The first sign that something was wrong was that Dohoon stopped talking.

Normally, even when he was tired, he still laughed at the members' jokes. He still rolled his eyes when Youngjae said something ridiculous. He still reacted whenever Kyungmin started a new conspiracy theory.

Today?

Nothing.

He was quiet during practice.

Quiet during lunch.

Quiet during the van ride back to the dorm.

At first, everyone assumed he was just exhausted.

Except Shinyu.

Because Shinyu noticed things.

Small things.

The way Dohoon kept rubbing his eyes.

The way he leaned against the window during the drive home.

The way his smile seemed slower than usual.

By the time they got back to the dorm, Shinyu was already worried.

Dohoon kicked off his shoes and immediately headed for his room.

No snacks.

No sitting in the living room.

No arguing with Youngjae.

That was suspicious.

Very suspicious.

Youngjae noticed too.

"...Did he just ignore food?"

Hanjin looked up from the couch.

"That's concerning."

Kyungmin gasped dramatically.

"Guys. I think he's dying."

"He's not dying," Jihoon replied.

"Yet."

Ten minutes later, Shinyu knocked on Dohoon's bedroom door.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Still nothing.

A bad feeling settled in his chest.

Slowly, he opened the door.

The room was dark.

Dohoon was curled up under a blanket, completely asleep.

At six in the evening.

That alone was enough to worry him.

Shinyu walked closer.

"Dohoon."

No response.

"Hey."

Dohoon shifted slightly.

When he finally opened his eyes, they looked unfocused.

Wrong.

Immediately wrong.

Shinyu placed a hand against his forehead.

And froze.

Hot.

Way too hot.

"You're burning up."

Dohoon groaned softly.

"I'm fine."

"You're not."

"I'm okay."

His voice cracked halfway through the sentence.

Shinyu wasn't convinced.

Not even a little.

The next thirty minutes turned Dorm 304 into a disaster zone.

Youngjae was running around looking for a thermometer.

Kyungmin somehow managed to lose the thermometer after finding it.

Jihoon was searching symptoms online and making everyone nervous.

Hanjin was the only calm person in the building.

Eventually they got a temperature reading.

Everyone stared.

Youngjae nearly dropped the thermometer.

"THAT'S A FEVER."

"No kidding," Kyungmin said.

Dohoon groaned from the couch.

"Can you all stop yelling?"

"No."

The members were eventually kicked out of the room by Shinyu.

"You're making it worse."

Youngjae looked offended.

"We are providing emotional support."

"You are causing emotional damage."

"Fair."

The door closed.

Silence.

Finally.

Dohoon was lying on the couch wrapped in two blankets.

He looked miserable.

His hair was messy.

His cheeks were flushed.

His eyes kept closing every few seconds.

Shinyu sat beside him quietly.

"Drink."

He handed over a glass of water.

Dohoon made a face.

"I don't want to."

"Tough."

"You sound like Youngjae."

"Drink."

Dohoon sighed dramatically before taking the glass.

Even sick, he was stubborn.

The rest of the evening passed slowly.

Whenever Dohoon fell asleep, Shinyu checked his temperature.

Whenever he woke up coughing, Shinyu handed him water before he could even ask.

At one point, Dohoon tried getting up.

Immediately.

Immediately.

His knees almost gave out.

Shinyu caught him before he hit the floor.

"Whoa."

"I'm okay."

"No."

"Maybe a little dizzy."

"A little?"

Dohoon leaned heavily against him.

"...okay maybe a lot."

For some reason, that made Shinyu laugh.

A small laugh.

But a real one.

Dohoon blinked.

"I said I was dying and you're laughing."

"You're not dying."

"Tell that to my body."

Around midnight, the fever finally started going down.

Not much.

But enough.

Dohoon was half-asleep again, curled up under the blanket.

The apartment was quiet.

Even Youngjae had finally stopped trying to "help."

Shinyu stayed beside him anyway.

Because he wasn't leaving.

Not tonight.

Not when Dohoon still looked exhausted.

Not when every time he woke up, his first instinct was to look around for someone.

For him.

A few minutes later, Dohoon's eyes opened slightly.

Sleepy.

Barely awake.

"Hyung?"

"Yeah."

"You're still here."

It wasn't a question.

Just an observation.

Shinyu nodded.

"Of course."

Dohoon stared at him for a moment.

Then smiled.

A small one.

Tired.

But real.

"...thanks."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

Before Shinyu could answer, Dohoon had already fallen asleep again.

This time peacefully.

Shinyu looked down at him and shook his head slightly.

Stubborn.

Ridiculous.

Always insisting he was fine when he clearly wasn't.

But right now?

At least he was resting.

And as long as Dohoon needed him there—

Shinyu wasn't going anywhere.

Not for a second.