Chapter Text
“… Status Migrainosus. It’s an extreme type of migraine… He’ll mostly feel the symptoms for the next 72 hours or more, even with our medications.”
Seungcheol’s eyes fluttered briefly at the sound of someone talking, and inwardly chuckled when he heard the word in his sleep. It sounded like… one of those Harry Potter spells that DK and Woozi kept on sputtering at each other after a movie night.
“He will be sensitive to light and noises, so I suggest everyone to keep it down, and closed the windows with the curtains.”
“I knew it.” Wonwoo’s soft voice said.
“What caused it though?” He heard the worried voice of his dad, and that made him open his eyes. Why is Dad at the dorm?
Slowly, he looked at the unfamiliar surroundings… but realized that it wasn’t really unfamiliar at all. Is this… Hoshi’s hospital room?
“It is usually associated with extreme stress and anxiety, and judging by what you’ve told us, I believe those are the causes; but I still suggest a CT scan to rule out any other neurological conditions.”
“Please schedule him as soon as possible!” It was Woozi’s voice.
“Woozi-ah…” Seungcheol mumbled, “Yah. You should be resting.”
That was when he saw several faces look at him at once. All the members are around him, inside that large room. Woozi was sitting on his left and Hoshi was standing on his right.
Woozi wordlessly wiped the sweat on his leader’s forehead, his lips pursed tight. He knows that look. That’s his expression when he’s terribly disappointed he would cry.
“Coups-hyung.” Hoshi whispered worriedly, followed by the members. He knows that tone, that’s the tone Hoshi uses whenever he’s sad and down.
Who dared hurt his kids?
Hoshi’s no longer connected to the IV, but his right shoulder’s still on sling; his left hand holding Seungcheol’s hand gently. Why was he lying on Hoshi’s bed though?
Then, Seungcheol raised his head from his pillow and looked up at the IV drop connected to his arm; and that was only then did he realized what was happening.
He’s the one admitted in the hospital this time. The scenes back in the dorm briefly flashed in his mind, and he inwardly cursed himself for being such a burden. Hoshi and Woozi were probably already released too; so the doctor must have been talking to his Dad… about his condition.
He messed up bigtime…
“I’m so stupid.” he breathed amidst the pain. “Pathetic ---”
“You are not.” Woozi cut him off, his glaring eyes tear-stricken.
“I’m no’t a good lead’r.” He murmured back.
“That’s not true!” Woozi snapped.
“No one think’s that way, S.coups. No one in this room.” Jeonghan told him.
Seungkwan’s voice added. “You’re precious to us. No one can replace you, okay? Don’t think like that.”
“I have too many things to be thankful for with you, Coups-hyung.” Dino replied. “Didn’t I tell you already?”
Seungcheol shut his eyes as a new wave of headache hit him. Woozi's voice shook. “This is our fault. We caused you too much stress… didn’t we?”
Hoshi gripped his hand a bit tighter. “I’m sorry, Coups-hyung.”
He wanted to protest. He wanted to say ‘No, you were never a burden…’; but another wave of nausea hit him. He groaned unconsciously, feeling light-headed; until his Dad’s face entered his tunneling line of vision.
“Rest, son.”
“But… SEV’NTEEN ---"
“---will wait for you to recover. You friends are here.” His Dad said. “You’re making them worried sick, Seungcheol. That’s so unlike you...”
“Stop worrying. We’ll take it from here, with the kids.” Joshua’s voice.
“Let us take care of you this time, hyung…” DK’s.
“Dad…” he whispered. He let his head drop back against his hospital pillow. “Guys…” he sighed weakly.
He wanted to say more… but before he knows it, he’s already deep again in slumber, against his will.
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There is a running joke in SEVENTEEN that they are so close to each other they can identify who are the members with just their breaths, or cough alone.
It was, of course, just a joke the members sputter boastfully during reality show visitations; and everyone laughs at how ridiculous that is.
But for Choi Seungcheol, general leader of SEVENTEEN; that’s not exactly a lie.
A soft, gentle hum filled the hospital room; and Seungcheol automatically knew it was Woozi, humming. Hoshi was chuckling lightly as well somewhere near him. He’s probably watching something funny. He could make out Jeonghan’s frustrated sigh too; and Shua’s amused hush.
The door sounded like it was opened very very gently, and the waft of squid burger’s smell entered the room. It must be Mingyu, that’s his recipe. He’s bringing some snacks for the rest of the members.
A quick yet hushed giggles – DK and Dino. A gentle slap and a silent thwak, followed by a small breathy laugh and light clapping – Seungkwan and Vernon must have been playing around.
Paper rustled… the sound of a being turned over --- The8, reading a book. A weird sound --- Jun? Weird sounds are usually from Jun. He doesn’t know why. A clicking sound of a joystick, possibly Wonwoo’s Nintendo switch... he must be playing.
The kids are still chaotic… but ‘silently’ chaotic. That’s a bit special and somewhat amusing. They must have been controlling their noise for Seungcheol, who’s a very sensitive to noise these days.
Seungcheol shuffled on his sleep, lying on his side on the hospital bed… and all the relaxing sounds suddenly stopped. He frowned… and opened his long eyelashes, only to find out that everyone where raising their index fingers to their mouth, silently gesturing each other to shut up.
It looked so comical that Seungcheol chuckled tiredly at the kids. Jeonghan’s hand combed his hair again. It was relaxing.
“Good morning, hyung~” Seungkwan whispered, approaching him. “You slept the whole day.”
"Don't sit up." Jeonghan gently warned.
“How are you feeling?” Asked Joshua.
“Are you hungry?” Asked Mingyu.
“Does anything hurt?” Asked Dino.
“Did we wake you up?” Asked The8.
“Tell me if we have to turn off the lampshade too.” Said Wonwoo.
“Guys, ask one by one.” Jun reminded.
Seungcheol assessed himself, staring at the bag of IV above him. No more spinning. No more nausea. No bright lights. Just tired… and sore. And really tired.
“I think… I feel much better now.” He muttered, then he smiled sheepishly at the boys. “I don’t really know what happened. I’m… sorry for worrying you…”
All the members visibly relaxed.
“Coups-hyung, I think you just paid us back for all the worry we caused you since pre-debut.” Mingyu said.
“Yea.” Jeonghan nodded. “That was a fine revenge.”
“How cruel.” Seungkwan joked. Everyone was trying to make it light; but DK’s eyes were already watering.
“I was so scared, Coups-hyuuuung… Please don’t do that to us anymore….”
“Aigooo,” everyone patted and hugged DK, their silently crying ball of sunshine.
Seungcheol tiredly chuckled. “I don’t… really know what happened to me, DK. But I’ll try my best.”
DK ignored the other members and hugged Seungcheol on his bed. He weakly patted his dongsaeng’s back. “Now stop crying now, Dokyeommie. You’re making hyung sad.”
“Okay... don't crowd him. Why don’t we eat something first?” Jeonghan asked everyone, guiding everyone’s attention to Mingyu’s delicious finger foods on the table as DK slowly calmed down.
The hospital room seems bigger than usual, so it didn’t feel crowded, especially since the boys were huddling on the spacious sofa-part of the room, trying to give Seungcheol as much space as he needed.
The leader’s tired eyes didn’t miss though all his members' equally tired eyes. Their hairs were not brushed. Their faces were not washed, just a facemask covering their mouths and noses. Their clothes… most were wearing their bedroom pajamas. Seungcheol suspects it’s the same clothes they’d been wearing since yesterday, when he was being rushed in the hospital.
They’re so unkempt… He really made them worried, didn’t he?
He sighed, before sulking. “YAH! What’s with the messy hairs and the lousy pajamas as your getup?! Are you guys really idols?” He asked them. The members all froze at their leader’s sudden reprimanding tone, looking at him in sync with their eyes wide like frightened puppies ... until Seungcheol flashed them a small, gentle smile. “I’m really sorry for worrying everyone…”
They huffed, relieved.
“I’m gonna have a heart attack with you, hyung!! Stop that.” Seungkwan overreacted, tapping his chest...
"I got scared." He heard Dino whispered to his members, returning back to the burgers Mingyu brought.
“But seriously, we have to go home now and take a shower.” Vernon murmured. Nobody agreed, as everyone wrestled each other over the food on the center table.
Mingyu flashed his adorable canines at Seungcheol. “Coups-hyung, if you want to eat, I also brought some porridge.”
“Yeah! I told Gyu~” Hoshi commented, nodding at Seungcheol. “The hospital food sucks!”
Seungcheol only smiled, his consciousness gently lulling him back to drowsiness as he listened to his members' 'silent noise'.
This time, as he closed his eyes, it was a restful sleep.
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The Pledis management was displeased on the turn of events: that the three leaders of SEVENTEEN got sick on the same week and had to be announced on indefinite hiatus, all three at once. Although the management understand that it was an uncontrollable turn of events, the fans didn’t. The members dealt with the issue, calming down the CARATS; explaining that it was really just a coincidence…
Despite the leaders’ absences, however, the comeback was still pushed through, and the fans were depressed yet still supportive eventhough there would only be 10 members on the stage for the upcoming comeback.
Seungcheol was eventually discharged after four more days, but was put on strict bed rest. He need not be told twice though, as he was mostly sleeping during the first days of his sick leave in their house, his brother looking after him.
Hoshi was under therapy; and Woozi, since his voice didn’t recover on time for the recording, was unable to take part on the songs. Bumzu and the management still didn’t allow him to direct their members’ recordings when he recovered, so Woozi was left with no choice but to rest on his hometown too.
Seungcheol made sure he is texting his unit leaders though. When he started becoming more awake than asleep, he kept asking them for updates about their recovery every day. Since he himself got sick, he was unable to implement the plans he discussed with the management regarding Hoshi’s hiatus… so he made sure he at least sends him encouraging words everyday so he won’t get demotivated.
He only stopped when Hoshi chatted.
“Hyung, really, I’m okay. Stop worrying, you ought to rest too, remember? And really, don’t blame yourself. This is my fault... And don’t regret that you allowed me to visit that awards show. Thanks to you, I got this treasure~
A photo of Taemin’s newest album was attached to his message, with a message dedicated for Hoshi and a large autograph.
“Taemin-sunbaenim gave it to me himself in the backstage. His fingerprints are here. It’s one of a kind. Nothing is like this album in the whole wide world, d’you understand? I’m gonna frame it. XD” Hoshi added.
Seungcheol chuckled. For some reason, Hoshi’s message seems to remove a thorn, the remaining heaviness on Seungcheol’s chest.
After a few days of resting in his hometown and feeling much better, Seungcheol decided to return and stay at the dorms. It came as a surprise for him though to find that Woozi and Hoshi individually decided to recuperate in the dorms too.
The coincidence was funny for the leaders, but not for the members. Even though the rest of SEVENTEEN members were regretful that there were only 10 of them for the come back, all of them refused to let their three recovering leaders to prematurely return to work and get stressed for them while they are recuperating. They even discussed it with the Pledis management, to bar the three leaders away from work. They held meetings on their own, the members blatantly prohibiting Seungcheol, Woozi and Hoshi from sitting in.
“Let us get stressed for these issues, for once.” They’d say.
On the bright side, the members were especially soft with their leaders to the point that they would immediately buy any food they would crave. The members adjusted the schedule of lights too, when they realized that their leaders seem to retire to bed earlier than usual. They were always asking how they feel, if they're okay --- always asking Seungcheol if they were too noisy, always giving Woozi warm water and citrus fruits out of nowhere. They wouldn't allow their leaders to do the house chores too, even though it's their turn to do it already; and wouldn't even allow them to carry their bags too long, especially Hoshi.
Even when they became too busy for the comeback... there were always food on the table prepared for them.
Several times, Seungcheol would find himself suddenly covered with a blanket or a jacket, or has a pillow under his head whenever he fell asleep or take a nap in the living room or in the balcony. Hoshi would always find a readied hot compress for his shoulder on his bedside table every morning. Woozi would always be surprised at the number of freshly blended fruit drinks bottled and stored carefully in his personal refrigerator, with labels named after him.
They’re basically… babying them.
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So when the SEVENTEEN promotions started one month after they were hospitalized, Seungcheol, Woozi and Hoshi were naturally left hanging out at Woozi’s studio every day, watching their members on the smart TV as they performed their best the way their leaders trained them to be.
The three even cheered with their yakults when the members got the album’s first win.
“Do you have any message for your leaders, who were on indefinite hiatus right now?” The host asked in the television.
It was Seungkwan who answered. “… to the hyungs… Coups-hyung, Hoshi-hyung, Woozi-hyung… we dedicate this award for you. Our leader-nims who tirelessly give their best for us, please take your time resting this time. To be honest, it was really hard without the three of you… There were times we doubted ourselves if what we are doing are right or not… But we think it’s just another storm to make our team stronger. So…” He looked in the camera, his voice cracking a bit. “Thank you, Leaders-nim, for everything.”
Seungcheol, Woozi and Hoshi paused at their seats, the sincerity of their dongsaeng emanated in their chests.
“Seungkwan’s really sweet.” Hoshi murmured. “Isn’t he?”
Woozi smiled too. “Of course, he is.”
“They all are.” Seungcheol nodded.
Boo Seungkwan continued his speech. “Uhmm... actually, they didn’t know we are going to perform on this stage today, ‘cause God, they’re so workaholic, Pledis and us basically have to be secretive when they are around. Hyungs, if you three are watching, don’t be too surprised, okay?”
All the members laughed. The CARATS and the other artists laughed too. But Seungcheol, Woozi and Hoshi laughed even harder.
“Secretive, eh?” Hoshi stretched his recovered right shoulder, though it is still supported by the KT Tape.
“Let’s see who’s more secretive.” Woozi grinned.
Seungcheol chuckled, raising his Yakult. “Let’s go, Leader Line!”
Hoshi grinned mischievously. “Shouldn’t we be called the ‘Sick’ Line, hyung?”
“Or the Hiatus Line? Woozi laughed.
“The Workaholic Line?” Seungcheol suggested.
“The Reckless Line?” Woozi asked..
“The Worry-warts Line.” Hoshi replied.
Seungcheol snapped his fingers. “The Babied Line.”
The three made a hearty chuckle as they shared another light and fun day, with foods, drinks and music; because unknown to the rest of the members, for the past two weeks until today, they’d already worked out together, then played around with Hoshi’s dance steps in the practice room together, wrote some songs together and recorded for fun in the studio together. After all, for the three leaders, without any deadlines and pressure, making these activities aren’t stressful at all.
S.coups gave his dongsaengs Woozi and Hoshi a big hug. “We’re gonna surprise the heck out of our members’ minds.”
Well…They are artists and these are their passions. So if they accidentally made an entire album… it’s their hiatus’ fault, isn’t it?
The two chuckled.
The news came as soon as the SEVENTEEN promotions ended, to everyone’s shock:
SEVENTEEN LEADERS-UNIT COME BACK.
A mini-album.
(Cue Hoshi: XD)