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Jeonghan was fucking freezing.
It wasn’t like stepping out of a steamy bathroom in only a towel, leaving the dorm on a cold winter’s day, pulling back his covers, or taking an ice bath for some injury. No, this was a bone-chilling, feel-it-in-your-gut frigidness.
“Jeonghan! Hyung!”
And dear god, that screeching wasn’t helping his head. When he woke up, he’d have to kill whoever had decided to turn down the thermostat before proceeding to yell at the top of their lungs.
“Hyung, where are you! Say something!”
Where was Jeonghan? He was right there, wasn’t he? He peeled open his eyes and saw white above him. Oh. This wasn’t his bedroom.
“Hyung, he’s right here!”
Jeonghan winced as Seungkwan came into sight, hands placed firmly onto the elder’s cheeks. His hands were on fucking fire, dear god. He groaned, wanting to pull away but lacking the strength.
“Han, hi.”
He glanced over to see Joshua smiling at him, kneeling. He grunted, wanting to ask what was going on. He remembered getting into the car and falling asleep, the long ride home from the awards show just about as boring as it always was. At least this particular show was in the morning. He always liked getting home before dinner time. He smiled a bit, whining as he noticed the twinge in his side.
“What hurts?” Joshua asked, taking his hands and lightly prodding his head, face souring when Jeonghan cried out. His hand brushed over what felt like a pulsing, oozing crater in his skull. Jeonghan wouldn’t be surprised if he looked over and saw his own brain oozing onto the...snow. Why was he lying in the snow?
He gasped, thoughts disrupted as the breath was taken from him. A spear was thrust into his left rib cage. “Ah! A- Agh, ah, Sh- sh...shua, ah-”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I won’t do that again, I’m sorry.”
Tears sprung into Jeonghan’s eyes but he bit his lip, trying to keep from crying out again. Not if it made Joshua’s face turn so...sad.
“I think you have a broken rib...maybe more than one. Try to stay still and breathe, alright?”
“...’M n...not g-goin ‘nywh...where.” he stuttered, shivering violently.
“We need to get him out of the snow,” Seungkwan said to Joshua, hands pressed onto Jeonghan’s thigh. They were covered in red. Blood? Was he bleeding?
“K- Kwan?” Jeonghan asked, suddenly much more aware of the situation. “You’re…bl-bleed...blee-”
“I’m fine, hyung. Don’t try to talk, okay? Just stay awake and keep breathing?” He turned to Joshua, worry evident in his features. “You know we can’t leave him here. He’ll freeze before any of the others get here.”
“The...the performance van left about an hour after ours.” Joshua ran his hands through his hair, a nervous habit. Jeonghan clumsily reached out and splayed his hand on his leg.
“M-move...me.”
“We can’t,” Joshua argued. “If you have a spinal injury.”
“He was thrown out of the car,” Seungkwan whispered, even though the silent atmosphere conducted every sound perfectly. “Moving him to a dry car with blankets won’t hurt him any more than that.”
Joshau sighed. “It’s gonna hurt.”
“It’ll save his life.”
“If we don’t get help soon, he’ll wish we didn’t...Grab his legs- one arm under his thighs and the other under his back. I’ll get his neck and head. Ready?”
“Ready.”
Joshua looked down, making eye contact. “I’m sorry. On three. One-”
Jeonghan’s whole world exploded in agony and he screamed. He wailed. He cursed. He roared in pain, broken sobs breaking apart his cry with horrible wheezing breaths. “Down! Do- put...AAAHHHH!”
He vomited, the hot bile scorching his cheek and neck as it ran down his skin. He screamed even as he was laid down onto a car seat, feet poking through the open doorway.
“What’s wrong with him?” DK’s panicked voice reached his ears, sending a spike of pain into his skull. He cried out harder.
“Broken ribs and probably a concussion,” Joshua filled him in briefly over Jeonghan’s crying. “How’s your ankle?”
“Seungkwan? You’re bleeding. I thought you weren’t hurt in the cra-”
“It’s not mine,” Seungkwan cut him off meekly, standing in a daze as Joshua tended to the other eldest. “Jeonghan-hyung was cut...He’s...it’s his.”
“Where- god, here, wrap that. Seungkwan! Take this and wrap it tightly around his thigh! Do it now!”
He took the scrap of fabric from Seokmin and did as instructed, almost gagging as more blood flowed. It wasn’t enough to kill him. Probably. Hopefully.
“Where the hell is Jihoon?” Joshua asked, patting Jeonghan’s cheeks lightly. He was asleep, most likely passed out from the pain. He whirled around to face Seokmin when he didn’t respond. “Dokyeom! Where is Jihoon!”
“He went out with manager-hyung to go look for other cars...To try to get cell reception or something. I- I tried to stop them, but my ankle.”
“Stay here,” Joshua instructed the youngest two, exiting the wrecked van. “Try to keep Jeonghan awake and breathing. I’ll go get them and bring them back. Whatever you do, do not leave and do not let Jeonghan die.”
Then, he left, the horrible idea of Jeonghan’s death present in both of their minds. That was their reality, wasn’t it? Jeonghan would die. If somebody didn’t come, they would lose him. And it was all because they slipped on a patch of ice while he was unbuckled, leaning into the back seat for a water. He might die and the rest of them were fine.
“Try to wake him up,” Seungkwan breathed, not knowing what else there was to do. “I’ll try to find blankets.”
“Come on, hyung, stay awake for us,” DK whispered, leaning over the passenger seat despite the pain in his ankle. He needed to be there for him. He needed to.
…
There was a tickling in his nose as he opened his eyes again.
“He’s breathing.”
“He’s so pale, Kwan...When will the others be back?”
“It’s only been about a half hour.”
“What if they got hurt?”
“They’ll be fine. They can take care of themselves. Jeonghan can’t.”
“His eyes are open!”
He made eye contact with Seungkwan, who stroked his head gently. “Hey, hyung. Help will be here soon, so you just need to stay awake, okay?”
Jeonghan nodded, brething in shaprtly as his head scraped something. The intake of frigid air caused his lung to explode again as he coughed, spluttering and groaning. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be happening. This absolutely could not be happening.
“Hey, breathe through it, there you go. Just keep pushing. Try to stay calm. Good job, hyung. You’re doing so well.”
Tears streamed down his face as DK praised him. He heard Seungkwan crying too.
“How are you feeling?” DK asked, holding his hand and rubbing softly.
“...’t- ‘urts.”
“Help is coming soon, Jeonghan-hyung, don’t worry too much. Joshua’s going to get help.”
Jeonghan’s eyes fell closed.
“No, hey...eyes open. No sleeping.”
“-’m s’ tired, ‘seok.”
“I know, but if you fall asleep you might not wake up again. I can’t let that happen.”
Jeonghan’s chest screamed at the too-shallow breaths that he was taking to ease his pain. Any time he would breathe more than a half breath, the spear would lodge itsself into his chest again. It hurt. He couldn’t breathe and it hurt so, so bad.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” DK asked, noticing his breathing pick up.
“-Can’t...b-breathe,” he stuttered, the talking making everything even harder. The boys above him exchanged a look that he couldn’t fully see or decipher.
“We’re going to check your ribs, okay? Kwan?”
Seungkwan peeled back the jackets on top of his hyung and opened the warmest that they’d wrapped him in while he slept. The bruise extended from his armpit down to his belly button only on the left side of his body. The youngest gently grabbed his arm and raised it, spewing apologies when Jeonghan yelped in pain.
He shook his head at DK.
“-’s..it bad?” Jeonghan asked, fighting a shiver.
“No,” Dk rushed. “No, it’s okay. Just a broken rib. You’ll be just fine.”
Seungkwan then checked the laceration on his thigh, noting thankfully that the bleeding had slowed. It may have saved his life, but he’d been out bleeding in the snow for a while. He wouldn’t be surprised if he’d lost too much blood- if he didn’t survive from that blood loss.
“c- cold,” Jeonghan whimpered. Seungkwan pulled the jackets back up, patting his uninjured thigh.
“Don’t sleep just yet. Just a little while longer.”
…
Much beyond that point, Jeonghan lost all perception of what was going on around him. The boys were talking to him, that much he knew, but he couldn’t tell if it was a dream or not. It sure felt like a dream, but they sounded scared, so maybe it was a nightmare. All Jeonghan knew was that he was beyond tired, but every time he closed his eyes, they would start to yell at him. Jeonghan hated yelling.
“Hyung, can you hear me? Are you awake?”
He tried saying yes. All that came out was a strangled ‘eh’ sound and a gargle. His mouth tasted like pennies. He was going to throw up again.
“Breathe, hyung, come on.” At this point, he couldn’t tell which member it was- wasn’t sure it mattered, really. He was dying.
His hand was pushed up against a warm chest, the person’s heart fluttering quickly. They were scared. Jeonghan wished they wouldn’t be.
“When’ll they be back? It’s been almost fifty minutes now.”
“The performance team should be driving by any minute. They’ll come and get Jeonghan. Then they’ll send help for the rest of us. We’ll be fine, Kwan. We will be fine. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“We’re out in the middle of fucking nowhere, Dokyeom. The ambulances won’t come out here, so even if he’s still alive by the time the other members get here, he’ll die on the ride over because none of us know how to fucking-”
Jeonghan coughed again, mouth filling with copper. Something warm ran down his cheeks from the corners of his mouth.
DK cursed. “What do we do! Seungkwan, what do we do? Do we sit him up?”
“No! No, that’ll...hurt his ribs. Just, help me turn him onto his side so he doesn’t choke.”
Jeonghan was in so much pain that he didn’t even feel the shift, just felt incredibly disoriented as his perspective changed. He was so, so tired.
“Jeonghan, please stay awake. Please, hyung, I’m scared. Please stay awake.”
But Jeonghan was just too tired. He closed his eyes just in time to block the headlights shining through the window.
…
They’d all been jolted when their manager slammed on the brakes. It had been a smooth ride from the venue despite the snowy roads that hadn’t quite been iced yet. Their manager had taken the rural roads, following suit of the vocal team’s van. “It’ll be faster with the snow and traffic accidents,” he had said. “Just sleep on the way home.”
“What was that?” Hoshi asked from the seat next to Minghao. “Hyung?”
“Is that...Joshua?”
The door was ripped open and Joshua threw himself into the van, squishing Jun’s thigh on his way in. “Drive!” he yelled. “Our car crashed; Jeonghan’s hurt...He’s hurt bad. Drive!”
The manager floored the petal and the car shot off.
“Careful of the ice, hyung,” Hoshi advised. “We can’t help him if we crash too.”
“What happened to him?” Dino asked meekly from the back. “Joshua-hyung, what happened?”
“He was reaching back when the car flipped...When we all came to, he was outside of the car. Broken ribs, concussion, cut on his thigh, uh...he paused, taking a deep breath. “Maybe a punctured lung- I just...I don’t know.”
“Is that Woozi?” the performance leader asked, looking at the two figures on the side of the road. “And manager-hyung?”
“I sent them back to the car,” Joshua hurriedly explained. “Just get to the wreck. When we get there, we need two people to get out to make room for Jeonghan and DK.”
“DK?” MInghao asked, running his hands over his pants anxiously. God, this could not be any worse. “What’s wrong with DK?”
“His ankle- probably just a bad sprain, but still. He needs to go to the hospital.”
“How’s Seungkwan? And...and Woozi?”
“Alive, healthy, bruised. The three of us are fine. There! Slow down, hyung. Dino and Jun, get out and wait with Seungkwan. Woozi and manager hyung should be back soon. We need to take the injured to the hospital...Right now.”
“What about us?” Dino asked. “What’ll happen?”
“The hip hop van will be here soon. When we have reception, we’ll call the police, but for now...just sit tight, please. I know it sucks, but-”
“Oh my fuck.”
Heads whipped to the wreck next to them where DK and Seungkwan were carrying a limp Jeonghan from the mangled car. DK was hobbling, heavily favoring one side more than the other. Still, he persisted, looking absolutely terrified.
“Bring him in, bring him in,” Joshua demanded, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him as carefully as he could. Jun and Dino were crawling out of the other van door, making room for Hoshi in the back. “DK, get in. Seungkwan, stay here with Jun and Dino until the hip hop van gets here. We’ll call the police.”
“He- he coughed up blood,” Seungkwan gasped. “You need to hurry. Make sure he doesn’t choke. And make sure his leg is tight! And-”
The door closed, leaving only DK, Minghao, Joshua, Hoshi, their manager, and a very, very hurt Yoon Jeonghan. He didn’t look like he’d survive the drive. He looked dead already.
…
“Hannie?” Jeonghan’s eyebrows pinched in pain, light peeking in through his eyelids. A cool rag was placed on his forehead. “Han, wake up.”
He groaned, wanting to tell whoever was speaking just how much he fucking hurt all over but not finding the words.
“The nurse just gave you pain medicine. It should be working any time now.”
He hummed, hoping that his message was relayed decently well through his muddled, painful haze. Just then, everything came back to him and he got a rush of energy, opening his eyes and looking up to the looming figure above his bed. “Cheol?”
“Hi,” he smiled brightly. “Say hi to Joshua too. He’s waited even longer than I have for you to be well.”
He glanced over at Joshua, who was asleep in the bed next to his, needle poking out of his arm. “I’m so glad you didn’t die.”
“W-what’s...w-wrong?” he asked. He thought that the only people who’d been hurt were himself and DK. “DK?”
“Joshua just needed fluids,” Seungcheol filled him in. “And DK has a pretty nasty sprain. Crutches for a few weeks and light activity for a few more. He’s okay. We’re all okay.”
Jeonghan sighed. “B-bet you...were scared,” he smiled, a sad, tired upturn of his lips.
“No shit,” he laughed, slapping his shin a bit. “Our car pulled up on a smushed van with my terrified, cold little brothers inside. On top of that, they tell me you were almost dead and on your way to the hospital?” He paused, sniffing. “I...I thought you died, Han. YOu did die. Your heart stopped in surgery, and-”
“Hey,” he stopped him, letting his warm hand fall into his leader’s. “I’m okay...Everything’s okay now.”
“I know...I know.”
“Hyung?”
Jeonghan peered up to see Minghao smiling from the doorway. “Can we come in?”
“Wait, Hao, how many is ‘we’. The doctor said-”
Ten young men piled in, one of them hobbling on metal sticks with a tight wrap on his leg. They crowded the bed, touching the various body parts of Joshua, Jeonghan, and Seungcheol that had remained unharmed in the whole process. Jeonghan smiled. He’d be okay. Joshua would be okay. Seokmin would be okay.
Everything was going to be just fine.