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faking it - jake

✰ angst, comfort
✰ request by @annnnnnnnnnieeeeee

jake was woken up by the horrid sound of his alarm blaring right into his ear. he figured one of the others must've moved it to ensure he wouldn't snooze it like he had yesterday and make everyone late again.

with a groan he pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the bed, a surge of annoyance running through him. the group was already so busy with back-to-back promotions for their comeback and yet the company had decided to schedule him a workload nearly double that of his colleagues.

he absolutely loved his job but that's didn't mean he was willing to work from dusk till dawn everyday to fulfill the company's needs. and not to sound bratty but he didn't quite find it fair that he was the only one being forced to put in extra hours. he lamented watching the members get to go home early knowing he still had, at the minimum, three more hours of work to go.

he felt a small nagging headache settle itself atop his brow, prompting him to finally leave the comfort of his bed. he made a beeline for the medicine cabinet, hoping to nip this issue in the bud before it had a chance to ruin his day further.

that's when he had probably the dumbest idea he could've ever thought up. he knew it was risky, and very selfish of him, but jake was nearing his breaking point and he needed a solution.

he placed the pain medication back into the cabinet and sulkily made his way into the kitchen, grabbing a cup so he could take the dosage. he tried to make himself look ragged, exhausted. he hoped that his gloomy demeanor might catch the attention of the other members, his plan already being set into motion.

"jake-hyung are you alright? you seem a bit...sluggish?" jungwon entered from the living room and sat beside the elder at the kitchen table.

"yeah it's just a headache. maybe i'm coming down with something."

jake let out a round of coughs, taking a sip of water afterwards to soothe his false sore throat. jungwon's brow furrowed and he placed his hand on the other's forehead.

"you don't seem to have a fever but maybe we should tell heeseung-hyung anyways? you wouldn't want it to get worse."

jake hesitated, feeling bad for the show he was putting on. however his judgement became clouded with the glorious thoughts of free time and he nodded slowly. the leader smiled gently and made his way towards the eldest member's bedroom.

the latter returned soon after and felt for jake's fever as well. although he didn't feel anything abnormal, jake had quite the talent for fake coughs and it left him concerned.

"we'll since today is just a refresher on the choreography i'm sure it won't do much harm for you to sit out." heeseung patted jake's shoulder before going to inform the other members of his absence.

jake felt a bit guilty as they all left after giving him sad smiles and wishes to get well soon. but he had to admit there was a feeling of excitement brewing.

he immediately made his way back to bed to catch up on the sleep he had been missing. after a few hours he had awoken and decided to walk to the nearby convenience store.

upon arriving back at the dorms he came to realize that he would not be receiving a very warm welcome.

"jake, did you fake being sick just to skip out on practice? i cannot believe you of all people would do something like this!" jake came face to face with jay as he opened the door to the dorms.

jake was humiliated to see the other members standing right behind him, hurt looks on their face. his act might've been good enough to fool them this morning, but an effortless and carefree trip to the store for some chips definitely did not help seal the deal.