what I'd have done, but I can. Not you."

"And why is that?" I do not accept such unfairness. "Because, stop asking," he gives absolutely no good answer. "Well, you're sick, so I won't argue, but we'll talk about this again when you're feeling better."

"Sure," he chuckles and drinks. Consuming more liquid than food. I let him drink and fill his stomach with more water, and I swallow what is in my mouth. "Don't forget to take the pill," I remind him. "Yeah," he takes it right away to not leave it on the table.

•••

11:40 am.

As Jungkook came back on the sofa after vomiting, I look at him, lying down on my right and covering his eyes with his arm. I turn to my side and place my hand over his chest. "Are you sure it's a cold and not a stomach bug or something?"

"It's probably not a cold. It comes from my stomach for sure," he faintly speaks under his mask, not moving his arm away from his face. I run my hand over his chest, not knowing what to do, how to take care of him.

He is already skinny enough to not be able to eat anymore and get some energy.

20 minutes later...

Not a single sound occupying the room other than Jungkook's calm breathing, I play on the Nintendo Switch that Matthew lent me while Jungkook is sleeping under his fluffy cover, with his head on my chest, and one arm inside my shirt as he has been seeking some warmth since earlier.

I focus on my Mario Kart race and try to win, with no sound coming from my console to not disturb my big baby's sleep. I finish in first place and silently celebrate it, but feel Jungkook's hand and head move.

He breathes a little more deeply and goes forward, and he drags his hand down my stomach. "Baby," he groans and lifts his head up, his messy hair and sleepy face making me soft. "What's wrong?" I pay attention to what he is doing, and he pulls my shirt up and leans over me to hide his head underneath and rests it on my chest.

He puts my shirt back over his head to cover himself, and he clings onto me, crushing my waist with his arms as his lips are in tight contact with one of my breasts when his head is pretty much squeezed against them.

He did not even notice that I took his mask off to allow him to breathe properly while sleeping. He must be too exhausted to even think about it.

"You love flat pillows?" I put one hand over his head but hate the fact I cannot feel his hair and play with it. "Shut up. They're perfect," he speaks in a husky voice, and I smile. "And you're so warm, it feels good..."

"It's usually the opposite, so I know how you're feeling," I relate to him for once since I am usually the one who hugs him and gets warmed up.

"Are you still cold?" I turn my body towards him and hold my Nintendo Switch to start a new game, gradually feeling the temperature of my body increase a little too much. "No, I'm fine now," he burries his face in my chest, which he seems to love a lot, and he presses his lips against one of them and brushes the tip of his nose up my skin.

This is giving me butterflies.

"They're not food, you know," I struggle to concentrate on my race, and he makes it worse by ignoring my statement and sticking his tongue out and parting his lips against them for more gentle kisses. "They seem very tasty though..."

"You're half asleep, you don't know what you're saying," I smile and nibble on my bottom lip when I feel him do the same again and slip some fingers under my bra, behind my back. "You can't eat without getting sick anyway, so don't try."

"But they're the only things that wouldn't get me sick, I know it..." he slides his hand over my waist to reach out for my breasts, and he softly gives a squeeze, turning me on with touches at a wrong time. "It's so fucking comforting, suffocate me with them, please," he puts his arm back around me and forces his face in them, and I cannot help chuckling and leaving my game.

I love to know this makes him feel that way, I have always felt insecure about their size.

"I don't think it's possible but sure, I'll try," I joke about it but hear him hum. He does not speak anymore but seems to be drifting back to his sleep, so I do not say anything but let him rest more.

Feeling in the mood to play a calmer game, I launch Animal Crossing to try it for the first time, and the sound of a phone vibrating catches my attention. I turn my head to check which one it is, and I perceive a notification on Jungkook's one, so I stretch my arm out to reach out for it and check who the text is from, but Jungkook grumbles. "Hm. What are you doing?" he does not let our skins separate and follows the same movement of my body to be stuck to me like glue, so I go back in my previous position.

"Luca texted you," I read the name but not what he sent to not be nosy. "What does it say?"

Since I have his permission, I open it and check the inside. "He wanna know if you'll drive him to work tomorrow."

"Oh, shit. I forgot..." he sighs against my skin but does not get his head out my clothing. "Tell him I apologize, but I won't be able to do it 'cause I'm sick," he goes slow enough for me to type everything he says without missing a word. "But tell him he can come and get my car today if he wants, and you'll give him the keys."

"Done," I send him the text, and I put the phone down between us to not have to turn around again. "Thank you," he kisses my chest and rubs his fingers over my back. "I didn't know you had to drive him to work."

"It was just this week because his car is being repaired," he explains in a short sentence, which makes sense. "Ah, you're so sweet."  

He does not respond but smiles, and I leave him alone.

•••

9:20 pm.

"You should go home now, y/n," he rolls on his back and stretches behind me after cuddling me for hours again. "No, I'm staying with you and going to the doctor with you tomorrow."

"No, you are not. You go to school," he expresses his disapproval, which I do not want to hear or listen to. "You're not even doing better."

"I am, and I'll feel better tomorrow, so you go home and do not miss school," he insists and does the exact same I do when I want him to not leave work just for me.

I turn around to look at him and do not comply. "You literally leave your job when I'm feeling sick, even though it's much more risky because you have to pay the bills, so do not tell me to do what you don't even do yourself."

"You annoy me, y/n," he rubs his hand over his face and pushes his bangs up, but I do not care about what he says. "I know. That's what everyone tells me."

He clicks his tongue as if he did not like what I said to be dramatic, and I feel him turn his head to look at me while I am focusing on my Animal Crossing. "Shut up. That's not true."

"You said it though, so not so untrue," I peek at him and smile, but he turns towards me and cups my face with his hand. "You know I don't mean it."

"Sure, mean babygirl," I tease him with what I will never forget, and he scoffs. "You take advantage of my weakness to make me say things I'd never say if I was myself."

"How dare you blame me?" I gape at him, and his eyes go down to my mouth as his smile got exposed by them. "I need someone to blame other than me. Sorry."

"Fine then, I take the blame for you," I set my eyes back on my game, and he snakes his hand under my shirt. "You're such a good girl," he says it in a low voice, and I smile, loving the sound of those words in his mouth, and how good this feels to hear it right into my ear. "But that doesn't change the fact you'll go to school tomorrow."

"No, I won't," I send him packing with this and object. "Alright, then you don't come this weekend."

I shoot my eyes towards him, and without saying anything, I raise my eyebrows. "You heard me, you're not coming this weekend if you stay tomorrow."

"Really? You don't want to see me this weekend?" I ask him to repeat this for the last time, and he rubs my stomach but sticks to what he said in the first place. "No."

"Fine then, I won't come," I do not beg him or show him how desperate I am when he acts like he does not care much. "You'll probably feel better by then, so it's alright if you don't want me here."

"You won't make me feel bad, stop trying," he does not open his eyes but enjoys running his fingers over my stomach, my sensitive ribs. "I'm not trying anything."

"Sure," he moves and squeezes my hip. "Since when do you have a Switch, by the way?"

"Matt gave it—"

"No need to end your sentence," he cuts me off out of jealousy for sure, not standing the sound of my best friend's name anymore. "Why? You literally lend your car to a friend, a Nintendo is nothing compared to it."

"I don't have a damn crush on Luca, and it's necessary for work," he gives a good answer I cannot say anything about, but I still defend myself. "Matt doesn't have a crush on me, he's just an affectionate person."

"Yeah, whatever you say," he does not believe me, but knowing how he feels about this, I do not go any further in this conversation. "Have your parents not said anything?"

"My father did, but I told him I was at Luca's house and sleep there so he can drive me to school in the morning," I tell him the lie I gave, not counting all the other ones that I had to make up. "And he doesn't mind letting you sleep at a guy's house, but spending time with me is the most dangerous thing you could ever do?"

"Yeah because since he heard Eve talk about you, he doesn't believe anything other than that bullshit," I exit my game to put the Nintendo away and offer my tired eyes a break. "Great...if he doesn't even believe his own daughter, I can't even imagine what he'd say if I was the one trying to convince him."

"He'd punch you before you even said a word," I roll on my side to wrap my arms around his waist and hug, and he keeps me close. "Probably the kindest thing he'd do to me."

"My mom would probably listen but be like 'Okay' and not care. The only thing she'd care about is your job, which she'd consider as a shame. That'd be the one reason why she wouldn't want me to be with you," I do not keep quiet about the true nature of my parents, and what makes me hate them so much.

"Wow. Such a good mindset. To be honest, I'm more surprised by the fact that you didn't grow up and turn like them, but actually became a good person," he draws some shapes over my back with his hand he has never took out my top. "It's because I spend most of my childhood with one baby-sitter, she was very caring and sweet. That must be why."

"Yeah, true. They weren't there enough to influence you," he rests his head on mine, and we both stop speaking. We silently hold one another and enjoy it that way, without needing anything more.

— Next day —

Monday, June 21st, 2021.

11:20 am.

"How is your stomach doing?" I bring the bag of rice crisps and the medication to Jungkook, who has been sitting on the sofa, and he takes them. "Better than yesterday," he swallows the pill and opens the bag, and I question him about what has been on my mind since earlier. "And your heart? Did she check it? Did she check your blood pressure?"

"Yeah, it's all good," he fills his mouth with some food, not seeming very honest, so I keep my eyes fixed on his features, which do not have to be covered anymore since he did not catch a cold, but a really bad stomach virus. "Are you sure?" I stare and scrutinize his facial expression. He raises his big eyes up to mine and nods. "Yes. I told you not to worry about my health."

"And what about your lungs and liver?" I do not forget about his smoking, and the organ his pills damage the most. "She didn't check those, but stop concerning yourself over this. I'm okay. If my health was that bad, I wouldn't have made it through that little virus."

"Little? It looked like you were about to die," I do not think of this adjective as the best one to describe it. "I was just acting and faking it," he smirks, but I do not find it funny at all, I was way too worried about him. "I know you way too well now, you'd never fake being sick because you hate feeling weak."

He rests his head on the back on the sofa and gazes at me while munching his snack. "And what if I was just very needy and thought this was the only way to ask for all your attention without looking weak for you?"

"You stop saying that or I'll punch you, this wouldn't hurt you since you're not sick, uh?" I lean in towards him, but he does not move. He smiles and presses a kiss on my neck.

I missed his kisses so much.

I bend over and use his lap as a pillow, and I grab my phone to read the text Matthew sent me.

< are you coming tomorrow at least? You better not be sick ]

[ or else what? Yes I'm coming back tomorrow. I know you miss me >

< hell no I don't. I just need someone to copy off:) or else ill be sad ]

[ I knew your good marks weren't bcs of you but me >

< what are you implying by that? That I'm dumb? ]

[ yes >

< you're right. Can't be mad at you ]

[ Good to know you're aware:3 >

I put my phone back on the table before us and enjoy the feeling of Jungkook's fingers combing my hair and patting my head. This could make me fall asleep. This is so soothing and would relieve any type of headache or pain.

"Can you give me a massage when you'll feel better?" I close my eyes and wrap my arms around his thigh, and he brushes my hair back. "If you give me one."

"I can do it now," I raise my head up to look at him, his fingers not leaving my hair. "Not now but when I'm not sick anymore," he refuses, despite his desire for one. "Why?"

"Because," he does not give me the reason, which means this is a sexual one. "Since you faked being sick, I can insist now. Why?" I wait for him to tell me the truth, and without saying anything, he stares deep into my eyes. "I don't know. I forgot."

"You are such a damn liar, I won't ever give you one then, I'll always forget too," I put my head back on his lap, but he bounces his leg to make sure I move it away, but I do not. I stay still, and he giggles. "I'm gonna sit on your leg if you don't stop."

"Ah yeah? I wonder why," he stops and brings a rice crisp to my mouth, so I open it and eat. "To have fun, obviously. What else would it be for?"

"For nothing else," he does not even try to conceal his smirk, and he feeds me again, but I do not elaborate on this matter. I get up and sit on one of his thighs, and I slide one hand under his top. "Do you want some belly rubs?" I speak in a baby voice as if I was addressing a child, his eyes never drifting away from mine. He smiles at me and drops one hand on my thigh. "Yes, please."

I lean in and rest my head over his shoulder, and I run my hand over his stomach as gently and slowly as I can.