#anyway long live the nyquil headache look

[wartornrequiem]

posting the miw content i want to see (36/∞)

"sometimes i think but then i forget" [x]

[iwritesickfic]

1/2 Aaaaah I’ve fallen quickly in love with your writing, I love your style. A couple of prompts, since you asked for them: Peter thinks he’s recovering from a bad illness- genuinely so fed up of being ill that at this point he’s willing to pretend to himself and everyone else he’s feeling better. Meanwhile he’s still staying up late working, and one day he gets stuck in the rain on the way from class and needs some help... and Ashlyn is closest...

First, thank you!!!!!! Second, this is long as hell and I also got sucked into the DRAMA of it all so I hope you still enjoy it :) might write a second part if we’re feeling it? anyway, enjoy and thanks for the kind words and prompts :)

It seems like it’s been forever since Peter hasn’t felt like shit. It’s like his body is trying to make up for all the years he spent avoiding every cold and flu that went around. He has to admit though, the main reason he’s still ill is because he won’t really give himself the time to fully recover. As soon as he’s feeling halfway decent, he dives back into life as normal - which for him, is 6 hours sleep and living on coffee - and within a week he’s back to being practically bedridden.

Leo is fed up with it. Big time. At least that’s what Peter’s gathered. Leo’s never said as much, but Peter figures he must be getting tired of it by now. So much that Peter’s stopped telling him how he’s feeling. At first it was just lying by omission. Now it’s lying-lying.

Today, everything’s concentrated in his head. His sinuses are throbbing, and his eyes hurt to move. He’s been swapping between chills and feeling too hot all day, and he’s pretty sure everyone in his lecture class hates his guts for his constant sniffling. He ran out of tissues about an hour into the six hour course, so he’s stuck wiping his nose with the crumpled leftovers and the few napkins he finds in a pocket of his bag.

By the time there’s only an hour left in class, he’s lost all ability to absorb anything the professor is saying. He’s shaking so badly he can’t take notes even if he wanted to. He’s considered leaving early, but to be honest, he’d rather put off his walk to the train as long as possible. He decides when he gets home, he’s chugging some nyquil, taking a cold shower, and going the fuck to sleep. He’s got a date with Leo tonight but he’ll need to make some excuse.

When the professor finally ends the class, he gets a rush of dopamine at the thought he’s only a 15 minute walk and a 30 minute train ride from some relief.

He stares at his phone, trying to think of something to tell Leo.

something came up, can i see you thursday?

Leo texts back almost immediately.

we already rescheduled twice are you sure you cant make it?

Peter bites his lip.

it’s a thesis thing. im sorry i promise thursday night.

He starts to pack his bag, and his phone buzzes.

ok, good luck love x

He pushes down the wave of guilt he feels and slings his bag over his shoulder. His heart drops into his stomach when he gets to the building’s lobby. It’s raining. Really raining, not just drizzling, but pouring. He swears, and sits down on one of the benches. He can wait.

Ten minutes later, the rain still hasn’t let up, and he knows if he doesn’t get up now he’s going to end up asleep on this bench whether he likes it or not. When he stands, the world starts to spin, and he has to bite back a whine at the way his headache worsens.

He pulls his hood on, even though it won’t make much of a difference, and takes a step outside. It’s not even five minutes before he’s soaked. At first, the rain almost felt nice on his fevered skin, but now he’s freezing. The cold’s worsened the way his nose is running, there’s mess all over his upper lip, and he can’t stop sneezing. His hair is stuck to his forehead, water gathered in his eyelashes. It’s another five minutes before he realizes he’s not getting to the train. His knees give out, and he has to catch himself against a bus shelter. He manages to make it to the bench inside, and sinks down, hyperventilating. He looks around aimlessly, hoping something will catch his eye and give him some semblance of a plan. And it does.

He’s on 110th and Amsterdam. That’s a block from Ashlynn’s apartment. Less than a block. He stands up, waiting for the world to stop spinning before making an attempt to walk. He tries not to think about the cold, or the way he can’t feel his toes, or the pounding in his head. Just focuses on one foot in front of the other.

He finds himself at her building. He presses her buzzer with shaking fingers, praying she’s home. He doesn’t have to wait even 30 seconds before the lobby door opens.

he steps inside, unable to hold back the heavy sigh of relief at the sudden warmth. He stands there for a moment, swaying slightly, before making his way to the elevator. Somehow, he finds himself at her door, and knocks. he hears her footsteps padding closer and closer before she’s standing right there, in front of him.

“Peter?” she looks puzzled until the world starts to tilt and he grips the doorframe to stay upright. “Whoa, hey, are you alright?” He opens his mouth to speak but three harsh sneezes come out instead, and he buries them into the wet sleeve of his hoodie. “Ok, c’mere.” She pulls him inside, and before he really knows what’s going on, he’s sitting at her kitchen table.

“S’raining,” he mumbles, and she hums in response.”M’cold.”

“I can tell. Here -” She starts to strip off his hoodie, which is totally soaked through. His shivering worsens, and she palms his forehead. “Shit, Peter.” She takes the hem of his t shirt and hesitates. “Can I...?” He nods, and she peels it off. She unties his sneakers and pulls off his socks, then bites her lip. “I can grab you a pair of my roommate’s sweatpants and you can change in the bathroom, yeah?” He shakes his head. There is no way he’s walking anywhere right now. She goes red. “You want me to...”

“M’gonna pass out if I try to stand up, Ash.”

Carefully, she unbuttons his jeans, tugging them off until he’s sitting in his underwear. She disappears for a moment before coming back with a towel, and wraps it around his shoulders. She places a box of tissues on his lap, and sits down in the chair across from him.

“What’s going on?”

“M’sick.” She laughs softly. Peter gingerly starts to wipe his nose, wincing at the raw, chapped soreness. He blows, and a spike of pain hits him between the eyes.

“Yeah, I can tell. Why were you -”

“Walking home from class,” he mumbles, and she nods. She stands up, and reappears with a thermometer. “Can we not?”

“If you wanna stay here then you’re gonna have to let me baby you,” she says, and if it didn’t hurt so bad he’d roll his eyes. He lets her stick the device under his tongue, and while she’s waiting for the reading she starts heating up water for tea. The thermometer beeps and she removes it gently. She frowns.

“What?” She takes a deep breath.

“It’s high, that’s all.” He raises his eyebrows at her. “102.2.”

“Not so bad,” he murmurs. He’s struggling to keep his eyes open. Sitting here in the warmth of the kitchen his body is finally deciding it’s had enough. The sudden warmth is also making his nose run. He sniffles.

“I’m not even gonna comment on that. C’mon, you can lay down on the couch. I’d offer you my bed but I don’t think you’ll make it that far to be honest.” He nods, and she pulls him upright. He manages to make it the few feet to the couch, and lands heavily. She swaps the towel for a blanket, and he’s never felt something better than the way it feels on his freezing, damp skin. Dry and warm and heavy. He curls up on his side, holding a tissue under his still-leaking nose, and he doesn’t last 30 seconds before falling asleep.

He’s awakened suddenly by the harsh ring of his cell phone. His headache is worse, despite the rest, and though his nose has stopped running it seems, his head is fully, hopelessly congested. He digs through his bag to find his phone, and frowns when he sees it’s Leo. He considers letting the call go to voicemail, but that’s before he sees the 5 previous missed calls.

“Hello?” He hates the way his voice sounds - sick and congested and torn up.

“Peter, what the fuck is going on?”

“I’m uh...I’m home working on thesis.” It takes him a moment to remember his lie from earlier.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Why then do I see a photo of you, shirtless, on Ashlynn’s couch?” Peter knows immediately that he has fucked up, big time. “Do I really need to explain to you why that makes me upset?”

“Leo -”

“You better have a good fucking explanation for this.” Maybe it’s the fever, maybe it’s the fact he hasn’t seen Leo in weeks, or maybe it’s the build up of all the guilt he’s felt lying to him, but Peter feels tears start to fall. He breaks into sobs, and they make his headache exponentially worse.

“Leo, p-please, I -” He can barely speak around his tears. “Please don’t be mad.”

“Mad at you for what?” His voice is cold. “Tell me. I want to hear you tell me.”

“It’s...it’s not -”

“Tell me, Peter.”

“I didn’t want...I didn’t want you to be mad at me.” His fevered brain can’t quite string together the right words.

“How would...” He trails off. “How would sleeping with Ashlynn not make me mad?”

“I didn’t - we...it wasn’t...I know you’re tired of taking care of me, so -”

“What?” Leo’s tone has shifted.

“I know you’re sick of me being sick, so I was gonna just go home and sleep and then it was raining, and I was so fucking dizzy, and I was on 110th street -”

“Wait. Stop. Let me get this straight. You’re ill?”

“Yeah,” he says, and the guilt is absolutely eating him up. “I didn’t want to bother -”

“Love, why would that be bothering me?” Leo sounds almost sad.

“You-you’re so busy, and -”

“Peter, I don’t know what kind of miscommunication happened here but I’m not...I wouldn’t be bothered if I knew you weren’t feeling well. I mean, I’d be upset but just because I don’t want you to feel bad. I wouldn’t be mad at you or angry with you or something like that. Why would you have that idea?”

“I’d hate me if I was you,” he chokes out, and Leo sighs.

“Peter...Look, can I come get you?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know that, that’s not why I asked.” He pauses. “Where’s Ashlynn?”

That’s a good question. Peter isn’t sure. At class, maybe?

“Not uh...not here.”

“Ok, I’m gonna call you back. I love you, ok?”

“Mmhm. Love you too.”

“Ok, just relax. Everything’s alright. Hang tight.”

“Ok.”

[smoresmoresmore]

Will edit later

I just have to say

I was possibly exposed to Rabies and came to Tumblr for help and advice and was THOROUGHLY AND DISTURBINGLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE RABIES TAG.

Omg

I was convinced I was going to die and searching anything Rabies related was UNHELPFUL AF. Not judging but y'all did not help lol.

Very long explanation of why I thought I was going to die:

Waking up to a bat (2 nights in a row) is not automatic cause to assume you will die but it is, I found out after talking to the Dept. Of Agriculture and their Epidemiologist, an immediate cause to go straight to the ER and get shot up with the vaccine and immunoglobulin so you DON'T POTENTIALLY DIE. It is not something the doctors can argue against and it is not something you should postpone. Especially since I was "under the influence" (Nyquil) at the time and even less likely to notice if I had gotten scratched or bitten. My being unaware was the key point in the urgency of going to the ER.

The ER doc was highly annoyed I knew just what to say ("I woke up with a bat in my face") and he grumpily admitted he was bound to follow CDC protocol. His annoyance was so obvious he repeatedly told me how unlikely it was I was bit and explained how "intense" the shots would be. I assume he felt the medicine could be put to better use on someone who was 100% sure and/or was injured. When I asked him what would happen to me if I WAS bitten and didn't get the shot like he wanted, he sighed and admitted "Well, you die."

"Well, shoot me up, doc!"

That night I got 7 shots. One in my arm, which hurt so bad--I guess because my nurse was new and may habe gone too deep because the subsequent shots I have gotten in the same arm haven't been anywhere near as painful-- and 6 in my buttcheeks. 3 in each.

Waking up from my Nyquil coma to a bat in my face was not fun. I had never related to those movie scenes of people screaming and running around afraid if bats. But jessuz. They are fast. And this one was swooping around my living room and deliberately getting super close to me. I had to hide under my blanket and in my fevered state this made me sweat. Trying to herd it to my now opened windows did not help. I tried to call police, fireman andnanimal control; the 1st two were useless and the 3rd was not open at 1am.

Eventually I reached out to my townie facebook group and got advice. White towels attract them. Or make it dark and quiet and hide--I did this as I was not going to run around with a towel in my undies like that video--which worked. 2 very concerned people urged me to go to a doctor.

"You say you have flu-like symptoms and a constant fever and you sleep in that room a lot. You really need to go to the ER. Rabies is so dangerous."

And after 2 nights of dealing with bats and my fever spiking right around the time they show up, I existed in a dark hole of stress. So much so that the second morning I woke up to my hand twitching erratically and my thumb muscle spasming and I started bawling. I had already gotten the shots the day before so I knew if I encountered anything rabid I should be okish (I still had 3 more to go before I was fully protected) but now, with my glitchy hand, I was panicking about "WHAT IF I ALREADY HAD IT?!"

Urgent Care had ruled out Strep twice for my odd sickness and had assured me I have a random virus and to just stay in bed for a few days. Which I had been doing faithfully, before getting bored and moving to my livingroom nest. I like to sleep in there a lot and often do when the weather is nice. I just made sure to drink water and tea and get sunlight and all the things. Including Nyquil. But my fevers were getting worse. I was feeling like crap. And now what we all assumed to be A Normal Virus was morphing into my worst nightmare.

Probably egged on by 101 temperatures, I called around until someone was willing to explaon to me whether I was dying or not. Getting told "You'll be fine. It is SO RARE," did not calm me down. I needed someone to explain how the long incubation period (months to a year) and symptoms (flu like, emotional, twitchy) did not match me.

I slept in that room on accident and on purpose since moving in almost 9 months ago. I'm a heavy sleeper and don't wake up easily. Iffff I had been bitten during one of my all-nighters doing math homework or essay writing, it makes sense I would suddenly get a random "virus" that isn't going away. I had it all worked out in my head. I was getting headaches in the sun and stores. I forced myself outside and out and about when I felt ok because fuck it if I was going to let this be a symptom I had. I was getting anxious in the shower but, knowing fear of water was a symptom, I forced myself to stay in it. (Turns out my paranoia was right. The water was starting to be hard and my skin was breaking out. It is very annoying. The timing was just horrendous)

All the doctors and nurses kindly told me I was safe since I had started the shots but no one had an answer for me when I asked if they helped if I hadddd it already. They weren't sure. The amount of information they have or are willing to share is astonishingly low.

After 2 hours of phone tag I was finallly able to get an appointment with an Infectious Disease Doctor. She told me that if I did have it there was no real evidence about the vaccine helping, especially since I had only had the first dose at that point. She told me it would be fast though and they couldn't tell until "you're foaming at the mouth." She asked to look in my mouth and when I told her about my drooliness she said to let her know if it got worse. She asked about my hand. I told her. She asked about numbness and I freaked cuz my arm did go numb at one point.

I askwd her about tests. I had read that there were a few--spinal fluid, spit, blood--that were not really reliable. She said since I had the vaccine and immunoglobulin in my system already they would show up and it would be pointless.

My only option was to wait. And chill. And try not to dwell on the fact that there is no answer or cure or way to find out if I should plan my trip to Oregon and die or if I should allow my boyfriend to visit me.

He was firmly in the You Don't Have Rabies camp and came over anyway to feed me soup and hang out. But I refused to kiss him. It made him very sad and probably extremely exasperated.

My boss was so done with me when he asked if I could come in the next day. "Sasha. You cannot have Rabies. Just come to work. You'll be fine." And I realized how crazy I sounded but I still warned all my coworkers.

Anyway, my lowgrade fever continued, my twitchiness stopped, my drooling stopped, my water was hard so I avoided the shower but cleaned my good bits, and once I doubled up my water intake my headaches disappeared. I went into a mini death spiral for a day but decided to force myself into believing I was fine.

When I started getting confused and fainty, I bought Iron supplements. When I started getting angry and anxious, I called my friends and got distracted. When it was time to get another shot, I made sure to update everyone of the weirdness Just In Case.

One nurse took the time to sit me down and listwn. That's really all I needed since no one had answers. I just needed my mind soothed and concerns not dismissed. She couldn't explain the muscle spasm but could definitely see why I was freaking out. She was the one who tested me for peace of mind. She looked into Lyme disease. She found my anemia. She explained that the amount of time that had elapsed made her sure I was going to be ok. She had watched people die in Africa from this and shw said it happens So Fast it is tragic. I would not be able to organize a trip to Oregon to die. I would become incoherent and slip away within days.

That was what I needed. A timeframe. A legit explanation of what it looks like and how it happens. And why I don't fit. This whole time I had been wondering how to tell my friends. Whether I could write all their numbers down in case I couldnt function enough to call them or remember my phone password. I was planning on cleaning my apartment so good so the landlord couldn't bash me when I was bouncing off the walls and hissing at him. I was deciding who I really needed to contact and who I could live without wasting breath on. I was planning a goodbye party. I told all 3 of my lovers ("´hey, I have this thing there is no real test for while you're alive but there is once you die so you can't get tested, and you may have it so got get shot up but no one is sure if that will help much," but I did tell them and it was hilarious to them. My favorite response being "RIP" and "F") And this all had put me in such a dark place that, coupled with a few shitty days at work with my bully of a manager, I also asked for a psych person to visit me after the Rabies shot.

After her talk I was like, oh. Thank godddd. And kinda annoyed at having to wait an extra hour in the ER for a talk that could wait til morning. But I chatted with rhem and asked for referral to a shrink since this had just highlighted how much I need help with my anxiety. Especially since the temporary issue of Rabies was being resolved but my cruel manager was still going to exist now that I was going to survive this beef with nature. It was nice to think of that way "my rabies beef is getting cooked" and the pscyh lady got me help. So that was nice. I just mainly needed to get healthy again so I could

I mean. Almostbarelybutnotreally facing a cruel death was a great way to look at life and reflect on some things. There are messes I am not at fault for, messes I avoid that I shouldn't, people and things I value and the objects that matter to me more than others for ridiculous reasons. I was so grateful to the staff for putting up with me. And for you for reading.

All of this just to say

Circle circle dot dot

Soon I get my last Rabies Shot

[theparttimewriter]

Never Be Alone

Hey, sorry I’ve been absent for awhile, writer’s block is a pain in the ass. Anyway here’s another story about Connor and Nathan, I hope you enjoy! 

It took the best part of a year but life started to go back to how it used to be for Connor and Nathan. Connor had moved back in and sold his small apartment, he never did get that cat. They’d found it surprising easy to slip back into their old routine and the lady who ran Maggie's had been so happy to see them together she’d been giving them money off ever since. Connor had even gotten a promotion at work, he was now a proper journalist with his own regular articles and everything, of course he credited the new job on having Nathan back.

It was because of his new job that Nathan woke up alone one morning, he fingers stretching to the other side of the bed only to find it cold. He groaned and opened his eyes, the room dull and grey. Nathan closed his eyes again and sighed, his head was still throbbing from the day before and it was joined by an ache in his throat. He should have known it was coming, it was Winter after all and he always got sick when the weather changed, it was one of the things he could depend on in life like dying or paying taxes. He dragged himself up and to the bathroom mirror to try and assess the damage; he was pale but no more than usual, dark marks were beneath his eyes from lack of sleep but he didn’t look ill, just exhausted, which he was. There were no fever stains on his cheeks or redness to his nose that he knew was coming. All in all meant he was fit for work, if he wasn’t dying then that was good enough, plus it was better than the alternative. If Connor had been home Nathan would’ve been quite happy to lounge around their apartment all day as whatever illness he had got worse but not when he was alone. He’d learnt that over the last few days that it he stayed still for too long his mind wondered to unfortunate places, like his mum.  

Less than twenty minutes later and he was on his way to work, the cool wind biting at his skin and making his nose run. He worked as an IT tection in some big office building, nothing exciting he just fixed people’s computers when they lost whatever file they were working on. It was no one’s dream job but he was good at it and it helped pay the bills.    

The day passed slowly, his symptoms getting slowly worse until his boss finally had enough of seeing him sniffle and cough, and send him home.

Nathan couldn’t deny the sense of comfort that washed over him upon entering the apartment. Though the moment was spoiled somewhat by a harsh coughing fit as he collapsed on the sofa, letting his aching body relax. His little cold had gotten worse than he was expecting, what he thought was just going to be the sniffles and a bit of a cough was probably turning out to be the flu. He curled up on the sofa and pulled the spare blanket around his shoulders, in truth he felt terrible and lonely. He sniffed and reached for the box of tissues on the coffee table, his muscles straining at the effort.

“HItcchhx, hiitccchhhx, hittccchhhooo, urgh.”

He sniffed and blew his nose giving a weak cough. Normally Nathan’s go to sick day activity was to watch films, everything from Ghostbusters to Toy Story, anything to get his mind off how shitty he was feeling but he just couldn’t find the energy. He coughed again and closed his eyes, he was just so damn tired, and bed might as well have been light years away.

Somewhere in his feverish haze of sleep Nathan was aware of ringing, something was trying to drag him out of sleep no matter how he tried to fight it. He coughed and opened his eyes, God everything hurt, he shut his eyes again but the ringing continued.

He groaned and heaved himself up, eyes open and searching for the source of the noise that seemed to be coming from behind him.

It was his phone, fallen out of his pocket and behind a cushion. Connor’s face lit up the screen as Nathan squinted at it, fumbling for the answer button as his nose itched again.

“Hi ba…”

Connor didn’t get to finish his sentence as Nathan sneezed.

“HItchx, hittccchhhxx, hiiitcccchhhhhhooooo, hitccchooo.”

A frown appeared on Connor’s face, they’d been facetiming all week since he’d been away but he hadn’t expected to be greeted by a very miserable looking Nathan.

“Nath, baby, are you okay?”

Nathan groaned and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

“Not really,” the younger man admitted.

“What’s wrong?” Connor asked.

“I think I have the flu,” he replied miserably.

Connor’s frown deepened as Nathan began to cough, the camera shaking as Nathan struggled to control his breathing. It sounded painful and Connor felt unease settle in his stomach about not being there to take care of his sick boyfriend.

“You sound awful, have you taken anything?” Connor asked.

Nathan shook his head, wincing at the movement. “I feel awful and no, can’t find the energy to move.”

That’s when Connor noticed he was still wearing his work clothes and he was curled up on the sofa rather than under a cocoon of blankets in bed. His heart ached a little as he thought of Nathan alone, it was bad enough to be sick but it was always better to have someone with you, even if it’s just to fetch the medicine.

“How long have you been feeling bad?” Connor asked, they’d spoken the night before and Nathan had seemed fine though complained of a slight headache.

“This morning, I didn’t feel great when I woke up and it just got worse why I was at work.”

“Why did you go to work if you felt bad?”

Nathan sniffed and looked away from the camera, his eyes were red rimmed and fever painted his pale cheeks.

“I didn’t want to be alone.”

His voice was so quiet it was barely picked up his phone but Connor heard it all the same and it was enough to make his heart ache. He wanted to get on the first plane home, so Nathan didn’t have to be alone for another moment, he didn’t deserve to feel that way. Nathan had never been the one to wear his heart on his sleeve, he kept most things to himself but Connor knew him better than that, he knew when he was hurting.

Connor was brought back to reality by the sound of Nathan’s miserable sneezes.

“HItchxx, hittcccchhhhx, hittccchhhhhoooooooo.”

“Bless you.”

“Thank….” Nathan was cut off as he tried to stifle a yawn, he looked exhausted, his eyes barely staying open as he tried to stare at the screen.

“Baby, why don’t you go to bed? You’ll feel better after some sleep,” Connor said.

“Yeah maybe I should,” Nathan replied, clearing his throat as he voice cracked.

“Go to sleep, I’ll be back as soon as I can and I love you.”

“Love you too,” Nathan mumbled back, exhaustion finally taking over.

Connor blowing him a kiss was the last thing he saw before his closed his eyes and the phone slipped from his hand.

In a place not to far from where Nathan was sleeping a plane landed, there was nothing extraordinary about it, just an normal cross country flight filled with businessmen, small children and maybe a musician or two. Among them there was one young man, dark haired with a awful look of worry in his eyes, he was first on and off the plane, obviously anxious to get home.

It had taken some persuading but after explaining the situation to his boss Connor had managed to get the next plane home. He arrived back at their apartment at nearly 2am and hoped to find Nathan sleeping somewhat peacefully in bed. Connor tried to be as quiet as he could as he entered the apartment, he hoped to creep into the bedroom but only got half way across the living room when something caught his eye. It seemed Nathan hadn’t quite made it as far as bed, Connor found him curled up on the sofa. There was a blanket draped over him but he still shivered in his sleep, a pained expression on his face and a crackling to his breathing.

Connor knelt down in front of the sick boy, a tooth mark evident in his lip as he put his hand against Nathan’s skin. He was burning, feverish and still shaking.

“Nathan… Nath, wake up baby.”

His eyes shot open, glassy and bloodshot.

“Nath, it’s me,” Connor whispered softly.

It took a moment to register in Nathan’s fever muddled mind and then he just burst into tears.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Connor pulled Nathan into his arms until they were both squashed together on the sofa, Nathan’s head against his chest as he sobbed. He could feel the heat rolling off his boyfriend and panic rose in his chest.

“I’m here.”

He continued to hold Nathan as he sobbed and coughed until his breathing calmed down and he was left with a damp, snotty patch on his shirt.

“I missed you,” the sick boy mumbled.

“I missed you too, now how about we get you to bed?”

Nathan nodded, coughing into Connor’s shoulder.

“Okay.”

Connor knew Nathan was in no position to be walking, the boy was still shaking and he didn’t want to make things worse. He knew he was no one’s idea of strong, hell he couldn’t walk the stairs to his office on the 7th floor without needing to stop to breathe but somehow he managed to pick Nathan up. His arms going numb on the short walk from the sofa to the bed but Nathan didn’t seem to notice, so out of it that a meteor could have crashed through the window and he wouldn’t have blinked an eye.

He put Nathan on the bed and struggled to think of what he could do, he didn’t think he’d seen Nathan so sick before, even as he sat there his eyes were closing again. Connor knew he had minutes before he was asleep and he had to get medicine into him as quickly as possible.

“Nath, stay awake, just for a few more moments, okay?”

Nathan mumbled a reply and looked at him through fever hazed eyes.

Connor moved as fast as he could, gathering up everything he thought they’d need before returning to his boyfriend’s side.

“I want to sleep.”

“I know baby, just hold on, I’ve got your meds.”

Connor poured out a dose of Nyquil and carefully placed in Nathan’s shaking hand.

“Drink it and you can sleep.”

When the medicine was gone Connor was ready to let Nathan sleep but realised they were both still wearing work things, he wasn’t bothered by his own shirt and tie but there was no way Nathan would be comfortable, especially as he’d been wearing the same thing all day and it was probably all sweaty.

“Sorry sweetie, I know I said you could sleep but I just need to get you of those clothes, okay?”

“Con…”

“I know but it won’t take a moment.”

He started undoing the buttons on Nathan’s shirt, wincing at the heat off his skin and praying the medicine would kick in quickly, he dreaded to think what would happen if he couldn’t get the fever down.

He managed to get Nathan into a comfy pair of pyjamas in record time, just as the boy start to lose the fight with sleep.

“Go to sleep baby, I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Promise?” Nathan mumbled.

“I promise.”

Nathan closed his eyes and was snoring in moments, Connor got himself changed before joining him in bed. It wasn’t quite the welcome he’d expected, Nathan had been worse off than he’d let on and Connor dread to think what might was happened if he hadn’t gotten home when he did. He didn’t want to think about what kind of nightmares caused his tears and the pain in his eyes and one thing was for sure, he was going to make sure that whatever happened that Nathan never had to suffer alone again.