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aller-geez · 7 months ago

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OKAY BUT THE SUBTLE SOFTNESS TO THIS IS SO CUUUUUUTE UGHHHHH

Love Svelex so much JFC

A Rough Night

A Sven & Elex Snz Drabble

⚠️Content Warning⚠️

Allergens, Snz, Violence, Cursing

Description: The boys try to escape the stress by heading out to the bar. Yet, it doesn’t go well when a nearby patron triggers the badger’s sensitive allergies!

Author’s Notes: Oh….Hey guys 😅 I’ve had this one sitting for about a month and haven’t had the will to write because well….my life has been insane while going through this divorce, moving, meeting someone new and trying to figure my shit out. 😭 Found myself with the slight will to live tonight, so I finished this idea up! Theres no smut, I KNOW IM SORRY….but I had a lot of fun writing this out. Hope you all enjoy and I’m sorry I’m constantly coming and going. Been a rough year. I love yall who still interact and wait patiently for my next release. You real ones 🥺💚 @aller-geez Owns Sven and did the cover art!

Elex and Sven pushed open the heavy wooden doors, the sounds of raucous laughter and clinking glasses assaulted their ears. The dimly lit bar was filled with a thick haze of smoke, making it difficult to see through the throngs of people milling about. Elex, with his dull green hair, felt like an alien in this dingy establishment. He wrinkled his nose at the overwhelming stench of stale beer and sweat that hung heavily in the air. "Ugh, this place fuckin’ stinks," he grumbled, his mismatched eyes scanning the crowd, disgusted at the faces that lingered upon them. His annoyance at having to be there was palpable while they stood just inside the entrance.

“Don’t be such a sour puss, Els, I need this night out, and I need a couple drinks to unwind, we’ve been cooped up in the house for WEEKS,” the Cheshire pouted, sticking his tongue out playfully at his somewhat grumpy boyfriend. In response, Elex rolled his eyes in a mixture of annoyance and resignation.

“We’re here aren’t we? Stop your bitchin’ lets go get drunk,” reaching out to grip his boyfriend by the wrist, knowing the hand would be too intimate in such a public setting. Sven was used to this behavior by now and didn’t care, so long as he got to do what they came there to do. Get ripped, yap, maybe snack on some peanuts, and go back home. An adult version of touching some grass. They each walked up to the bar and slid into the empty barstools provided, next to an older gentleman on one side, and a younger on the other. Elex scowled unpleasantly from a side view glance as he slipped into his seat. “Whiskey on the rocks,” the badger ordered off his drink of choice for the night. “Same thing,” Sven chirped with a quick raise of his index before swinging his body slightly over to face more in the other’s direction. “So, tomorrow, I’m thinking about upgrading our internet services, shit is too fuckin’ slow to achieve the game play and stream from what we have currently…it’s fuckin’ up my views,” he pushed back a few strands of stray teal hair that dangled just above his orange gaze. As the bartender slid them their drinks, Elex nodded toward the man before returning his attention to 7. “Yeah okay, well how much extra is that gonna run us do you know? We have some wiggle room but not if the bill goes from $50 to $200….I don’t know….” feeling rather skeptical of all the ways Sven’s streaming has sort of cost them between his personal build, games, internet, and other equipment. He was glad his boyfriend had something he enjoyed doing, and was even able to make a good profit off it, but it felt like everyday he was buying some high tech keyboard, or upping their bills which made it feel like they weren’t really progressing financially. It was starting to stress the badger out, he hadn’t been getting any marks lately since the police were on high alert. Some seasons were just better than others so he had been relying on selling copper, but he was running low on spots to harvest from. It was a miracle they were even making ends meet.

Sven lifted the glass to his lips, taking a slow, deliberate sip of his alcoholic beverage. His body language exuded nonchalance, as if their conversation was about something insignificant and unimportant, he shrugged. Elex could see the indifference in Sven's eyes and it only fueled his own anger. He could feel the heat rising in his chest as he tried to keep his emotions in check. The clinking of ice cubes echoed in the background, a stark contrast to the tension between the two men. “Just a shrug? Seriously? Sven you know we’ve been relying on MY shit to keep us afloat, your fuckin’ video games aren’t paying bills,” his voice cut through like a sharp knife through the chest. “They’re not? Then how did we get $200 worth of groceries yesterday?” With an intense narrowing of his vibrant orange eyes, he directed a heated glare towards his boyfriend. The thoughtless disregard for his feelings left him stunned and incredulous. He internally scoffed, his ‘fucking video games’….as if streaming wasn’t a real line of work. “You’re about to really piss me off….Yes that is useful but our MORTGAGE, and the PG&E, and you know, CAR payments….shit is adding up and every fuckin’ week there’s something new added to the list of your god damn bullshit…I support you wanting to chase a passion but not when it’s effecting the life we have worked so hard to build,” Elex quickly downed the remainder of his drink, wishing for a slight buzz to ease the hopelessness he felt in this conversation.

“Look, I get it, but it fuckin’ takes money to make it so, MAYBE, get off my ass a little bit…can we talk about this later? When we ARENT trying to just enjoy the evening?” With an exasperated shake of his head and a dismissive roll of his eyes, Sven reached out for his glass, the ice cubes clinking against the sides as he lifted it to his lips. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Els knocked on the wooden bar with his knuckles, signaling to the busy bartender for another drink. The sound of glasses clinking and people talking filled the air of the crowded bar, but Elex was lost in his own thoughts as he waited for his order to be fulfilled. Finally, the bartender caught his signal and obliged, sliding a fresh glass towards him with practiced ease.

“Fine but you’re not go-…n..H’…Hih…” he struggled suddenly, noticeably, his mouth started to jar open and it hit him unexpectedly. The older man next to him, had taken off his jacket, wafting a gust of fragrant air directly within Elex’s personal space. “Son of a -…H’UhtTSCHhiew! h’Ushh’iew! etUSCHOOOO!” a sudden series of sneezes escaped his body, his eyes watering, nose and throat suddenly itchier than they’d been in a long time. Was that Gain? Tide pods? He didn’t know, all he knew was the asshole beside him was sending him into a full tizzy. He sniffled gently trying to hide the fact he was slowly turning into a leaking mess, grabbing a bar napkin to wipe his nose carefully. “Shit, you good Els?” Sven reached out to comfort his boyfriend, a flattened palm against his back. The heated urgency of their conversation suddenly melting away when he realized the storm had hit his lover. “Y-Yeah I’m F-…hh’IEXsHHH! H’UMFShhhhiew! h’USSHH!!” it came out full force, he did what he could to capture them within the confines of the napkin he clutched within his palm. Just great, just what he needed on a night out to relax, typical. “Bless you, El…” Sven getting slightly worried they may actually have to just head back home, maybe pick up some drinks from the gas station instead, despite how badly Sven needed a change of pace. “We can head home if you wa-….” “No, we’re nod leabing….SndFff,” he snuffled loudly, trying to snort up any of the excessive leakage that threatened to pour down his face. This was the absolute worst. Curse him and his rat ass allergies. He hucked and hacked, his mouth jarring open and closed as he fought against the allergens making a nest within his sinuses. The bartender slid them their second drinks, taking longer as the bar filled up with more and more patrons. A few people turning to glance with an aura of judgement, but the badger glared daggers and they quickly turned away. “Nosey fuckin-….Hh’uhSSCCHHHHwww! ehh’TSHIEW! hh’IEXSH!!” this time the green haired man blew within the crook of his arm, wetting the spot of skin there with a plume of saliva. “Gross….” he groaned weakly, irritated he didn’t have a whole lot of room to release. “Babe seriously we can just….” suddenly cut off by a lifted brown speckled palm. “Stop, jusd dring your fuggin shid, SNDfF,” He let out a loud, wet snort and reached for the small package of tissues inside the pocket of his jeans. His nose was red and moist from the constant blows as he battled with the scent that still lingered around him. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his congested sinuses but only felt the sharp sting of pain in his nostrils.

“Hey, guy, can you fuckin’ not? You’re grossing us all out,” A random person from across the way chimed in with a snarky remark. The badger slowly turned his head, almost like something out of a horror movie, and locked eyes with the person before responding without hesitation.

“Cope, fugg fade,” retorting so quickly it took the man almost by surprise, blinking a few times to make sure he had heard the badger correctly. “What was that, bro?” he challenged, finishing his beer and slamming the empty glass bottle down on the wooden bar. Elex scoffed, sniffling a bit to try and prepare himself for another response. “Cope. Fugg. Fade.” he said it slowly, emphasizing each word though sounding less intimidating with a stuffed up nose. It didn’t stop him as he stared the patron down with watery daggers. The whites of his eyes had already started to redden.

The tension in the bar thickened as the confrontation escalated. Elex could feel a wave of exhaustion wash over him, fatigue setting into his bones from both the argument with Sven and the relentless assault on his senses brought on by his sudden allergies. He longed for nothing more than to escape this suffocating atmosphere, to retreat to the familiarity of his own space where he could gather his thoughts in peace.

Sven, sensing the volatile energy crackling around them, placed a steadying hand on Elex's shoulder. Despite their disagreement, he knew that Elex needed support now more than ever. “Let’s get out of here,” Sven spoke softly, his voice cutting through the ambient noise of the bar.

With a swift motion, the badger slid his shoulder out from under the cat’s palm, Sven’s arm falling back down to his side. ‘Shit…’ The Cheshire cursed from within. The bomb had been set off and it was only a matter of time before his boyfriend started swinging.

“Oh, so we’re going to have a problem then?” the man stood up straighter, walking over and standing within a few inches of the green haired ticking time bomb. Elex snickered with a cocky resolve, standing up himself and meeting the other man eye to eye.

“Loogs, do me, you’re the only one with the problem here, fugg nugged,” his lips pulled up to reveal a strikingly white pair of sharpened teeth that complemented the long fangs that always stuck out past his lips. “Wanna dance?” it actually felt relieving to take a stand at this point, giving him a bit of, slightly fresher air to escape the scent of the old man’s detergent that lingered on his clothing.

In that charged moment, the bar seemed to hold its breath, everyone's attention drawn to the brewing confrontation between Elex and the stranger. The man's eyes flashed with anger as he clenched his fists, ready to take things to the next level. However, just before anyone could throw a hit, the badger’s sinuses betrayed him into another set of expressive blows. “Ehh’tshhhhiew!!" h’USHh’iEW!” without time to cover himself, the badger openly, and almost proudly, sneezed a cloud of spittle and spray across the other man’s face.

“What the FUCK!?” the guy exclaimed with rage, getting ready to charge up his fist and bring it across the space to Elex’s jaw, but missed as the badger took a quick side step to avoid him. All the while blotting, and dabbing at his insanely runny nose that threatened to drip down his lips and chin. Elex chuckled, wiping his face clean with the last tissue in his package.

“Oh goody, my turn,” he smirked as he tossed the crumpled tissue aside and lunged forward with surprising agility, socking the man square in the nose a loud crack echoing the space between them all. The bar erupted into chaos as the two men grappled, fists flying and bodies colliding in a whirlwind of aggression. Sven watched in shock, torn between wanting to intervene and knowing that Elex needed to work through his frustrations on his own terms.

Amidst the chaos, a burly bouncer seemed to materialize, his massive form cutting through the crowd like a battleship in a stormy sea. With a swift motion, he hoisted both Elex and the stranger apart, their struggles becoming feeble against the bouncer's iron grip.

"Alright, that's enough out of both of you!" the bouncer boomed, his voice commanding attention from every corner of the bar. Elex panted, his chest heaving as he shot a defiant glare at the man who had provoked him.

Sven rushed forward, placing himself between Elex and the stranger. "Sven...get the fuck out of the way," the man growled, his voice thick with anger as he tried to maneuver around Sven to get to the bleeding patron. But the bouncer held him back with a firm grip, his massive arms like steel beams that refused to budge.

"Elex, enough!" Sven's voice was urgent, pleading as he turned to the badger. "Let's go. Now." having to be the only voice of reason to which the heated badger would obey. Sliding two twenties onto the bar before working to rush his heated lover out of the bar.

Elex stood there, breathing heavily as he eyed the stranger who was still struggling against the bouncer's hold. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to make another move, but then he relented with a frustrated huff.

"Fine," Elex finally replied, brushing past Sven and making his way towards the exit of the bar. Sven followed closely behind, shooting a quick apologetic glance at the stranger before hurrying after his boyfriend.

As they stepped out into the cool night air, Elex took a deep breath and leaned against the brick wall of the establishment, the icy night air hitting his weakened lungs he started to realize just how bad of shape he was in from the allergy attack, now that the adrenaline was wavering. He gasped as he worked to regulate himself.

Sven stood beside him, his gaze filled with concern as he watched Elex's labored breathing. Without a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small inhaler, offering it to the badger.

"Here, use this," Sven spoke softly, his voice laced with worry. Elex hesitated for a moment before taking the inhaler and pressing it to his lips, inhaling deeply as the soothing medication traveled through his lungs. The tightness in his chest began to ease, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"Thanks," Elex murmured, handing the inhaler back to Sven. The cat nodded, tucking it back into his pocket before turning his attention back to the badger.

"Are you okay?" Sven asked, his eyes searching Elex's for any sign of distress. The green haired man gave him a small nod, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Yeah, I'm okay…feel actually a whole lot better now that I’m not suffocating under the scent of that guy’s clothes…snDfff…” he sniffled roughly, trying to break through the stuffed bridge of his nose. Despite the scuffle, the badger barely walked out with a scratch, but the same couldn’t be said for the other man.

“What am I going to do with you? Seriously, you’re lucky if he doesn’t charge you with assault! Dumbass!” scolding his boyfriend for the way he had unleashed his pent up rage upon the stranger.

“Hey, he swung first,” shrugging his shoulders before pulling a pack of cigarettes out from his pocket. Sven sighed in exasperation, watching as Elex flicked a cigarette out of the pack and lit it up with a practiced hand. He knew it was pointless to argue with the stubborn badger when he was in this mood, so he simply stood there in silence, the cool night air weaving around them like a comforting blanket.

As Elex took a drag from his cigarette, he exhaled a cloud of smoke that mingled with the night, disappearing into the darkness above. The tension that had gripped him earlier seemed to dissipate with each puff, the adrenaline from the fight slowly ebbing away.

After a moment of quiet contemplation, Sven finally spoke. "We should probably get out of here before the bouncer comes out and starts asking for names," he suggested, his voice calm but firm. Elex glanced over at him, taking in the concern etched on his features.

"Yeah, you're right," Elex replied, crushing the stub of his cigarette under his boot. With a final release of smoke from between his lips he lazily slung an arm around the cat’s waist. Unusual for the badger to display such affections, the cat narrowed his eyebrows and looked his lover up and down.

“You good?” The Cheshire asked cautiously, but leaning into the intimacy.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Elex responded with a soft smile, his usual tough exterior cracking to reveal a vulnerable side that only Sven seemed to elicit. The cat returned the smile, his worries easing as he felt the warmth of Elex’s touch against his side.

Together, they walked into the night, the street lamps casting a soft glow over their figures as they navigated the emptying streets. The events of the evening lingered in the air between them, but there was also an unspoken understanding that they would face whatever came their way together. Even if it meant being broke for a while to make sure Sven could set up his dream. Suddenly, those problems seemed less worrying after Elex was able to let off some steam.

As they turned a corner and disappeared into the shadows of the night, a sense of calm settled over them. In that moment, all that mattered was each other, their bond unbreakable in the face of any asshole that tried to ruin their good night. There was still time to turn things around.

And so, with the badger’s arm secured around his taller counterpart, Elex and Sven ventured into the unknown night, ready to face the rest of their evening in the comfort of their own home, albeit, with a quick stop at the liquor store for snacks and whiskey.

The End

Author’s Notes: I know I know, it’s short and sexless, but wasn’t that fun? 😍 I love angry Elex, being mean and beating people up while suffering from allergies. 🤧 I enjoyed it, I hope you did too!

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thenighteternal · 7 years ago

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The Box - Se7en Poster by edwardjmoran

#the box #seven #s7en #poster #art #artwork #horror #thriller

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yeonmina · 11 years ago

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#T.O.P #S7EN #BigBang #YG #Kpop

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lunafire16 · 13 years ago

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orgasmic

#s7en #korean

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jessaerys · 1 year ago

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movies that i think have some videodrome inspiration in them or are conversing with it / building on that train of philosophical thought re: simulacrum & simulacra, hyperreality, the desert of the real, etc:

who framed roger rabbit

the matrix

american psycho

fight club

the house that jack built

s7en

perfect blue

rent-a-pal

mr. robot

fleabag

enter the void

that one episode of you're the worst season 4 where jimmy and gretchen are lying their faces off about their meet cute story to the wedding planners

audition (1999)

the episode of fairly odd parents were timmy goes into the internet

grave encounters 2

that one hannibal broke the fourth wall by staring into the camera

nope

josie and the pussycats 2001

tumblr live

american horror story:roanoke

american horror story: cult

that interview with tom cruise where he has nothing behind the eyes

watching videodrome 1983 for the first time ever while super duper high and it is blowing my absolute mind. and i am telling you this on my LITTLE SCREEN...... makes you think.......

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aller-geez · 2 months ago

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Oxygen

Written & illustrated by: allergeez 🖤

Hey! Remember back in August how I teased a Svelex fic set for Elex’s birthday? NWELL, I FINALLY FINISHED IT 6 MONTHS LATER ✨

Just under 8k words, CW: Illness & Injury (fever, pneumonia, difficulty breathing, passing out) Medical Settings (hospital/ER scenes, oxygen use, discussions of health conditions), Mild Alcohol Use (social drinking, light references), Themes of Self-Neglect (pushing past physical limits, refusing to ask for help)

Though Oxygen explores themes of stubbornness, friendship, and vulnerability, at its heart, it’s a story about learning when to let go—and knowing when someone cares enough to catch you.

Summary: S7en has never been great at self-preservation, but for Elex’s birthday, he’s determined to pull off the perfect surprise. Weeks of planning, secret coordination, and late-night prep have all led to this—one flawless night where everything goes exactly as planned.— There’s just one problem. S7en is sick. Really sick. And he’s been hiding it.

With the weight of the day pressing down on him, the only thing keeping him going is sheer stubbornness and the desperate hope that he can hold out just a little longer. But as the night unfolds, his body has other plans, and no amount of willpower can fight the inevitable.

As reality comes crashing down, S7en is forced to confront a truth he’s spent his entire life ignoring—he’s not invincible. And sometimes, pretending to be okay only makes things worse.

Prologue:

S7en had never worked so hard on something in his life.

For weeks, he had been obsessively planning Elex’s birthday party—late nights spent hunched over sketches, paint drying on his fingers as he designed the perfect decorations, hours scouring online shops for the exact shade of green streamers that wouldn’t make Elex groan about “clashing aesthetics.” He’d snuck around behind his back to pull together the guest list, bribe people into secrecy, and track down the most obnoxiously over-the-top cake he could find. It had to be perfect.

Elex deserved perfect.

And, as always, Elex had no clue.

Which, honestly, wasn’t surprising. The man could smell a lie from a mile away, sniff out bullshit like a bloodhound, but when it came to anything about himself, he was painfully oblivious. S7en could have probably told him, straight-up, “Hey, I’m planning a surprise party for you,” and Elex still would have just grunted, shrugged, and gone back to chewing on whatever plastic thing he’d picked up that day.

The same way he had completely failed to notice that S7en was getting sicker by the hour.

It had started as a scratch in his throat, nothing major—just the kind of raw, dry feeling he chalked up to too many sleepless nights and the absolute joke that was his hydration levels. He ignored it, popped a cough drop, kept going. He had too much to do to slow down now.

But then it got worse.

The scratch deepened into a constant ache, turning into that burning, sandpaper sensation that made every swallow a chore. His voice had started rasping sometime around day three, but he played it off, clearing his throat and mumbling that it was just from talking too much.

Then came the congestion.

Thick. Unshakable. A slow-building pressure behind his nose and eyes that made his head feel too heavy, too tight. He kept sniffling between sentences, breath hitching every time he tried to take a full inhale, but he was damn good at keeping it subtle.

Elex never noticed.

When he felt a sneeze creeping up, he’d duck into another room, press the back of his wrist hard against his nose, and wait it out. If he got caught off guard, he’d twist away, stifling into his sleeve so violently it left him dizzy. It left his chest tight, his head pounding, but it was better than Elex hearing and asking questions.

There was too much to do.

If he let himself sneeze once, it would turn into five. Maybe ten. And if that happened, he’d never get through his never-ending to-do list.

So he fought it. Again and again.

S7en had become a professional at dodging suspicion. He had to be—Elex might have been oblivious about some things, but he wasn’t stupid. If S7en so much as sniffled too obviously, the badger would latch onto it like a feral dog with a bone.

So S7en adapted. He learned how to mask it, how to time it, how to slip away just before his body betrayed him.

But sometimes… it got close.

The first time was late—way too late.

S7en had been running on a handful of energy drinks and sheer force of will, hunched over his desk, hand-painting decorations that no one but him would care about. The apartment was silent, save for the soft glow of his desk lamp and the occasional sound of Elex shifting in his sleep.

Which was a problem.

Because that meant every single noise S7en made was way too obvious.

He had been trying—really trying—to keep himself together, but his nose was done playing nice. The burning deep in his sinuses was unbearable, and no matter how much he bit his lip or rubbed furiously at the underside of his nose, it wasn’t stopping.

The tickle teased mercilessly, rising, falling, rising again.

Don’t. Don’t. Not now.

His breath hitched.

He jerked forward, smothering the sound into his hoodie sleeve as hard as he could.

“Hhh’NGXT!—h'KXT’chh!"

He held still, heart hammering in his chest.

The silence stretched.

Then—

A sleepy mumble from the bed.

“...Why you sneezing like a bitch over there…?”

S7en froze.

Shit.

He hadn’t even realized Elex had woken up. The badger’s voice was thick with sleep, slurred and lazy, but there was just enough suspicion in it to make S7en’s stomach drop.

Think. Think.

“Fucking… dust?..,” he muttered quickly, sniffling once for effect. “The paper’s covered in it.”

A long pause.

Then—

A heavy sigh, followed by the sound of Elex flopping onto his other side.

“Go to bed, dumbass,” he mumbled.

S7en stayed still until he was sure Elex had drifted off again.

Then, finally, he slumped forward, burying his face in his arms.

Too close.

The second time was worse.

They were sitting on the couch, half-watching some dumb action movie, Elex’s feet propped up on the coffee table as he mindlessly chewed on the plastic cap of a water bottle. He was in a good mood, talking non-stop about how he "just had a feeling something cool was gonna happen" on his birthday.

Which would have been hilarious if S7en wasn’t actively trying not to sneeze on him.

His nose had been itching relentlessly for the last five minutes. That awful, creeping burn was rising up again, and no matter how much he rubbed at his nose discreetly, it wasn’t enough.

Bad timing. Really bad timing.

His breath hitched—barely enough to make a sound.

Too close.

He needed to get out of there.

Stretching his arms in an exaggerated yawn, he forced his muscles to stay loose and casual as he pushed himself off the couch.

“Gonna grab a drink,” he muttered, already heading toward the kitchen.

“Get me one,” Elex called after him, not even looking away from the screen.

S7en didn’t answer.

Because the second he was out of sight, he barely made it to the sink in time before a violent—

"Hh—! HHAHH—! HAHDT’tchhiew!! Hh—! AHHDT’tchhiiuhh!"

—ripped through him, bending him forward with the force of it.

His hands gripped the edge of the counter, breath shuddering as another chest-deep cough tore out of him immediately after. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to get it together before—

“You good in there?”

S7en nearly jumped out of his own damn skin.

Elex’s voice was casual, distracted, but S7en knew him too well.

The badger had noticed something.

Shit.

He barely had time to smother another cough into his sleeve before he forced his voice to sound normal.

“Yeah. Just—fucking—dropped something.”

A pause.

Then, mercifully, Elex just grunted, attention snapping back to the movie.

S7en exhaled slowly, pressing the heels of his hands against his temples.

Too close. Again.

By the end of the week, he knew.

This wasn’t just a cold.

The signs had been there for days, creeping up on him like a slow, inevitable landslide. At first, it had been subtle—a scratch in his throat, a little extra weight in his chest. But now? Now, every breath ached, every inhale felt like dragging air through soaked fabric.

His lungs weren’t just tight anymore. They were drowning.

And when he coughed—because, at this point, there was no fighting it anymore—it wasn’t some weak, dry little thing he could brush off. No, it was deep, raw, rattling, the kind of cough that came from somewhere low and dangerous, scraping the bottom of his lungs like a dull blade.

It hurt.

And Elex still didn’t notice.

Because S7en made sure of it.

He had perfected the art of hiding it.

Whenever Elex was around, S7en played it off like nothing was wrong. He timed his coughing fits so they happened when Elex was in the shower, when he was digging through the fridge, when he was too distracted ranting about something to notice the way S7en had to brace himself against the counter just to stay upright.

If a sneeze hit, he bit back against it with everything he had, muffling it into his hoodie sleeve until his head pounded. If he couldn’t stop it, he’d make sure to stifle it into near silence, no matter how much the pressure made his already aching sinuses throb.

His voice was going hoarse, his breathing was labored, but he pushed through, kept talking like nothing had changed.

When his hands started shaking, he simply curled his fingers tighter around whatever he was holding—a drink, his paintbrush, the edge of the counter—until they stopped trembling long enough to keep up the act.

His eyes were red-rimmed, glassy, but if Elex glanced at him for too long, he’d just mutter something about being exhausted and wave him off.

Everything needed to be done.

And he wasn’t about to let a little cold ruin it.

Even as it got harder to stand without swaying. Even as his lungs tightened like a vice with every breath. Even as his body screamed at him to just stop.

He pushed forward.

Forward. Forward. Forward.

August 10th:

The morning of Elex’s birthday should have been easy.

After all, S7en had spent weeks planning every last detail. The decorations were set up, the cake was waiting in the fridge, and their friends were in on the plan, all waiting for the big reveal later that night.

All he had to do was get through the day.

And yet, when Elex jolted awake that morning—cocky, buzzing with birthday energy, already texting half his contact list like he was about to throw himself the most legendary party of all time—S7en could barely sit up without his vision blurring at the edges.

The second he lifted his head, a fresh pulse of pain slammed through his skull, a migraine so sharp it felt like his brain was trying to escape through his eye sockets. He swallowed against the nausea, trying to ignore the way his throat burned, raw and swollen, while his chest tightened with every inhale.

Bad. Really bad.

But he didn’t have time for bad.

So, S7en forced a grin, let Elex’s nonsense birthday rambling wash over him, and powered through.

“S7en, I swear to God, my birthday instincts are going crazy today,” Elex announced, cracking open an energy drink before he was even fully sitting up.

S7en barely managed to hold back a pained wince at the sound of the can popping. Too loud.

“Oh yeah?” he croaked, then immediately regretted speaking. His voice was wrecked, rougher than usual, like he’d spent the entire night screaming into a pillow.

Not ideal.

But if Elex noticed, he didn’t say anything—too busy stretching with an exaggerated groan before flopping onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow. His mismatched eyes gleamed, that lazy smirk pulling at his lips.

“Yeah. It’s like—I dunno, a sixth sense,” Elex went on, taking a sip of his drink. “Like, I just know when something big’s about to happen.”

S7en hummed, noncommittal. “Birthday instincts,” he repeated flatly.

“Exactly.”

“Hate to break it to you, but you might need a refund, dude.”

Elex snorted, waving him off. “Nah, nah, it’s real. Watch—by the end of the day, something sick is gonna go down, and I’m gonna be totally right.”

S7en bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, because if Elex had even the slightest clue about the party, he would not be this calm. But the badger, for all his cocky bravado, was utterly, hilariously clueless.

Good. That meant S7en’s work wasn’t for nothing.

But as he pushed himself up, the room lurched sideways, and his stomach twisted violently.

Shit.

He froze, pressing his hands into the mattress to steady himself, willing the dizziness to pass. But his lungs ached when he took a breath, and his ribs felt like they were wrapped in tight, unrelenting bands.

Breathe. Breathe through it.

Elex, of course, was too busy hyping himself up to notice.

“Bet something sick happens before noon,” he said, checking his phone. “Maybe I’ll win some crazy giveaway. Or, like, get free food somewhere.”

S7en forced out a breathy laugh, ignoring the sharp, rattling sensation in his chest.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “Something like that.”

Because at the rate he was going?

Something was gonna happen before noon.

Just not the kind of surprise Elex was expecting.

S7en just had to get through the morning.

Then the afternoon.

Then the party.

Simple.

Except nothing about this was simple when his entire body was actively trying to betray him.

He had barely been upright for two minutes before the pressure in his sinuses flared up again, an unbearable, burning tickle crawling its way deeper. His breath caught just once—a sharp, involuntary inhale—before he forced it down, biting the inside of his cheek hard enough to sting.

Not now. Not in front of Elex.

Elex, still riding his birthday ego trip, had zero idea what was going on, stretching like he had all the time in the world. Completely unaware of the absolute war S7en was fighting just two feet away.

"Alright," Elex announced, cracking his neck. "I’m thinking pancakes."

S7en barely heard him. His focus was on not sneezing.

The burning sensation spiked, his nose twitching, his breath threatening to hitch again. He clenched his jaw, exhaling slowly through his mouth, willing the tickle to settle.

No luck.

It was coming, fast.

Shit. Move.

Before Elex could glance his way, S7en swung his legs over the bed and pushed himself up, heading straight for the bathroom. Too fast. His vision swam, dizziness crashing into him all at once, but he barely managed to keep himself upright, gripping the doorframe for balance.

He shoved the door shut behind him, barely able to hold back the gasping inhale before—

"Hh—! Hhh! HAHPT’tschiew!! HAH! AHHDT’shiiiiew!!"

Fuck.

He doubled over against the counter, pressing the heel of his hand against his nose, his breath still stuttering from the sheer force of it. The moment he tried to straighten, another thick, chest-deep cough forced its way up, scraping like sandpaper in his throat.

His lungs felt wrecked. His head was pounding.

And he had approximately five seconds before Elex came looking for him.

Swallowing hard, S7en quickly turned on the sink, splashing cold water onto his face, trying to erase the obvious flush creeping into his cheeks. A second later, he heard Elex’s footsteps outside the door.

“You dying in there?”

S7en cleared his throat, ignoring the sharp pain it sent through his ribs. Make it sound normal.

“Chill,” he called back, voice rough but controlled. “Didn’t know I had to schedule my pisses around your breakfast plans.”

Elex snorted. “I mean, you do. But I’ll allow it, since it’s my birthday.”

S7en exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the sink.

Too close. Again.

By the time S7en forced himself back into the kitchen, Elex had already trashed his pancake idea in favor of raiding the fridge for anything edible. He stood with the door wide open, shoving a piece of cold pizza into his mouth like he wasn’t the absolute most unhinged person alive.

S7en could barely look at food without feeling his stomach twist unpleasantly.

"You good?" Elex asked around a mouthful, finally giving him a passing glance.

S7en shrugged, keeping his movements casual, despite the way his body screamed at him to sit the hell down.

"Tired," he muttered, heading for the cabinet where they kept their mugs. If he had something in his hands, it’d be easier to look normal.

Elex didn’t press, which was both a relief and kind of funny, considering if their situations were reversed, S7en would have had him in a chokehold demanding answers. But Elex just yawned, stretching again.

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "Big day. You should nap or something."

The irony almost made S7en laugh.

Yeah. Sure. Great idea. He’d get right on that.

As soon as he survived the next fourteen hours.

But as he reached for a mug, the telltale prickling started up again. His breath hitched before he could stop it.

Shit. No. Not here. Not now.

Keeping his back firmly to Elex, he pressed his wrist hard against his nose, willing it to stop. His shoulders tensed as the itch flared up, teasing mercilessly.

Hold it. Hold it. Hold it.

Elex, blissfully unaware, just kept rambling, his voice distant, drowned out by the relentless burning in S7en’s sinuses.

It was winning.

S7en had no choice.

With as much control as he could manage, he ducked his head into the crook of his arm, forcing the sneezes silent.

"Hh'NGXt! Ktchhh!—h’NNgch!"

The pressure was brutal, his skull throbbing with the effort of holding them back. His lungs seized painfully, a cough clawing its way up, but he swallowed it down, knuckles tightening around the counter.

He waited.

Nothing.

Elex hadn't noticed.

Slowly, carefully, S7en straightened, schooling his expression before turning back around.

Elex was still halfway through his pizza, scrolling through his phone with zero clue about the absolute disaster happening right in front of him.

S7en let out a shaky breath, grabbing his mug with slightly unsteady fingers.

He just had to get through the day.

That was the mantra he kept repeating in his head, over and over, like a scratched CD skipping on the same damn track. Just a few more hours. Then the party. Then the moment when Elex would finally see the absolute masterpiece S7en had spent weeks putting together. Then—maybe—he could breathe.

If his lungs still worked by then.

It was getting harder to ignore. Everything.

The aches had settled deep into his bones, like he was dragging concrete around his limbs. His head pounded relentlessly, his chest felt like it was wrapped in steel wire, and his breath was turning shallow, forced, unnatural.

And Elex?

Still didn’t notice.

Somehow.

It was actually impressive, in a way that was borderline offensive.

Because anyone with a working pair of eyes could tell that S7en was not okay.

His skin was pale, fever-glazed, dark shadows lingering beneath his eyes. His voice had gone from a little hoarse in the morning to full-blown wreckage, scraping and raw like he’d been swallowing glass shards for fun.

And yet.

Nothing.

Elex was still living in his own little birthday world, sending obnoxious texts to his friends, hyping up his own damn existence, and loudly debating whether he should get a new tattoo or a pet snake to mark the occasion.

S7en was dying in real time, and Elex was googling exotic pet names.

Ridiculous.

By the time they left the apartment, the sun was too bright, the air too sharp, and S7en was too damn tired.

He had planned to stay inside, get through some last-minute details, maybe even steal a moment to sit down and pretend his body wasn’t actively staging a rebellion.

But Elex, in all his unmatched, chaotic glory, had insisted on going out.

“It’s my birthday,” he had said, flashing a grin that should be illegal. “You’re legally required to follow me around and do dumb shit all day.”

S7en had just barely held back a groan.

The first stop was some hole-in-the-wall shop Elex swore had the best snacks on the planet. S7en, running on sheer force of will and the lingering effects of a third energy drink, followed him in, head pounding, lungs on fire.

He was so focused on staying upright that he didn’t notice the way his sinuses had been slowly tightening, congestion pressing like a vice behind his eyes.

Then, as he shifted his weight, something shifted with it.

A sudden, sharp readjustment deep in his sinuses sent a blinding tickle straight through his nose, pressure tipping over into something unstoppable.

Oh, fuck.

His breath hitched dangerously, his nostrils twitching, the overwhelming sensation building too fast for him to fight.

Not here. Not now.

He turned sharply on his heel, heading toward the corner of the store, hand clamped over his nose.

The moment he was out of sight, he braced against the shelf, burying his face into his sleeve as his body gave up.

“Hh—HhAH’DTschhh! Hh! HHhih—! HAHDT’tchhhiiew! Hhh! AHHDT’tsschueh!!!”

His ribs screamed in protest, his vision swimming from the sheer force of it. His breath hitched again, another wracking cough tearing out of him immediately after, leaving him shaking, dizzy, breathless.

Too much. Way too much.

He forced himself upright, swallowing against the rawness in his throat, fingers digging into the shelf for balance. He needed to move before—

“Sven?”

Shit.

He barely had time to school his face into something remotely normal before Elex appeared around the corner, holding a pack of sour candy and a soda, looking infuriatingly relaxed.

“You find something?” Elex asked, popping open the drink like nothing was wrong.

S7en cleared his throat, biting back the unbearable urge to cough again. “Nah. Just looking.”

Elex blinked at him, then tilted his head slightly.

For half a second, S7en thought—hoped, really—that maybe Elex was finally putting two and two together. That he’d look at him and actually see what was happening.

But then the badger just shrugged.

“Cool. Let’s hit the gas station. I wanna see if they have those weird energy drinks from Japan.”

And just like that, the moment was gone.

S7en swallowed back another cough, another wave of exhaustion, and nodded.

“Yeah,” he muttered, voice scraping at the sides. “Sure.”

And without much more, he followed Elex back out into the sun, lungs screaming, heart pounding, the warmth of the afternoon too sharp, too heavy against his feverish skin.

The heat pressed down on him like a weight, making the air feel thicker, harder to breathe, and for a moment, as they stepped onto the sidewalk, the world tilted dangerously beneath his feet. He forced himself forward, keeping his stride even, controlled, ignoring the way his vision blurred at the edges.

The party was just a few hours away.

He just had to last a little longer.

But his body? His body was done.

The fever that had been simmering beneath his skin all morning had finally boiled over, turning into a suffocating, all-encompassing heat that made the world feel distant and unreal. He felt like he was walking through a fog, slow and sluggish, barely tethered to his own movements.

His hoodie, usually something soft, comforting, familiar, now felt like a weight pressing down on his overheated body. The fabric clung to his skin like insulation, trapping the fever in, suffocating him from the inside out.

It was getting harder to think.

Harder to breathe.

Every inhale was tight, shallow, unsatisfying, as if the air itself had thickened, turning into something too dense to pull into his lungs. He knew he should have eaten something, but the mere thought of food made his stomach twist violently, nausea crawling up his throat.

But none of it mattered.

None of it could matter.

Because Elex was still completely oblivious.

So when the badger shoved his phone into his pocket and announced they were going to the arcade, S7en nodded.

When Elex cracked another joke about his “birthday instincts,” S7en forced out a laugh, even though his ribs ached from the effort.

And when a sneeze built out of nowhere, sharp and relentless, he bit down on the inside of his cheek hard enough to sting, forcing it back, forcing his breath to even out before it could betray him.

It was fine.

He could do this.

And then—

Elex threw an arm around his shoulders, dragging him closer, leaning some of his weight into him in that effortless, careless way he always did.

S7en felt his legs nearly give out beneath him.

It was only for a second. A brief, involuntary dip in his balance that he corrected just in time, locking his muscles in place before he could actually collapse.

Elex didn’t notice.

Because of course he didn’t.

He just kept talking, laughing, existing, completely unaware that the world around S7en had started to tilt dangerously again.

That the sounds of the arcade were beginning to blur into a low, distant hum.

That every inhale was tighter, shallower, harder to take in.

That S7en, for the first time all day, wasn’t sure if he could keep this up.

A single thought forced its way through the haze.

You’re not gonna make it to the party.

The arcade was a neon-lit blur, the pounding music and overlapping voices slamming into his skull like a hammer to glass. His fever had reached new, unbearable heights, making the room feel hot and cold all at once, the flashing lights too bright, the noise too much.

And still—he kept moving.

Elex was having the time of his life, completely in his element, button-mashing through some fighting game like it was a life-or-death battle. S7en barely processed what was happening, just stood there, hands shoved into his hoodie pocket, rocking slightly on his heels to keep himself upright.

The floor tilted beneath him again, nausea coiling tight in his stomach.

Just a little longer.

Just a little—

“Dude, you’re terrible at this,” Elex announced, nudging him toward the machine. “Come on, you gotta play at least once. Birthday rules.”

S7en knew if he sat down, he wasn’t getting back up.

But Elex was staring at him now, actually looking at him, and S7en had to move, had to do something, had to make sure Elex didn’t catch on.

So he shrugged, smirked through the absolute exhaustion dragging at his limbs, and picked up the controller.

The match was a disaster.

His hands were too shaky, his reflexes too slow, but somehow—somehow—he made it through without drawing too much attention.

By the time they left the arcade, the sun had begun to set, and the cool air should have felt refreshing. Instead, it only made his fever chills worse.

S7en barely made it through the door before he was shrugging off his hoodie, the fabric sticking to his overheated skin. His t-shirt underneath was just as bad, suffocating, but Elex was already grabbing beers from the fridge, completely unaware of the absolute train wreck standing behind him.

Elex tossed one over without looking.

“Happy birthday to me,” he announced, cracking his open. “Now drink, coward.”

S7en caught the can out of reflex, but the thought of alcohol sent an immediate wave of nausea rolling through him. He hesitated, fingers tightening around the cold metal, trying to psych himself up.

If he refused, Elex would notice.

So he lifted it, took a sip—

And nearly gagged.

The second the liquid hit his throat, his stomach flipped violently, his body rejecting it on instinct. He swallowed it down, forcing his expression to stay neutral, relaxed, normal, but the warmth rising in his throat told a different story.

Fuck.

The carbonation burned going down, only agitating his raw, sore throat further. He barely contained a cough, throat clenching as he forced himself to lower the can casually, like nothing was wrong.

Mercifully, Elex had already turned away, completely distracted by his phone buzzing on the counter.

“Rex?” he muttered, before picking up.

S7en exhaled silently, relief cutting through the fever haze.

“Yo, what’s up?” Elex answered, tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder as he grabbed his keys.

S7en barely processed the conversation, his focus slipping in and out as Elex and Rexar started talking about car problems, something about the transmission, something about a weird noise.

Then, finally—finally—Elex headed for the door.

“I’m gonna check my car while I talk him through this,” he said, already halfway outside. “Don’t drink all my beer while I’m gone.”

S7en barely managed a smirk, lifting the can in mock cheers as the door swung shut.

The second the lock clicked, his whole body gave up.

The first cough was immediate, tearing through his chest with enough force to make him double over against the counter. The sound crashed through the empty kitchen, harsh and unrestrained, his body finally allowed to react after an entire day of suppression.

Then another. And another.

It was unstoppable now, his body making up for all the times he’d held it back, a brutal mix of hacking, gasping coughs and desperate, shuddering sneezes.

"Hh—hhAHH’Tschh! Hhh—! HhhAHH—! HAHDT’tchhhiew!! Hhh! AHHDT’tschhhiu!!"

His body jerked forward with each one, raw, painful, messy—his breath barely catching before another slammed into him. His hand scrambled blindly for his phone, barely able to see through fever-glazed eyes as he pulled up his contact list.

The party. The guests. He needed to check the plans.

He hit the first name.

Freya.

Her face appeared on screen, and the second the call connected, she took one look at him and frowned.

"Geezus, S7en. You look like death.”

S7en sniffled hard, rubbing at his nose with his wrist, attempting to smirk, but it came out more like a grimace.

“Damn, angel, don’t hold back,” he rasped.

Freya narrowed her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Are you seriously still running this party?"

"Obviously."

"You can barely hold your damn phone up."

S7en rolled his eyes, regretted it immediately when the movement made his head swim. "I’m good."

Freya looked like she wanted to reach through the screen and shake him, but before she could argue, another rapid-fire sneezing fit tore through him, leaving him breathless and hunched forward over the counter.

"Hhh! HAH—hhAHDT'shhiiew!! hHh—! HhHPTT’tchhiEW!! hh—! HAHHDT’tchhIEEW!!”

Freya just stared.

Then—flatly: “Uh-huh. Sure. You sound great.”

S7en groaned, sniffling thickly as he waved her off.

"Look, just—are we still good for eight? I don’t have time for a lecture.”

She sighed, clearly not thrilled, but nodded. "Yeah. Everything’s set."

"Good. See you then."

And with that, he ended the call before she could press him further.

Next.

Kriia picked up on the second ring.

And just like Freya, she took one look at him and immediately frowned.

"Yo. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Evening to you, too," he muttered, sniffling into his sleeve.

"You look like you lost a fight. With, like. A bus."

S7en snorted, regretted it instantly as another cough tore through his chest, sending a sharp, tearing pain through his ribs.

Kriia’s expression shifted, concern settling in. "Dude. Are you sure you should be doing this?"

S7en waved her off before she could start, ignoring the way his vision blurred at the edges.

"It’s Elex’s birthday. I’m not ruining it.”

Kriia exhaled slowly, like she was debating whether to fight him on this. But in the end, she just muttered, "Your funeral, man," before confirming the plans.

S7en ended the call and dropped his phone onto the counter, fingers digging into the surface as another wave of dizziness hit.

The door clicked open again.

Shit.

His body snapped upright on instinct, throat still burning, lungs still raw, but Elex was already stepping inside, phone tucked away, beer still in hand.

"Apparently Rex’s transmission’s fucked," he muttered, completely unaware of what had just happened.

S7en forced a half-smirk, voice barely above a whisper.

"Tough break."

Elex flopped onto the couch.

"Whatever. Commute’s gonna be shit, though."

S7en swallowed hard, ignoring the fire in his chest.

"Yeah," he murmured.

Everything was too hot, too loud, too sharp at the edges. His body was dragging, fever weighing him down like cement blocks strapped to his limbs, but the worst part was his head. It was pounding relentlessly, a deep, throbbing ache that had settled right behind his eyes, making his vision swim every time he moved too fast.

And yet—he still almost forgot the damn restaurant reservations.

It wasn’t until Elex, now two beers deep, kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and stretched like he had no plans to move for the rest of the night that it finally hit him.

Shit.

"Alright, get up," S7en said, standing way too fast. The floor tilted. He gritted his teeth, planted his feet, forced himself to stay upright. "We got dinner reservations."

Elex blinked at him, caught mid-yawn. "Wait—what?"

S7en sighed, rolling his eyes like his head wasn’t spinning in slow, miserable circles. "You really thought I wasn’t taking you out for dinner? What kind of boyfriend would I be?"

That earned him a grin, lazy and smug. "Damn. I really am the best."

S7en snorted. "Uh-huh. Now get your shoes on."

And just like that, the plan was back on track.

As long as S7en didn’t pass out before they got there.

The drive was a blur.

S7en shouldn’t have been driving. He knew that.

His vision swam every time he shifted lanes, his hands felt unsteady on the wheel, and every time he blinked, his fever-hazed brain took just a little too long to process what was in front of him.

But if he let Elex drive, that meant questions. That meant attention. That meant a risk he couldn’t afford to take.

So he forced his fingers to grip the wheel tighter, focused on the road like his life depended on it.

Which, honestly, it probably did.

By the time they pulled into the restaurant parking lot, his knuckles were white from how hard he’d been holding on.

Just a little longer.

Except—when they got inside, it all went to hell.

S7en barely processed what the hostess was saying at first, his fever-glazed brain lagging behind reality.

“…I’m really sorry about the mix-up, but unfortunately, we don’t have a reservation under that name.”

S7en blinked. "…What?"

The hostess winced. "It looks like there was an error in our system, and we’re completely booked for the night."

Elex frowned, looking at S7en. "Didn’t you book this, like, a week ago?"

"Yeah," S7en rasped, throat raw, jaw tightening. He turned back to the hostess, forcing himself to stay calm. "So… what’s the wait time?"

She gave an awkward smile.

"About two hours."

S7en nearly laughed out of sheer exhaustion.

Elex sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Welp. Guess we’re going home, then."

And for the first time all day, luck was on S7en’s side.

Because that was exactly what he needed to happen.

He gave the hostess a half-hearted nod before turning back toward the door, shoulders tense, every muscle aching.

Fine. Home it was.

S7en still should not have been driving.

His head was swimming, the world tilting at the edges, but he was too stubborn, too deep into the lie to stop now.

Elex, meanwhile, was perfectly content, reclining in the passenger seat like he hadn’t a single care in the world. "Honestly, I wasn’t that hungry anyway," he mused. "Good call, though. The universe clearly wants me to have homemade pizza instead."

S7en made a noise that might have been agreement, though it came out more like a weak exhale.

His grip on the wheel was tight, too tight, but he didn’t trust himself to loosen his fingers without them shaking.

Then—a problem.

The congestion that had been building behind his eyes all day shifted suddenly, sending a sharp, burning tickle straight through his sinuses.

His breath hitched violently, the urge to sneeze crashing into him like a tidal wave.

No. Not now. Not while driving.

He swallowed hard, pressing his tongue to the roof of his mouth, clenching his jaw so tightly it hurt. His fingers flexed against the wheel, breath quivering, trying desperately to force it back down.

It wasn’t working.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

His vision blurred, breath stuttering, but just as his body jerked forward involuntarily, he lunged for the volume knob on the radio, cranking it up just in time.

"Hh’NGXT! K’tshhh!—h’NNgch!"

The pressure made his ears ring, his head throb twice as hard, but Elex didn’t even flinch.

"Okay, why the hell is the music so loud now?"

S7en sniffled subtly, shifting in his seat. "Needed to wake myself up."

Elex huffed a laugh. "Damn. Didn’t know dinner cancellation trauma hit you that hard."

S7en forced a smirk, even as his sinuses screamed in protest. "Devastating."

And then, thankfully, mercifully, they pulled into the apartment lot.

The second the car was in park, S7en let go of the wheel like it had burned him. His fingers were stiff, locked from how tightly he’d been gripping it the whole drive.

Elex stretched, groaning dramatically. "Man, what a weird-ass birthday. Hopefully, the universe has one more surprise left for me."

Yeah.

You have no idea.

S7en forced himself to stand, lungs protesting, vision blurring dangerously for just a moment.

Almost there.

He just had to get inside.

Just a few more steps.

Just a little—

His breath hitched again, and he clenched his jaw, swallowing it down.

Not yet.

Not until he was alone.

S7en barely made it through the door before chaos erupted.

“SURPRISE!”

The apartment exploded with noise—cheering, shouting, laughter—all blending into one deafening wall of sound.

Elex’s reaction was instantaneous.

His fists shot up, body twisting instinctively, already halfway through swinging on whoever had dared to startle him.

For a split second, S7en had a horrifying vision of Freya or Kriia getting decked in the face, but just as Elex’s arm tensed, realization hit.

His narrowed eyes scanned the room, taking in the decorations, the crowd of friends, the drinks already in waiting hands.

Then—he turned to S7en.

That stupid, crooked grin stretched across his face, all sharp teeth and amusement, his previous fight mode already forgotten.

“You little shit,” he muttered, clapping a heavy hand on S7en’s shoulder, shaking him a little. “You actually got me.”

S7en barely held back a grimace at the sudden contact, his body thrumming with exhaustion, but he forced himself to grin through it.

“Told you your birthday instincts were trash,” he rasped, barely audible over the noise.

Elex laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah—okay, you win.”

The moment should have felt like victory.

And in a way, it did.

S7en had done it. The party had come together exactly how he planned, every detail falling into place just as he had imagined.

He had made it.

But as the music turned up, as drinks started passing between hands, as people settled into the celebration, S7en realized—

He still had to survive the rest of the night...

By the time everyone had arrived, the apartment was a perfect mix of chaos and celebration.

Music blasted. Drinks flowed. Elex was in his element, soaking up the attention, grinning like an idiot as his friends hyped him up.

S7en stayed near the edges, tucked into the background, letting the night move around him.

Everything felt far away, like he was watching the party from the other side of a glass wall. The fever had dragged him into a dreamlike haze, every noise muffled, every movement just slightly out of sync.

Still, he could see Elex—laughing, teasing, play-fighting with Rexar over some inside joke about "Toad Biscuit" merch.

The night blurred around him—colors bleeding together, laughter twisting into an indistinct hum, the weight of the room pressing down too heavy, too hot, too much.

S7en had spent the entire day pushing forward, ignoring the way his body was crumbling beneath him.

This was the last thing.

Just one more step.

One more task.

Someone called for cake.

The words barely registered, muffled beneath the fever’s grip, but his body moved on instinct.

S7en stepped toward the table, striking a match with trembling fingers.

The tiny flicker of fire blurred before his eyes, swaying unnaturally, and it took him a second too long to realize—it wasn’t the flame that was moving.

It was him.

The floor lurched beneath him like the ground had been ripped out from under his feet.

His chest tightened—seized—refused to expand.

A sharp, deafening ringing filled his ears.

His vision tilted violently, everything twisting into a warped, spinning mess of distorted colors and movement.

Far away—too far away—he could hear Elex’s voice, lighthearted, distracted, still caught up in the conversation, still completely unaware.

S7en tried to step forward—to finish what he started, to keep going, to keep standing—

But his knees buckled.

His breath stuttered dangerously, shallow and weak, his body losing the battle he had forced it to fight all day.

And then—

Elex’s voice sharpened, cut through the fog.

Something in his tone shifted—not joking anymore, not distracted anymore.

Alarm.

Realization.

“Wait—Sven!?”

Elex saw it happening.

But he was too far.

He was on the other side of the room, still surrounded by people, still grinning one second ago, still completely oblivious to just how wrong things were.

Then he turned.

And his stomach dropped.

He saw it—the way S7en swayed violently, the way his fingers slipped, the way his breath hitched in a way that had nothing to do with laughter.

His body was giving out.

Too fast.

Too soon.

Elex moved instantly, shoving through the crowd, but he was too late.

S7en’s body tilted forward, his orange eyes rolling back slightly.

The match slipped from his fingers, flame snuffing out before it even hit the ground.

His legs crumpled.

And before Elex could reach him—before anyone could react—

S7en hit the floor.

S7en drifted somewhere between consciousness and nothingness, floating in the thick, fevered haze of half-awareness. His body felt heavy, his limbs like lead, his chest wrapped in tight, suffocating bands that wouldn’t let him breathe fully.

He could hear voices.

Familiar, but distant—like sound carried through waterlogged fabric, muffled and uneven.

Then, one voice cut through the haze, clear and sharp.

“His blood oxygen was at eighty-one percent when they brought him in.”

That was bad. Even he knew that was bad.

A sigh—low, exasperated, but not surprised.

Elex.

“Geezus fuck,” he muttered, voice strained with something tired, frustrated, guilty.

The other voice—a woman’s—continued speaking, firm but calm, the kind of voice used to dealing with stubborn, repeat offenders.

“He has pretty severe pneumonia," she said, matter-of-fact. "You’re lucky he passed out when he did. If he’d stayed upright much longer, he probably would’ve just stopped breathing entirely.”

S7en didn’t have to see Elex’s face to know exactly what expression he was making.

Jaw clenched.

Hand rubbing over his face.

That rare moment when Elex wasn’t just annoyed, but genuinely upset.

And not at anyone else.

At himself.

S7en could practically hear the weight settle in his voice when he muttered, “…I should’ve noticed.”

The woman—whose voice was familiar in a way that took too much effort to place—sighed through her nose, not unkind, but firm.

"Yeah," she agreed bluntly. "You should have."

A pause.

Then—paper rustling, the sound of something being shifted from one hand to another.

“These are his prescriptions,” she continued. “Antibiotics, steroids, inhalers—we’re trying these this time. Make sure he actually takes them.”

That voice.

The realization hit sluggishly.

ER nurse.

He knew her.

She had been there every time he’d landed himself in this exact same situation.

Enough times to know him by name.

God, that was embarrassing.

Elex sighed again, and S7en could hear the distinct crinkle of the paper bag as he took it from her.

His voice was quieter this time. Tired. Guilty.

“I got it,” he murmured.

Another pause.

Then—her voice softened just slightly.

“Just… be more observant next time, yeah?”

No sharpness now, just gentle warning.

“Could be worse, next time.”

No argument. No defensive retort.

Just the quiet sound of Elex nodding.

S7en wanted to laugh.

If only he had the breath for it.

After a moment, a long, heavy sigh broke through the silence.

Then—the soft creak of a chair being dragged across the tile.

S7en felt more than heard Elex drop into the seat next to his hospital bed, elbows resting on his knees, the weight of exhaustion settling into his frame.

Then came the sound of both hands dragging down his face, a quiet but telling frustration behind it.

S7en almost would’ve gotten away with pretending to still be asleep.

Almost.

Except—his damn ear twitched.

Elex caught it immediately.

"I know you’re awake, dumbass," he muttered, voice low and uncharacteristically gentle.

S7en hesitated.

Then, slowly, he cracked his eyes open, squinting against the harsh fluorescent light overhead. The world swam for a moment before settling, and when his vision finally focused, the first thing he saw was Elex watching him.

Worried. Tired. Like he’d just come back from a war he hadn’t even realized he was fighting.

S7en’s ears flattened instinctively in embarrassment, a quiet flicker of shame settling in his chest.

The room was small, sterile, impersonal—the same goddamn hospital he had spent far too much time in over the years.

And the weight of his failure hit him all at once.

This wasn’t how tonight was supposed to go.

A shift in his nose made him suddenly aware of the cannula, delivering pure oxygen to his wasted lungs.

His fingers twitched, reaching up to pull it off, but Elex’s hand was there first—firm but gentle, gripping his forearm.

"Don’t," Elex said softly.

S7en stilled, swallowing hard, ears pinning further against his head.

A beat of silence.

Then, in the same quiet, unusually careful voice, Elex asked,

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

S7en hated how much that question hurt.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at Elex. Instead, he dropped his gaze to his lap, claws absently picking at the thin hospital blanket.

"I—" He stopped, voice raw, barely above a whisper. He swallowed, trying again.

"I didn’t want to be the reason your birthday sucked…"

Elex stiffened slightly.

S7en continued, ears still pressed flat, tail curling closer to himself.

"I worked so hard to make it perfect," he muttered, barely breathing the words. "And after everything, we’re still here. Another—" his voice wavered, thick with frustration, "another claustrophobic, shitty little hospital room."

Silence.

S7en braced himself for Elex to be pissed. For the usual snark, sarcasm, maybe even an exasperated rant.

But instead—

Elex sighed, slow and deep, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer than S7en had ever heard it.

"Dude. I don’t give a shit about some stupid party."

S7en blinked, glancing up at him hesitantly.

Elex ran a hand through his messy, dark green hair, shaking his head. "You really think I care about that more than you literally—collapsing in front of me?" His voice wavered slightly, jaw clenching before he forced it back down.

S7en didn't know what to say.

Elex exhaled sharply, leaning forward, forearms resting on his knees.

"I should’ve noticed." The words came out quiet, guilty. "I mean, fuck, you looked awful all day. I just—I was too caught up in my own bullshit to pay attention."

S7en shook his head weakly, ears twitching. "Not your fault."

"Not entirely," Elex agreed, mouth quirking slightly. Then, more serious, "But you’ve gotta stop doing this, man."

S7en swallowed, feeling suddenly very small.

"You don’t have to—I don’t know—carry everything yourself," Elex continued, voice softer now, tired but firm. "It’s okay to tap out sometimes. Party or not."

S7en hesitated.

Then—finally—he met Elex’s gaze.

And what he saw there wasn’t annoyance, or frustration, or the usual bullshit banter.

It was genuine concern.

That made something tighten in his chest in a way that had nothing to do with pneumonia.

The corner of Elex’s mouth twitched into something softer, and after a pause, he added,

"By the way, next time you try to fake being fine, maybe don’t fucking pass out in the middle of a party. Kinda ruins the illusion."

Despite himself, despite everything, S7en huffed a weak, breathless laugh.

"Noted."

Elex rolled his eyes, but there was no heat behind it.

And for the first time all day, S7en finally let himself relax.

The end 🖤

36 notes · View notes

aller-geez · 1 year ago

Text

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

IM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME A FEW DAYS TO READ THIS BUT UGHHHHHHHHH HOLY SHITTT

The absolute raw emotion you can seriously feel throughout the whole fic is seriously impressive, and MY POOR BABY BOY, SVEN 😭😭😭

And ugh I love it when Sven goes feral and starts dirty talking a snzy Elex? Jesus fucking Christ

Cherophobic

A Sven and Elex Canon Snz Fic

⚠️Content Warning⚠️

Angst, Drugs, Emotional Abuse, Make up Sex,

Domestic Dysfunction, Casual Cold Insert

Description: Elex is withdrawing, he can’t pick up and Sven wants to make their house a home. Elex cracks under pressure and goes on a 3 day bender, and when he comes home, he suffers the worst of it.

Author’s Notes: I wanted something painful this time >:) @aller-geez owns Sven and did the art! It’s not my usual sicky fic, but its definitely been on my mind to write~

Elex shot up from his sleeping position in bed, sweating, head throbbing, his body trembling. He was hot and somehow cold at the same time. His normally numbed demeanor completely swallowed by a sense of hopelessness and anxiety.

Elex cautiously scanned the room, his bleary eyes darting across every corner as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Sven was nowhere to be found. Panic washed over Elex like a tsunami, amplifying the already pounding headache. He couldn't afford to let Sven see him in this state of withdrawal — it would shatter the image of invincibility he had carefully cultivated.

Biting his lip, Elex mustered every ounce of self-control he had left and staggered towards the mirrored cabinet in the corner of the room. His trembling hands fumbled with the latch until it finally swung open, revealing an array of neatly organized toiletries and medications. He scoured through the contents desperately, hoping to find a hidden stash of cocaine that would temporarily soothe his torment.

To his dismay, there was nothing. Elex cursed under his breath, realizing that his earlier vow to quit had left him void of any reserves. No longer able to rely on the drug for relief of his symptoms.

Elex's heart pounded against his chest as he clutched his sternum, he felt like it was going to explode out of his body, he was short of breath and everything was just heavy. The weight of his addiction bore down on him, its grip tightening with every passing moment.

Feeling the walls closing in around him, Elex stumbled towards the bathroom, his movements unsteady and his mind clouded by withdrawal. The tiles beneath his feet seemed to shift and twist, mocking his feeble attempts to regain control. Summoning the last remnants of determination, Elex turned on the shower faucet, the sound of rushing water drowning out the chaotic thoughts that threatened to consume him. Steam rose from the cascading liquid, hovering in the air like a protective shield against his demons.

As he stripped off his clothes, Elex caught a glimpse of himself in the fogged-up mirror. Sunken green and brown eyes stared back at him, a mere shadow, could he even say he knew the man staring back at him? The hollow cheeks and trembling hands were stark reminders of his descent into darkness. It was a wonder how Sven stayed beside him, or, hardly noticed.

With each step closer to the shower, Elex's heart pounded louder in his chest, a relentless drumbeat that echoed through his entire being. He stepped under the stream of water and gasped as icy droplets dripped down his heated flesh.

The shock of the hot water jolted Elex's trembling body, momentarily numbing the pain and confusion within him. He stood there, under the cascading liquid, hoping that it would wash away not just the physical dirt, but also the emotional grime that clung to his soul. But no matter how hard he scrubbed or how long he stayed beneath the water's embrace, he knew that the stains on his conscience were far more stubborn.

As he let his mind wander, memories flooded back like fragments of a shattered mirror. He remembered the first time he snorted a line of cocaine, he was a young kid and some older gentleman at the circus, offered it to him. He had been skeptical at first but the old man promised him he could fly, so he did it. He'll never forget how it made him feel invincible and alive. Every promise kept as the adults around him laughed and laughed, and the euphoria was fleeting, a cruel illusion that crumbled as quickly as it had come. And now, here he was, drowning in the aftermath of his own choices. He was a kid, but he blamed himself. He blamed God for taking his mom, and he blamed his dad for being an addict too. He felt set up.

Often times the man just felt like an ultimate failure, and it was only a matter of time before Sven eventually saw through him now that they live together. Lost in his thoughts, Elex heard a gentle clear of the throat, spooked the dark green haired man spun around in the shower, a look of horror and rage on his face.

"Its just me!" Sven raised his hands up defensively. "I thought I heard you up so I came to say Good morning and wanted to know if you would help me decorate the living room today," the cat asked gently, his voice sweet this early and almost like he could sense something was in the air. He was being extra, gentle.

"Uh, Yeah," Elex cleared his own throat turning off the water and grabbing his towel. "That's fine, we can do that," Elex's voice trembled as he spoke, his eyes darting around the room, avoiding Sven's gaze. The guilt and shame washed over him in waves, threatening to drown him. But Sven didn't seem to notice the turmoil raging within Elex; he just smiled and nodded, oblivious to the storm that brewed in his companion's soul.

As Elex dried himself off and got dressed, he couldn't help but feel a flicker of gratitude towards Sven. Despite everything, Sven was there for him, offering his unwavering support and love. It was a rare and precious thing, something that Elex didn't feel deserving of. But perhaps, just perhaps, Sven's presence could be the catalyst for change.

Or perhaps, these symptoms were going to drive him into madness, and fuck everything up. He cringed internally and genuinely hoped he could kick this habit. Sven smiled again to break him from the fog, the other could always certainly tell when he was in his own head. "I'll meet you out there after you get dressed?" he more asked than he was telling the other. The green and brown eyed male nodded.

"Yes, meet you out there," they exchanged loving glances, Sven hesitating but moving in to kiss the badger on his cheek regardless. Then it was just Elex left, shuffling slowly to drag his clothes onto his body. He couldnt even be bothered to do his hair, leaving it a displaced mess, just trying desperately to not throw up or pass out. Or both.

Elex plastered a fake smile on his face as he joined Sven in the living room. The walls were bare, waiting to be adorned with pictures and decorations. Sven hummed happily as he sorted through a box of ornaments, his enthusiasm almost contagious if the badger didn't feel like literal walking death. Elex wished he could feel even a fraction of that joy, but all he felt was the gnawing craving for his next fix and deep visceral hatred for himself.

As they worked side by side, Elex couldn't help but steal glances at Sven. How could someone be so pure, so full of light? The contrast between them was stark—Sven, with his vibrant orange and teal colored locks and sparkling orange orbs, emanated an aura of hopefulness, while Elex stood there, a shadow of a man overwhelmed by his own demons.

As they hung the first picture frame on the wall, Elex's hand trembled. He clenched his fist tightly to hide the telltale sign of withdrawal. The voice inside his head whispered seductively to just leave, go get more, just leave. Go get more. His left eye twitched and in the moment he went to set the frame on the nail, it slipped, missed, fell and shattered onto the floor beneath him. That. That is all it took.

"ARE YOU FUCKIN KIDDING ME?!" Elex shouted at the top of his lungs, he stomped his foot and reach down grabbing the now broken frame, hucking it further across the room at their living room wall. It snapped into several more smaller pieces, and left a decent sized dent upon the impact spot. Sven stood there for a moment, quietly before his face just fell and he looked over at Elex.

"What the fuck was that?" Sven's voice trembled with a mixture of surprise and concern. He had never seen Elex lose control like this before. The shattered pieces of the picture frame lay scattered on the floor, mirroring the brokenness that now consumed their once peaceful living room.

Elex's breath came in ragged gasps as he tried to steady himself. His hands shook uncontrollably as he struggled to find the words to explain his outburst. His mind raced, searching for an excuse, a justification for his destructive actions. But deep down, he knew there was none. There was only his addiction, his anger, and the mounting desperation that threatened to consume him whole, but admitting it meant admitting defeat. He couldnt do that. He couldnt let Sven know how weak he was, how weak he'd been.

Sven took a cautious step forward, his eyes filled with a mix of worry and sadness. "Elex," he began softly, his voice laced with tenderness, "what's going on? You're pretty normally a living breathing walking lump of anger but this is something new entirely," trying to lighten up the mood a bit with a joke, but it only seemed to make the badger shy further away from him.

Elex turned away from Sven's gaze, unable to bear the disappointment he knew he bestowed upon his mate. This was a disaster. Sven didn't deserve this, he didn't deserve anything of this, he was far too broken for the man to have to deal with. He should be young, enjoying his new home and loving life. Elex was clearly just dragging him down, and further away from his dreams. "I think we need to break up..."

Sven's eyes widened in shock, his mouth agape as he stared at Elex. His heart sank, and a heavy silence settled between them. The air became thick with the weight of Elex's words, suffocating any hopes of happiness that had filled the room earlier. What was this? What had he done? It had been a full year without either of them wanting to break up and run but, this was out of the blue. This, Sven couldnt see coming unlike the rest.

Tears welled up in Sven's eyes as he struggled to find his voice. "What? Why? We just bought a house together what do you MEAN you want to breakup...?" he managed to speak with full composure, trying his own best not to freak out, his voice trembling with a mix of pain and confusion. The vibrant colors that once adorned Sven's world dimmed, replaced by a dark cloud of uncertainty.

Elex turned to face Sven, his own eyes glassy with unshed tears. "I can't do this anymore," he choked out, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't know what to say truthfully, he froze before he looked away again, tears now falling down his brown and cream colored cheeks. "I hate this whole...Domestic shit, Sven, I want....I want..." His eyebrows furrowed and his face reddened as he did his best to sell the performance. "I want my freedom back, I dont want to be here anymore I'm....leaving," swiftly the man worked to move and get a bag packed hoping to avoid having to hurt Sven any further verbally. Yet, the cat wasnt one to just let the badger off like that, absolutely not. Theyd been together how long and now that theyre FINALLY settling into their new home, he wants to leave?

Sven's heart shattered into a million pieces as he watched Elex pack his bags. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, what he was seeing. This couldn't be happening. They had built a life together, shared dreams and aspirations. How could Elex just throw it all away?

Desperation flooded Sven's veins, and he reached out, grabbing Elex's arm in an attempt to stop him. "No, please," Sven pleaded, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "Don't do this. We can work through whatever it is that's troubling you. I love you, Elex. I can't imagine my life without you, stop packing come on..."

Elex's eyes welled up with tears as he looked into Sven's pleading gaze. The pain in Sven's voice tore at his heart, but he knew deep down that this was for the best. He couldn't bear to drag Sven down any further with his addiction, with his self-destructive tendencies. "NO, Sven, I'm DONE, Leave me alone," painfully, he ripped the cat off his arm and shoved him away. Sven stumbled backwards, as if he couldnt feel any more broken apart, he fell to his knees.

Elex stood there, his chest heaving with ragged breaths, his eyes filled with anguish as he watched Sven crumble before him. The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, suffocating any semblance of hope that had once existed between them. The truth was, Elex hated himself for what he was doing. But he couldn't bear to see Sven suffer any longer, to witness the destruction that followed in his wake.

Sven looked up at Elex, his eyes pooling with tears as he whispered brokenly, "Why are you doing this? What did I do to deserve this?"

Elex's heart shattered further as he gazed upon the one he loved more than anything in the world. The raw pain etched on Sven's face tore at his soul, but he knew it was necessary. "It's not about you," Elex whispered hoarsely, his voice laced with a mixture of sorrow and regret.

"You can't give me that shit!" Sven screamed finally snapping behind the emotions that over took him. Elex finished packing his bag, grabbed his wallet, keys and as he headed for the front door, Sven reached over and grabbed a picture frame, it housed a photograph of them two in the realty office after purchasing their home. The cat chucked it at the other male, it just barely missed him and cracked into the door ahead of him instead. "Dont EVER come back here, don't EVER call me again, this is your decision? Fine! Don't think I'll be here when you finally wake up!"

Elex stood frozen in the doorway, his heart torn between the love he still felt for Sven and the determination to protect him from the darkness that consumed him. An agonizing silence settled between them, heavy with unspoken words and broken promises.

With a heavy sigh, Elex turned away from Sven's devastated gaze and stepped out into the cold night. The wind whipped through his fur as he walked aimlessly down the empty streets, his mind filled with regrets and what-ifs. For so long, he had tried to fight his demons alone, to shield Sven from the darkness that threatened to swallow him whole. But now, in this moment of painful clarity, he realized that his love for Sven meant letting go.

The cat completely fell apart, his face in his hands, sobbing uncontrollably as his whole world completely changed in the matter of an hour. What happened? What could he have done to prevent this?

There was nothing Elex could do to comfort the other, he couldnt make this go away, his addictions were who he was, they were apart of him and they would drag down and destroy anyone who stood too close. He loved Sven, he TRULY, loved Sven. That was his soulmate, his person, and he would be DAMNED, completely fucking damned, if he let it destroy him too. Not after everything the guy had suffered through, the circus, the competing for affections, no, his Sven deserved the best. He knew he'd be okay, he'd find that love again. Nothing what they share, but it'd be good enough.

Elex pulled out his phone and quickly dialed his dealer. "Hey bro, can you come pick me up?" The wind howled outside, a stark contrast to the deafening silence that now filled the once-happy home. Sven's sobs echoed through the empty rooms, a heart-wrenching sound that tore at Elex's heart he could hear it echo from the sidewalk outside. He knew this was for the best, but it didn't make the pain any less unbearable.

While he waited for his dealer to arrive, Elex couldn't help but second-guess his decision. Was he really doing the right thing? Would Sven be better off without him? A million questions swirled in his mind, but he knew there were no easy answers.

When his dealer finally arrived, Elex quickly got into the car and began digging for his wallet. He didn't bother to look back, didn't want to see the devastation he had left behind. This was his only option. "So you tryna reup brother?" His dealer asked, while they drove away from the house now.

"Yeah you got me on a ball?" Elex pulled his wallet out and began to shuffle through the bills inside.

"Yeah bro, good shit too," his homie stuck out his fist as if silently asking for a fist nudge, Elex met his fist in with his own and smirked, trying to hide any evidence of the horrible night he was experiencing. They sped off into the night, Elex digging around his dealer's bag to pull out an already weighed out baggie. "That's it," the man said looking between the road and Elex. "Thats gonna blow your mind bro I swear," followed with a laugh.

The badger stayed relatively quiet as he began to dig out a quick bump with one of his many useless keys attached to the ring. He'd totaled his car a few months ago in a not at fault accident and hadnt gotten the insurance money back to replace it yet. So for now the key that once made it drive, was used to get him going tonight instead.

In that moment, all Elex could think about was escaping the pain that consumed him, numbing himself to the world around him. He needed to forget, even if just for a little while, shoveling the white substance into his nose while his buddy and supplier kept to their destination. He threw his head back and his eyes rolled into his skull as the rush hit him "FUCK...!" Elex let out a dramatic sigh, shaking his head back and forth as the drug empowered him and sunk into his erratic veins. "Shit's SO good," Elex's chuckle is heavy and forced, masking any true emotion he may be feeling. But as he snorts, a loud, wet, guttural sound escapes his throat, trying to absorb any remaining powder lingering in his nasal passages.

The car pulled up to a rundown building, its windows covered in grime and its entrance cloaked in shadows. This was Elex's safe haven—a place where he could temporarily bury his sorrows beneath a cloud of smoke and artificial euphoria. "Told ya," his dealer replied, opening his door and turning the key off from the ignition position.

As they stepped out of the car, the chill in the night air sent shivers down Elex's spine, reminding him of the emptiness that now resided within him. He followed his dealer up the cracked concrete steps, the sound of his own footsteps echoing in his ears. The building reeked of decay and desperation, a stark contrast to the life he had been living for the last year, but not unfamiliar territory. This, this was familiar. This is what he knew, how to navigate it, how to live in it, how to deal with it. "Make yourself at home per usual bro, stay as long as you want," the dark haired man spoke as if he had said that line a million times, all too familiar with the comings and goings of his cliental.

As they entered the dimly lit room, Elex's eyes scanned the familiar faces huddled in corners, lost souls seeking solace in their vices. He approached a table cluttered with drug paraphernalia, taking a seat next to a woman whose hollow gaze mirrored his own despair. She offered him a sympathetic smile, her lips stained with the remnants of her addiction.

With trembling hands, Elex prepared another dose, trying to ignore the voice inside his head that whispered of self-destruction. The high washed over him like a tidal wave, momentarily lifting the weight of his heartache. He did the right thing. Well so, he kept trying to convince himself of it.

Meanwhile, Sven, was two bottles of Chardonnay in, laying on the floor of, what was, their, kitchen. His phone lay across from him, off silent, volume on high, even vibration on. Just incase. He knew what he said, but still hoped Elex would cross that boundary and call him.

They'd had moments like this a lot when they were teens. Mostly back when Elex was struggling to even accept the fact he loved Sven, but it hadn't been this raw in a long time. He was worried. Sick. What was it this time? Was it still the drugs? Was it someone else? Did they simply out grow each other? At this point, the tears had stopped falling, and the numbness was kicking in. He stared from across the floor at the thin side profile of the device. Should he call? It had been two hours, he should right? Maybe it was just a rough day...?

Elex loved him, he said so. The cat sat up, his head spun as he realized the effects of alcohol were setting in. Sven reached for his phone, his fingers fumbling to unlock the screen that displayed a sleeping photo of his now ex lover. His heart pounded in his chest as he dialed Elex's number, praying that he would answer. The seconds stretched into an eternity as the phone rang on the other end, each ring amplifying Sven's anxiety. Then it sent him to voicemail, and as the dial tone told him to record his message, he hung up and dropped the device to the floor again.

Sven lay back on the cold kitchen tile, his thoughts swirling in a hazy mix of anger and sadness. He couldn't understand how things had come to this, how their love had unraveled so quickly. The pain of their separation was suffocating, threatening to consume him whole. He couldn't understand how Elex could just walk away like this, leaving him in this state of uncertainty and heartache. The tears welled up in his eyes again, blurring his vision as he struggled to regain control over his emotions.

As the night wore on, Sven found himself sinking deeper into a dark abyss of loneliness and self-doubt. He had always believed that Elex was his soulmate, the one person who truly understood him. But now, he questioned everything. Was their love not enough? Had he become a burden to Elex, driving him to seek solace in anything else?

Three Days Later.....

Sven lay in bed, his body heavy with exhaustion. The past few days had been a blur of tears and sleepless nights, but today was different. Today was the first day he could get out of bed. He felt a flicker of hope stirring within him, a tiny spark of determination to pick up the shattered pieces of his heart and move forward.

Slowly, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and let his feet touch the cold wooden floor. The room was bathed in a soft morning light that filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the scattered remnants of their life together. Sven took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of Elex that still lingered in the air.

With every step, he made his way through their home, each corner echoing with memories of their shared laughter and whispered promises. The kitchen felt especially empty without Elex's presence, and Sven's heart twisted at the sight of the abandoned wine bottles on the floor. Had he really not come in here since the badger left? He couldn't tell anyone the last time he had eaten.

Without a second thought, Sven walked over to the kitchen counter and rummaged through the cabinets, searching for something to eat. His stomach growled in protest, a reminder of the neglect it had endured in the past few days. He settled on a box of cereal, pouring it into a bowl with shaky hands, followed by a decent amount of milk to boot. As he took his first spoonful, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Elex had always been the one who made breakfast for them, his eggs benedict and homemade hollandaise sauce, unmatched. The short time the criminal had worked at the high end Old folks home out in Hollywood, had taught the badger a thing or two about fine breakfast cuisine. Sven missed it. Missed wrapping his arms around the green haired male while he cooked.

As Sven continued to eat, he allowed his mind to wander back to the events leading up to their separation. The arguments, the lies, the distance that grew between them—all of it still felt fresh and raw. He wondered if there was anything he could have done differently, if he could have fought harder for their love. But deep down, he knew that love alone cannot fix everything. He sighed, finishing up his bowl and pushing it to the sink. "I need to be productive today...shower I should shower..." The cat muttered, as he dragged himself to the bathroom, feeling the weight of his emotions pressing down on him with every step as he entered the space.

He turned on the water, adjusting it to the perfect temperature before stepping under the cascading stream. The water washed away his tears and the remnants of his sorrow, offering a temporary respite from the pain that consumed him. As he lathered shampoo into his hair, Sven's mind wandered back to Elex. He wondered where he was now, what he was doing, if he was thinking about Sven as much as Sven was thinking about him. But amidst the questions and doubts, a flicker of determination ignited within Sven. He vowed to himself that he would not let this heartbreak define him.

Meanwhile...

Elex woke up under an overpass, the sound of cars whizzing overhead barely bringing him to consciousness. Slowly, he sat up as his duo colored eyes blinked excessively to adjust his vision from sleep mode to awake. The realization of his surroundings hit him like a punch to the gut. He had fallen so far, both figuratively and literally. The nights merged into one another, a haze of intoxication and despair, and now here he was --homeless, penniless, and alone. Why wasn't he at his dealer's house? That was the last thing he really remembered...he shook his head slowly, rubbing the butt of his palm across his forehead trying his best to remember anything from the past few days let alone hours.

He reached into his pocket, feeling the crumpled paper that had been left for him the night before. Unfolding it, he read the hastily written message: "Meet me at Duffy's, 5 p.m. - A." Elex's heart skipped a beat. It had been days since he last heard from Sven, and the ache of their separation weighed heavy on his soul. He did not hesitate; he knew he had to go. Despite the fact the initial didn't match Sven's, and the location was a bar, he still set out hope it was his boyfriend, asking him to come home. Elex stood up and quickly looked around for his things, but, alas came up empty handed. He had nothing. Just a small baggy of what coke was left in his pocket and a few crinkled bills.

Elex sighed. "Fuck..." he couldn't even call Sven if he wanted to. Fine. He would just have to walk a few miles to Duffy's and hope that Sven would take him back and he could get help, and replace what he had taken for granted but also completely ruined.

As Elex trudged along the city streets, his mind raced with a mix of anticipation and dread. He couldn't comprehend how he had let things spiral out of control, allowing his addiction to consume him and push away the one person who meant everything to him. Each step felt heavier than the last, mirroring the weight of his guilt and shame.

The journey to Duffy's seemed endless, with every passing minute feeling like an eternity. Elex's mind played tricks on him, conjuring up vivid memories of the moments they shared together – their laughter, their intimate conversations, the warmth of their embrace. It was torture, a constant reminder of what he had lost.

Finally, as the neon sign of Duffy's came into view, Elex's heart skipped a beat. Nervously, he pushed open the door and stepped inside, his eyes scanning the dimly lit bar for any sign of Sven. A pang of disappointment surged through him when he didn't see his familiar face within the space of the bar. He did, however, see a man raise his arm over at him and beckon him forward. Elex raised a green brow, confused, who was this man?

"Hey gorgeous, good to see you got my note...I got some more shit if you wanna do a little exchange of services...." the man immediately wrapped an arm around the dark skinned man and Elex recoiled quickly.

The Badger pushed the man's arm away, his face contorting with a mix of confusion and annoyance. He had expected to see Sven, not some stranger offering him drugs.

"I'm not here for that," Elex replied sharply, his voice laced with irritation and defense. The man smirked and looked between the two of his buddies.

"Uh, you better be cause you owe me for the crystal I gave you last night," Fuckin hell....meth? He did METH last night? Jesus christ he was off the fucking rails, and he promised this dude sexual favors in exchange? Yup. This was a new low for El. He stood there in silence before long the man got mad and stood up, shoving Elex hard enough to make the dark skinned male fall back a few inches.

"Hey! Asshole!" Elex called out after the man who had just laid hands on him.

"You OWE me!" he repeated himself, now standing to hover over the green haired male. Elex snorted.

"I'd suggest you get the fuck out of my face, because I don't owe you SHIT, and I'd love a chance to gouge your eyes out of your fuckin' skull, try me, bitch," Elex brought up his two flattened palms and shoveled the man not only back but he went toppling over onto his ass.

"Fuck you, I'll kill you," the man scrambled to make himself look and sound tougher than he even really was, Elex had clocked that, and laughed, turning to the bartender. The dude's friends trying to help him up but getting pushed away to save his pride one could assume.

"Yeah can I get a whiskey on the rocks?" the bartender looked at him, then the man on the floor then him again and shrugged his shoulders pouring him the drink. Elex took it, slammed it, and pushed the cup back over to him. "Thanks, he'll pay for it," nudging his head in the direction of the other.

"To hell I will," the man swiftly, came to a standing position on his feet, Elex noticed the other getting up and closer to him. The stranger recoiled before pulling his arm back to lay a punch across the badger. Frankly the dude was unequally matched, Elex, without missing a beat, squats quickly, ducking under the other's fist and popping back up to his left hand side. Then with lighting reflexes, swinging his own fist up and across the assailant's jaw, knocking him back, and out in one fluid motion.

"Again, he's paying, and I'm," he now picked up one of the other glasses on the bar, presumably having belonged to the man he just knocked out, downed it and nodded to the small group. "Gentlemen..."shoveling past anything and anyone that stood in his way of leaving the bar all together. Once he stood outside, the cool night air hit him, and so did the alcohol. His body swayed back and forth, he looked around. "Duffy's isnt too far..." he muttered out loud.

He considered finding a bush, doing the rest of the coke in his pocket and then crawling his way back home but....he couldn't bring himself to even look at the substance. Thankful his body had remained only touched by Sven, he realized just how close he had gotten from losing himself completely. "I have to go home...I have to tell him I'm sorry... I have to fix this...." Elex bit his lower lip and looked down at his hands, the small bag sitting in the middle of his open palm. "I dont need you anymore...I didn't have a life I needed to run away from anymore...I miss him..I miss us...I miss it all...and you were never worth throwing any of that away for..." he huffed through his stuffy nose, the pain in his head reminding him that he had done entirely too many drugs these past few days.

Yet as he crinkled the substance into a fist and threatened to chuck it away, he found himself struggling to find the will to. He stood there, for a few moments, a few moments too long supposedly as the sky turned sour and water began to drip from the sky. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the weight of the baggy in his palm. The pain from his head and the sting of regret threatened to consume him, but there was a glimmer of hope shining through, a faint whisper of redemption calling out to him. The rain had arrived with a vengeance now, lashing down upon him with a furious fury that seemed to echo his own inner turmoil.

Elex stood there, transfixed by the storm, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum. He could feel the cold droplets seep through his clothes, soaking his skin and chilling him to the bone, but he didn't move. His mind was racing, the memories of his past flooding back as the rain washed away the remnants of his misery. He thought of the life he had led, the darkness that had consumed him, and the man he had become. Maybe....maybe just one more hit. He opened his palm to expose the crinkled plastic bag of substance, he looked at it before blinking past wet lashes and pinched it open.

This wasnt an entirely well thought out plan as quickly once the plastic was no longer secured, water found it's way in, consuming whatever remnants of coke remained. Elex stared at the flooded baggie and felt a pang of sadness, but also felt a strange sense of relief wash over him. He knew what he had to choose. Dropping the bag onto the ground, he got back on his feet, and turned toward home. He began to run.

Elex knew he had to leave the darkness of his past behind, and with every step he took, his heart filled with hope. The rain continued to pelt him, but he didn't care. Sven's face and the life they had shared flashed through his mind, and he knew he had to make amends. He felt a newfound determination to find his way back to Sven and to the person he used to be.

As he ran, the rain seemed to clear the air around him, and he felt a strange sense of enlightenment. The darkness that had consumed him for so long began to recede, and he felt lighter with every step. He ran through the streets, his body fueled by the pain of his past and the desire to be better. "Please....Please don't hate me..." he whimpered as he ran.

Finally, Elex reached the house, his heart hammering in his chest. He took a deep breath and prepared himself before raising his fist to knock on the door. He knew what he had to say and he knew he had to make things right, even if it meant admitting his mistakes and confessing his sins. The pain he had caused Sven was unbearable, but he had to face it head-on.

As Elex stood at the door, his gaze fell on the wet pavement, the evidence of his struggle to find redemption. He thought about the man he had been and the man he wanted to be, and he knew he had to make a change. As he lifted his hand to knock, he could almost hear the echoes of the night he had ruined, but he pushed them away. This was his chance to start anew, and he could not let fear stop him. With a trembling fist he began to pound on the door recklessly, taking no note of the headache that was forming in his head, and the tightening of his throat as his body temperature continued to drop from standing out in the rain. The journey alone was at least a 27 minute run.

"Yeah...-...El?" The cat answered the door, holding it open as he stared Elex face to face. They both stood there, almost like they had each seen a ghost, scared to say anything and make the other disappear. "Wha-....What are you doing here?" Clearing his throat, he put on a brave face and stood much straighter. Elex winced. Yeah, he deserved that. He could almost physically see the sudden wall built between them now.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry....Sven please...." the Badger started but was immediately cut off by a raised palm.

"No," Sven went to slam the door but Elex quickly stuck his foot in the crack and grabbed the handle to stop it from doing so.

"Please, Sven..." his voice cracked as he begged the other man to hear him out.

"Why? Why should I Elex? You made me think that everything was going to be okay, and you just fucking, dump me and leave like you used to,"

"Please, Sven, I was scared! You dont get it!" He continued to try and plead his case but it didn’t seem to lighten the cat any as he stood there with a narrowed gaze.

"Enlighten me then, because I deserve that at the least," finally, he crossed his arms across his chest and waited patiently to hear the desperate man out.

"....I never quit....I kept doing cocaine regularly, to keep myself going....I tried to quit," he suddenly got defense throwing his hands up, sniffling loosely as his nose began to slightly tickle and the tension building inside his nostrils started to make itself more known. "But my body...I couldnt work...let alone be there for you..and the house..." he sighed looking down at his feet. He was ashamed, embarrassed. "I've been running away my whole life, whether it be mentally through substances or emotionally through you....I was running..." tears began to well inside of his ducts, silently, falling from the corners of his mint and brown eyes. "So once we were safe....it felt like...it was only a matter of time before I...fucked things up anyway, and you had worked SO hard....Sven....I'm so sorry..." he fell to his knees.

Sven stood there, his eyes locked with Elex's tear-filled gaze. The rain continued to pour down around them, their emotions washing over them like the relentless storm. He felt a mix of anger, hurt, and confusion swirling within him as he watched Elex break down before him.

Sven's heart wavered, a broken man pleading for forgiveness. The anger and hurt that had festered within him the past few days began to soften, replaced by a mix of sympathy and a flicker of hope. He loved Elex, with every fiber of his being, and he couldn't deny that a part of himself. He couldn't deny that every moment since the second he left, he had hoped the grumpy, dark skinned, man would show up at their door again.

But Sven couldn't let himself be swayed so easily. He had been hurt too deeply, betrayed too profoundly. "You expect me to believe you now?" he spat, his voice laced with bitterness. "After everything we had been through, everything you put me through. Tell me, Elex, why should I trust you again?"

Elex looked up at Sven, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with genuine remorse, but also passion. He got back on his two feet and his eyebrows dropped to a furrow. "Because....god fucking damn it, it’s me and you… you and me..." he pointed at each of them with his index finger going back and forth. "It always fucking has been, and I'm an idiot okay? I shouldn't have let the worst fuckin' parts of myself ruin a good thing...so please..." he let out a staggered breath. “Please Sven…I need you…”

Sven's face was a mix of emotions, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of longing for the man he had loved so deeply. He knew he couldn't just let Elex off the hook so easily, but he also couldn't dismiss the burning desire to have Elex back in his life. "So what do we do? Because I can't have you blowing up and running off if next week you happen to decide you don't want to quit,"

"That wont happen" Elex furrowed his brows and crossed his arms over his chest. "I wont let it, I swear, just have an ounce of faith in me,"

"I had more than an ounce, it isn't my fault you threw it away," Sven’s words cut like ice, and the badger ate them as if he deserved it, because he did.

"Please, Sven! Jesus Fucking christ, Please! I'm sorry!" The green hair man was practically in tears as his voice broke, pleading to the part of his ex lover that was still riding for him.

"Elex...." Sven started, trying to look past the badger but only found himself locking eyes with him instead.

"Dont, Don't Sven, come on, baby....." tears welling in his eyes. "Baby please," the pleading was desperate, almost pathetic, it tugged at Sven's heart and he couldn't take it any more, he reached over and grabbed the back of Elex's green locks and kissed him hard with a furious passion, the rain falling aggressively around them.

As their lips met, the weather a eemed to intensify, as if nature itself was reflecting the turbulent emotions that consumed them both. It was a bittersweet kiss, filled with longing, forgiveness, and the unspoken promise of a fresh start. They stood there, locked in an embrace, oblivious to the world around them, Elex’s hands clung to the cat’s three day old shirt.

Eventually, they pulled apart, gasping for air. Sven looked into Elex's tear-streaked face and saw the vulnerability he had longed for. He felt a flicker of hope and a renewed sense of gratitude that his person was back in his arms. Their separation was brief, Sven grabbing his boyfriend by the shirt and pulling himself inside the much warmer home. It wasn't until Elex was no longer standing in the freezing cold weather that he could feel how unwell he was. Between symptoms of withdrawal, and alcohol swimming inside his brain, there was the added factor that he simply felt like garbage. His nose felt tight, full, he was not longer able to breathe through it.

"SndDff," he tried clearing it out, before Sven completely ignored the sympton and pushed their lips back together. The intensity of their kisses grew, with each touch igniting a fire within them. Sven's hands moved feverishly, exploring every inch of Elex's body as if trying to memorize it all over again. The badger responded eagerly, his body yearning for the familiar touch that had been absent for far too long.

But as the passion between them intensified, so did Elex's physical discomfort. His head throbbed relentlessly, and his body felt heavy and weak. The rain continued to pour outside, its rhythmic patter against the windowpane a stark contrast to the storm raging inside him.

Elex broke away from the kiss, gasping for breath. His face was flushed, not only from desire but also from the increasing temperature of his body. He tried to steady himself against Sven's chest, but his legs wobbled beneath him, threatening to give way. Sven pushed his mouth against the other's soft, wet neck, they bother shuddered. Sven's hands, rough and capable, reached out to steady his lover, his touch sending ripples of electricity through Elex's body as he was shoved up against a wall.

He could feel the other's heartbeat, wild and uncontrolled, mirroring his own. The room seemed to grow hotter, the air thick with the scent of sweat, and the dampness that clung to their skin. Sven's lips trailed down Elex's neck, leaving a slew of kisses that caused the other man to moan deep within his slowly closing and irritated throat. God Elex wished he could just fully enjoy the moment but he felt his sinuses throbbing worse through every second he tried to ignore his needs.

Sven's eyes met Elex's pleading ones, and the intensity of their connection was palpable. The raw, unfiltered emotions coursing through them were a testament to the depth of their love and the weight of the pain they had both experienced during their separation. "Is something wrong, El?" The cat asked curiously yet lazily as his hands still started to work his lover's belt and pants, leaving small, wet, loving kisses across his exposed hips and tummy as he descended upon him.

"I-I....n-need to sn-sneeze.." Elex struggled to breathe as Sven continued to overwhelm him with the intensity of his touch. His nose, now an obstacle to his ability to fully enjoy the moment, felt like it was going to pop at any minute. He stared into Sven's eyes, searching for the empathy that had brought them together in the first place, praying that the other man would understand.

But Sven was too consumed by the moment, too focused on their reunion and the physical connection they desperately needed to acknowledge Elex's discomfort. "Mmm then sneeze..." he whispered against the other's flesh. His hands continued to work on Elex's pants, his lips never leaving their destination. The badger could feel the heat radiating from Sven's body, the animal almost too eager to break free from the confines of his own skin.

The pressure in Elex's sinuses grew unbearable. He winced as his eyes watered, each breath he took only serving to remind him of what was coming for him as he hicked and hesitated.

He knew he should say something, but the words wouldn't come. "H-Hih...-.." Elex hitched and writhed. Sven's hands were everywhere, his lips never stopped moving, and the other's body was responding in ways he couldn't control. But the sneeze was building, threatening to burst forth like a volcano, and he knew it couldn't be suppressed much longer.

Suddenly, with a force that caught both of them by surprise, Elex let out a monstrous sneeze. It tore through him like a freight train, his body convulsing violently. Sven instinctively gripped the man's hips tightly, keeping them pinned against the surface of the wall, while the rest of the badger twitched. "H'utTSSCHH'iew!!" Elex's eyes widened and his face contorted in embarrassment and disbelief as the force of the sneeze left him coughing and spluttering, his heart racing in his chest. Particles of spit and virus dusting between the two bodies.

Sven, still holding onto the badger's haunches and leaving softened kisses on each inch of skin stopped, looked up in amusement and only mild concern, his own heart pounding as he tried to discern if his lover was alright. With a gentle hand, he began to stroke Elex's thigh, trying to calm him down and bring him back to reality. "Bless you, that was a big one, hm?" before continuing his motions to free the badger of his pants, cock springing forward, the cat laps at his head, licking it gingerly.

Sven's eyes locked on Elex's, his own filled with a raw, unbridled desire that was as palpable as the air surrounding them. The badger's pleading gaze, coupled with his obvious discomfort, only served to stoke the fire within the cat. He knew his own suffering was only adding fuel to the situation, Sven considered taking it easy, but the erotic energy that coursed between them threatened to overwhelm all reason. He sucks at the other's tip, teasing it.

"Sv-...Sven wait...I'm not feeling well..." he whimpered under the other's heated touch, just wanting to melt beneath him.

"I don't care...I need you..." Sven's eyes flared with passion, and he knew he couldn't hold back any longer. With a growl, he lunged forward, his tongue darting out to claim Elex's length before swallowing his cock full hilt.

Elex gasped and arched his back, his body convulsing as Sven's mouth enveloped him. The pleasure was intense, but so was the struggling prickle within him. His nose felt as if it would explode, and his head pounded like a drum. Despite his protests, Sven only increased his pace, his skilled tongue and throat muscles causing Elex's eyes to roll back in his head.

"Sv-Sven," he panted, his nails digging into Sven's shoulders. "Please...I can't...I need..." But the words refused to come out, lost in the cacophony of his desires and his symptoms. He fought the sensations that built inside his sinuses, his throat tightened and his thoughts continued to swim erratically. The cat ignored his pleas, continuing to enjoy the way his lover's length penetrated the walls of his throat. "Sven..." the green haired male continued to gasp, his hands threading through orange and teal colored locks as his head fell back. He tried solely focusing on the pleasure his mate was providing him but the persistent tickle and tease inside the walls of his nostrils was far too great.

Sven eventually, removed Elex from his mouth and stood up on his feet to undo the buckling of his own pants. "I can't wait any more..." the cat grunted behind his movements as he freed himself from the confines of his own jeans. "I need to feel you....I missed you so fucking much..." They both clashed, their mouths reuniting, slipping, dominating tongues fighting each other for dominance, the cat coming out on top, he pulled his lover up by the back of his thighs and shoveled him against the wall now in nuzzled between Elex's legs that wrapped around him, aligning his body with the badger's. He gripped Elex's hips tightly, positioning himself at the entrance of his lover's core before shoveling his cock deep inside his hole. They both let out a long, drown out groan.

Elex whimpered into the kiss, feeling the heat of Sven's body against his own. He trembled slightly as the cat's member nudged inside his entrance, the friction sending shivers down his spine. The pain in his chest and the pressure in his nose, however, it refused to subside. He felt like a caged animal, struggling to break free from the intensity of the moment and the throbbing in his head.

Sven paid no mind to the badger's discomfort, his passion for his lover already at its peak. He began to thrust, his hips moving in sync with the rhythm of his heartbeat. The scent of sex filled the air, stinging Elex's nostrils and making the pain in his sinuses even more intense. Doing what he could to try and focus on the pleasure consuming him, it was of no use, his watering eyes rolled back and his already gaping mouth hitched, swallowing handfuls of gasps while Sven continued to rythmically pound at his hole.

The cat noticed the other's afflications and leaned in, burying his face into the crook of his lover's neck, voice at his ear before seductively he spoke, though strangled by his movements. "Let, them go...baby...I want to hear them," His arms come up from in front of Elex, gripping him behind his arms and shoulders, forcing the badger's arms backward and arching the other's body. His cock continued to run through him.

Elex let out a low whine, his body shaking as Sven's words resonated through his mind. He understood the cat's intention and knew it could be the only way for him to find relief from the unbearable discomfort. He steeled himself and gritted his teeth, allowing his voice to break free as he let out a loud, agonizing sneeze. "Hhah'AETTTSHH'Uh!" The sound echoed through the room, filling the air with the raw power and intensity of the badger's struggle to overcome his tormented senses. Sven, feeling the unmistakable tremble of Elex's muscles, slowed down his movements to relish in the tightened squeeze of his partner's body, his walls constricted through the sneezing, his hips moving to pick up the pace after it subsided, resuming their passionate act.

"That's my good boy, hm? You feel so good clenching around me with every little expulsion," The streamer huffed, his breathless, husky whisper causing the badger's cheeks to flush brighter red than they already had been from his oncoming illness. He whimpered under the other, bringing his hands up around to claw at his cat's bare back, leaving bright red bleeding streaks down his flesh. They both cried out, rutting and sliding against each other. "One more ? Give me one more hm? Please baby..." Sven asked politely, his voice so low and smooth the green haired male had sworn he'd signed his life away to the man. He did.

With a shaky voice, he agreed, "One more, Sven," his voice barely audible amidst his ragged breaths.

Sven's eyes sparkled, and he leaned down, capturing Elex's lips in a passionate kiss that lasted for what seemed like a millisecond. His hands caressed the badger's face, the pads of his thumbs gently rubbing Elex's sore nostrils. The badger moaned into the kiss, a soft plea for relief from the tickle.

As their lips parted, Sven's eyes met that of his lover’s heterochromatic stare. He could see the desperate longing in his boyfriend’s gaze. He knew he was so close to letting go of another, he just needed the encouragement. "Sneeze for me, El, c’mon...I know you like pleasing me..." The badger's eyes rolled in the back of his head, his bridge twitched, clenched and stretched as he focused on relieving himself of the pressure that was suffocating him slowly.

"hH'...H'Hheh..Heh;EhDTSHhiEW! Shit..." his mouth released a mistral cloud of saliva across the other's shoulder, Sven groaning behind a clenched jaw as he felt the stray drops hit his flesh.

"God I missed you...." Sven whimpered as his hips continued to snap forward and out, assaulting the badger's sensitive prostate. He cried out, his body arching into the aggressive cat.

"I fucking.....missed you...so much..." Elex managed between each thrust, burying his face into Sven's shoulder, his breaths now coming in ragged and desperate gasps. He felt like he was drowning in his own body, the agony in his head and nose seeming to merge with the pleasure that Sven was giving him.

As the cat continued to thrust into him, he felt his own release drawing near, the familiar tension building up within him. He reached down and grabbed the other's hand, pressing it against his own rock-hard erection. "Dont make him wait for your touch anymore," he growled, his eyes pleading with his mate to let go, to surrender to the ecstasy that they shared.

The orange daggers watched the desperation in Elex's mint and brown colored eyes and knew he couldn't hold on any longer. With a final strained whine, he let go, his body trembling as the orgasm hit him like a ton of bricks. They both hit their threshold of ecstacy and spilled over. Sven inside of Elex, and Elex, all over both of their chests.

Their bodies convulsed in sync, the mixture of their pleasure and the relief from the demons that haunted the badger's senses created a symphony of raw emotion. Sven's nails dug into the flesh of Elex's hips, causing the badger to gasp and moan in pain-pleasure, his voice rising in a mix of animalistic sounds and sweet, breathy pleas. They collapsed, panting heavily, their bodies still entwined, the aftermath of their intense encounter covering them in a layer of sweat and sexual fluids.

As they lay there, catching their breath and drenched in the remnants of their passion, Sven's gaze lingered on Elex's face, studying the emotions that flickered across his features. There was a mix of relief, satisfaction, and longing that seemed to dance across the badger's expressions. The cat smiled softly, tenderly, "I love you......stupid...." Snapping the green haired mess out of his daze, he snickered back at the other.

"I love you too, shithead," Sven reached out and pulled the other into a tight hug after having slipped out of him, chuckling in response to his boyfriend's sass. He really truly, missed this. Casually, they both made their way to the couch and lay across it and each other, barely having made it through the entrance space and to the living one. "But Genuinely....I feel like fucking shit...do we have any meds?" Elex looked up at the other from in his lap and Sven mulled over the question thoughtfully.

"Yeah, we should probably take something for that," Sven replied, stroking Elex's sweaty hair with a concerned expression. "You should've mentioned that you were sick before we started."

"Hey, I tried, not my fault you didn't listen," the badger smirked, rolling his duo colored eyes. He managed to roll off of Sven, his body a ninety-degree bend as he stood up on his feet. His eyes watered as his nose burned, his mind still reeling from the intense experience. With a sigh, Elex walked to and in the bathroom, rummaging through the cabinets to find the nyquil.

Sven followed Elex into the space, leaning against the door frame as he watched the badger search for the medication. He couldn't help but smile as he saw Elex's disheveled state, his hair mussed, and his eyes still red from the sneezing. The sight of his lover in distress brought a warmth to Sven's chest, and he knew that this was just another chapter in their story. Just grateful to have him home.

As Elex found the NyQuil, he carefully opened the bottle, taking a good swig from it before proffering the bottle to Sven. The cat took it gratefully, savoring the taste of the cough and cold medicine as it coated his throat in a sweet, syrupy layer.

Both men downed the medication, knowing it would hopefully relieve some of the symptoms they were or would be feeling. They stood there for a moment, looking at each other, both of them swirling with different thoughts but the same general idea. They were just so happy to see the other. "I'm-....uh...I'm gonna go through withdrawal....in the next few days so...forgive me if I act like a dickhead,"

"More than usual?" Sven smirked with a raised brow.

"YES, more than usual...fucker," they both just grinned at each other, like two stupid kids, before the air turned serious again.

"I won't promise anything," Sven replied, his eyes twinkling with honesty. "But I think I'll be able to handle you better now that I know what I’m up against,”

Elex smirked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "We'll see how that goes," he said, not entirely convinced.

They both knew they were in for a rocky road in the next few days, but they were ready to face it together. Their connection was like a force of nature, unstoppable and chaotic, but they were loyal and consistent and they wouldn't let a cycle of addiction come between them.

Sven took Elex's hand in his own, interlocking their fingers. "We'll get through this," he promised, his voice firm and reassuring.

Elex smiled up at him, the worry fading from his eyes. "Yeah, we will ," he said, his voice just as strong.

"Genuinely, I love you, but...you need to shower, and I'm really shocked you havent already begged me to do so," the cat chuckled at his partner who rolled his eyes before then shrugging his shoulders.

"Valid point, lots of things happened at once...I'm going to definitely go do that though....meet you in bed?" Elex blinked slowly, his head still throbbing, he knew the rain had caught up to him and this was his punishment. He took a deep breath in and still, stood straight and turned toward the bathroom. His glossy eyes meeting with the other's glowing orange ones.

"Meet you there," The feline nodded in agreement, the two splitting ways so they could get ready in their respectable routines. It was hard to waltz around the house, turn on faucets and pluck through clothes that stayed where they had been. He almost walked out on this sense of comfort, safety, it was starting to dawn on him just how insane he had been. Elex shook his head, and hopped into the shower, washing his body clean of his 3 day sins. Sure, Sven may have forgiven him, as he sniffled and leaned against the wall of the shower, but he realized that, it was going to take a lot longer for him to forgive himself.

The End

Author’s Notes: I love showcasing how toxic and chaotic these two really are 😍😍😍😍 I LOVE THEMMMMM UGHHHH hope y’all enjoyed! 😌

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aller-geez · 8 months ago

Note

I don’t know why but I’m in love with Sven lately..so if you can and if you like the idea of course could you draw a Sven been struggling to sneeze because he’s been having trouble to sneezing so Elex needs to help him to finally release that sneezes please? ✨🫢

Hey there Nonny!

I seriously am LIVING for everyone being so feral for my Sven lately 😩😩

I may have gotten overly ambitious and made a comic for ya~

Hope this is what you were looking for! 😈

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aller-geez · 9 months ago

Text

I’ve been in my Svelex feels lately and I had to draw this slightly self indulgent Sven allergy tease 🫣

Elex belongs to @thekinkyleopard as always 🩶

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aller-geez · 1 month ago

Note

Oooo could we maybe get a(nother) follow up to the S7en fic with Elex catching S7en's sickness and hiding it so he doesn't get his bf all worked up and worried because his lungs are still a little sensitive?

Hey there Nonny!

Be careful what you wish for…. 😏 the fluff in this one makes me melt I cannot lie 😫

Asphyxia (pt 3)

(Oxygen, or part 1 can be found here, and Breathless, Again or part 2 can be found here)

written and illustrated by: allergeez ✨ @thekinkyleopard owns Elex 🖤

Summary: Elex wakes up knowing something is wrong. His body is sluggish with fever, his head pounding, but none of that matters—because S7en is finally home. Finally safe. After everything he’s been through, the last thing Elex wants is to burden him with something as insignificant as a cold. So he does what he does best: he pushes through it. He hides the exhaustion, swallows every cough, and forces himself to act normal. But sickness isn’t something you can just will away. As his condition worsens, it becomes harder to keep up the act—especially with someone as observant as S7en. The problem is, S7en has only just begun to recover, and if he gets sick again, Elex isn’t sure he could live with himself. What starts as a stubborn attempt to tough it out spirals into something heavier—fear, control, guilt—emotions Elex doesn’t want to acknowledge but can’t seem to escape. But S7en isn’t an idiot, and the more Elex pulls away, the more determined he becomes to figure out what’s wrong. And when he does? Well, Elex might not be the only one who’s pissed. 7.2k words

Content Warnings!:

Illness & fever (coughing, congestion, sneezing, general flu-like symptoms)

Mild medical anxiety & contamination fears (hand-washing, mild germophobia, references to past illness trauma)

Emotional suppression & avoidance (characters struggling to ask for/accept help)

Mild language (casual swearing)

Physical exhaustion & overexertion

Elex knew from the second he woke up that something was wrong.

His head throbbed in a slow, punishing rhythm, a heavy weight pressing behind his eyes like a vice tightening inch by inch. His limbs felt sluggish, his body leaden, overheated—but not in the comfortable, lazy way that came with sleeping too long. No, this was different. This was wrong.

Still, he forced himself upright, biting back a low groan as the dull ache in his throat flared into something sharp and raw. His skin prickled with fever, the air in their apartment thick and stifling, but there was no time for this. No room for it. Not now.

Not after everything S7en had just been through.

Elex scrubbed a hand down his face, exhaling slowly, forcing his expression into something neutral before glancing to the other side of the bed. S7en was still asleep, his teal and orange hair a mess against the pillow, his breathing shallow but steady. No more oxygen masks. No more hospital rooms. Just him, here, home, safe.

And there was no way in hell Elex was about to let him worry about this.

So he swallowed against the rawness in his throat, pushed past the fatigue clawing at his limbs, and carefully—carefully—slipped out of bed without a sound.

His body screamed at him the second his feet hit the floor. A fresh wave of dizziness crashed into him, nausea twisting in his gut, but he gritted his teeth and powered through. Mind over matter. He’d been through worse.

S7en stirred slightly but didn’t wake.

Good.

The last thing he needed was the cat noticing.

Because S7en, stubborn as he was, had barely recovered. His lungs were still weak, his body still too frail, and if he caught even a whiff of Elex being sick, there would be no stopping him. He’d hover, fuss, get in his own damn head about it, and the last thing Elex wanted was for him to stress over him when he should have been focusing on himself.

So Elex shoved it down. The ache in his chest, the burning tickle creeping into his sinuses, the sharp stutter of his breath—he ignored it. He was fine. He’d be fine.

He just had to make sure S7en never found out.

And if that meant hiding every cough behind a clenched jaw, stifling every sneeze into the fabric of his hoodie, and downing enough painkillers to pretend his fever wasn’t steadily climbing?

So be it.

The first real warning sign came when Elex went to make coffee.

He had barely poured water into the machine when a violent shiver ripped through him, sending ice-cold prickles down the length of his spine. The air in the kitchen suddenly felt too thin, the light from the window too sharp, slicing into his headache like a knife. He braced himself against the counter, swallowing hard as his stomach twisted, fever heat coiling tight in his chest.

No. No, no, no. Not now. Not today.

He sucked in a slow, measured breath, rolling his shoulders, willing himself back into control. He’d dealt with worse. This was nothing. Just a little exhaustion, a little lingering chill from sleeping without a blanket. He just needed coffee. Caffeine would fix this.

Except—

His nose twitched.

The tickle was sudden, sharp, rising out of nowhere like a spark catching dry grass, flaring hot and fast. His breath hitched—once, twice—his head snapping forward before he could fight it.

“H’UTSSCHHhiew!! Hh—h’UHDTschhiew! Hh’uhSSCHHIHHeewww!”

The force of them knocked him forward, rattling in his chest, leaving his vision swimming and his throat burning like he’d just swallowed glass. He barely had time to straighten before another overtook him, tearing from deep in his lungs—

“hdt’USSCHHIEWW!!!”

Shit.

The sound echoed through the apartment, too loud, too obvious. His stomach dropped as he held perfectly still, pulse thudding in his ears, waiting for movement from the bedroom.

Nothing.

No footsteps. No sleepy voice calling his name.

S7en was still asleep.

Elex exhaled slowly, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead, feeling the fever radiating under his skin. He hated this. The congestion, the heat, the way his nose itched relentlessly, teasing him with another sneeze he refused to let out.

And worst of all? The knowledge that he was contaminated.

The very thought made his skin crawl. He could already feel it, the invisible filth clinging to his skin, coating his throat, tainting the air around him. He needed to shower. He needed to scrub his hands, burn his hoodie, fumigate the entire apartment—

But he couldn’t.

Because the second he acted too clean, too frantic about disinfecting everything in sight, S7en would know.

He was already walking a razor’s edge, trying to act normal while his body actively worked against him. If he so much as glanced at a bottle of disinfectant too long, S7en would sniff him out like the suspicious little feline bastard he was.

No. He had to play it cool. Hide this.

S7en had just barely clawed his way out of pneumonia, and his lungs were still weak. If Elex so much as breathed wrong around him, he could get sick again. And that? That wasn’t an option.

So Elex squared his shoulders, forcing the tension from his body, and grabbed a paper towel, swiping aggressively at his nose before moving to make breakfast.

He’d get through this.

He had to.

S7en had gotten used to waking up to Elex next to him. Even when they were both exhausted, even when life was kicking their asses, Elex was always there—half-awake, chewing on something plastic, grumbling about the sun being a “rude little bitch” before slumping into him for five extra minutes of warmth.

But today?

The bed was empty.

The sheets were cold.

S7en frowned, sitting up slowly, still groggy from sleep, his chest tightening with something uneasy.

Elex wasn’t in bed.

Elex was always in bed when S7en woke up.

He ran a hand through his hair, blinking away the haze in his vision before glancing toward the door. The apartment was quiet—too quiet. No sound of Elex shuffling through the fridge, no muttered cursing as he nearly tripped over their shoes by the door, no telltale sound of his knuckles tapping the counter absently like they always did in the mornings.

The silence felt... wrong.

Dragging himself up, S7en swung his legs over the edge of the bed, pushing to his feet with a slow exhale. His body was still weak—he hated it—but he was getting better. He was supposed to be better.

So why did it feel like something else was falling apart?

He found Elex in the kitchen, already dressed, already moving, wiping down the counter like he was trying to erase something only he could see.

S7en leaned against the doorway, watching for a moment before speaking.

"You left me alone," he muttered, voice still rough with sleep.

Elex stiffened.

It was quick, barely there, but S7en caught it.

The hesitation. The delay before answering.

"Yeah," Elex said, too casual, too quick. "Figured I’d let you sleep. You need rest, y’know, what with the dying and all."

S7en rolled his eyes, but the joke didn’t land the way it should have.

Because Elex still wasn’t looking at him.

And for the first time in a long time, S7en felt alone.

But he swallowed it back as much as he could, shuffling into the kitchen with his usual groggy irritation, hoodie sleeves hanging past his fingers, glasses sliding down his nose. His orange eyes were still hazy with sleep, his tail dragging lazily behind him as he blinked toward Elex with a tired squint. He was barefoot, which Elex immediately clocked as a problem.

The floor wasn’t clean enough.

Not for bare skin. Not for someone who had just gotten out of the hospital, lungs still too weak, body still too fragile.

Elex’s hands twitched toward the disinfectant spray, but he forced himself to grip his coffee mug instead, knuckles white.

Just act normal.

"Why the hell are you up first?" S7en muttered, voice rough with leftover congestion.

Elex smirked, masking the way his stomach clenched at the reminder of just how recently S7en had been this sick. "Had to make sure my dumbass boyfriend didn’t wake up and start licking the walls again."

S7en squinted at him.

"That happened once."

Elex huffed a laugh, lifting his coffee to his lips—

And that was his mistake.

The heat hit his throat, scalding against the rawness he’d been trying to ignore, and the tickle in his throat that had been lurking for hours suddenly flared up hard and fast.

His breath hitched.

His lungs clenched.

No, no, no—

Elex barely had time to turn his head, fist clenched against his mouth, before the cough tore out of him, rough and deep and impossible to hide.

The sound of it made his own skin crawl.

And worse?

S7en froze.

For a long, horrible second, the kitchen was silent.

Then—

"What the fuck was that?"

Elex gritted his teeth, forcing his face neutral, the heat of his fever making the air feel thick, suffocating.

"Swallowed wrong."

S7en’s ears flicked.

He was watching him now.

Fully aware, pupils narrowing in that calculating way Elex hated.

"You sure?"

Elex shrugged, already turning toward the sink to pretend to rinse his mug.

"Yep."

S7en didn’t move.

Didn’t blink.

Elex could feel the weight of his stare, feel the way his lungs wanted to wheeze, feel the next cough curling in his chest like a live wire.

Don’t let him see. Don’t let him hear.

He held his breath.

Held still.

And after an excruciating moment—

S7en grunted, finally moving toward the coffee pot.

Elex exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the way his hands had started shaking.

But the second S7en stepped closer, the air shifted.

It was subtle, just the smallest tilt of his nose, the faintest flick of his ears—barely noticeable to anyone else. But Elex knew. He knew.

S7en smelled it.

He always did.

Elex felt a fresh pulse of panic claw up his spine. If that damn cat caught so much as a whiff of this—

"Something smells weird."

Elex tensed.

"Like—" S7en sniffed the air again, his nose scrunching. "Not bad, just…off."

Fuck.

"Yeah?" Elex muttered, keeping his voice lazy, unconcerned. "Probably just your own breath. You were mouth-breathing like an asshat all night."

S7en scowled, flicking his tail at him in irritation, and Elex almost relaxed.

Then—

S7en tilted his head, squinting harder. His pupils dilated slightly. His ears twitched forward.

The exact fucking look he got whenever he was about to figure something out.

Elex’s entire body went on high alert.

Because if S7en knew? If he caught on?

Elex would be done.

So he did the only thing he could do—he faked a yawn, stretched dramatically, and turned away.

"Ugh, I need to piss," he announced, already heading toward the bathroom.

S7en made a vague noise of acknowledgment, clearly not fully awake yet, but Elex didn’t give him time to press further.

He was gone before S7en could dig his claws into the situation.

Elex shut the bathroom door behind him, locked it, and immediately braced his hands against the sink, breathing hard.

He had seconds before another sneeze hit.

His nose burned, his sinuses prickling unbearably, every breath quivering with the inevitable. He scrambled for a handful of tissues just as his chest hiked—

"Hh'UMFShhhiew!—h'Ushh'iew!—hh’ieXSHHHh!!"

The force of them wrecked him, leaving him gasping against the counter, fever heat pulsing under his skin. He grabbed the faucet, cranking the water to the highest heat, and scrubbed his hands raw, fingers digging into his palms like he could scrape away the sickness itself.

Not clean. Not clean. Not clean.

He squeezed his eyes shut, inhaling slow, steady.

No more. No more sneezing. No more anything.

He was fine. He had to be fine.

He couldn’t let S7en know.

Not now.

Not ever.

Elex leaned heavily against the counter, his breath coming in uneven gasps as he forced himself upright. The heat of the water scalded his hands, the sting grounding him, but it wasn’t enough. The sickness was still there, clawing at his throat, pressing against his skull, burning beneath his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing the dizziness to pass, willing his body to just cooperate.

Minutes passed. Maybe more. He wasn’t sure.

Eventually, the tremors in his hands eased enough for him to shut off the faucet, but the unease lingered—coiled tight in his chest like a cable ready to snap. He needed to move, to shake the feeling of filth clinging to him, but when he pushed off the sink, his vision tilted. The world blurred at the edges, his knees threatening to give.

He caught himself just in time, fingers gripping the doorframe, heart hammering.

Breathe. Breathe.

By the time he stepped out of the bathroom, his body felt detached—like he was wearing it rather than existing inside it. He forced himself forward, each step calculated, careful, controlled. If he could just keep this up—if he could just last the day—he could make it through this without S7en catching on.

But as the hours crawled by, the fever pressed in harder, suffocating.

And S7en?

S7en was starting to notice.

S7en was used to Elex being a little twitchy. It was just how he was.

Always moving, always chewing on something, always restless in a way that made it hard to tell if he was anxious or just alive.

But this?

This was different.

They were sitting on the couch—or, at least, S7en was. Elex was perched on the other end, practically curling into the armrest, the furthest he could physically get without sitting on the floor.

It was weird.

Elex was always touching him. Always pressing up against him in some way—a foot shoved against his thigh, a hand absently tugging at his hoodie strings, a knee bumping into his as they sat too close for no reason.

But right now?

S7en may as well have been on a different planet.

He frowned, stretching his arms over his head before slumping further into the cushions.

"Y’know, it’s real fuckin’ weird when you’re not all over me," he muttered.

Elex huffed, a short, forced noise. "Wow. Clingy much?"

S7en kicked at his foot.

"You like it."

Elex snorted, but he didn’t move closer.

Didn’t shove at S7en like he usually would. Didn’t sink into him lazily, the way he always did after a long day.

Something about it made S7en’s stomach twist.

He let it go.

But the feeling stayed.

Elex had made it through the morning.

Barely.

Now, the afternoon loomed ahead, and his body was falling apart faster than he could keep up.

His limbs felt weak, heavy like they didn’t belong to him anymore. His fever had climbed, turning his skin too hot, then too cold, then hot again, like his body couldn’t decide what the hell it was supposed to be feeling.

But worse than the heat, worse than the exhaustion, worse than the pounding ache in his skull—

Was the fact that S7en wasn’t an idiot.

Elex had been dodging him all day.

Avoiding sitting too close. Keeping his back turned while cooking lunch. Drowning himself in cups of coffee and forcing a smirk any time S7en’s gaze lingered too long.

But the cat was watching him.

He could feel it.

The slow tilt of his head. The way his orange eyes narrowed, pupils slitting ever so slightly, tail flicking in that way it did when he was figuring something out.

It made Elex’s skin crawl.

And then—

The itch flared again.

A sudden, unbearable tickle climbing sharp and fast through his sinuses, making his breath hitch, eyes fluttering against his will.

Fuck. Not again.

He twisted away, forcing the urge down, down, down, clenching his teeth and balling up his hoodie’s fabric in his hands.

Don’t.

His shoulders tensed hard, muscles locking up so tight it made his head pound worse—

And somehow, somehow, the sneeze receded.

Barely.

His chest was still tight, his breath still uneven, but at least he hadn’t—

"You good?"

Elex’s entire body locked up.

S7en’s voice was casual, almost bored, but there was something off about it. Something too sharp, like he was waiting for the answer to confirm a suspicion.

Elex forced himself to exhale slowly through his nose.

"I'm fine," he said, voice rough, but steady enough.

S7en hummed.

"Sure."

He didn’t believe him.

Elex knew it.

Knew it the way S7en’s ears twitched forward. The way his tail lashed lazily against the arm of the couch. The way he tapped his mechanical pencil rhythmically against his sketchbook, eyes never leaving Elex’s face.

But he didn’t press.

Not yet.

Which meant Elex still had time.

He just had to hold it together a little longer.

Just—

A shiver rattled down his spine, making his breath stutter, and he barely bit back a curse.

S7en’s eyes narrowed.

Fuck.

Keep moving.

Elex turned toward the sink, gripping the edge with white-knuckled force, blinking hard against the dizziness creeping into his vision.

His palms were sweating.

His skin felt disgusting.

He needed to wash his hands again.

But if he did, if he reached for the soap one more time, S7en would—

“You’re acting weird.”

Elex stiffened.

Breathed in slow.

Out.

And forced a lazy smirk as he turned around.

"Am I?"

S7en’s gaze flicked over him, studying.

Too long. Too observant. Too much.

His pupils dilated, nose twitching—like he was smelling something.

Elex’s stomach dropped.

"I dunno," S7en mused, stretching his arms above his head, tail curling lazily. "You’re being... extra twitchy today."

"Maybe you’re just being extra nosy today," Elex shot back, gripping the counter behind him to ground himself.

S7en grinned, but his eyes stayed sharp.

“Maybe.”

Elex’s heartbeat pounded in his skull.

He had to get away.

Elex needed space.

S7en’s eyes were on him—too sharp, too focused, too knowing. He could feel it, the weight of that gaze pressing into his skin, reading into every twitch, every forced breath. It made his stomach turn, made his hands clench uselessly at his sides, made the sick heat crawling under his skin even worse.

He needed to get away.

Elex pushed off the counter, muscles stiff, nausea curling at the edges of his senses, but he forced himself to keep moving. His pulse hammered against his skull, drowning out the soft sounds of the apartment, making it hard to think past the heat pressing against his temples.

The fever was getting worse.

His own body was turning against him, pulling at the edges of his control, but he had to keep going. Had to stay ahead of it.

If he slowed down, even for a second—if he let himself feel the exhaustion sinking into his limbs—S7en would see it.

And if S7en saw it, it was over.

Elex swallowed hard, his throat raw and aching, and forced himself forward.

By the time he made it back to the kitchen, his hands were already reaching for the disinfectant wipes, fingers trembling as they closed around the familiar plastic container. The motion was automatic now—habitual, necessary.

Clean. Fix it. Clean.

But it wasn’t enough.

It was never enough.

His skin still crawled, his breath still felt wrong, his chest still ached with something he couldn’t scrub away.

And behind it all, the fever burned.

Rising. Tightening.

His head pulsed, sinuses clogging up, making every inhale a slow, labored pull through congestion that was only getting worse. He wiped his phone screen again, third time now, but the anxiety didn’t ease.

Nothing eased.

Because no matter how much he tried to erase the contamination, no matter how many surfaces he disinfected—

The sickness was still inside him.

And S7en?

S7en wasn’t letting this go.

Elex could feel it—the weight of his gaze, the way his energy had shifted from lazy amusement to something sharper, quieter, watchful. He didn’t need to turn around to know S7en was still tracking his every move, pupils just slightly too wide, ears just slightly too alert.

It was only a matter of time before he put it together.

Elex had to stay ahead of him.

So he moved. Kept moving. Forced himself into motion, into habit, into the kind of constant distraction that would keep him from thinking too hard about the fever pressing hot and heavy under his skin.

He had work to do.

He wiped down the counters. Again.

Ran a disinfectant wipe over the fridge handle. Again.

Checked his phone screen—again—and swiped a microfiber cloth over it until the glass shined.

Still, it wasn’t enough.

Because no matter how many times he scrubbed his hands, no matter how many surfaces he wiped down, no matter how much he cleaned and cleaned and cleaned—

The sickness was still there.

Thick congestion was already pressing hot and tight behind his eyes, his sinuses burning like someone had shoved a matchstick up his nose and let it smolder, each breath dragging through his throat like smoke, raw and unrelenting.

His hands were clammy, his breath coming in shallow pulls, but he kept moving.

He had disinfected the kitchen. Three times.

Cleaned his phone screen four times just in case.

Scrubbed his hands so many times the skin was turning red, peeling around his knuckles.

And yet, he still felt dirty.

Still felt contaminated.

He had made it this far, hidden it this long, but his body wasn’t listening to him anymore.

The warning signs had been too easy to ignore at first.

The slight chill at the back of his neck. The dull ache in his limbs. The tight, nagging itch in his nose that wouldn’t go away—

But now?

Now the weight pressing on his chest felt unbearable, his head ached so badly he could barely see straight, and his nose—

Fuck.

It twitched suddenly, sharply, the burning sensation flaring up out of nowhere, and his breath hitched hard.

No.

Not now. Not here. Not—

The first sneeze tore through him before he could stop it.

“H’USSHHhiew!—Hh’ehHTSCHHHh’iew!—h’UhtTSCHhhiew!!”

It wasn’t controlled. It wasn’t covered.

It was violent, raw, messy—

And out in the fucking open.

Elex barely had time to process the horror before the next hit, dragging him forward, shoulders snapping down as his entire body shook with the force of it.

“Hehh’EhDTSHhiew!—hh'ieXSHHH!—hdt’USSCHHIEWW!!!”

The sound ripped through the apartment, wet and unrestrained, and the second the fit was over, the panic set in.

Elex froze.

His pulse pounded in his ears, cold dread settling deep in his stomach as his fingers twitched—

His body locked up, hands hovering in front of him like they weren’t his own. He could see the germs—feel them clinging to his skin, crawling up his arms, coating every surface.

His heart pounded against his ribs, his breathing coming fast and wrong as his hands shook violently, fingers twitching as he lunged for the sanitizer.

The bottle nearly slipped from his grasp, but he caught it, shaking it so hard the liquid inside sloshed. His brain was fuzzy, fever-haze clouding his thoughts, but he had to get rid of it. Had to clean. Had to—

He pumped the sanitizer into his palm and scrubbed.

Once. Twice. Again. Again. Again.

It wasn’t enough.

His breath came faster, too fast, his lungs tightening as he fought against the feeling, against the sickening reality that he couldn’t take back what had just happened.

And Elex gritted his teeth, his pulse hammering in his ears as he braced himself against the sink. His whole body trembled, every inch of him screaming for relief he refused to give it. The fever was pressing in hard now, wrapping around his skull like a vice, but he kept moving.

Scrubbing.

Disinfecting.

Fixing what he had done.

Not clean. Not clean. Not clean.

The whisper crawled up his spine, slithered under his skin. He could feel it—feel the contamination clinging to him like oil, seeping into the air, coating everything he had touched. He wiped down the sink. The door handle. The light switch. The air—

A violent shudder ripped through him, and he choked back a whimper, squeezing his eyes shut.

Breathe. Breathe.

He couldn’t.

His breath stuttered, caught on the thick, unrelenting burn in his lungs, but he forced himself to keep moving. He was fine. He’d be fine. He had to be fine.

Then—

A voice.

"Elex?"

His blood ran cold.

He froze, heart seizing up in his chest.

Footsteps. Slow. Careful.

Too close.

His fingers clenched into the counter, nails biting into the surface as he struggled to keep himself together.

"S’fine," he rasped, voice barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat, forcing something steadier. Stronger. "What? Need me to open a jar or somethin’?"

Silence.

Then, a quiet sigh.

"Cut the shit."

Elex’s jaw locked.

Shit. Shit.

His reflection in the mirror looked like hell. Damp hair clinging to his forehead, his face flushed with fever, red-rimmed eyes filled with exhaustion and something sharp—something desperate.

He turned the sink back on, pretended to be focused on washing his hands.

"I'm literally just—"

"You're sick."

Elex’s stomach dropped. A different kind of heat flushed through him this time—shame, dread, panic.

He forced a short, sharp laugh. "Wow, thanks for the update, doc."

A pause. A shift in the air.

Then—soft.

"You’re sick," S7en repeated, quieter this time. "And you’re hiding it from me."

His voice wasn’t amused anymore.

It wasn’t sharp with teasing or smug with victory.

It was hurt.

The sound of it made something deep in Elex’s chest twist painfully.

"You were gonna keep hiding it, weren’t you?" S7en asked. It wasn’t really a question. "Even after—" A breath. "After everything."

Fuck.

Elex squeezed his eyes shut. His throat burned. His hands curled into fists, nails biting into his palm.

"You think I don’t know what you’re doing?" S7en’s voice was steady, but there was an undercurrent of frustration beneath it. "I know you, Elex. I know how you get when you’re freaking out."

"I'm not—"

"You are."

S7en stepped forward. Close enough that Elex could feel the warmth of him at his back. "You're scrubbing the air, El."

Elex flinched.

He hadn’t even realized.

His fingers were still clenched around a disinfectant wipe, moving in circles over the countertop.

Over. And over. And over.

He felt sick. Sicker. Not just from the fever. Not just from the way his whole body ached—

But because S7en was right.

Because he was contaminated. Because he had ruined everything. Because if S7en got sick again—if his lungs gave out again—if he was the reason—

His breath hitched sharply.

Not again. Not again. Not again.

He had to fix this.

He reached for another wipe, but before he could grab it, S7en caught his wrist.

Firm. Unyielding.

Elex jerked, but S7en didn’t let go.

"Stop."

His voice was gentle. Not commanding, not forceful—just there.

Elex swallowed, his hands still twitching, fingers clenching uselessly against the air.

"It's okay," S7en said softly.

Elex shook his head. His breath stuttered, uneven, wrong. "It’s not okay," he rasped. "I—I sneezed—I fucking—contaminated everything."

His voice broke.

S7en’s grip tightened.

"You didn’t contaminate anything," S7en said. "You got sick. That’s all."

Elex shook his head again, panic tightening like a noose in his chest. He tried to pull away, but S7en wouldn’t let him.

"Elex." His voice was steady. "You're okay. You're just sick."

Elex felt his legs tremble beneath him. He hated this. Hated the way his body felt—weak, out of control, vulnerable. Hated the way S7en was looking at him.

He wanted to run. To hide. To scrub his skin raw until he felt clean again.

But S7en didn’t let him.

"You're okay," he repeated, softer this time.

Elex clenched his jaw, his whole body trembling.

His breath came too fast, too uneven, each inhale catching in his throat, clogged and raw. His fingers still twitched where S7en held them, like his body couldn’t decide whether to pull away or clench tighter, hold on.

He felt filthy. Exposed. Wrong.

His skin burned under his hoodie, his fever too high, but none of it compared to the way his stomach twisted, the guilt gnawing at his ribs.

He wasn’t supposed to let this happen.

S7en had just gotten better. He had just started breathing normally again. Elex had watched him nearly cough his fucking lungs out, had sat there through every long, awful night where every breath had been a goddamn fight. He had been so sick. So weak.

And now?

Now, Elex had ruined everything.

Now, he was the threat.

He shook his head again, harder this time, but S7en still wouldn’t let go.

"You don’t get it," Elex croaked, voice wrecked. "I—I can’t—" He squeezed his eyes shut, shoulders shaking, panic twisting tighter in his chest. "I can’t—I can’t be the reason you get sick again."

S7en’s grip tightened.

His voice came soft, steady. Unshakable.

"Elex—"

"You almost fucking died, S7en," Elex snapped, voice cracking straight down the middle. His throat burned, his whole body shaking like it was coming apart, but he didn’t care. "You were in the hospital, you—you couldn’t fucking breathe, and now—now I’m just supposed to sit here and act like it’s fine if I make that happen again?!"

S7en stilled.

Elex could feel it. The way his breath caught, the way his hands tensed for just a fraction of a second, the way his pulse jumped beneath Elex’s trembling fingers.

Guilt crashed into S7en’s expression like a storm.

But before Elex could sink too deep into it, before he could pull away, S7en moved.

He shifted closer, stepping into his space like he was trying to anchor him, like he was afraid Elex was about to tear himself apart right in front of him.

"You didn’t do anything to me," he said, voice rough, thick with something Elex couldn’t name. "You didn’t contaminate anything. You didn’t ruin anything. You just got sick. That’s all."

Elex let out a harsh, shaking breath, his hands still twitching like they needed to be doing something, like he still had to fix this.

"I should have been more careful," he muttered, eyes dropping to the floor. "I—I should’ve—I should’ve stayed away from you, I should’ve—"

"Stayed away?"

S7en’s voice went sharp.

Elex flinched.

And fuck, he was too exhausted to hide it.

S7en exhaled hard, raking a hand through his hair, tail flicking behind him in agitated, frantic movements.

"Elex," he said, gritted out like it physically hurt to say, "you can’t—you can’t just keep me in a fucking bubble every time you get sick."

Elex’s jaw clenched, but before he could argue, S7en kept going.

"Do you even hear yourself?" S7en demanded, his voice raw, frustrated, but not at him. Never at him. "You—you’re not some fucking diseased animal, Elex! You’re a person! You get sick, I get sick, it happens! I can’t just—I can’t just live my whole life in fear of that, and you can’t either!"

Elex’s breath hitched.

Because he wasn’t just scared.

He was terrified.

Because what if?

What if this was the one time it went wrong again? What if S7en got sick and couldn’t bounce back this time? What if it was Elex’s fault?

"I—I can’t—" Elex’s voice cracked. His hands balled into fists, but S7en caught them.

S7en held him.

Didn’t let him pull away.

Didn’t let him run.

Instead, he squeezed, firm but gentle, grounding him.

"You were there for me," S7en said, softer this time, steadier. "I needed you, and you were there. You didn’t leave me when I was falling apart. So don’t ask me to leave you now."

Elex felt his chest tighten.

His eyes burned.

He wanted to fight it. Needed to fight it. But he was too tired. Too drained.

And S7en was too close, too warm, too real.

So instead of fighting—he let go.

A slow, shaky exhale.

His shoulders slumped, tension bleeding from his muscles like air from a punctured tire.

S7en didn’t move.

Didn’t push.

Just held on.

S7en could feel the second Elex gave in.

The fight bled out of his body all at once, his shoulders slumping, hands no longer twitching with the urge to clean, to fix, to escape.

But he was still shaking.

Still burning up.

Still fucking wrecked.

And S7en—who never knew what to do with his hands, who never hovered, who never worried the way Elex did—suddenly didn’t care if it made him clingy or annoying or anything else.

He wasn’t letting go.

Not now.

Not after Elex had spent days breaking himself apart trying to keep this from him.

So S7en did what Elex had done for him not so long ago.

He held on.

Gently, carefully, he guided Elex toward the bed. Not rushed. Not forcing. Just moving, just keeping him close, keeping him steady when his knees nearly buckled.

And Elex—Elex let him.

He didn’t protest.

Didn’t crack some awful joke just to deflect.

He just followed, leaning against S7en’s side, his whole body too hot, the fever finally winning.

S7en eased him down, pulling the blankets up, keeping his touch gentle, steady, careful—the way Elex had done for him a few days ago, when he had been the one fighting for breath, fighting against his own fragile fucking body.

And when Elex exhaled, slow, wrecked, exhausted, something in S7en’s chest ached.

Because he recognized that sound.

It was the same sound he had made when Elex had been taking care of him, when he had finally stopped trying to act like he wasn’t drowning in it.

"You okay?" S7en asked, voice softer than usual.

Elex huffed—a weak attempt at amusement.

"Would be bore okay if by dose wasd’t fugki’g closigg up od be," he muttered, sniffling thickly, his voice a wrecked mess of congestion and fever.

S7en snorted. "Yeah. No shit."

Elex groaned, dragging his hands over his face. "Fugk, by head..."

S7en didn’t even hesitate.

He shifted, fingers moving to Elex’s temple, rubbing slow, soothing circles, the way Elex had done for him when his fever had been the one stealing the air from his lungs.

Elex froze.

And S7en knew—knew he wasn’t used to this, wasn’t used to letting someone else do the caring, the fixing, the hovering.

But he didn’t pull away.

Didn’t flinch.

Didn’t try to brush it off.

Instead, he let out a slow, shaky exhale and sank further into the pillow.

S7en didn’t stop.

Didn’t tease him about it.

Didn’t say anything at all.

He just kept going.

Because he knew—knew what it felt like to finally let someone else take over, to let the weight of it lift, even just a little.

And if Elex could have that, even for just one goddamn night?

S7en would make sure he did.

No matter what.

Elex had gone quiet.

Not in the way he usually did—when his mind got too loud, when he was pulling back into himself, into the places S7en wasn’t allowed to reach.

No, this was different.

This was exhaustion, fever-heavy and all-consuming.

S7en could feel the heat rolling off him in waves, his body shaking despite the thick blankets S7en had pulled over him. His breath hitched with congestion, thick and shallow, and every few seconds, his nose twitched like he was fighting off a sneeze.

Elex never let himself lose control.

But now?

Now he was losing.

S7en frowned, shifting to grab more tissues before pressing them gently into Elex’s hand.

Elex made a weak noise of protest, half-asleep, barely there, but S7en wasn’t having it.

"Blow your goddamn nose," he muttered, voice softer than the words. "You sound like you’re drowning in it."

Elex groaned, cracking one tired, red-rimmed eye open.

"Bossy," he rasped, but took the tissues anyway.

S7en watched as he struggled to sit up, his movements sluggish, hands barely steady.

Before he could make it worse, S7en reached out, bracing him with one arm, guiding him up easily, gently, carefully.

Elex let him.

Didn’t even fight it.

That scared S7en more than anything else.

Elex wasn’t a fighter in the traditional sense, but when it came to himself—his health, his own well-being—he was a goddamn battleground.

And now?

Now he wasn’t even arguing.

S7en swallowed the tightness in his chest and let Elex slump into his side as he blew his nose, harsh and miserable, before immediately dropping back against the pillows like the effort had wiped him out.

"That bad?" S7en asked, trying to keep his voice light.

Elex just groaned.

"Everythigg hurts," he muttered, hoarse and wrecked. "I thidk by skid is bad at be."

S7en snorted. "What, like, personally?"

Elex huffed, half a laugh, half a cough.

"Yeah," he grumbled. "Betrayal. Treacherous little bitch."

S7en rolled his eyes but kept his hand on Elex’s back, rubbing slow, grounding circles like Elex had done for him when he was the one breaking apart.

Elex exhaled, deep and slow.

Then, quieter—

"You should stay away from me."

S7en stiffened.

For a second, he thought maybe he’d imagined it.

But no.

Elex’s voice was softer now, raw and strained, but dead serious.

"I’m serious," he murmured, not looking at him. "You just got better. I can’t—I can’t be the reason you relapse."

S7en exhaled hard, dragging a hand down his face.

"We’re really doing this again?" he muttered.

Elex didn’t answer.

Didn’t have to.

S7en could feel it, the way his body had tensed, the way his fingers had curled into the blanket, like if he just held on tight enough, he could stop this from happening.

S7en shifted, leaning in closer, pressing their foreheads together, letting Elex feel the solid weight of him, the warmth that was still there, still strong, still okay.

"Listen to me," he said, steady and sure. "You didn’t get me sick. And if I do get sick? It’s not your fucking fault."

Elex swallowed, eyes fluttering shut.

"It would be."

"No," S7en said, firm. "It wouldn’t."

Elex huffed, a tired, miserable noise.

S7en rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, what are you gonna do, Lex? Lock yourself away for the rest of your life? Walk around in a hazmat suit just in case?"

Elex made a weak, stubborn noise, burrowing further into the blankets.

S7en shook his head. "You don’t get to keep doing this. You don’t get to tear yourself apart over shit you can’t control."

Finally, finally, Elex cracked his eyes open.

"Yeah?" he muttered. "Like you didn’t do the same thing?"

S7en froze.

Because fuck.

He was right.

Elex had held him up when he was at his worst, had been right there through all of it. Had never let him fall alone.

And now?

Now S7en was supposed to just walk away?

Like hell.

S7en scoffed, shoving Elex’s hoodie-covered shoulder.

"That’s different," he muttered.

"How?"

S7en sighed, running a hand through his hair, thinking for a second before saying, "Because I don’t give a shit about me. But I do give a shit about you."

Elex went still.

Completely.

Like his brain had just blue-screened.

And before he could overthink it, before he could ruin it—

S7en reached for the thermometer, shoving it into Elex’s hands.

"Now shut up and put this under your tongue," he muttered, ears flicking back. "Before I shove it somewhere else."

Elex snorted.

Another weak laugh.

Another win.

And as he finally, finally relaxed against S7en, letting the weight of the fever take him under, S7en just sat there.

Holding him up.

The way he always would.

Elex had given in.

Not all the way, not completely—but enough.

Enough that he let himself sink into S7en’s warmth, let the weight of exhaustion pull him under, let his body finally stop fighting.

And S7en?

S7en wasn’t going anywhere.

Not after all the bullshit avoidance, not after watching Elex tear himself apart, not after hearing him whisper that he couldn’t be the reason S7en got sick again.

Like he hadn’t just spent the last week watching over him.

Like he wasn’t allowed the same thing.

Like S7en getting sick again was some earth-shattering, world-ending event instead of just...life.

S7en swallowed hard, shaking off the lingering weight of that thought, and pressed the back of his hand against Elex’s forehead again.

Still too hot.

Still burning up.

S7en’s ears flicked with frustration.

He didn’t know how to do this.

Didn’t know how to be gentle, how to be soft in a way that actually mattered. He only knew how to watch and wait and be there when shit hit the fan.

But Elex deserved more than that.

So S7en did what he could.

He tucked the blankets tighter around Elex’s shoulders, making sure he was warm enough but not too hot.

He grabbed the cool rag from the nightstand, folding it before pressing it lightly against his forehead.

Elex made a soft noise, somewhere between a sigh and a whimper, his eyelashes fluttering but not opening.

S7en’s chest tightened.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, trying to keep his voice steady, casual. "I know. I’m a fucking saint."

Elex didn’t answer.

Just let out a slow, exhausted exhale, his body melting further into the blankets.

S7en watched him for a moment, fingers absently brushing the cooling strands of his hair back, his mind drifting.

He still remembered the way Elex had sat at his bedside just days ago, quietly rubbing circles into his back when he was struggling to breathe, wiping him down when his fever had spiked too high, watching him with the kind of focus that felt too much, too intense, too raw.

Now S7en was the one watching him.

Noticing every shallow breath.

Every twitch of discomfort.

Every exhausted tremor in his fingers.

It wasn’t fair.

Not that Elex was sick—that happened.

But that he had felt like he had to go through it alone.

Like he had to hide it.

Like he had to carry it on his own shoulders just to protect S7en from something he had no control over.

And S7en hated that.

Hated that Elex had been suffering in silence, scrubbing his hands raw, avoiding him, trapping himself in his own head just to keep from being a burden.

Like S7en wouldn’t drop everything for him in a heartbeat.

Like S7en didn’t already know what it felt like to be in this exact position.

His fingers curled tighter around the edge of the blanket, jaw clenching, tail flicking in agitated movements before he forced himself to breathe.

Not the time.

Elex had stopped shivering.

That was progress.

S7en exhaled slow, shifting so he could tuck the blanket higher over Elex’s shoulders.

That’s when he felt it—

The smallest, barest hint of movement.

Elex’s fingers, still curled into the fabric of S7en’s hoodie, tugged.

It wasn’t intentional—not really.

More of a half-conscious reaction, a barely-there plea for something S7en wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been paying attention.

But he was.

So he didn’t hesitate.

Didn’t question it.

Just shifted closer, letting his weight settle against the mattress, letting Elex press against his side, forehead brushing S7en’s shoulder, his whole body giving in.

S7en just held him.

Didn’t make a big deal of it.

Didn’t say anything at all.

Just breathed.

Because Elex was finally letting himself be taken care of.

And S7en wasn’t about to ruin it.

The end ✨

20 notes · View notes

aller-geez · 2 months ago

Text

Got a request by @1dwaekki to write a follow up fic to Oxygen~

Yes I know, I suck a lot and didn’t feel like drawing a new cover so I used the most recent pic I did of S7en, oops 😅

Breathless, Again (oxygen pt 2)

Written & Illustrated by: allergeez

6.7k words // Summary: S7en is still recovering—but if you ask him, he’s fine. He refuses to be treated like he’s fragile, refuses to be a burden, and most importantly, refuses to let his own body ruin things any more than it already has.

So the second he’s back home, he pushes himself too hard. Too fast. Ignoring the exhaustion, the weight in his chest, the way his lungs still fight him for every breath. Elex sees right through it—but S7en is nothing if not stubborn.

It’s only a matter of time before everything catches up to him.

As S7en fights against his own limits, Elex is forced to step in, not with anger—but with patience. With quiet insistence, steady hands, and the kind of care S7en doesn’t know how to accept.

Because S7en doesn’t need to prove he’s okay. He just needs to be okay.

Content Warnings:

Illness themes (fever, sneezing, coughing, breathing difficulty, pneumonia)

Medical care (medication, inhalers)

Emotional distress (self-worth struggles, reluctant vulnerability)

Anxiety (frustration, overstimulation, physical exhaustion)

Lighthearted teasing and affectionate insults

Strong language

S7en had barely been conscious for the car ride home, floating in the fevered, exhausted haze that had consumed him for the past two days. Two whole days trapped in a sterile, suffocating hospital room, his body reduced to nothing but a collection of strained breaths and clipped medical jargon. His lungs had refused to cooperate this time—tight, stubborn, unrelenting—and despite his best efforts, he had spent most of his hospital stay tethered to a nasal cannula, sucking in pure oxygen like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth.

Now, finally free, the crisp evening air wrapped around him like a long-forgotten luxury. He could breathe—sort of. Enough that they had let him go, at least. That was all that mattered.

S7en exhaled slowly, eyes heavy-lidded as he turned toward their apartment door, ears sagging slightly against his will. His entire body was still unimaginably weak, the kind of exhaustion that settled into his bones, weighing down every movement. Even his tail, usually flicking with lazy amusement or irritation, hung limp behind him.

Still, he could open a fucking door.

Moving slow, careful, he reached into his pocket for his keys, fingers trembling just slightly as they closed around the cool metal—

“Oi! Stop.”

S7en barely had time to react before the sound of heavy boots on pavement announced Elex—barreling toward him from the car, arms overloaded with bags, jackets, and whatever-the-hell else he had grabbed from the hospital room. His voice was sharp, authoritative, the kind of no-questions-asked command he only used when he was pissed—or worried.

S7en froze, rolling his vivid orange eyes as his tail gave a singular, weak flick of irritation.

"You know opening the door won’t kill me, right?"

Or, at least, that’s what he tried to say.

What actually came out was an embarrassingly hoarse, pitiful squeak.

His throat was wrecked, voice completely shot, every syllable barely audible through the raw, swollen wreckage that the infection had left behind.

Elex, already shoving his own keys into the door, stopped cold.

Slowly, he turned his head, brows furrowing, mismatched eyes locking onto S7en like a sniper sighting a target.

“…Excuse me?”

S7en, annoyed but too drained to argue, simply coughed weakly into his sleeve, not bothering to answer.

Elex, silent, finished unlocking the door in one sharp motion before pushing it open.

"Inside. Now."

S7en, beyond done, dragged himself forward, stepping over the threshold into the dim familiarity of their apartment. The smell of home hit him immediately—paint, lingering traces of incense, the faint, ever-present scent of Elex’s cologne. Warmth. Comfort. The opposite of the cold, sterile walls he had been trapped in for the past two days.

For a moment, he simply stood there, letting the exhaustion pull at his body, letting himself sink into the sensation of being home.

Then—

A sudden, heavy thud as Elex dropped their bags unceremoniously onto the floor behind him.

S7en turned just in time to see the badger shrugging off his jacket, expression tense, posture stiff—all telltale signs that he was about five seconds away from losing his shit.

Here we go.

S7en’s orange eyes scanned the apartment, taking in the aftermath of the party, and something tight and miserable twisted deep in his chest, his ears pinning back against his skull.

Oh.

It looked like a massacre.

The walls were still adorned with limp streamers, hanging in sad, sagging loops, their once vibrant colors now dulled and lifeless. Half-deflated balloons clung desperately to the floor, some rolling listlessly with the draft from the open door. The hand-painted decorations he had spent hours—days—perfecting were scattered across every available surface, abandoned and forgotten.

And then there was everything else.

Plastic cups, crumpled napkins, empty beer cans—a graveyard of discarded celebration. The coffee table was littered with half-eaten food, and somewhere near the couch, a party hat sat crushed under someone’s boot print, like a cruel, careless afterthought.

S7en felt his throat tighten.

His chest ached—not just from the pneumonia, not just from the exhaustion pressing down on him like dead weight, but from something deeper. Something raw.

He had worked himself into the ground for this party.

Had spent weeks planning it.

Had given everything he had left—his time, his energy, his health—to make it perfect.

And now— Now it was over. Now it was ruined.

He swallowed hard, but the moisture was already beginning to build in his fever-glazed, glassy eyes, threatening to spill over before he could stop it.

God. He was so fucking tired. And his body—his emotions—had nothing left to give.

Behind him, Elex noticed immediately.

“Hey,” the badger murmured, his usual rough-edged voice softened at the corners. “Don’t—don’t worry about this, alright?”

S7en didn’t respond, still staring at the mess, his ears slowly sinking with quiet devastation.

Elex ran a hand through his messy green hair, exhaling before rolling up his sleeves.

“I’ll clean it up. By tomorrow, it’ll be like nothing ever happened.”

He said it with the same casual confidence he used when getting out of trouble—like he could will the situation into something manageable just by deciding it would be.

But when he turned back toward S7en— His breath hitched.

Something was off.

S7en’s distant, unfocused stare wasn’t just exhaustion. His slight squint wasn’t just from the moisture in his eyes.

Elex knew that look.

Knew it very well.

A slow smirk tugged at the badger’s lips.

“Bless you in advance,” he said.

Immediately, a light pink dusted over S7en’s already fever-flushed face, his shoulders tensing slightly.

His nose twitched again, the slow, creeping itch beginning to build—tantalizingly, maddeningly—deep within his sinuses.

God, not now.

He tried to glare at Elex, something half-hearted and unimpressed, but the mounting sneeze cut him off completely.

“Hh—! Hh'AHHTschh! Hh—! HHAHH—! HAHDT’tchhiew!! Hh—! AHHDT’tchhiiuhh! ”

The force of them jerked his frame forward, and before he could so much as breathe, the sneezes morphed into a brutal, chest-deep coughing fit.

The raw, scraping sound tore through him, his entire body curling inward as his lungs fought viciously against him.

Elex’s smirk vanished immediately.

He was there in a second, one hand bracing S7en’s back, the other gripping his arm to keep him steady.

"Jesus, fuck, S7en—breathe, kid—"

S7en barely heard him, too caught in the wreckage of his own body, his ears pressing flat against his skull.

Elex tightened his grip, grounding him.

When the fit finally, finally eased, S7en slumped forward, his breath still rattling in his chest, eyes squeezed shut as he tried to recover.

Elex exhaled through his nose, shaking his head, but his hand remained firm and steady against S7en’s back.

"...You good?"

S7en cracked open one watery, miserable orange eye, shooting him a weak, glare-adjacent look.

Elex huffed a laugh—quiet, fond, just a little exasperated.

Then, softer—genuinely meaning it this time:

“Bless you.”

S7en wanted to crawl out of his own skin.

The moment Elex muttered, "Bless you," the badger’s warm, steady hand still braced between his shoulder blades, something deep in S7en’s chest twisted in frustration.

He hated this.

Hated the way his body betrayed him every few minutes, tearing through his last scraps of dignity with these brutal, relentless fits. Hated the way Elex looked at him—worried, watching him like he might break apart at any second. Hated that every time he so much as shifted his weight, Elex was there, ready to catch him like he was seconds from collapse.

Maybe he was, but that wasn’t the fucking point.

This wasn’t him.

S7en was used to being sick, but he wasn’t this kind of sick. He wasn’t fragile, wasn’t someone who needed to be taken care of—wasn’t supposed to be this goddamn weak.

Another harsh, rattling cough clawed its way up from his lungs, cutting through the feverish static in his head. He barely had time to turn away, pressing the sleeve of his hoodie against his mouth as his body shook with the force of it.

Elex’s hand tensed, fingers gripping into the fabric of his hoodie, steadying him again.

S7en’s ears flattened in irritation.

Enough.

He jerked out of Elex’s hold, staggering forward a step, breathing hard, barely steady on his feet—but still standing.

"I'm fine," he rasped, voice a raw, scraped-up wreck of sound.

Elex snorted. Loud. Unimpressed.

"Yeah? You sound fine."

S7en ignored him.

Or tried to.

Except—his sinuses had other plans.

The burning tickle had barely given him a break, lingering just under the surface, simmering relentlessly behind his nose and eyes. And now—with his breath still short, his body still weak and trembling—it surged forward again, sharp and overwhelming.

S7en barely managed a gasp of warning before he snapped forward, the fit tearing into him with brutal force.

“Hh—hhAHH’Tschh! HhAHHKTschhh! Hhh—! HHhh! HHAHH—! HAHDT’tchiew! Hhh! AHHDT’tschue!”

Each one ripped through his already shredded lungs, leaving fire in his chest, his ribs aching like something had been bruised or cracked from the sheer force of it.

And then—the coughing hit again.

Hard.

It stole the air from his lungs, wracking through him until his knees nearly buckled under him.

His hands gripped the counter, holding on for dear fucking life as his body fought viciously against itself.

Elex was there again in a flash.

Hands on him, steady, grounding, pulling him back before he could fall.

"You’re fine, huh?" Elex muttered, half annoyed, half furious, but his grip was gentle, voice low and serious. "You think this is fucking fine?"

S7en wanted to answer.

Wanted to tell him to fuck off, to stop looking at him like that, to just back off—

But he couldn’t fucking breathe.

The coughing fit was too deep, too brutal, too much, and his vision spotted at the edges, his lungs screaming, his head swimming with fever and exhaustion.

His fingers trembled against the counter, and his legs wouldn’t stop shaking.

Elex felt it.

And that was the worst part.

The badger cursed under his breath, wrapping an arm around S7en’s waist, pulling him back before he faceplanted right there in the middle of the fucking kitchen.

"Okay, that’s it—I’m done with this bullshit," Elex snapped, hauling S7en toward the couch despite the feline’s weak, half-hearted struggling.

S7en let out a low, frustrated growl, batting at his hands even as he stumbled against him, utterly defeated by his own fucking body.

"Dude, seriously, let me—"

"No."

Elex cut him off sharply, voice hard, final, leaving no room for argument.

Then—his tone softened—just a little.

"You need to sit down, dumbass. And for once in your miserable life, you’re gonna listen to me."

S7en hated how exhausted he was.

Hated how his body wouldn’t move the way he wanted it to.

Hated that—no matter how badly he wanted to fight back—his traitorous limbs had already given up on him.

Elex barely had to guide him down onto the couch before he collapsed against the cushions, completely drained, head swimming, breath still uneven and wrong.

His ear twitched in irritation, but he didn’t move.

Didn’t argue.

Didn’t fight anymore.

Because—fuck it.

He was too goddamn tired.

Elex didn’t let himself relax until S7en’s breathing evened out—well, as even as it was going to get. The kid still looked like hell, slumped against the cushions with half-lidded eyes and a slack grip around the blanket Elex had thrown over him. His tail flicked weakly, more from habit than any real energy, and his ears twitched in irritation every time his breath hitched into a congested wheeze.

It was bad. Still too bad. But at least he was sitting, not swaying like he was about to drop. That was a start.

Elex exhaled sharply through his nose, dragging a hand down his face before pushing himself up from the couch. He needed to get his shit together. They had a whole bag of meds sitting on the counter, and for once, S7en wasn’t going to be the stubborn idiot refusing to take them. No, that was Elex’s job now—figuring out how the hell all this medical bullshit worked.

His boots were heavy against the floor as he moved toward the kitchen, flipping on the dim overhead light. The white pharmacy bag sat there, mocking him, filled to the brim with bottles, blister packs, inhalers—hell, one of these things might’ve just been straight-up magic. He grabbed the first bottle, squinting at the label like it had personally wronged him.

"Take one tablet by mouth twice daily with food—unless otherwise instructed by a physician."

What the fuck did that mean? Was he supposed to wait for otherwise-instruction? Or was that just there to fuck with him?

Elex muttered something under his breath, shooting a glare at the offensive medication. Fucking hell, how did people do this every day?

He scowled, shaking the bottle like it might start making sense if he rattled it around enough.

The next one was just as bad.

"Take two puffs every four to six hours as needed. Do not exceed prescribed dose."

Okay. Cool. That was fine.

Except—the hospital never actually told him what the prescribed dose was.

And then—there was the liquid medication, which had no dosing instructions at all—just a cryptic warning about side effects and some useless-ass guidelines about food intake.

Elex ran a hand through his hair, exasperated, glancing back and forth between the bottles, the inhalers, and S7en, who had been silent this whole time, sitting on the couch, still trying to get his breathing under control.

The kid looked like hell.

Still pale, still feverish, still sitting with his head tilted back slightly, eyes half-lidded, like even the act of keeping them open was just too much effort.

His chest rose and fell unevenly, each inhale too shallow, too weak—not enough to fully fill his lungs, but too much effort to take in anything deeper.

Elex sighed heavily, rubbing at his temple with his free hand.

"Okay, what the fuck is all this shit supposed to do?" he muttered, glaring at the pile of medication like it personally offended him.

S7en huffed softly, the sound half-exhausted, half-amused, and didn’t even look up before he started listing them off.

"Antibiotic, once in the morning, once at night."

His voice was wrecked, but steady, like he had done this a thousand times before.

"Steroid—twice a day, no food restrictions. Just tastes like absolute shit, so, fair warning."

Elex blinked, glancing down at the bottle in his hand.

"Rescue inhaler—only if I’m actually dying. Preventative inhaler—morning and night. That’s the one that makes my heart feel like it’s about to explode, so don’t freak out when that happens."

He cleared his throat, wincing slightly like the action made it worse, before continuing.

"Cough suppressant—doesn’t work, but I have to take it anyway. Decongestant—also doesn’t work. Painkiller—every six hours. Liquid bullshit—tastes worse than the steroid."

Elex just stared at him.

For a solid five seconds, he didn’t say anything.

Then, finally—he glanced back at the pill bottles, thumbing through them until he found the right ones.

"Geezus Christ," he muttered, shaking his head. "You almost have your own pharmacy here with all the meds they gave you."

S7en let out a tired, unamused huff, before scrubbing at his nose with the back of his knuckles, his ears twitching with irritation.

Elex handed him the first set of pills, watching carefully as S7en picked them out of his palm with slightly trembling fingers.

For a moment, Elex debated saying something else, something serious, but instead—

"You know, I feel like if you took all of these at once, you’d either level up as a person or just ascend to the next plane of existence."

S7en snorted, which immediately backfired.

His breath hitched sharply, his body seizing up involuntarily as the tickle surged back with a vengeance.

"Hh—HAHDT’tchhiew!! Hh—! AHHDT’tchhiiuhh!!"

The cat barely had a second to recover before another sharp, breathless hitch overtook him, his sinuses pulsing with maddening intensity. He gasped sharply, trying to brace himself, but the force of the next fit crashed into him with zero mercy.

“Hhh—! HHhh! HHAHH—! HAHDT’tchiew! Hhh! AHHDT’tschue!! Hh! HhAHHKTschh’uhh—!”

The pills slipped from his fingers, scattering across the hardwood floor with a light, traitorous clatter.

His cheeks burned instantly.

For a second, he just sat there, frozen, ears pinning back against his messy teal hair, his tail curling tighter around himself. He wasn’t even sure what was worse—the fact that he had just sneezed the meds out of his own damn hands or the fact that it made him feel so fucking infantile.

He groaned, tipping his head back against the couch in pure miserable humiliation, before leaning forward slightly, already reaching to grab the fallen pills.

Elex swatted his hands away before he could even touch them.

S7en scowled instantly, his fever-glazed orange eyes narrowing as he snapped his gaze up to glare at the badger. “I got it—”

“Yeah, you sure do,” Elex deadpanned, already crouching down to pick up the scattered pills himself.

S7en huffed, irritated, before quickly scrubbing at the underside of his still twitching nose with his knuckles. His tail flicked sharply behind him, his ears twitching again as Elex scooped up the last pill and stood, smirking lightly as he dusted them off in his palm.

Something about the expression made S7en’s already thin patience snap.

He glared up at him. "What’s so funny?"

The moment the words left his mouth, his already destroyed voice cracked halfway through—a pathetic, raspy break that made him sound more like a dying animal than an actual person.

Elex exhaled a sharp, amused breath through his nose. Not quite a laugh, but damn close.

S7en scowled harder, sniffling sharply against his wrist to regain what little dignity he had left.

Elex pressed the pills firmly back into his palm before straightening up, shaking his head slightly. “Nothing’s funny,” he said, voice casual—before immediately following up with, “I was just trying to figure out how the hell you hid being sick from me for so long.”

S7en rolled his eyes, leaning back into the couch with a tired huff. “Elex, I hide shit from you all the time—”

“Yeah, no, see—that’s bullshit.” Elex raised a brow, crossing his arms. “Your sneezes when you get sick are not very… stealthy.”

S7en scoffed, sniffling again, before a slow, smug smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. “That’s because I stifled them so well,” he admitted with a nonchalant shrug.

Elex blinked.

Then—he frowned. "You what?"

S7en lazily rolled the pills around in his palm, smirking despite himself. “Yeah, man. I stifled the hell out of them.”

Elex squinted at him, skeptical. “When?”

S7en sniffled absently, rubbing at his nose with the edge of his sleeve. “You remember when we were watching that dumbass action movie, and you wouldn’t shut the fuck up about how the stunt choreography was unrealistic?”

Elex tilted his head, thinking, before snapping his fingers. “Oh, yeah. That one scene with the glass—”

“I was literally dying next to you.”

Elex paused.

Stared.

“…Excuse me?”

S7en smirked slightly, tail flicking lazily behind him. “Had to fake getting a drink so I could leave the room. Barely made it to the kitchen before I fucking lost it.”

Elex’s eyes narrowed, his jaw working slightly as he absorbed that information.

S7en, seeing his moment, went for the kill. “Oh, and also—remember when we were at that corner store and you spent ten whole minutes debating between two energy drinks, like they weren’t both just sugar and violence in a can?”

Elex frowned. “That was an important decision, dumbass.”

“Sure.” S7en’s smirk deepened, lazy and teasing. “Meanwhile, I was behind you, holding onto the counter for dear life because my lungs weren’t cooperating, and I was pretty sure I was about to pass out right there in the snack aisle.”

Elex’s frown deepened.

S7en leaned back slightly, gaze flickering upward in mock thoughtfulness. “Oh, and—you remember when we were in the car and you were yelling at Rex on speaker about how he treats his transmission like a war crime?”

“…Yeah?”

S7en snickered, pressing the back of his wrist against his nose. “Dude. I was dying next to you. Had to time my sneezes with your road rage just to keep you from noticing.”

Elex blinked. “…What?”

“You literally screamed, ‘USE YOUR FUCKING BLINKER YOU GODDAMN TWAT,’ right as I sneezed,” S7en wheezed a short, small laugh, rubbing his nose. “It was a perfect cover. Like, cinematic-level shit.”

Elex’s jaw dropped slightly, blinking at him in pure, stunned disbelief.

S7en grinned wildly. “You really don’t pay attention, man.”

Elex crossed his arms, planting his feet, his entire posture shifting into something stubborn.

“Alright. New house rules.”

S7en blinked. “…The fuck?”

Elex pointed at him. “One—you’re gonna let me take care of you.”

S7en opened his mouth, already scowling. “Oh, absolutely not—”

“Two—” Elex steamrolled right over him, ignoring the protest entirely. “There will be no more of that stifling bullshit.”

S7en’s ears pinned back slightly, his tail flicking sharply. “Dude—”

“Don’t ‘dude’ me,” Elex said firmly, brow furrowing. “I don’t give a shit what the reason is—you’re not doing that anymore.”

S7en let out a sharp, exasperated sigh, tossing his head back against the couch. “Christ, you’re so dramatic—”

“Says the guy who passed out holding a birthday cake.”

S7en froze.

Elex’s smirk was victorious.

“…Low fucking blow.”

“You’re the one who literally hit the floor—”

“I hate you.”

“Anyway,” Elex continued, finally dropping it, as he flopped into the chair across from him, stretching his legs out with a loud sigh. “I’m starving, and you gotta take some of that hospital-grade poison they sent you home with after eating, right?”

S7en hesitated, glancing at the various pills Elex had slipped into his palm. He couldn’t really argue.

“…Yeah,” he muttered begrudgingly.

Elex nodded, clapping his hands together. “Cool. What are we ordering?”

S7en sighed again, dramatically this time. “I don’t care.”

Elex raised an eyebrow. “No, see, that’s how we end up ordering some dumb shit that you pretend to like so you don’t hurt my feelings.”

S7en rolled his orange eyes, sniffling lightly. “Not my fault you eat like an unsupervised toddler.”

Elex grinned, not remotely offended. “Damn right.”

And with that, he grabbed his phone, already pulling up a food delivery app, leaving no room for further argument.

S7en tried to get up.

Tried, being the key word, because the second he started shifting toward the bedroom, Elex shot him a look.

“Oh, no, no, no. You’re staying right here,” Elex said, pointing at the couch like it was some kind of containment zone. “Where I can see you.”

S7en groaned loudly, tail flicking sharply. “Dude. I’m not gonna fucking evaporate if you look away for five seconds.”

Elex raised a brow. “You literally collapsed in front of me two days ago. Forgive me if I’m a little concerned about your ability to stay upright.”

S7en scowled, arms crossing over his chest. “I’m fine.”

“You sound fine,” Elex deadpanned, watching as S7en immediately broke into a chest-deep coughing fit.

S7en glared at him through watery eyes, rasping, “Fugk you.”

Elex just snorted, unfazed. “C’mon, sit your ass back down.”

S7en huffed, annoyed, but conceded—partly because he was too tired to keep arguing, but mostly because the food was almost here, and he was not letting Elex order something objectively terrible out of spite.

The smell of food hit first. The second Elex opened the door, the warm, greasy aroma filled the apartment, making S7en’s stomach tighten in anticipation.

They settled in, their usual chaotic banter tapering off into something comfortable, familiar, easy.

Elex picked a movie—some ridiculous action flick with an actual stunt budget this time, S7en noted—and for the first time in days, S7en actually relaxed.

Until his nose itched.

Badly.

He froze mid-bite, the unbearable, creeping tickle flaring to life behind his sinuses, building way too fast.

Shit.

S7en barely managed to shove his plate onto the coffee table before his breath hitched sharply, his ears flattening as his body jerked forward.

“Hh—! Hhh! HAHPT’tschiew!! HAH! AHHDT’shiiiiew!”

Elex chuckled, not even glancing away from the screen. “Bless you.”

S7en groaned, scrubbing furiously at his nose, already feeling the tickle threatening another round.

Another sharp inhale—

“HAHDT’tchiew!! HAH’tsschhiew!”

Elex snickered, shaking his head. “Dude. Are you even eating anymore?”

S7en just glared at him, sniffling before finally grabbing his food again.

But the damage was done.

Between the sneezing and the growing warmth in his stomach, S7en’s exhaustion finally caught up with him. His limbs felt heavier, his blinks slower, and before he knew it, he had somehow ended up half-laying down, his head resting on Elex’s lap.

Elex didn’t comment on it.

He just kept watching the movie, one hand idly moving to S7en’s hair, running his fingers through the tangled strands.

S7en sighed, melting into the touch, his ears twitching slightly as Elex’s fingers absentmindedly scratched at the base of them.

He didn’t remember closing his eyes.

Didn’t remember the movie ending.

Just the steady warmth of Elex’s lap and the slow, rhythmic drag of his fingers through his hair.

Then—

The tickle.

It built slowly, creeping back to life somewhere deep in his sinuses, sharp and relentless.

S7en’s breath hitched.

Oh, no.

Not now.

Not here.

Not while he was literally using Elex as a pillow.

His ears flattened, his tail curling tighter around himself as his breath trembled, fighting desperately against the overwhelming urge to sneeze.

But it was winning.

Shit.

S7en clenched his jaw, pressing his wrist hard against his nose.

“Hh’NGXT! Ktchhh!—h’NNgch!”

The pressure spiked, throbbing through his sinuses, but he forced his body to stay still, stifling the rest down into silence.

…Or at least, he thought he did.

Until—

A low, familiar sigh from above.

“…Dude.”

S7en’s heart sank.

Shit.

Slowly, hesitantly, he cracked one eye open.

Elex was staring down at him, unamused, brow slightly furrowed.

“Seriously?”

S7en winced, clearing his throat weakly. “…Didn’t wanna wake you.”

Elex tilted his head, voice flat. “You think that’s what woke me up?”

S7en blinked. “…Yes?”

Elex exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. “Geezus Christ, dude.”

S7en sniffled, grumbling, “What.”

Elex gestured vaguely. “Your head was literally on my lap. I could feel you physically trying not to explode.”

S7en’s cheeks burned, his tail flicking sharply.

“…Not my fault your legs are too bony to absorb the impact.”

Elex scoffed, nudging his shoulder. “Not my fault you’re an idiot.”

S7en huffed, rubbing at his temple.

His head pounded, the self-inflicted pressure ringing in his ears.

Elex noticed.

S7en saw it in the way his expression softened slightly, his lips parting like he was about to say something.

But instead—

Elex just sighed again, shaking his head before gently shoving S7en back down onto the couch.

“Go back to sleep, dumbass.”

And S7en, with absolutely no energy left to fight, did exactly that.

S7en woke up with his body already fighting against him.

The headache was still there, dull but persistent, lingering behind his eyes like an uninvited guest. His throat burned, his chest ached, and every inhale still felt just a little too tight—but it was better than before. Better than the hospital.

And that meant he was fine.

That meant he could get up, do things, prove to Elex—and to himself—that he wasn’t some helpless burden.

So, the second Elex left to run errands, S7en forced himself upright, shaking off the exhaustion that clung to his limbs like lead. He ignored the way the room tilted slightly, ignored the way his chest protested, and made his way to the kitchen.

Dishes. There were dishes in the sink. He could do dishes.

Never mind that he had to lean against the counter for balance, or that his fingers trembled slightly when he reached for a plate. It was fine. He was fine.

Until he wasn’t.

S7en barely made it through rinsing two plates before his breath hitched violently, his lungs locking up like rusted gears. His hands clamped down on the counter, knuckles white, as the coughing started—deep, raw, and completely unstoppable. His body lurched with the force of it, his chest burning as oxygen became an afterthought.

The plate in his hand slipped.

It shattered against the floor.

And, of course—that was exactly when Elex walked in.

Just in time to see S7en wobbling like a newborn deer, gripping the counter like it was the only thing keeping him upright.

His eyes narrowed. Immediately.

S7en, caught red-handed, tried to play it off.

"Chill, I was just—"

"Sit your ass down."

It wasn’t even angry. Just flat, exasperated, and completely done.

S7en barely managed to straighten up before Elex was right there, steering him firmly back to the couch like a misbehaving toddler.

He grumbled the entire way down, but Elex didn’t care.

Instead, he pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped the screen a few times, and—

BZZT BZZT.

S7en squinted at him. "…What was that?"

Elex, expression blank, held up the screen.

The alarm read: “S7EN MEDS. 3PM. NO EXCUSES.”

S7en blinked. Then blinked again.

"…You set a fucking alarm?"

"Yep."

"To—what, force-feed me medicine like I’m a goddamn child?"

"If that’s what it takes."

S7en stared.

Elex stared back, completely unfazed.

Then, without waiting for an argument, Elex grabbed the nearest prescription bottle, shook out the correct dose, and handed it to S7en along with the half-empty water bottle from earlier.

S7en groaned, dramatically flopping back against the cushions.

"You are such a pain in my ass."

"And you are a fucking menace," Elex shot back. "Now take your damn meds."

S7en grumbled something under his breath, but he took the pills anyway. Partly because he had no energy to argue. Partly because he knew Elex wouldn’t let him off the hook.

As he swallowed them down, he sighed, rubbing the back of his burning-hot neck.

"…I dunno how you’re even standing this," he muttered, not looking at Elex. "You probably wanna burn your whole outfit after sitting this close to me."

Elex snorted. "You’d think."

S7en hesitated. Then, quieter—almost sheepish:

"…Sorry."

For once, Elex didn’t have a snarky response.

He just shook his head, sighing, before reaching over to mess up S7en’s already disaster-tier hair.

"You’re a dumbass," he muttered.

S7en huffed, ears flicking.

But he didn’t argue.

He kept his gaze fixed on his lap, fingers picking at a loose thread on the blanket draped over his legs.

He meant it. The apology.

He knew how Elex was about germs. Knew he was probably the last person in the world the badger wanted to be around right now. Hell, if the roles were reversed, S7en was pretty sure Elex would’ve exiled him to the couch and disinfected the entire apartment on sight.

But instead, here he was.

Sitting barely a foot away, watching him like he actually gave a shit.

S7en’s throat felt tight, but not from the illness.

"...Sorry," he muttered again, softer this time.

For once, Elex didn’t bite back.

No sarcasm, no snark, no immediate smartass remark.

Just a sigh. Then a hand in his hair, ruffling it up in a way that was almost—affectionate.

"Again, you’re a dumbass," Elex murmured, voice gruff but not unkind.

S7en blinked, startled by the sudden shift, his ears flicking instinctively at the touch. He turned just enough to glance at Elex—noticing, maybe for the first time, just how exhausted he looked, too. The shadows under his eyes, the way his shoulders sat with a tension that had nothing to do with annoyance and everything to do with concern.

The realization sat uncomfortably in S7en’s chest.

He’d been so focused on proving he wasn’t a burden that he hadn’t stopped to think about how much of a pain in the ass he’d been anyway.

S7en huffed, leaning just slightly into Elex’s touch before he could stop himself.

"...You didn’t have to stay, y’know," he muttered, almost embarrassed. "Could’ve just thrown cough drops at me from across the room or something."

Elex scoffed. "Yeah. That’s what I should’ve done."

S7en smirked, just a little, but it was softer now—less of a smirk, more of a quiet acknowledgment.

He still felt like shit. But at least now, he didn’t feel like he had to deal with it alone.

For the rest of the night, S7en was weirdly compliant.

Took his meds without arguing. Didn’t complain when Elex adjusted his pillows. Even let himself be half-buried under the weighted blanket without making some snide comment about suffocation.

And Elex didn’t trust it for a second.

He narrowed his eyes as he sat down on the couch across from him, cracking open a can of some disgusting energy drink he probably shouldn’t be drinking at one in the morning.

“You’re being suspiciously cooperative,” he muttered, watching S7en like he was waiting for him to snap back into his usual brand of stubborn bullshit.

S7en just shrugged weakly, tugging the blanket higher like he was trying to disappear inside it.

"Yeah, well," he mumbled, voice thick with congestion and something else. "Turns out fighting you on this whole thing was kind of a massive dick move."

Elex raised an eyebrow. “You don’t say.”

S7en exhaled shakily, his ears flattening slightly. He stared down at the blanket in his lap, his fingers fidgeting with a loose thread.

“I just…” he started, then hesitated, chewing the inside of his cheek.

Elex waited. Didn’t rush him.

And then, S7en crumbled.

His shoulders sagged, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer, rawer.

“…I just wanted you to have a good birthday.”

Elex blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift.

S7en swallowed hard, shaking his head.

"I tried so hard to make it perfect," he whispered, his fever-flushed face twisting in frustration. "And all I did was—ruin it. I passed out in the middle of the fucking party. You spent your whole damn birthday sitting in a hospital with me for two days while my lungs tried to fucking kill me, and I was a complete asshole the entire time because—because I didn’t want—"

His voice cracked. His breathing hitched.

“I didn’t want another thing making me this—weak, fragile thing that everyone has to tiptoe around."

The words came fast, unraveling all at once, like he had been holding them back for far too long.

His ears flattened further, his tail curling tight against his side. His vision blurred, burning hot and heavy, and before he could stop it—a tear slipped down his cheek.

S7en gritted his teeth hard, like he could will himself to keep it together.

But it was too late.

S7en groaned, dragging the blanket higher over his face like it could physically shield him from the absolute disaster this night had become. His chest still ached, every breath too tight, too shallow, his limbs shaking from exhaustion and fever.

And now? Now he was crying.

Like some pathetic, fragile thing that couldn’t even hold himself together.

He sniffled hard, but it didn’t do much—his nose was already a mess, congestion weighing heavy behind his eyes, his entire face burning.

"I’m sorry, El…" he rasped, voice cracking painfully.

Elex, predictably, just snorted.

"Nah. This is new. I’m not used to emotional S7en. Kinda nice, actually. You should be pathetic more often.”

S7en let out a weak, miserable wheeze of a laugh, half-buried beneath the blanket. But the moment the breath left him, his face twisted again, another surge of heat rushing behind his eyes.

He sucked in a shaky inhale, gripping the fabric of the blanket so tightly his fingers ached.

“Fuck,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Elex blinked, the teasing smirk dropping instantly.

And then, before S7en could stop it—before he could shove it down like he always did—the words came tumbling out.

"I’m so sorry," he whispered, voice hoarse and broken.

Elex froze.

S7en sniffled again, his breath shuddering, his ears flattening against his skull as the weight of everything crashed down on him all at once.

"I—fuck, I ruined everything,” he choked, his throat closing up mid-sentence. "Your birthday, the party, all of it—I just—I wanted it to be perfect for you. And instead—"

His hands curled tighter into the blanket, his shoulders trembling.

"Instead you spent two days in a fucking hospital waiting for me to breathe properly. Instead of having fun, you were—sitting there, watching me, waiting for me to fucking—"

His voice broke completely, his vision swimming, his face already damp with fever and tears.

“You didn’t deserve that,” he rasped, hiccupping on the inhale. "I should’ve just—I should’ve told you—"

His breath hitched hard.

And then it all went to hell.

The crying set off a coughing fit—a violent, wrecking thing that tore through his lungs like fire. His chest seized, his ribs protesting the force, his body curling in on itself as he fought for air.

The second cough didn’t even fully land before the next one slammed into him, then another, then another—too fast, too deep, too much.

His vision blurred completely, a horrible static rising in his ears as the burning in his chest tightened—tightened—

Fuck.

He couldn’t breathe.

The panic set in immediately, his claws digging into the fabric of the blanket, his body locked in a frantic, gasping spiral. He couldn’t stop coughing, couldn’t inhale properly, couldn’t—

Elex was there in a second.

"Hey—hey, hey, breathe—S7en—slow down, you gotta slow down—"

S7en shook his head wildly, his hands gripping Elex’s hoodie on instinct, but it wasn’t working. His body wasn’t listening. Every breath came out short and frantic, his chest spasming like a malfunctioning engine.

He heard his own name, Elex’s voice breaking through the haze, but the static was getting louder, the world tilting dangerously, his lungs refusing to—

Then—something pressed against his lips.

"Inhale. Now."

S7en barely had time to process before the quick burst of medicated air hit his lungs.

He gasped. Choked. His hands shook violently, his tail flicking frantically as his body fought to cooperate.

Elex gave him another hit, then another, rubbing circles into his back, muttering something grounding and firm.

“That’s it, kid—just breathe—”

Slowly—painfully—S7en’s lungs unclenched.

The hitching eased.

His muscles unlocked.

And when he finally, finally took a full inhale—it actually fucking worked.

S7en collapsed back against the couch, his entire body trembling, his breath still uneven—but at least it was breath.

Elex let out a heavy sigh, dragging a hand down his face.

Then, in true Elex fashion, he let out a sharp scoff.

"Geezus, your fever’s really cranking up the dramatics," he muttered, shaking his head. "It’s never been this easy to tell how you’re feeling."

S7en, still wrecked, let out a weak, exhausted wheeze of a laugh.

"Go fuck yourself."

Elex grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. Love you too."

S7en was spent.

Completely and utterly drained. His body felt like a bag of lead, every muscle too heavy, too sore, too exhausted to do anything except exist.

But for the first time in days, he wasn’t fighting it.

His breath still wasn’t perfect, but it was steady. His fever still lingered, but it was manageable. His body still ached, but for once, he didn’t feel like he had to push through it alone.

So when Elex moved to get up, S7en half-heartedly grabbed at his hoodie sleeve, murmuring something unintelligible.

Elex paused, glancing down at him.

“D’you need something?”

S7en, barely awake, flicked his tail weakly.

“Don’t—” he mumbled into the fabric of the couch, already half-asleep before he could even finish the sentence.

Elex huffed, but instead of teasing him like he normally would, he just sighed, shaking his head.

“Alright, alright,” he muttered, shifting just enough to get comfortable.

He grabbed a stack of pillows, carefully arranging them on his lap, then nudged S7en toward them.

The cat didn’t even argue.

Didn’t crack a joke, didn’t make a snide remark—just weakly adjusted himself, resting his head on the pillows, his breath slow and deep.

Elex pulled the blanket up over him, making sure it covered his shoulders, his arms, even his tail. Then, without thinking, he carded his fingers through S7en’s hair, slow and lazy.

The soft purring that followed was instant.

Elex snorted, a small, amused smirk pulling at his lips.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath.

But his voice wasn’t mocking.

It was fond.

And when he finally let his own eyes slip shut, his fingers still idly combing through S7en’s hair, he barely had time to register the exhaustion catching up to him before he, too, drifted off.

The room was quiet.

The air was warm.

And for the first time in days, neither of them had to fight anything.

Just sleep.

Just breathe.

Together.

The end 🖤

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