Chapter Text
John had been sick for nearly two days, he’d insisted it was only a cold but Alexander called bullshit on that, nevertheless off to work he went. Where he didn't do work but annoyed Washing with his anxiety and rang John every few hours, this got him sent home early. Unsurprising, John was still sick when he got there. Hercules, who was John’s flatmate, was also a home along with his boyfriend Lafayette. Alexander ignored them cuddling on the couch and darted to the bedroom. Hercules called after him but he didn’t catch it.
John lay tangled in the bedsheets, drenched in sweat and gripping at his right side, face wrinkled with pain. Alexander froze as if he’d just locked eyes with medusa.
“I’m okay sweat pea, I just need help getting to the bathroom.”
Alexander nodded and composed himself with a deep breath. John wiggled to the end of the bed, wincing from the pain. He leaned heavily on Alexander’s shoulder and staggered to the bathroom. John crouched in front of the toilet and emptied the measly contents of his stomach then collapsed to the cold tiled floor, tears pricking in his eyes.
“John!!?” Alexander panicked and knelt to look in his eyes, “I’m gonna get Herc.”
John nodded, he reached up at patted Alexander’s greasy black hair, “I’ll be okay.” he whispered.
Alexander left the bathroom and walked down the hall. He stopped before he entered the living room. He didn’t want to disturb Lafayette’s and Hercules’ happy snuggling. “You good? How’s John doing?” Hercules called.
“I- John’s sick. I-I don’t- I-don’t,” Alexander burst into tears.
Lafayette seemed unbothered, Hercules rolled off his lap and followed Alexander to the bathroom.
Alexander sat beside he focused on his breathing and the feeling of John’s curls between his fingers, his other hand was shaking out the stress.
“Hey, my dude, how you doing?” Hercules crouched down beside him and placed a comforting hand on Alexander’s back.
“I’ve just got a bad pain in my stomach, nothing that needs all this fussing,” John said through gritted teeth.
“Is your right side?” Hercules asked and John nodded, “And you have a fever? And I’m guessing you’ve thrown up, that’s why we’re in the bathroom?”
Alexander nodded for him, he wanted some form of attention on him, feeling like he’d lost control of the situation.
“It might be appendicitis, I would go to the hospital just to sure. Laf!?” Hercules sat crossed legged, “Laffy taffy!!? Come here!”
There was a creaking down the hall, “Are we okay?” Alexander shook his head.
“I think John’s got appendicitis.”
“Would you like me to ring for an ambulance?” Lafayette asked from the doorway.
Alexander ferociously shook his head and muttered to himself.
“What is it, bubs?” Hercules asked.
The only response Alexander could manage was a string of distressed nos, his face contorted with tears. Hercules gently picked him up, “Move John to the couch.” he said and left the room, “What’s up?”
Alexander didn’t look up and focused on picking at the skin on his knuckle, Hercules shifted him onto his hip and stopped that by taking his hand.
“He will be okay,” Hercules said and kept his eyes away from John painfully walking to the living room with help for Lafayette.
Hercules tried to listen to the phone call due to Alexander sobs, he massaged Alexander’s head with his big hands and hummed a lullaby that vibrated in both of their chests. It was now a waiting game. Waiting for an ambulance, waiting for Alexander to calm down.
The latter happed first. There was a firm knock at the door, Lafayette let in two women with burnet hair tied in tight buns. Hercules carried Alexander to the living room, they watched John being questioned and given pain killers. Hercules whispered kind supportive words into Alexander’s air. Next, they questioned if anyone wanted to join him in the ambulance. Alexander firmly shook his head, so Lafayette volunteered. Hercules placed Alexander on the floor and gave him and a quick hug and kiss, whispering “Ring me when he gets out.”. Alexander shared on a forehead kiss with John swallowing down his panic.
Then they were alone, Hercules looked to Alexander. He looked shell shocked, eyes bloodshot, cheeks tearstained and hair messily escaping its tie. “He’ll be okay.” Hercules sat on the couch and patted the spot beside him.
“Doctors work for the bourgeois,” Alexander muttered sitting beside Hercules.
Hercules looked confused and fumbled for the TV remote, “What?”, Alexander repeated himself, “You work for the bourgeois.”
“I’m an immigration lawyer. They took my mother away.” Alexander knew the line of thinking was absurd but his mind could never get out that the last people he’d seen when his mother was alive were two paramedics, then she was dead.
“They did their best.” Hercules flicked through the channels until he found some bullshit that seemed mindless enough to take Alexander’s mind off what had happened, it had bearly any plot but there were sexy shirtless men. Perfect. Then got up and went to the kitchen for some snacks.
“No, they didn’t!”
Hercules grabbed a packet of chips and briefly went to the bedroom to find a blanket. He threw it over Alexander and placed the chips on the coffee table, “What did you say?”
“My mother died of pneumonia that they didn’t treat because didn’t have the money!”
That was a can of worms Hercules expect to open. That explained a great deal about Alexander, when he got sick he would continue working until someone forced him to rest. “Can I touch you?”
Alexander nodded with a huff, he felt like a live wire, his whole body was vibrating and his leg bounced violently against the floor. Hercules shifted so that Alexander sat long ways across the couch, Hercules behind him. Gently the tie was worked out of Alexander’s hair, Hercules used one hand to massage should, giving him something to focus on. Alexander pulled the blanket up and wiped away the fresh tears, “He’ll be okay,” Hercules began to plat Alexander’s knotted hair, “you’ll be okay.”
Alexander was still panicking when he finished, he was doing his best focus on the crunch of chips in his mouth rather than the horrible thoughts racing through his head. He tried to block them out by pressing his ears with the balls of palms. Hercules held them, worried that he was hurting himself, “What’s going on in that head of yours?” he lightly squeezed Alexander’s hands to get his attention.
It took a moment for his brain to process, “He’s dead.”
“He getting his appendix out, that takes time. He’s okay.”
Alexander didn’t believe him. The chips were no longer taking his mind off his frightening thoughts. Hercules had taken his hands away so he couldn’t smack his leg like he usually would when the world got overwhelming. He struggled to regain control of them, Hercules was too strong and it was futile. He grumbled and gave up.
“I don’t want you hurting yourself,” Hercules said quietly, Alexander protested with a collection of disgruntled sounds, “what can I do to take your mind off things?”
Alexander shook his head angrily grinding his teeth and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, “He’s dead. Just like my mom!” his shoulder shook with dry sobs.
“No, he’s okay, not dead, just being made better.”
Alexander couldn’t understand why Hercules was lying to him, Hercules was normally really nice but now he was being horrible. Alexander struggled, he dug an elbow into Hercules’ spleen, Hercules let go of Alexander’s hands in pain and shock. Alexander scrambled to the end of the couch away from Hercules. Alexander rocked backward and forwards, smacking his leg with a balled-up fist, there was too much going on right now, his head couldn’t handle it.
Hercules knew this was normal for Alexander but that didn’t make it any less distressing, “Hey, hey, you’re okay. Don’t hurt yourself bubs.”
Words were useless. Alexander continued trying to calm himself down, hiccuping on dry tears. Hercules got off the couch and grappled to pick him up, then his phone rang. Hercules squeezed Alexander tightly and found the vibrating phone in his pocket. Thank god it was Lafayette, he told them John that was out of surgery and they could come and see him. Hercules relayed that to message to Alexander, “ “Do you want to get changed? Suits aren’t that comfortable.”
Calling what Alexander was wearing a suit was a stretch, he was wearing his favorite pair of loss fitting blue jeans and red checked flannel, “Can I take the blanket?” Alexander mumbled, enjoying the circles Hercules was rubbing on his back.
“Yeah, they won’t care.”
Hercules picked up the blanket and bundled Alexander in it without putting him down. He carried him down the stairs to Hercules’ old Toyoda and set off for the hospital downtown. When they got there, Hercules made to do the talking. It took them a few attempts but in the end, they found John’s room. Layette sat on a chair talking to John in the bed wrapped in a white blanket, he looked and smiled at Alexander. Hercules didn’t hesitate to enter the room, Alexander did. Fear glued him to the spot, he stared blankly at the white walls and pulled the blanket tightly around. He snapped out of it when John called for him. He cautiously walked over to him, John took his hand in his and pressed it to his lips, “See, I told you I would be okay.”
It scared Alexander when he winced with pain moving over to make room for him to sit. Lafayette was made to get up so Hercules could sit then Lafayette sat back down on his lap. Hercules began a pleasant conversation that Alexander didn’t join in on. He was doing his best not to fidget or move terrified of hurting John.
“I like your plat,” John said low enough that no one else could hear, Alexander nodded feeling exhausted, “I love you.” he held Alexander’s face so it allowed him to press a soft kiss to his chapped lips.
Alexander was lulled to sleep by the talking and John’s tender shoulder massage. He felt safe against John's warmth that told him he was alive.
Visiting hours ended at six. John delicately explained that he needed to stay in hospital overnight. Alexander protested but allowed Hercules to carry him out after he kissed John and told him he loved him.
Alexander wasn’t happy about dinner arrangements, Mondays were the days' Alexander stayed over at John and Hercules’ John would cook his wonderful spaghetti. Every Monday since they’d started dating two years ago had been like this. If Hercules made the spaghetti every would be wrong, just like everything else with this day. The spaghetti was overcooked and felt too sticky against his teeth, there was too much salt in the sauce. He rubbed his eyes with the balls of his palms, he could feel more tears coming on. Everything reminded him that John was here, he was stuck in a horrible hospital and not with him. Alexander abruptly got up from the table, the fork clinked too loudly against the wooden table, he ran to John’s bedroom. He took a deep breath basking in John’s calming smell and buried himself under the comforter. He cried so loud he didn’t hear Hercules coming do the hallway. He froze when he felt the bed skin with Hercules weight, “He’s okay, you know that.”
“Where’s Lafayette?” Alexander hiccuped.
“He’s gone home because he’d got work in the morning but he sends his love.”
“Will you stay?”
“Should you get out of your jeans and binder?” Hercules asked casually.
“Will he be mad at me for being here?”
“No, he won’t mind.” Hercules comforted. Alexander reluctantly got out the bed, he turned away from Hercules’ eyes, he shed his jeans, now he stood in boxers and struggled to remove his binder. He quickly put his warm shirt on before they could see anything then dove back under the covers.
Hercules shuffled behind him and squeezed Alexander, “I know you’ve had a nap but try to sleep, you’ll be exhausted in the morning.”
Alexander nodded. Hercules began to hum the same tune for this afternoon, Alexander fell asleep in Hercules’ arms, pining for them to be John’s.