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Mac wakes up suddenly from a deep sleep, he checks his alarm clock and lets out a frustrated groan. The clock reads 6:38 AM, Mac wonders if the universe is trying to fuck with him. Mac had stumbled into the apartment at around 2 AM after a night of huffing glue and watching cartoons with Charlie and Frank. He’d tossed and turned before falling asleep around 2:30.
Mac looks around for the culprit of his rude awakening and is suspicious when he sees nothing. Had a ghost tapped him on his shoulder? He knows he wouldn’t have woken up from his glue fueled sleep for no reason.
Suddenly, Mac hears a loud hacking cough coming from Dennis’ room. Dennis coughs two, three more times before the sound stops. Mac counts to thirty before he hears another wracking cough. Mac rolls his eyes and looks up at the ceiling, Dennis is sick. He wonders if he was woken up by the coughs or if even in his sleep he could sense Dennis’ discomfort.
Mac rolls out of bed wearily and stretches his arms above his head, curling his toes before he starts to head to the bathroom. In the bathroom he grabs cough medicine and some extra strength aspirin.
Mac creaks across the living room floor and quietly pushes open the door to Dennis’ room, poking his head in to survey the scene before stepping in completely.
Dennis is curled up underneath a huge comforter, Mac can barely make out the shape of his body amidst all the fabric but he can see Dennis is shaking imperceptibly even under all of the covers. Dennis coughs again, loudly. The cough sounds like it is coming from some pit of despair inside of Dennis’ body, it sounds painful.
“Jesus Den” Mac says with a sympathetic look and a small sigh. Dennis must really be out of it because even half asleep he would normally yell at Mac for coming into his room unannounced.
Mac slowly makes his way over to Dennis’ side and he puts a light hand on the other mans shoulder. Dennis jumps at the touch, and slowly uncocoons himself from his mass of covers.
“What are you doing in here Mac?” Dennis asks, his voice is sleepy and hoarse from coughing.
“Your coughing woke me up man, I brought you some stuff” Mac says, holding up the cough syrup and aspirin for Dennis to appreciate.
“Thanks, I’m sorry for waking you” Dennis says. He looks up at Mac softly and takes the supplies out of his hands. Dennis slowly sits up and takes a shot of the cough syrup. Right as Dennis goes to pop the cap off of the aspirin, Mac holds out a hand to stop him.
“Wait Den! I’m going to get you a cup of water, your throat is probably killing so you shouldn’t swallow the pills dry” Mac says in a hurried whisper. Before Dennis can utter a response, Mac has left the room.
Dennis can hear Mac’s feet as they hurry to the kitchen, there’s the sound of a cupboard opening and the faucet running and a few seconds later Mac hurries back into the room.
He hands Dennis a cup of water and sits down on the end of the bed. He watches intently as Dennis uncaps the aspirin and knocks a few back with the water. When he’s done he just sits there, Mac leans forward and gently takes the glass out of his hand. Mac gets up and sets the glass on the bedside table.
Dennis curls back into the covers with a noise that is almost content. He glances up at Mac and stares at him, but he doesn’t say anything, he seems happy enough to just stare at Mac through the early morning light that is starting to leak in through the windows.
Mac stares back for a moment and then moves to stand up. He is almost out of the room before he hears a quiet mumble. Mac turns to look back at Dennis who is wrapped up in his blanket.
“What was that Den?” Mac asks.
“Stay here, with me” Dennis says and then quickly averts his gaze.
Mac is surprised, but he knows he probably shouldn’t be. Dennis always gets especially clingy when he’s sick and since Mac is the one who always takes care of him in these circumstances (and most circumstances for that matter), it’s always Mac that he reaches for when he needs a warm body and some comfort.
“Alright, scooch over then” Mac says and he climbs into the bed with a yawn.
Dennis complies, he moves further over on the bed while simultaneously sinking even further into the blanket.
Mac lies his head down on the pillow and his eyes start to close, but they are pulled open again when he hears Dennis shift on the other side of the bed. Mac glances over at him and sees Dennis staring at him.
“What’s wrong?” Mac asks, the concern palatable in his voice.
Dennis doesn’t say anything but he sees a single tear trailing down the other mans face.
“Oh Den” Mac says with tenderness laced into his words, “does it hurt?” Mac asks. Dennis must really feel like shit to be this open with his emotions.
Dennis just nods and he opens up the blanket, looking at Mac. Dennis doesn’t say anything but he knows the gesture means something akin to “get over here”.
Mac gives a small sigh and he moves across the bed, into Dennis’ space. He crawls under the covers, the space is about 100 degrees from Dennis’ body heat.
“You’re burning up man, we should take you to the ER” Mac says, worried.
Dennis shakes his head slightly and just rolls over to Mac instead of saying anything. Dennis lays his head on Mac’s chest and wraps his arms around his waist. Mac decides to give up on getting Dennis to talk and instead holds him back. Mac pulls Dennis closer and kisses the top of his head, his forehead, his cheeks.
They’re under the blanket fully now and Dennis just looks up at Mac from his resting spot on the other mans chest. He leans up and presses a very soft and short kiss to the side of Mac’s mouth. It’s the closest that Mac is going to get to a “thank you”, but he’ll take what he can get.
They fall asleep like that, limbs entangled. Mac wakes up first the next morning, he doesn’t dare to move, he doesn’t want to wake Dennis sleeping on his chest. He watches his best friend sleep, counting the inhales and exhales like there’s a secret language in the way that the oxygen escapes and retreats into Dennis’ lungs. Mac loses track of time watching Dennis sleep, he brushes his fingers through Dennis’ loose curls which are damp from sweat.
Eventually Dennis stirs and he looks up at Mac.
“Mm still sick” Dennis mumbles and then a deep cough rumbles through his chest. Mac can feel it vibrate, he looks down at Dennis and then slowly pulls away.
“Where you goin?” Dennis asks groggily, looking dejected.
“I’m going to get you a very light breakfast and some sick people stuff man, I know you won’t go to the doctor but we’ve gotta try to get you feeling better” Mac says, he rolls out of the bed and Dennis watches as he walks out of the bedroom.
Mac gets everything he promised and sets it down on a tray in front of Dennis.
“Thanks” Dennis mumbles. He takes a timid bite of the toast Mac brought him and then downs a few more aspirin. Mac coaxes him into finishing almost all the toast and a few bites of a peeled apple.
When Dennis is done, Mac grabs the tray and takes it into the kitchen. Once he’s done cleaning he heads back to Dennis’ room.
Dennis is laying down but sits up slightly when Mac comes back into the room. He doesn’t say anything but he opens up the blanket again, wordlessly asking Mac to come back into bed.
Mac complies and lets Dennis curl around him. He holds him and brushes his thumb across Dennis’ cheeks. Dennis falls back to sleep pretty quickly and Mac follows soon afterwards.
The next few days follow a similar pattern, Mac never leaving Dennis’ side except when he goes to get him food or medicine, until Dennis gets better.