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Grumpily Leon heaved himself upright, tossing the covers to the side. He could’ve sworn he ached all the way to the tips of his hair, with how utterly shitty he felt. The floor was cold under his feet but he didn’t have the energy to find himself socks, so he decided he’d deal with it.
Leon didn’t even remember the last time he’d been sick, much less with a cold that hit him like a freight train, hard enough to knock him off his feet for days on end. He’d been forced to stay at home and in bed, and it never did wonders to his mood as he wasn’t exactly good at this entire doing nothing -thing. The first two days went by in such a haze he didn’t even have the energy to get restless, and it was only by the fourth day that he felt good enough to go find something to eat after basically living off painkillers and water until then.
He only got as far as into the living room, though, before he heard the sound of a key being fumbled into the lock, despite the fever clogging his thoughts. Distantly he hoped it wouldn’t be anyone who wanted him dead, as he wasn’t exactly in the best fighting fit. Quickly he went through the possibilities in his mind, and eventually stepped closer to the bookshelf so he could grab the handgun hidden in there if he’d need to.
The door opened and Leon let himself relax as he immediately recognized who it was. In hindsight, he had given Chris the spare key to his apartment, so he probably should’ve seen this coming. Chris and Claire had both been in possession of a key to his place for long before this… whatever it was had started developing between him and Chris.
It was almost comical though how Chris’ eyes went wide in surprise, as he apparently hadn’t expected to come face to face with Leon the second he stepped inside. He held up his hands as if in a peace offering, flashing an awkward grin. “Hey there. Sorry for just… barging in,” he started, adding as an afterthought “Claire told me to check up on you.”
“Well then, you’ve fulfilled your duty,” Leon answered, more annoyed than he had aimed to be. He blamed the sickness, usually his self-control was much better but now every single little thing seemed to get on his nerves so badly he could barely keep his cool. “Consider me checked up on. I’m fine. You can go.” In a huffy movement he brushed his fingers through his hair, grimacing at how greasy it felt. When had he showered, again?
He didn’t even fully know why he was acting up. Maybe he would’ve wanted Chris to actually care instead of just come here under orders, but admitting that would’ve meant admitting how hard he had fallen himself and that… wasn’t really an option right now. Especially not when he was standing there, downright filthy from days of not showering, dressed in only an old ratty t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants slung low on his hips. It was a wonder Chris hadn’t run off screaming already, after seeing his… whatever Leon was for him, in a state like this.
“Hey, c’mon,” Chris sighed, obviously detecting the not-at-all-concealed strain of irritation in the other man’s voice. He stepped closer, bringing his hand up to softly cup Leon’s cheek. Leon had half a mind to slap the touch away, but it felt kind of nice, and he might’ve even leaned a little bit into it. Just a little. Only barely. “I wanted to make sure you’re alright,” Chris went on in a mere whisper. Then he frowned, his voice firmer again. “Fuck, you’re really burning up.”
Leon sighed, allowing his eyes to fall shut. “I kind of really feel like shit.” He surprised even himself with the admission, not usually the first person to admit it when he wasn’t at his best. Damn cold, fucking with his mind, too. There went his resolutions of never showing weakness in front of anyone.
“Then let’s get you to bed.” Chris had always been a man of action and even now, he didn’t hesitate before unceremoniously wrapping an arm around Leon’s waist to walk him to the bedroom. He tucked him to bed, before disappearing into the kitchen only to return some time later with a heated bowl of soup that he told was from Claire. (‘She told me to tell you she made it. But don’t worry, it’s edible, she bought it.’) He even made tea, and shrugged off Leon’s “when did you become such a mother hen?” with a good-natured grin and nothing else.
Eventually Chris appeared back into the doorway of the bedroom, stopping there to lean against the doorframe. “I should get going.” Somehow the words were more a question, less a statement, as if he wasn’t sure if he could afford to leave Leon alone already. He’d literally spent a couple of hours in the apartment already, while Leon had been dozing off, dutifully staying under the covers after getting most of the soup down and finishing his tea.
“Thanks,” Leon managed, even offering a smile he hoped seemed genuine instead of just delirious from fever. “Appreciated.”
Chris didn’t answer, only fidgeted with his jacket a little, reluctant to leave even though he was basically already dressed and ready to step out. After a good moment he sighed. He kicked off his shoes, each landing on the floor with a thud that sounded oddly loud in the silent apartment. His jacket followed, thrown haphazardly onto the dresser. “C’mon, move.” First the words were accompanied by a soft nudge, but when that gained no reaction it was followed by a more demanding push.
Confused, Leon craned his neck to look over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
There was no answer, not before Chris managed to make himself comfortable on the mattress. He took his time, too, wriggling in his place and shifting several times, until finally settling with a content sigh. He was so close they were almost touching, his breath warm against Leon’s neck when he finally answered. “Sleeping. What else.”
Leon huffed out a laugh. “If you sleep that restlessly, you might find yourself on the floor rather sooner than later.” He tried to play it off as a joke, but he was suddenly wide awake, all traces of sleepiness gone as if they were never there. It wasn’t like he had the best track record with relationships to begin with and this… whatever this was between them, was wildly different from anything he’d gone through.
But he craved. He yearned. He surprised even himself with how badly he didn’t want to screw this up. So he tried to relax, closed his eyes and hoped he could force himself to fall asleep. It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do, though, considering he’d been in life threatening situations that had gotten him less tense than this.
Leon almost jumped when suddenly Chris threw an arm around him, shamelessly pulling him closer as if it was the easiest thing in the world. “You think too much,” Chris murmured, apparently already almost asleep, even though he was still fully clothed and lying on top of the covers. That made Leon smile, and he didn’t argue. Instead he allowed himself to relax back against the other man’s solid chest, kind of hoping that the covers wouldn’t be there between them.
He’d probably never been held like this. Yet it’s definitely something he could get used to.
Sleep came surprisingly easily. And for the first time in ages, the night terrors stayed away.
*
The first thing Leon realized when he blinked his eyes open was that his headache was gone. The second thing was that he could actually breathe easier, and that he wasn’t hurting quite as much as he had when he’d fallen asleep. The third, coming slowly after the first ones, as his brain gradually kept crawling towards proper consciousness, was that there was an arm around him.
Automatically Leon tensed, but then the happenings of the previous evening came back to him and he slowly allowed the tension to seep off him, relaxing into the embrace. Chris was a warm, solid presence right there next to him, and if he was honest with himself he was afraid to even breathe for the fear of shattering the delicate moment.
“How’re you feeling?” Chris muttered in a low, sleepy voice, shifting until his lips were practically brushing against Leon’s ear with how close he was. “Want me to get you anything?”
“No,” Leon answered the latter question first, even gave the smallest of headshakes. He couldn’t help but smile. All of the irritation from the previous day was gone, vanished like it had never been there to begin with. Belatedly he realized he hadn’t answered the first question, and with a hum he went on. “I’m fine.” And this time? This time he actually meant it.
Chris shifted and patted Leon’s chest with his hand, leaving it there, his palm over Leon’s heart. “You mind if I stay?” he asked, and there was something… almost hesitant in his voice. Almost something nervous. As if he was expecting to be thrown out of bed any second.
And Leon couldn’t have any of that, not now. Even though he was wrapped in blankets he somehow managed to turn around, until they were face to face, and with Chris’ arm still around him. “You don’t need to even ask, Chris,” he said, as earnestly as he could, “You’re always welcome. I’m sorry I was so…”
“Unbearably grumpy?” Chris hazarded a guess as Leon trailed off instead of going on. He was smiling, though, obviously not holding any grudges. “It’s fine.”
“Still,” Leon sighed. They really hadn’t done this whole relationship thing for that long yet, and although they’d been friends forever before that they’d never really been ones for long heart-to-hearts. Talking about feelings was something they were learning. Slowly. Together. “Thanks for staying.”
Chris leaned in and pressed his lips against Leon’s forehead, the touch barely there but still enough to make Leon’s heart feel like bursting. When Chris pulled back he hummed thoughtfully, even wrinkled his nose a little theatrically. “You could use a shower, really.”
“Ouch,” Leon chuckled, pushing at Chris’ chest to get some space between them. Only a little, though. Never too much, not when he was enjoying his own personal space heater so very much. “Are you telling me I stink?”
“No,” Chris immediately denied, with even a quick headshake. Then a grin slowly spread on his face. “I just thought you might invite me to join you.”
“Isn’t that a little presumptuous of you?” Laughter was laced into Leon’s voice, clearly audible within every word he said. Chris didn’t even give him an answer, only looked at him with a raised brow, as if he was gracious enough to give him some time to realize the error in his question. So Leon gave in. “Yeah you’re right. Wanna take a shower with me?”
This time, Chris leaned in and stole a quick kiss, despite what was probably horrendous morning breath on Leon’s end. So much for the romance. Not that Chris seemed to mind, as he just smiled brightly. “Oh I thought you’d never ask!”