Archive of Our Own ^beta

The guys have just finished shooting another episode of 'I Dare You' at the so called haunted cabin in Utah. Everyone was incredibly tired after the long day of acting, snowboarding, sledding and goofing around in the snow. Bboy was the first to retreat to his room right under the roof of the cabin. Sean and Ryan followed him soon enough. There were three beds available in total, one under the attic, and the other two located in the main room at the top floor. A huge sliding glass door with several paneled windows at either sides of it was fixed at the rear, and it led to the balcony, that allowed the guests to witness the spectacular scenery of the snowy mountains and the rolling hills belonging to the resort. It seemed as if the whole landscape was on the palm of the viewer's hand. There was no space left upstairs for Greg and Will, so they ordered two mattresses from the inn's reception beforehand and placed them side by side in the living room on both nights, the same place where they took on the challenges.

After they were done with setting up their sleeping area, Will decided to take a shower. Not only did he waste most of the hot water, but he emptied the entire bottle of shower gel that the hotel offered. Greg was already on the verge of getting a serious cold, possibly hypothermia even, but he still resolved to go take a quick rinse, not that he could take his time, considering the fact that Will could beat any girl at the longevity of his bathroom routine. Greg had to use shampoo to clean himself up, because soap is soap, right? After he dressed back into his pajamas and was now brushing his teeth, he could feel the chill settling down inside of him. It felt almost as if he had ice instead of marrow in his bones. After Harry was groomed, Greg finally exited the bathroom and found Will already tucked under the blankets on his side and facing towards the balcony. Greg quietly shuffled over to his own mattress and lied down, trying to make as little sound as possible, because the truth is, he really was a good guy that cared about his friends, and unconsciously expressed it in almost everything he did. As he pulled the covers over himself, he could no longer ignore the fact that he was sick. He knew the cabin was comfortably warm, because it had at least one heater in each room, so it must have been him. Greg could feel goosebumps on his skin as the cold was taking over. He burrowed into his makeshift bed, curling up in the middle of it and tried to will himself to cease his shivering. Despite feeling like a living ice golem, he was aware of the fact that his forehead was burning and that he would have to leave the bed sooner or later to get some medicine if his symptoms were to worsen. He suddenly remembered about the creepy baby handprint on the balcony's window, and his fever didn't help his spooky nature at all. Things could not get better than this.

Greg was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Will turning around and glancing at him over his shoulder. Will knew something was wrong with Greg, as he could clearly hear the other's chattering teeth. He shifted around a bit, and was now staring at Greg's shadowy form, bundled up beneath a thin matted linen blanket. Will was unsure of what he was supposed to do, as he didn't even know what was wrong with his friend, so he quickly scanned the brunet with his eyes, mentally ticking every single detail that seemed out of place. Greg's breathing was uneven, the air coming out as a dry rasp every time he exhaled. His knees were drawn up to his chest and his arms were tightly wrapped around his frame, as if he was afraid of something. Was he having a nightmare? Is he dreaming about something involving the mysterious baby handprint?

Will frowned in concern as he carefully reached out towards Greg, and gently, as not to spook the already distressed man, gripped his shoulder. The only response he got was a sharp intake of breath, but immediately after that, he felt Greg tense up under his touch. Will couldn't help but jerk his hand away as he felt the abnormal heat radiating off of his friend's skin. The temperature was so high that it could be felt even through the t-shirt.

"Greg? You okay, man?" asked Will his soft, light-brown eyes tightening with worry.

Getting no response, Will leaned on his left elbow and raised himself half-way up to peer down at Greg's flushed face, trying to look him in the eyes. With an annoyed huff, Greg finally turned his head to the right, hoping that his tired and sleepy expression would convince Will to leave him alone and go back to sleep. Will was having none of that, because as soon as their gazes locked, he noticed how horribly sick the other was. Greg's eyes were glazed over, seemingly hazed with high fever, his lips were chapped and parted, he was having trouble with a task as mundane as breathing.

"Dude, Greg.. You look as sick as fuck, man! Why didn't you say anything? Shit.. Wait a sec, lemme check.." - and with that, Will suddenly reached out and pressed his palm over Greg's forehead. Greg couldn't help but sigh at the cool sensation over his own hot skin. He knew he must be on fire now, despite the fact that he was feeling incredibly cold, and that he was steadily losing heat. He saw Will's face contort in concern, and he couldn't bear it.

Trying to conserve the last bit of his strength, Greg cleared his throat and took hold of Will's hand, pulled it away from his face and said - "Willy, don't worry about it, kay? I'll be fine. I'm just really cold, and I want to sleep..".

Will was still staring down at him, his face mirroring his inner turmoil. In a flash, some strong emotion flickered in his eyes, and the next thing Greg knew, Will was out of his bed and standing beside the cabinets in the kitchen, which was separated from the living room by a counter, right beside the door that led to the first floor. As he rummaged all of the shelves, Greg turned away from him, faced the balcony, curled up into himself and closed his eyes. The misery and the helplessness of his current state was driving him insane, and he hated himself for bothering Will. The last thing he wanted was to become a burden to his friends.

Greg blamed it on the fever, on being over-emotional and sick, because he couldn't stop himself from shedding a few tears. He wasn't even aware of the fact that he was crying, not until he felt someone kneeling on the mattress beside his, and draping a heavy blanket over his shivering form. He slowly opened his eyes, the last of his tears escaping, and Will felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. Without thinking, he scuffled closer and moved forward, passing his fingers through Greg's hair, trying to bring at least some comfort. He felt his own eyes tingle, he wasn't sure why, but he felt a sudden wave of protectiveness wash over him. Still petting the other's hair, Will spoke up in a quiet, soothing voice - "Hey, buddy.. What's the matter, huh? Are you feeling that bad? Can I do something for you? Anything?"

With a quiet muffled sound, Greg slowly shook his head and leaned into Will's touch. Will felt his heart swell at his response, and with a soft smile gracing his lips, he ruffled Greg's hair one last time, stood up and went to the bathroom, hoping to find some medicine in there. After some searching, during which he felt like he was in The Last of Us, trying to gather supplies for constructing a health case, he found a first aid kit in one of the drawers. On his way back, he poured a glass of water in the kitchen. With all these items, he returned to the man under his care and placed everything down on the floor.

The cushion dipped under Will's weight, as the other bent forward above Greg. He then picked up a small plastic can of Ibuprofen, the tablets clattering inside of it. Dissolving two tablets in the glass of water, he took hold of Greg's shoulder and helped him to drink it up. Swallowing the last of the now carbonated water in a quick gulp, Greg flopped back onto his bed, Harry looking as disheveled as his human.

Feeling proud of himself for doing such a good job at being a true best friend, Will closed the kit, refilled the glass, in case Greg got thirsty, and set it down beside him. He then crawled back under his own blankets, sat up, tucked Greg in, who was still in a piteous state, and laid down as close to the wretched man as possible, but without making any direct contact. Sure, being this near to a sick person isn't a very great idea, but Will couldn't be bothered. His friend was suffering, how could he leave him all alone like that? Even more so, trembling from the illness?

Will knew he was going over the border, but he felt like pushing himself to the limits today. So he carefully circled his arm around his friend, and slowly ran his hand up and down the other's back in a repetitive, calming motion. He didn't know what he was expecting, but this next thing surprised even him.

Greg must have been unaware of what was going on around him, because the second he felt a soft, lean and oh so warm body hugging him, and a hand stroking his back, he wriggled closer to his personal human radiator, pressed up against it and hid his face in the crook of the conveniently exposed neck. As Will lied there, and as he felt Greg cuddling up to him, felt the burn from occasional contact with Harry, the tickling of the tousled hair and steady breathing, a nose gently nuzzling his skin, the weight of Greg's head resting on his shoulder - he was petrified. Lightheaded from sensing so many things all at once, Will thought he felt a pair of lips ghost right across the lower part of his neck a few times, leaving a fiery trail behind, and he could feel the heat spreading over his face, staining his cheeks red. Almost regretting his last decision of trying to comfort his friend, Will shut his eyes, but didn't move away. Curling up around Greg, he engulfed the other in blissful warmth, and soon, everything faded to black. But he could've sworn that the last second he was about to pass out, he felt Greg smirk against his skin.