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They had only been shooting on location for two days when Dean began to notice that Aidan was getting ill. It started with innocent little coughs and dry sniffs here and there, common symptoms that Dean thought were simply caused by the cold autumn wind. Aidan would also go to bed earlier than usual, which Dean would link to the long days on set and the physically intense shooting. It wasn’t until Aidan’s legs suddenly gave out the moment that Peter Jackson finally said “cut” after filming a scene, making him fall painfully onto the stone surface of the ground, that Dean realised that this was probably more than just the common cold. Even though Aidan repeatedly told him that he was fine, that he was just tired and that he didn’t need anyone’s help, Dean would tell him to shut up and brought him back to his trailer immediately after his costume and make-up had been removed. There, he sat him down on the small couch, made him a big mug of tea with honey and took place next to him.
“How are you feeling?” he asked him, handing him his cup.
Aidan shrugged, but took the beverage. “I’m fine, it’s nothing.”
“I wouldn’t call fainting on set ‘nothing’, Aidan.”
“I didn’t faint!” Aidan said, getting irritated; “The costume’s heavy and I was tired. I just fell, it was an accident.”
Dean muttered disapprovingly but left the subject alone. He stood up, still in his Fíli costume, and walked back towards the small trailer door. He sighed deeply and turned around to face Aidan, who sipped his tea grumpily. He said:
“Just promise me to go to bed early tonight and keep yourself warm and hydrated. I need to go back now, will you be alright or do you want me to check up on you when the shooting’s over?”
Aidan nodded but stayed silent. Dean sighed again and shook his head.
“Alright then. I only care about you, you know. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
Before Aidan got the chance to response, Dean was already gone.
Out of all the things that Dean thought he could expect to see when he entered his boyfriend’s trailer after the day’s shooting, this wasn’t one of them.
It was already dark outside, and all the lights inside had been switched off and the windows were closed, making it uncomfortably warm and sultry inside. He opened a window in the small kitchenette to let some air in and was looking for the light switch until his attention was abruptly taken by something else.
“Aid?”
When Dean heard no response, he quickly made his way towards where Aidan was lying face-down on the floor.
“Babe? Please say something to me,” he said and gently shook his lover’s shoulder, but there was no response.
Just when Dean was about to panic and began to search the pockets of his jeans to find his cell phone, he heard Aidan groan.
“Dean…”
Dean let out a big sigh of relief and gently lifted Aidan’s head from the ground onto his thighs, running his fingers through his lover’s hair and whispering comforting words.
“I’m here, baby, I’m here now.”
“I’m fine…” Aidan groaned, but Dean wouldn’t have any of it. He shook his head and pressed the fingers of his right hand against the bridge of his nose, frowning deeply.
“You’re not fine, babe, you should have called me,” Dean said, and he moved his fingers from his face towards the side of Aidan’s. He ran his index-finger along the younger man’s jawline, who hissed at the contact. Dean pouted.
“You’re bruised, did you faint?” Aidan only groaned, eyes still closed. Dean let out a deep sigh and kissed his lover’s forehead.
“Come, let’s get you into bed. Do you think you can stand up?”
Aidan nodded and slowly started to rise, Dean supporting him with both his arms. It was still dark in the trailer, so they took small, careful steps until they reached the small trailer bedroom, where Dean helped Aidan to lie down comfortably. When he was, Dean was just about to leave Aidan alone to rest when he felt a hand grabbing his wrist. He turned his head to face his lover, who looked pale and just plain miserable in the poor light.
“Please stay,” Aidan croaked softly, followed by a dry cough. “Please?”
Dean sighed and removed his shoes before joining his boyfriend onto the bed, pulling the taller but younger man into a warm embrace. Aidan still shivered.
“I’m going to regret this decision when I catch whatever disease you have,” Dean joked, earning him a weak chuckle.
“I’m sorry babe,” Aidan whispered sleepily, and Dean just kissed him on the cheek and rested his head on his lover’s shoulder until they both dozed off.
It took Dean a few seconds to realise what had woken him up. Even with the open window in the kitchen, it was still unpleasantly warm inside Aidan’s tiny trailer. Dean was immediately fully awake when he saw Aidan panting and shifting restlessly in his sleep, letting out groans and pained moans. He sat up straight to feel his lover’s forehead, and was startled by how hot he felt.
He switched on the light and gently shook Aidan’s shoulder to try and wake him up. Trying to get Aidan to wake up had always been a struggle for Dean. Sick or healthy, Aidan was incredibly stubborn when it came to waking up.
“No, no…” Aidan moaned, and he tried to push Dean’s cold hands away from his hot skin.
“Aidan, wake up. You’re having a bad dream,” Dean whispered softly, kissing the younger man’s forehead. “Come on.”
Aidan continued to shift, but woke up startled when Dean shook him a little bit rougher.
“Babe,” Dean said softly when Aidan buried his neck in his shoulder, hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry babe.”
He held him like that for a few minutes until he felt Aidan relaxing in his arms, his breathing turning from heavy pants back to even breaths.
“Do you need anything?” Dean whispered softly, not wanting to wake Aidan up in case he had dozed off again.
When he didn’t hear a response, he carefully freed himself out of his lover’s arms and made his way towards the small trailer kitchen to make himself something for dinner, which they missed a few hours ago. He made himself a peanut butter sandwich and sat down on the couch to eat it. A couple of minutes after he finished it, he was joined on the couch by a very ill-looking Aidan, who had come shuffling out of the bedroom still wrapped up tightly in his blankets. Dean opened both his arms in invitation and Aidan gladly curled up against him. He snuggled his face in the warmth of his lover’s neck, at which Dean automatically began to stroke his fingers through Aidan’s sweaty curls, who sighed contentedly at the contact.
“You have a fever,” Dean pointed out. “Shall I get you something to drink?”
Aidan shook his head and pulled Dean closer. The older man laughed softly and kissed his lover on his warm forehead.
“Come on, babe. Just one cup of tea and then I’ll bring you back to bed and tuck you in, okay?”
Aidan finally released his tight grip and Dean stood up to make Aidan his drink. He came back with a large mug of tea with honey and a sandwich just in case. His lover had already started to doze off again, and Dean pressed a kiss on his cheek to get his attention. He helped the younger man to sit up straight and allowed him to rest his head on his shoulder while he took small sips from his tea. He lay his arm around Aidan’s neck and rested his own head on top of his.
“I made you something to eat as well. Are you hungry?” Dean asked, but Aidan shook his head. Dean lazily started rubbed his hand up and down Aidan’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, as long as you keep drinking.”
They sat like that until Aidan finished his tea. Dean then took his cup and quickly brought it back to the kitchen before helping his boyfriend to stand up and move back towards his bed.
When the younger man was comfortable, Dean helped him to take some medicine against the pain and the fever before switching off the lights. He was about to go back to the living room to kill some time watching TV when he heard Aidan saying something.
“Stay?” Aidan pleaded, and he reached out with his hand to weakly pull Dean back towards him, who let himself be dragged back onto the bed. He lay himself down next to his boyfriend and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.
“Are you sure babe? I can sleep on the couch, you’ll have more space and maybe sleep a little bit better.”
But Aidan shook his head and pulled the blankets all the way over his head until only some of his curls remained in sight. Dean stripped to his boxers and also crawled under the blankets, pulling Aidan’s back close to his chest. He heard him sigh contently and pressed a few kisses onto his shoulder.
“Wake me up if you need anything, promise?”
Aidan hummed in agreement before falling back to sleep.
But his rest didn’t last long. Every time a coughing fit brought Aidan back from his sleep, his stuffed nose and sore throat made it almost impossible for him to doze off again. By the time it was early in the morning and he still hadn’t managed to get some proper sleep, he gave up on the battle and snuck out of the bedroom while Dean was still in dreamland.
He let himself fall down on his back onto the couch and sighed deeply, staring into the nothingness. He knew he was expected in the make-up trailer in about two hours, but he knew he couldn’t possibly work this way. He’d ask Dean to call him in sick, maybe his lover could beg Peter Jackson into letting him leave a little earlier than usual so that he wouldn’t have to be alone in his trailer all day. He tried to concentrate on the low, buzzing sounds coming from the freezer to forget about the pain in his head and muscles.
He switched from his back onto his side and cuddled one of the cushions until finally, after what felt like an age, he fell asleep.
“Babe?”
Aidan awoke to Dean gently shaking his shoulder. He groaned in irritation and tried to turn around to continue his sleep, but his boyfriend stopped him.
“I called PJ and he said that you could take off until Monday, but I have to leave, at least until a couple hours after lunch. Do you think you’ll be okay?”
Aidan nodded and opened one of his brown eyes. “Come back soon?” he begged.
“I will,” Dean said with a soft smile and he gave Aidan a quick kiss; “As soon as I can.”
Dean put his phone back in his pocket grabbed his coat from where it was thrown over a chair. He came back one more time to stroke one of Aidan’s red cheeks, his eyes already shut.
“I love you, babe. Do call me if you need me,” he whispered, giving Aidan a kiss on the tip of his nose, at which the corners of his lover’s lips crooked into a small grin.
“Love you too,” Aidan mumbled sleepily, and Dean left.
‘Just threw up my breakfast. Wish u were here x’
Dean groaned when he read Aidan’s text message. He had at least two more hours to go until his lunch break, which he wanted use to check up on his boyfriend. After pondering for moments about what to do, he decided he would beg the director to get just a few minutes off to see to Aidan. He quickly sent a reply to his text.
‘Im sorry babe. Will be there for u asap. Be strong for me k? x’
So he apologized to his mates and made his way to Peter Jackson’s tent. He had to wait for him to finish a conversation first before he claimed his attention. When Peter noticed him standing at the edge of the tent, he approached him.
“Kíli, are you alright?” he said, smiling and patting Dean on the shoulder. Dean gave him a small smile in return, if not for the 100th time that the director got his and Aidan’s characters wrong then out of politeness.
“Fíli, Pete. But yeah I am. Aidan’s not, though. He just texted me, he’s been sick.”
Peter frowned apologetically and squeezed the actor’s shoulder. “Poor thing,” he said and he checked his watch for the time. “I can give you fifteen minutes. Go check up on him and see if he’s alright. If he needs treatment, inform the medics.”
“Thanks, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” said Dean, and he quickly ran off towards where the trailers were parked.
When Dean entered Aidan’s trailer, he found him asleep on the couch. All the curtains had been closed to block out the light and Dean had to switch on a small light to be able to see where he was going. He decided to let Aidan sleep while he prepared him some tea with honey. The light and the noise in the kitchen awoke him, however, and Dean came over towards him when he heard Aidan yawning loudly.
Aidan smiled weakly when he saw who was responsible for the commotion.
“You came,” he managed to say with his hoarse voice. He lay is head down on Dean’s lap when he sat down next to him and purred in pleasure when the older man began to play with his hair.
“Of course I came. I begged Peter to let me, but I can’t stay for long. How are you feeling, do you need any meds?”
“No… I need you,” he moaned, and he closed his eyes. “I want you.”
“Well I’m here, so don’t fall asleep. I’m preparing you a cup of tea and then I’ll come back as soon as we get our lunch break, okay?”
“You can’t go anywhere since I’m currently claiming your lap.”
Dean laughed and ruffled Aidan’s curls. “And you think you can put up a fight with me in that state? You’re sick, I think you’ve caught the flu. I’ll probably get the flu too if I spend too much time around you. So you –”
Dean lifted Aidan’s head and put it back down on a couch pillow before standing up from the couch; “– drink some of my excellent brew and have a little nap until I’m back.”
He walked to the kitchen to pour the tea into Aidan’s mug and came back to give it to him. “Finish it, it’ll make your throat feel better. I have to go back now, call me if you get worse okay?”
He gave Aidan one last hug and a kiss before leaving the trailer to return to set.
At five in the afternoon, Dean was finally allowed to leave the set and made his way towards the trailer park exhausted and achy. He hadn’t had a lot of sleep last night and knew it would be the very same tonight, so he entered his own trailer first to take a hot shower and put on some comfortable clothes before making his way towards Aidan. When he opened the door, which he had left unlocked, he found him on the couch curled up in his blankets, the cup of tea he had made him earlier now cold and untouched on the floor in front of him. Dean groaned as he took the cup and emptied it in the sink.
“Aid, come on. I’m trying to help you and you’re not cooperating…”
Aidan looked up tiredly and held out both of his arms, a gesture Dean couldn’t refuse even if he was frustrated with him. So he sat down next to his boyfriend’s head so that he could put it on his lap. Dean let his own head fall backwards to rest it on the top of the couch, and they sat like that in comfortable silence for a while. Dean rubbed Aidan’s back unconsciously and listened to his wheezing breath and occasional dry coughs.
“Do you want me to make you another cup of tea?” he asked after a while, and he felt Aidan nodding.
So he carefully freed himself from his boyfriend and made his way to the kitchen to make fresh tea for the both of them. While the water was heating up, he studied Aidan’s form on the couch. He was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, his hair was messy and tangled. His eyes were closed, but Dean was sure that he wasn’t sleeping. He was probably exhausted, and it made his stomach drop.
He filled two mugs and gave the one with honey in it to Aidan after helping him sit up straight. The younger man immediately rested his head back on Dean’s shoulder when he sat down next to him, at which Dean lay his arm around his neck to pull him closer. This time, Aidan did drink his tea, though Dean had to constantly remind him to take sips. The younger man was shivering from the fever, so he pulled the blanket Aidan had been sleeping in back over the both of them and rubbed his arm and shoulder to try and make him feel a little more comfortable.
Not long after finishing his tea, Aidan fell asleep with his head on Dean’s lap. The warmth coming from his lover’s body and the exhaustion from his long workday made it difficult for Dean to keep his own eyes open. So he shifted a bit to get more comfortable, trying not to wake Aidan from his well-deserved sleep in the process, and then dozed off himself.
Another one of Aidan’s coughing fits woke Dean up from his sleep, and when he checked his phone for the time, he saw that it was around dinner time. He waited for his lover to stop coughing and then pulled him into a hug. He felt Aidan resting his chin on his shoulder and he kissed his warm neck, wrapping both his arms tightly around him. They snuggled like that for what felt like an age, and just when Dean thought that Aidan had fallen asleep again, he cleared his throat before whispering:
“I’m sorry I didn’t drink your tea earlier.”
Dean smiled and rubbed circles on Aidan’s sweaty back, at which the latter let out a big sigh.
“I couldn’t keep anything down, I feel… I-I just…”
His buried his face deeper in Dean’s neck and sniffed deeply before his shoulders began to shake. He groaned, trying to keep his emotions at bay, but Dean kissed him on his temple and tightened his hold on his boyfriend.
“Just let it out, it’s okay, you don’t have to be embarrassed,” he whispered comfortingly and he continued rubbing Aidan’s back to help him calm down.
“I feel m-miserable,” Aidan mumbled through his tears and choked sobs, and Dean nodded in understanding.
“I’m here for you, you don’t have to go through it alone. Are you in pain?”
Aidan shook his head and pulled up his legs to crawl closer into Dean’s embrace, lying curled up into his lover’s arms. He gradually calmed down and his occasional sobs turned into small sighs of exhaustion. Dean gave him a kiss on the top of his head.
“Better?” he asked, and Aidan nodded. “You’ll feel better tomorrow. Do you want something for dinner or shall we just go to bed?”
Aidan shrugged. “I could do with some soup,” he mumbled, at which Dean gave him a small, rewarding pat on the shoulder.
“Good, I’ll see what I can do. Why don’t you just take a nap, I’ll wake you up when dinner is ready.”
He gave him one last kiss on his head before heading to the kitchen.
The next morning, Aidan was still sound asleep when Dean woke up. He was lying on his back with Aidan spread out over his chest, and he chuckled lovingly at the sight. He yawned, taking his time to stretch his arms and his back before letting his hands fall down to rest on Aidan’s bare back. He ran his fingers lightly over his boyfriend’s spine and shoulders while waiting for his lover to awaken. After a few minutes of peace and quiet, only disturbed by his lover’s even breathing, he heard Aidan groan softly.
“Hmm, feels good,” he mumbled sleepily while he repositioned his head on Dean’s chest. “Don’t stop.”
Dean smiled and kissed Aidan’s messy curls. “Feel better?”
Aidan yawned and nodded, but didn’t wake up completely. Just when Dean was about to complain about having to get up in order to be in the make-up trailer in time, he realised in relief that it was Saturday morning. So he happily allowed Aidan to fall back asleep on his chest while he continued to scribble invisible patterns on his back.
They would get out of bed and start their day eventually, but right now, he just wanted to enjoy a peaceful moment with Aidan. His Aidan.
*THE END*