Grumpy Alphas need lots of love✔️

5

Chan hadn't even noticed how his eyes fluttered shut again as he drifted off against Changbin, so he was surprised when he woke up later to an empty living room. He wasn't entirely alone though. Changbin had stayed with him, looking up from his phone when Chan sat up and looked around in confusion. "Good morning, hyung", the rapper chuckled, smoothing down Chan's hair that was sticking out in all directions, "Just kidding, it's late evening." – "Hnnngg, ...where's everyone?", the leader groaned as he tried to stretch his sore muscles. Gently massaging the alpha's neck and shoulders, Changbin explained: "They've been asleep for quite a while, so Minho-hyung woke them and they're having dinner right now." – "Aren't you hungry too?", Chan frowned, feeling guilty that his dongsaeng was stuck with him. "I'm okay", the rapper denied, "I can eat something later. How are you feeling, hyung?" – "My head doesn't hurt as much, so it probably was dehydration", Chan shrugged, rubbing his face, "'m really sore and tired and no amount of sleep seems to fix that. My throat hurts a little when I swallow or speak but it's alright and I don't feel as nauseous anymore, though I wouldn't wanna put anything in my stomach that might change that." Nodding in acknowledgement, Changbin hummed: "Maybe you could try some plain rice later, so you can have another dose of medicine before the night. If you want, I could run you a cool bath to see if that helps with the aches?" – "Jus' need some help, walking to the bathroom", the alpha rasped, "'m not dizzy but my legs feel funny. Not sure if it helps with the aches but I'm so sweaty it's disgusting" – "Alright, hold onto me and if you start to feel faint, please give me a warning", Changbin pleaded, helping the oldest to his feet.

Their walk to the bathroom took them a while but Chan was happy he made it without fainting, despite his legs growing wobbly as they got closer to their destination. Changbin eased the alpha down to sit on the rug and started to fill the tub with water, humming: "What do you wanna wear after your bath? Maybe something light, so you don't overheat." – "My grey sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt?", Chan requested uncertainly, "Can we keep a hoodie close though? The chills suck." – "Sure, we can", the rapper agreed, dipping his hand into the water to check the temperature before dropping in a eucalyptus bath bomb. When the tub was filled, Changbin asked: "Can I leave you without you drowning?" Chan gave a sleepy nod, that wasn't exactly a reassurance for the omega but he accepted it. "Alright, you can get in and I'll grab you a fresh set of clothes", Changbin stated, getting back to his feet before helping Chan up too. The alpha sat on the closed toilet lid as he sluggishly peeled off his clothes. He winced when the movement pulled on his muscles but it was nice to not have damp fabric clinging to his skin for a while.

Chan sighed as he lowered himself into the water. It was just warm enough to not cause him chills but eased the burning sensation on his skin. Hopefully, it'd lower his fever a little so he'd feel more like himself later. The alpha laid back and let the water soak his hair the cool sensation on his scalp relieving some of the pressure in his skull. Allowing himself to just float for a bit, Chan relaxed and had to remind himself not to fall asleep. Somehow all he seemed to be able to do today, was sleep. The scent of eucalyptus was quite intense and before long, Chan had to sit up as his breath had started to hitch. Pitching forward with a throaty sneeze, the alpha winced and massaged his throat, giving a scratchy cough afterwards.

When Changbin returned with his hyung's clothes, he found the older dozing with his head resting on the side of the tub, so he wouldn't drown. Combing the wet curls back, the rapper whispered: "Do you want me to wash your hair for you?" – "Could you?", Chan breathed, sleepily lifting his head. "If you let me use conditioner too", Changbin teased, picking up the bottle of shampoo, "You've been dyeing your hair a lot recently." Squirting some shampoo into his hand, he spread it on the alpha's wet curls and gently massaged it into the other's scalp, careful not to get anything into his eyes. Chan relaxed into the touch, his eyes fluttering shut. He usually skipped out on the conditioner as he couldn't be bothered when only having a few minutes to shower but he wouldn't argue with Changbin when the rapper was so gentle, applying the product to his damaged hair.

Chan shuddered when he got out of the tub and quickly bundled up in his towel to hopefully stop the chills before they could really start. When he plopped down on the closed toilet lid, Changbin grabbed a small towel and rubbed the alpha's hair dry. The rapper was relieved when he made eye contact with Chan and his hyung's eyes looked a little clearer than they had all day. Sure, they were a little swollen and the older looked incredibly run down, but the feverish gloss wasn't as evident anymore. "You wanna try to have a bite for dinner? I'm sure everyone will be eagerly waiting to give you cuddles but once you're trapped in that pile, there's no getting out of it", Changbin asked with a small laugh, remembering the struggle it always was to get out of a nest with a whole pack trying to get their dose of snuggles in. Chan seemed to have the same thought, chuckling quietly to himself. When the leader agreed to try eating a little, Changbin left him to change and went to the kitchen to prepare a small bowl of rice, hoping it'd go easy on the alpha's stomach and him getting sick earlier might have been a fluke.

Feeling refreshed, Chan found the energy to walk to the kitchen on his own. He waved at his dongsaengs fixing the nest as they settled in the living room. Felix shot him a wide smile and waved back, while the others were too occupied to notice him. In the kitchen, he found Changbin and Seungmin, who decided to keep their hyung company, so he wouldn't have to eat alone. Changbin placed a small bowl of plain cooked rice in front of Chan and gave him a sympathetic smile when the leader hesitated. The oldest was determined though and taking his time, managed to finish all his food. When he was done, Changbin took the bowl to the kitchen and Seungmin placed a cup of lukewarm tea in front of Chan, handing the alpha two pills. The older struggled, barely getting the pills past his swollen throat but he really wanted to feel better already. Now that Chan was fed and medicated, he already started to feel a little more alive, though he knew that it mainly was a mind-thing as there was no way the medicine had kicked in already.

The other members had since split up between the two dorms and taken their turns showering, so they could have a sleepover. Minho, Felix and Jeongin collected their pajamas for the night, bringing Seungmin's along too. Though they disliked the circumstances, they were glad to be able to spend some time as a pack once again, without having to work. Hyunjin had taken Felix to his room to show the Aussie his most recent painting, while Jisung had attached himself to Jeongin, the maknae affectionately scenting his hyung as they sat on the couch, waiting for their hyung.

"Yah! Don't steal my squirrel", Minho warned as he found his dongsaengs scenting each other on the couch. Purring loudly, Jisung made grabby hands for the dancer to join them. Minho crouched in front of the pair and smiled when the omega leant against his chest, nosing at his hyung's scent glands. Jeongin linked his fingers with Minho, a wide smile spreading on the maknae's lips while Minho switched between scenting him and scenting Jisung. The second oldest felt his heart flutter as Jeongin wasn't usually this affectionate with him. The youngest alpha always eagerly scented the omegas of the group, sometimes he scented Seungmin too though the beta wasn't that enthusiastic about scenting. Rarely was Jeongin okay with Chan or Minho scenting him, probably feeling belittled when the older alphas did it to him but right now, it was just what he needed. Jeongin didn't know why he felt so clingy right now but considering they didn't tease him for it, he'd just enjoy it while it lasted.

Chan smiled affectionately when he saw his donsgaengs so comfy but couldn't hide the longing in his eyes. Noticing that, Changbin took the leader's hand and pulled him along. Chan still didn't want to get his face that close to his mates but faintly scented them by rubbing his wrists against their necks. Jisung's delighted purrs filled the air but what really made Chan's heart flutter, was when he picked up on a much quieter purr. Changbin kept his eyes closed as the oldest scented him but with his hand against the rapper's neck, the alpha could feel the vibrations and smiled. He knew as the oldest omega in the pack, Changbin was a lot tougher than his dongsaengs but secretly still enjoyed it when Chan and Minho cared for him like this. Always making sure that the younger omegas received the amount of comfort and affection they needed to strive, Changbin's own needs often ended up on the back burner, so knowing this, Chan took his time to scent the other thoroughly. He had planned to spend this day off caring for his mates and making sure his dongsaengs got the amount of affection they needed from their pack alpha, so he wouldn't let his sickness stop him from fulfilling his duties as a leader.