Lonely Kitten

80

Jisung hadn't anticipated just how nice it'd feel to take a bath. His fever had him sweat constantly, so finally feeling clean again already made him feel a lot better about himself. The warmth soothed his aches and his muscles were able to relax at least a little despite his thoughts circling around his sick mate. Changbin had left Jisung to give the younger some private time and to heat up some soup, hoping the boy wouldn't fall asleep in the tub. Not that he'd have to worry though as falling asleep in the tub was close to impossible for Jisung. The steam had started to make his nose run and finally able to breath, he had taken a whiff of the strong menthol scent, which made his sinuses tingle and breath hitch. He couldn't help curse his hyung as he sneezed repeatedly. Sure, his nose was clearing up but the force behind his sneezes made his head pound and throat burn.

Standing at the stove, Changbin stirred the pot and chatted with Felix for a bit. The Aussie had just finished his exam and was ready to spent the rest of the day relaxing before he'd start studying for the next one tomorrow. Hearing Jisung cough in the background, Felix listened to Changbin recounting the events of the day and asked if they were handling it alright. The dancer even offered to come over and help them out but Changbin was adamant, his mate had been working so hard lately, he deserved an afternoon to himself. Laughing that he'd probably end up playing videogames all afternoon, the Aussie soon ended the call and told Changbin to tell their friends to feel better.

Jisung would've stayed in the tub for hours, if it hadn't irritated his nose so much. Confident that his head was going to explode if he had to sneeze again, the rapper forced himself up and shakily stepped out of the tub. He had just bundled up in his towel and plopped down on the toilet lid when Changbin knocked on the bathroom door. "Hey", the older smiled softly as he crouched in front of his friend, "How're you feeling now?" Jisung only pointed at his throat as a tear ran down his chubby cheek. "Let me dry your hair, hm? You can get dressed afterwards and I'll fetch you some water", Changbin hummed, reaching for another towel. Exhausted, Jisung just let the older go ahead, glad that he was careful in rubbing his hair because he doubted he could handle any more pressure on his head. Gently dabbing away the tears in his friend's cheek, Changbin put the small towel onto the sink and smiled: "There we go. You get dressed and I'll be back in a minute."

Changbin hurried to the kitchen, quickly pouring Jisung a glass of water. On his way back to the bathroom, he also swiped the throat spray and stuffed it into his pocket in case the younger struggled to swallow his drink. He'd probably need it for the soup anyway. Seeing how much energy a simple task like taking a bath had zapped from his dongsaeng, Changbin was glad that Chan hadn't let the boy come along. Jisung had managed to get himself dressed but was now trembling from the exertion. His head was spinning and he had to hold on to the edge of the sink to not fall off his seat. Rushing to place the glass down on the sink, Changbin steadied Jisung's shoulders and frowned: "You're not gonna pass out on me, are you?" The younger shook his head, making himself even dizzier. He didn't know what was happening but desperately held on to Changbin's arms as the older manhandled him to the floor. "Let's stay down here for a bit", the older hummed, lifting Jisung's legs onto the toilet lid before sitting down, so the boy could rest his head on his thigh.

They waited together in silence, Changbin gently running his fingers through Jisung's damp hair as the dizziness faded. Brushing the younger's bangs out of his eyes, Changbin hummed: "Do you think you could swallow a few sips of water or do you need your throat spray first?" Jisung weakly pointed at his throat and accepted his medication. While they gave it a few minutes to work, Changbin helped the other to sit up and let him rest his head on his shoulder. "Thank you", Jisung mumbled, voice barely above a whisper as he sipped his water. The older shushed him quietly, reminding: "Rest your voice, hm? I heated up the soup, do you think you can make it to the living room with some help?" Jisung shrugged. He was willing to try, just like he'd be willing to eat something despite not having the slightest appetite. It was just so he could take more medicine and to hopefully get some energy back. He didn't want to look too pathetic once Minho returned, so the hybrid wouldn't worry about him.

Wrapping the fluffy blanket around his shoulders, Jisung plopped down on the couch and sniffled into the soft material before rubbing his face. He truly hoped Minho wasn't feeling this awful, especially not while he was in his headspace and away from him. Feeling the couch dip beside him, Jisung looked up. "Here, have some soup", Changbin muttered, "I already laid out your medicine, so you can take that as soon as you're done. Chan texted and said they'd be done soon. He'll give us a call once they're on their way back." The younger nodded as relief washed over him. His kitten would be back and able to rest soon. Accepting the bowl, Jisung gave the older a smile as thanks before lifting the spoon to his lips. Despite the throat spray he had taken, it was still a slow and painful process to get all of the soup down but he gladly rinsed down the pills Changbin handed him afterwards.

While Jisung comfortably curled up on the couch with Changbin helping him untangle and spread the blanket over him, Chan was pacing the sidewalk. His heart raced as he fiddled with the phone in his hands before taking a walk around the block scanning the area. With shaky hands the Aussie texted Felix, the younger promising him that he'd be there soon. Felix shifted immediately after texting Chan that he had all afternoon to help out if it came to that. It had been a while since he had last been in his cat form, so running down the streets of a bustling city was a little overwhelming to Felix but he reminded himself of what Minho must be feeling at the moment. Arriving back at the doctor's office where he'd meet Felix, Chan ran a trembling hand through his hair before he unlocked his phone and dialed Changbin's number.

It had taken quite a bit longer for their friend to call them than Changbin had expected from his text. Jisung broke into a relieved smile when the rapper showed him the screen before taking the call. That smile soon faltered though when Changbin stiffened in his seat. The rapper could instantly tell something was severely wrong by how tense Chan's voice sounded. "W-Well, I have good news and bad news", the Aussie started, "Which one would you like me to tell first?" After some gestures, Changbin and Jisung agreed and the older relayed that they'd prefer the good news first. "Luckily, Minho does only have a throat infection and no sinus infection, we got a prescription for similar medication", Chan informed, touching the pocket where he had shoved the prescription earlier. He bit his lip, well aware that his dongsaengs would want to hear the bad news now. It was truly horrifying how his heartrate could still increase, just thinking about it.

"The bad news is...that-", Chan stammered, kicking some pebbles, "I don't exactly know where he is right now."

"What?!", Changbin asked, watching Jisung's face pale rapidly.

Almost dropping his phone, Chan admitted: "He-He got really upset with me on the way out, so I held his hand but he kept tugging on it for me to let go. When I did, he immediately shifted and scurried off into some bushes." By now Jisung was shaking from worry as the first tears dripped from his chin. He dazedly wiped them with the corner of his blanket, he couldn't even hear his hyungs talk. "Yeah, I already called Felix. He's so small in his cat form, he can search the underbrush more closely than me", Chan promised Changbin, "I thought about calling Seungmin too. Maybe he could track his scent or something." - "Not Seungmin!", Jisung hoarsely interjected. He winced at the sharp pain in his throat as he forced out: "Minnie is so scared of him in his puppy-form, he'll make a run for it immediately and we'd have no chance in getting to him." - "Alright, where are you now?", Changbin asked Chan. Promising the older to be there soon, Changbin turned to Jisung and hummed: "We'll find him, Sung. You stay here. Got your phone? Good. I'll text you as soon as we got him." - "Oh hell no!", the younger rasped, "My baby is missing, I'm not fucking gonna stay here!"