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Being friends with Brian was an odd experience, to say the least. When the two of you first met, his band would play small college gigs, you’d often go to the pub and watch them perform. But that was a few years ago and things had changed quite a bit since then. It’s in moments like the one your in now, that you’re reminded of how far they’ve come and how much has still yet to happen. Brian had invited the boys round to your shared flat that night, to celebrate finishing their third album, a buzzing energy filled the living room as you all sat around a game of scrabble. It was an energy you knew all too well, the restless feeling that rose right before they would head off on tour for months on end, like they couldn’t wait to get on the road.
Normally you’d jump at the chance to play scrabble with the boys, but your head had been a bit fuzzy as of late, so you decided to just watch, resting your head on Brians lap. Laughing when Freddie would try to pass gibberish off as real words, John would make a snarky remark, or Roger would throw a tile at Brian, subsequently hitting you in the face.
Laying there watching them, for a selfish moment, you wished they weren’t successful. Wished that they were just your mates with boring, mundane jobs and that this was a typical Friday night. But that wasn’t the reality of the situation. You knew that by this time, next month, they would be halfway around the world and you’d be alone in the flat. Pushing the thought aside you tried to cherish the moment, deciding to focus on Brian’s tiles. He had absentmindedly been stroking your hair while he concentrated on his next move. Your eyes shifted slightly, looking across at Deaky who gave you a sly smile as if he knew something. Brushing it off, you turned your focus back to the board.
“Bri?” You looked up at him, he hummed in response, not looking away from the board. “It’s your turn.”
“I know that, love.”
“You’ve been staring at the board for twenty minutes.” His eyes shifted down to yours, sighing.
“I’m stuck.” A small smile grew on your face as you motioned for him to bend down so you could whisper in his ear. “How did I not see that?” He moved to place four of his tiles on the board.
“Hey, that’s cheating!” Roger stood, grabbing his glass to refill it.
“Did you really want to look at Brian’s blank expression for another five minutes?” John asked him before turning to look at Brian. “I really can’t believe you didn’t see that.” He just shrugged as he began stroking your hair again. You opened your mouth to make a remark in Brian’s defense but were interrupted when you began to sneeze, three in a row with no warning. That’s when Brian noticed how warm you were, his hand moved to rest on your forehead.
“Y/n, are you feeling ok?” He asked. Sitting up, you swayed a bit, dizzy from the sudden movement.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” Closing your burning eyes for a second, you sneezed again.
“Here, love.” Roger handed you a tissue, which you gratefully accepted.
“Thanks, Rog.” Giving him a tired smile, you stood up. “I think I’m going to call it a night.” A yawn escaped you as if to prove a point. “We’re still on for lunch tomorrow, right?”
“Of course.” Deaky smiled up at you.
“Alright, dear.” Freddie got up, giving you a kiss on the cheek before scooting you off causing you to laugh. “Get some rest.”
“Goodnight, boys.”
“Goodnight, y/n.” They all called out as you slipped into your room.
~
Falling asleep had been easy, the achiness you felt had put you out like a light, but it only lasted for so long. Soon you were tossing and turning, your ability to breathe out of your nose was gone as you dipped in and out of fever dreams.
The boys had left not long after you’d gone to bed. Brian had been asleep for a few hours before he heard you coughing, it wasn’t persistent, but it sounded painful. After about an hour of debating whether or not to check on you, his concern got the better of him. Slipping out of his room, he cracked open your door to see you sprawled out on your bed, all your covers had been pushed off. Walking over to you, he could see you were still asleep, but not peacefully. Tossing your head slightly, little sobs and whines escaped you, it was clear you were having a nightmare. Slowly, he sat down on the bed, placing his hand on your face, you were burning up.
“Hey, love?” Pushing your hair from your face, Brian gently tried to wake you. “Y/n?” Opening your eyes, you looked up at him perplexed. Suddenly, you sat up as a coughing fit attacked your lungs. His hand began to rub your back, but you were quick to move away from his touch, causing him to give you a hurt look mixed with confusion.
“You shouldn’t be near me. I don’t want you to get sick, Bri.” You sounded congested. “You’re going to be leaving soon, you can’t afford to get sick.”
“I don’t leave for another month.” He rolled his eyes. Brian had seen you when you were a crying mess a handful of times, but he had never seen you sick before. You could only imagine how gross you looked, covered in sweat.
“I look disgusting,” You sniffled, moving further up the bed, Brian just laughed
“Don’t be ridiculous, I’ve seen you with a runny nose before.” Your hand quickly moved to wipe your face as he scooted closer to you. “Now, are you going to let me take care of you or are you going to be stubborn about it?” You opened your mouth to give him a snarky reply, but you just ended up sneezing. The truth was, you had a feeling you were beginning to get sick a few days ago, and judging by the look in Brian’s eyes, he did too. Standing up, you began to stagger, but Brian was at your side in a second, keeping you steady. “Where are you going?”
“The bathroom, I want to take a hot shower, I feel gross.”
“No, a hot shower isn’t a good idea, not with your fever. It’s going to have to be lukewarm.”
“Lukewarm?” You whined, opening the bathroom door.
“Can you even take a shower?” He asked, letting go of you to see if you could stand on your own. You gave him a warm smile, though you were reluctant to let him help, it was still sweet.
“Yes, Brian. I’m capable of taking a shower. It’s just a cold, I’m not dying.”
“I don’t know about that, you do look like death.” He joked, returning your smile.
“Brian!” You laughed, ‘till you began coughing. Brian moved to turn on the shower.
“Ok, no warmer than this, alright? Your body temperature is already messed up.” Nodding your head, you began to push him out of the bathroom. “I’m going down to the shops to get you some medicine while you shower. How are you feeling? Do you have a sore throat?”
“What time is it? Are the shops even open?”
“It’s five am, and we don’t have any cold medicine here.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” You waved him off, but he just stood in the doorway, arms crossed. “Alright, alright. Yes, I have a sore throat, a headache, both a runny and stuffy nose, how that’s possible I don’t know, the whole shebang.”
“Ok, I’ll be back. Please don’t fall.” He turned away as you began to close the door.
“I can’t make any promises.”
~
Luckily, you showered without any incidents. Drying off, you slipped into some comfortable pajamas, walking out just as Brian came back.
“Hey, you’re alive!”
“Again, it’s just a cold.” Following him into the kitchen, you sat on the counter while he put the kettle on.
“How do you feel?” He asked, leaning against the counter.
“Like candy-coated crap.” You replied, giving him a toothy grin.
“Wow, even when you’re sick, you find a way to alliterate.” It didn’t take long for the water to boil as Brian began to make you tea. “Now, I know you don’t like green tea,” He looked over to see you make a face, scrunching up your nose at the thought of it, causing him to laugh. “So even though that would be better for you, I’m making you lemon.” Handing you your mug before pulling out the pills he’d just bought. “Ok, it says you’re supposed to take one every six hours.” Breaking the seal, you took a pill with a gulp of your tea.
Finishing your tea, Brian stepped closer, standing between your legs as he took the empty mug from you, placing a hand on your forehead again.
“I don’t know why your checking, I still have a fever.” Slowly, he moved his hand down your face to cup your cheek.
“Just making sure it hasn’t gotten worse.” Silence hung in the air as you both looked at each other. There was a fond look in his eyes as he brushed your hair behind your ear. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?” He asked causing you to shift your gaze to your hands.
“I didn’t want to bother you.” You shrugged because it was the truth. Between the band finishing their album and getting ready to go on tour, you knew Brian would be busy, you didn’t want to get in the way.
“Since when have you ever been a bother?” Softly, he grabbed your chin, lifting your gaze so you were looking into his hazel eyes. “Y/n, you are, in no way, an inconvenience to me. I care about your well-being.” Letting go of your chin, he lightly squeezed your hand. “Please, promise you won’t hide your feelings from me.” You couldn’t help but notice the double meaning in his words and the butterflies forming in your stomach. All you could do was nod. “Those pills are supposed to make you sleepy, so we should get you back to bed.” Stepping back, he motioned for you to hop off the counter and began guiding you.
“We passed my bedroom.” You observed but didn’t stop as he walked you into his room.
“I know,” Pulling back his covers, you slipped under the sheets and Brian did the same. Wrapping you up in his arms, pulling your back against his chest. “But I also know you like to cuddle when you don’t feel well.”
“Thanks, Bri.” You sighed, already falling asleep.
~
Your eyes shot open as you sat up in bed abruptly. “Lunch!” Looking beside you, you found Brian was gone, but before you could call out for him, he appeared in the doorway.
“I was just about to wake you.” He laughed, walking over and sitting on the bed next to you.
“Lunch, we were supposed to meet the boys for lunch today. What time is it?” Before Brian could give you an answer, Deaky poked his head into the room.
“Hey, y/n. We heard you weren’t feeling well,” Roger barged in past John, finishing his sentence.
“So we decided to bring lunch to you.” He gave you a wide grin, leaning down to kiss your forehead before handing you a glass. “Here, have some whiskey. It soothes the throat.”
“No. No, you have to take your medicine and you can’t have any liquor while you’re on it.” Brian took the glass from you, earning a pout from both you and Roger.
“Wow, May. You’re really no fun.” Roger scoffed.
“Alright, darling.” You looked up to see Freddie in the doorway next to John. “Soups hot and ready.”
“We’ll be there in a second.” Brian stood, shooing them out of the room before turning to you. “How are you feeling?” Getting out of bed, you sneezed as if on cue, causing you to laugh, which caused you to cough. “I’m sorry, I told them you needed to rest, but they weren’t having it.” Shaking your head, you walked over to him, giving him a hug.
“I’m feeling much better. Thank you, Brian.” Standing on your tip-toes, you gave him a kiss on the cheek before grabbing his hand. “Now, let’s go before they eat everything.”