needless to say, it wasn't the easiest thing to explain to his boss why he wouldn't be able to head back to work. and not because his boss was skeptical or disappointed in him, rather that taehyung felt embarrassed.

mostly wondering how hoseok and jungkook would react when they found out.

it's just to take care of him while he's sick, he said, more to convince himself than anything. and again, he wasn't lying, that's exactly what he was doing, but it still embarrassed him.

yoongi did not want to let go of his hand.

he clung to it, like a helpless, desperate child, squeezing taehyung's fingers every now and then and pulling the man's hand closer to his chest. it must have comforted him, tae thought, but that didn't make him feel any less shy about the situation.

yoongi was cute - no, adorable, the most adorable man taehyung had ever seen, he had only met him a couple days ago, and here that man was, clutching his hand close to his heart like it was his last breath of oxygen.

it melted taehyung's heart over and over again. yoongi's hands weren't small but for some reason they felt small holding his.

the man breathed heavily as sweat rolled down his face. and the sight caused tae to breathe heavily as well, but simply out of worry.

"y-yoongi, let me go get a cold rag to rest on your forehead, okay??"

"no, don't leave..."

a heart-shattering plea. "i'm...i'm not leaving, yoongi, i just want to try bringing your fever down. and you should really drink some water."

"mmmngh..."

"just let go of my hand, please. i'll be right back. i swear."

as though it distressed him more than the fever itself, yoongi reluctantly pried his fingers off from around taehyung's hand to allow the younger to do as he claimed he would. weakly, he muttered a hurry, please, which naturally boosted taehyung to move five times as fast.

so within a minute or so he returned to yoongi's side with a cold, damp rag and a glass of water. tae brushed aside the man's bangs so that he could drape the rag over his forehead, then press it down gently.

"can you lift your head for me?"

yoongi grunted.

"you need to drink water, yoongi..."

"my hand..."

confused for but a second, taehyung glanced down at yoongi's hand which now curled and uncurled its fingers repeatedly.

"hold...please..."

taehyung's heart lurched in his chest. oh, no, i don't know if i can take this. "o-okay, yoongi, but you need to drink some water first. i won't hold your hand until you do."

as though those words had sent some sort of energy boost to his muscles, yoongi began ever so slowly to lift his head, half-lidded eyes turning towards the other man. taehyung smiled in satisfaction. with one hand against the back of yoongi's head to support him, he held out the glass carefully as yoongi pulled it towards his lips.

he took several small sips of the water before pulling away again - it wasn't much, but it was better than nothing, so taehyung accepted it and placed the glass down again on the end table. and immediately his gaze fell again on yoongi's hand.

"hold, please," he muttered again.

there was something so childlike about him. of course, it was understandable not wanting to be alone when one is sick, but as adults most simply deal with it or insist they don't care or need someone by their side. but yoongi was so open about it. and it struck some place deep in taehyung's heart, that part of him that had been worrying about yoongi since he met him, and more so since he visited him. and in reality that hadn't been long at all - a mere few days. but it felt like longer.

with some hesitation taehyung took hold of yoongi's hand again and soon felt himself locked in the man's grasp. "better?" he whispered. the other nodded almost imperceptibly.

"warm..."

"yeah, you're very warm," tae sighed.

"sorry for keeping you here..."

"hyung, it's fine..." hearing the man's genuinely apologetic voice only made him feel worse. "really, don't worry about it. it's not as much trouble as you probably think it is..."

"no, it is," yoongi argued. "it is, i'm inconveniencing you...you...'ve got a job to do..."

"hoseok and jungkook can manage without me for tonight. you live alone, you don't have anyone to take care of you but yourself."

"just a..." the sickly man inhaled deeply through his nostrils. "...fever."

"a high fever," tae added, lifting the damp rag to feel yoongi's forehead. "you have been overworking yourself, haven't you?"

"haven't...swear it..."

oddly enough, taehyung believed him. when he had entered the house, he had found yoongi lying on the table, but no laptop or books or papers or anything were around him. not to mention, again, taehyung's suspicions about yoongi's health.

can't go out, he had said. even if that were true, it didn't change that it wasn't good for him. staying cooped up indoors chronically, not going outside even to stand in the sun for a few minutes - at least, that's what taehyung assumed was going on. these days, it wasn't necessary to go outside for much at all. so many things had become digital, and everything from packages overseas to groceries from a supermarket just a few blocks away could be delivered right to your door.

and taehyung had learned from a previous talk with yoongi that the man had a stay-at-home job. meaning he didn't even have to leave home for work.

so, conceivably, yoongi never left his house. at all.

"it's not healthy..."

"fevers...?"

"well, no," taehyung said with yet another sigh. "fevers aren't really healthy, but you'll survive."

"good..." yoongi exhaled in relief as he closed his eyes for a moment. he appeared to have no strength in his body, yet still did he attempt to speak. "i owe...you another favor now..."

"no, you don't," taehyung replied immediately.

"i do. i won't...be able to live with myself if...if i don't repay you...for your kindness..."

he was a stubborn one. gazing at yoongi's face with nothing but sympathy, taehyung felt his cheeks burn as the man held their hands close enough that he could feel the beat of yoongi's heart. he didn't say anything at first. feeling defeat, he accepted yoongi's words and struggled to think of anything he could ask of as a favor. coffee would be simple. he could always choose that again, if it would make the other happy.

but then an idea popped into taehyung's head.

"okay, if that's what you want." he made a brief glance towards the door. "i'll let you know as soon as i come up with something."

"anything," yoongi said. "don't...just say coffee again 'cus you'd feel guilty picking something else."

well, smart, but i changed my mind. "i won't. i'll figure out something else."

"good..."

"you should try to get some sleep." taehyung held his free hand over the rag on yoongi's forehead. "it'll get better with rest."

"can't sleep."

"you didn't even try..."

"can't sleep, i have to..."

he waited for the man to finish his sentence, but after about ten seconds, tae filled in the blanks with what he assumed yoongi was trying to say. "...use the bathroom?"

"no..."

"get a shower? a cold shower might do you some good."

"no-" he spoke a little louder this time but still with evident difficulty. "i have to...get my wallet..."

"your wallet?"

"the cookies..."

"the—" oh.

that quickly, taehyung had forgotten the reason he came here in the first place. to deliver cookies. the box was still sitting on the kitchen table, tied neatly with string, unopened - as of now, unpaid for, too. and yet still, in yoongi's state of sickness, the fact that he hadn't given taehyung, his delivery man, money for the delivery was on his mind.

"let's just change the order and say i bought them," he said to the older, who managed to display strong disapproval to the idea even with minimum movement of his facial features.

"no. i ordered."

"hyung, you don't have to pay for them."

it was obvious yoongi was only growing more frustrated as time went on, both with taehyung and his inability to speak and move without providing more physical exertion than he could manage. so he resorted to pouting.

bad news for taehyung.

"oh, stop, please, you're so adorable-"

it slipped out. honestly, he wasn't even surprised with himself, but regardless, in that moment taehyung experienced the sudden urge to slam his face into a wall. he couldn't run this time. yoongi had him trapped.

"sorry, i'm so awkward..." almost fearfully, he looked at yoongi, unable to read the man's expression. his face was still pale as pale could be, but taehyung wished he hadn't seen the hint of red that surfaced at the tips of the other's ears.

gotta change the subject. gotta change the-

"thank..."

it took a moment to register. remembering their text conversation from the other day, taehyung replied with a tentative, "welc...?"

and there was a reaction - just the slightest one, something akin to a smile, barely noticeable, and taehyung was sure he would have missed it if he had blinked.

"i like you...being here..."

that breathless pause in yoongi's sentence was another piece of bad news for taehyung's heart.

"that's good," he said back, regretting it right afterwards. did that sound awkward?? probably. "uh, i mean, like, i'm glad i could be here instead of you being all alone while you're sick."

"mm..."

the older's grip on his hand loosened. the man's fingers, concernedly warm to the touch caressed taehyung's hand in a delicate, seemingly intimate manner.

he must be really sick, taehyung told himself in hopes it would help him to calm down. really sick, delirious, even.

or maybe yoongi was just a touchy, clingy person in general. maybe this was how he behaved around jimin, that close friend of his. maybe this was normal.

either way, it stirred up the butterflies in taehyung's stomach. sitting here in the older's home, his hand being held captive - but delicately. now that yoongi had loosened his tight grasp, tae could have easily slipped his hand away. but in fear it would upset yoongi, he didn't.

he didn't really want to, either.

"do you need anything, hyung?"

"...bathroom..."

"...okay, i'll help you stand up."

*

*

a/n:
well it hasn't been a full month :)