Jin sneezed after having just woken up, a hand to his pounding head as he sat up. He didn't feel the best in the morning yet started getting dressed for school. He couldn't miss school, he had one hell of a history test today-
    "Honey, are you okay?" His mother asked, noticing how he stumbled into the kitchen. Tired green eyes looked over to her, the teen coughing softly.
    "Oh, yeah, I'm fine... What's, uh, what's for breakfast...?" He answered, sitting down at the table. Night furrowed her eyebrows and walked over to her son, leaning down and kissing his forehead gently. The mother frowned and Jin sighed, leaning back in his chair. "... Back to bed...?"
    "Absolutely. I'll call the school and tell them you're not feeling well."
    "Yes mama..."

Jin stood and wobbled his way back to his bedroom, undressing and deciding to just be in shorts as he was feeling feverish. He collapsed back on his bed and sneezed, holding his head yet again in pain.
    "Alright baby boy, I called the school and excused you for the day. I'll go by later to pick up the homework you'll have." Night told him, holding a glass of water and some acetaminophen pills.
    "I have a test today though..." Jin sniffled, taking two of the pills and drinking the water.
    "You'll just have to take it tomorrow, my little spirit. Your health matters more than a silly test."
    "I guess..." Jin coughed and hid his face in the crook of his elbow, sighing.

God, he hated being sick...

Night smiled softly and pet his head gently, setting the bottle of pills on the desk by his bed.
    "I'll make you something small to eat and then I have a couple small errands to run. Would you be okay here by yourself?"
    "Yeah, I should... When is dad coming home...?"
    "He won't be back from his business trip until the weekend," Night sighed, rubbing her eye slightly. "With how close the baby is to getting here, I wish he wasn't sent out on that business trip..."
    "Me too... I miss him..." Jin mumbled, curling up under his blankets with a shiver. His mother smiled softly and kissed his head, tucking him in.
    "I know you do, baby ghost. But have no fear, dad will be home in no time." She told him, straightening up with a breath. She shut his lamp off and blew him a kiss, walking out of her son's bedroom to make him a light breakfast.

Fifteen minutes later, she walked back up the stairs with a plate in her hand, knocking softly on her son's door.
    "Jin, honey, I made you breakfast." She called softly, poking her head in the room. The blonde smiled softly upon realizing he fell asleep, closing his door gently and walking back down the stairs to put his breakfast in the microwave.

~~~

Waking up a couple hours later, Jin groaned in discomfort, green eyes opening slightly in a squint. He coughed and held his head as he slowly sat up, wincing at the ache in his body before glancing at the time.
    "Noon...?" He mumbled bitterly, shuffling out of bed as his stomach growled. From hunger or nausea, he wasn't sure... The teen swallowed and made his way out of the bedroom, his stomach yelling at him more as he covered his mouth with his hand. His stomach churned in the worst way possible, clamping his mouth shut as he rushed his way to the bathroom before throwing up.

He coughed harshly into the bowl and forced his bangs back, another wave hitting him as she repulsed the last of the bile from his system. God this sucks, he thought as he sat back, wiping the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand. Why did he have to be sick today? Why couldn't it have been another damn day? Jin grumbled softly and flushed the toilet before turning on the sink, washing out his mouth after the abuse that it had faced. He heard the front door open and slowly walked out of the bathroom, peaking over the railing.
    "Dad...?" He called softly, watching as two-colored eyes looked up in surprise. Hartz smiled, setting his bag down as his son came down the stairs and ran into his arms.
    "Hey kiddo! What are you doing home?" Hartz asked him, hugging him tightly. Jin nuzzled his nose into his dad's shoulder, clinging to him and sniffling.
    "I'm pretty sick so mama kept me home... What are you doing home...? I thought you weren't coming back until next week..."
    "It was the plan but I managed to convince my boss to let me finish my work at home with my family." Hartz put him down and soon frowned, brushing the black bangs out of his teenager's face. "You look terrible. Have you eaten yet today?"

Jin laughed softly and sweeped his bangs back into place, rubbing his eye slightly before shaking his head.
    "No, not yet.... Mama said she was gonna make me something but I fell asleep..." He said, yawning. The man smiled softly and looked at the time, ruffling his hair.
    "How about you get dressed and you and I can get some lunch together."
    "Sure..." Jin smiled, turning and making his way back upstairs. Coming back down a few minutes later in sweatpants and his hoodie, the teen threw his hood up before slipping on his shoes. The father and son walked out of the house to get in the car, Jin sneezing into his elbow as he got into the passenger side and buckled up.

~~~

Jin sipped his orange juice as they drove home, lunch sitting in the bag on his lap while scrolling on his phone.
    "No honey, I don't know where he is, I haven't talked to him yet today." Hartz said, putting his phone on speaker to focus on the road.
    "Hartz, he's supposed to be home sick. He was asleep when I went to run errands and when I came home, he's gone! I don't know where he is!" Night sounded real worried, Jin looking over with his eyebrows furrowed. Hartz looked over and put a finger to his lips, smiling.
    "He has to be in the house somewhere, Nightlight. He wouldn't just disappear like that."
    "I'll check around the house but if I can't find him, I'm checking the school."
    "Whatever floats your boat, baby. Love you."
    "Love you too."

The two finished up their phone call and Hartz started to laugh, Jin tilting his head.
    "Why did you lie to mama...?" He asked, taking another sip of his citrus drink. His dad only laughed and spared a smile, winking.
    "It's fun fucking with your mom."
    "She's gonna be mad..."
    "She's gonna be happy for one, seeing that you're okay and two, that I'm home early. I even bought lunch for her. She's eight months pregnant, she'll never say no to food." Hartz grinned, pulling down their street. Jin rolled his eyes and laughed softly, pushing his dad's shoulder slightly.
    "You're terrible..."
    "Yeah, but your mama loves me for it."

They pulled into the driveway as the young father shut the car off, Jin watching in amusement as Night poked her head out of the house. He could see the annoyance in her eyes as she stepped out on the porch, arms crossed over her chest as Hartz shut the car off.
    "You know, when I call you about concerns for our son, I expect you to be honest with me. Not lie to my face." Night sighed, her two boys getting out of the car.
    "Yeah, but where's the fun in telling you I'm home early and took our son to get lunch?" Hartz told her with a smile, walking up and kissing her lips. "Besides, I got your favorite."
    "Oohh, really?" Night asked, leaning over and kissing Jin's forehead. "Well, let's go eat while food's still hot. I'm happy you're home, honey."
    "I know."

Jin rolled his eyes with a smile as the family walked back inside, Hartz ruffling the teen's hair.
    "I told you..." His dad grinned, delivering a gentle poke to his cheek. The teenager scoffed and shook his head, waving him off.
    "You only knew that because you've been together for years..." He said softly, coughing into his elbow.
    "It's a blessing."
    "More like a curse..." Night walked over with another dose of medicine and water for Jin, the teen taking it with no fuss as the mother kissed his head again. The family sat together at the table, eating lunch.

A happy family back together and to help care for their sick son~

NightBear15 signing off...