Work Text:
“Johnny…”
Oh my god, Johnny thought, internally screaming. If Gyro whined at him one more time he was going to either kill himself or kill Gyro; probably the latter, since Gyro was the one causing him so much grief. He didn’t listen to Johnny when he told him not to go play out in the rain half-naked before their bath, nope. Gyro wanted to have fun. The doctor in the house wanted to be irresponsible and wound up getting sick because of it.
“Coming, you baby,” he sighed. Johnny knew what Gyro was going to ask for – he had complained about the tea Johnny brought him earlier and left it until it got cold, which meant he probably needed more. Before he filled the kettle though, Johnny checked the time: noon-thirty. He gnawed on his bottom lip, not really wanting to offer more help than was necessary, but he wheeled backward to his end of the hallway and opened his mouth to shout—
“Johnny!” came another whine. “I’m hungry!”
Johnny rolled his eyes. Figures, he thought, wheeling himself back into the kitchen to grab a large pot. Unfortunately, it would take longer to make soup, so he boiled more water and filled another cup of tea for Gyro anyway.
“What is this?” Gyro asked as Johnny handed him the cup. He scrunched his nose and buried himself back under the blankets. “No—! Johnny, I don’t like that tea!”
“Just drink it, you idiot! It’ll make you feel better.”
“But it tastes—“
“If you don’t drink it I won’t feed you.” Gyro gasped. “And you know I’m a man of my word.”
Gyro pouted and sat up slowly, glaring all the while as he took the hot mug from Johnny. He sipped the bitter liquid, cringing as it burned down his throat. When he finished about half of it, he handed it to Johnny, stuck his tongue out childishly, and turned his back to him as he lay down.
“Oh my god, can you be any more dramatic?” Johnny said under his breath as he rolled back down the hall into the kitchen.
Johnny oofed as he carefully climbed down from the counter into his wheelchair. He adjusted the fire to a low setting so the soup would keep warm and placed the bowl he prepared in his lap on a thick towel. He rolled toward Gyro’s room very slowly to ensure that the soup wouldn’t spill, keeping one hand on the bowl for good measure. The door was partially shut; Johnny leaned forward and pushed it open with his free hand as he said, “Gyro, your soup is ready.”
Mellow snoring was his answer. Johnny pursed his lips and put the bowl on Gyro’s dresser before he moved closer to his bed. Yep, Gyro had passed out completely. A bit of sweat covered his face, but it was a good sign that he’d begun to sweat out his fever. Johnny brushed away long bangs and felt his forehead: still warm, but not as much as before. Some relief settled in his shoulders, loosening the muscles there that had been tight with worry. He sighed, absentmindedly stroking Gyro’s hair. Just watching him sleep, despite the snoring, was calming. It made Johnny’s eyes heavy watching Gyro’s chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. Gyro’s lips were dry and chapped, left open to help him breathe. A glint of gold could be seen from his teeth, making Johnny smile.
How fond he was of that big smile – all the more reason to get a sick, child-like Gyro back to 100% health as soon as possible. Johnny missed that smile and Gyro’s unexpected gags. This experience taught Johnny that Gyro was whiny and insufferable when sick. But mostly—Johnny stopped stroking Gyro’s hair, moving the back of his fingers down to graze across his cheek and jaw. The stubble of his unkempt squares brushed along his knuckles.
Mostly, Johnny couldn’t admit to himself that seeing Gyro sick was frightening. He wasn’t a doctor and could only offer home remedies that his mother used when he and Nicholas were growing up. He was terrified—he didn’t want to lose Gyro again, least of all to something as common as a cold. But Johnny knew it could be worse. Unlikely, but still a possibility.
“Johnny,” came a soft whisper.
Johnny snatched his hand away. His cold blue eyes widened, but Gyro still seemed to be asleep. He yawned widely and turned his face toward Johnny with his eyes closed and lips parted. His chest heaved deeply before resuming its steady rhythm.
“Dammit, Gyro,” Johnny mumbled. He leaned over, holding onto the bedframe so he wouldn’t fall completely out of his chair, and kissed Gyro’s damp forehead.
Large arms wrapped around him and pulled him on top of Gyro’s chest. “Gyro—you ass!” Johnny grumbled, blushing brightly. He faintly heard his chair bump against the side table.
“Ah, but you’re the perfect cure for this illness!” Gyro chirped, quite happily for someone sick in bed. He laughed nasally and kissed the top of Johnny’s head, keeping his eyes closed as he readjusted his partner more comfortably. “I’ll eat soon, just a few more minutes.”
Johnny hesitated because his heart was pounding loudly in his ears. But after a moment, he relaxed his body and squeezed Gyro’s sides. “Fine,” he said. Gyro knew him as a cuddler too well for him to deny it.
“I’m going to kill you.”
Johnny sniffled and grabbed another tissue from the bedside. His mean blue eyes never left the back of Gyro’s head, completely ungrateful for the table Gyro was setting up for him. A nice bowl of hot soup (that he made for Gyro the day before) and some tea was placed in front of him, but getting well was not his focus. Cursing Gyro was.
“Don’t be so grumpy, Johnny,” Gyro said, waving off his partner’s statement. “You were bound to get sick from me sooner or later.”
“I wouldn’t have if you didn’t rub all your snot and germs all over me!”
“Shush, shush.” Gyro put his finger to Johnny’s lips and leaned close, grinning widely. “Let me take care of my cute little Johnny!”
“Call me cute again and die.”
Never again, Johnny thought. Never again would he take care of his shithead partner when he got sick. He knew he was lying to himself, but Johnny’s pissy mood won over being truthful to himself. Thanks for getting me sick, Gyro! he thought angrily, but Johnny couldn’t ignore the relief he felt in his heart. Gyro was back to 100% health and he got to see that silly grin again before Gyro left to start his bath.