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"Dadddd." Alex was roused from sleep by his little girl's voice.
"S'time to get up, daddy. Grandma made pancakes with chocolate chips and daddy says if you don't get downstairs soon you're gonna miss 'em."
"Unfgh." Alex groaned.
Unimpressed, Jasey jumped up on the bed and poked his cheek insistently with her pudgy fingers.
"Dad. Dad. Time to get up dad."
"Okay. Ugh. Okay, Jase, M'up." Alex mumbled at her, stretching sleeping and scooping her into his arms.
Jack's parents had invited them up for the weekend and Jasey was thrilled with all the grandma and grandpa time she was getting, particularly since Jack's parents doted on her as shamelessly as Jack himself. Alex was happy to be there, too, Mr. and Mrs. Barakat were great--but he honestly wasn't feeling great. Meaning when Jasey woke him up this morning, he kind of felt like he'd been hit by a truck. But there was no way he was going to let Jack know and spoil the whole trip. It was absolutely unfair, but Jack practically never got sick, and while he'd gotten better at figuring out when Alex was, Alex had gotten better at hiding it as well.
All this flew out the window when Alex padded down the stairs, Jasey on his hip, and saw Jack flipping pancakes in the kitchen. He didn't think he'd ever get used to being married to the love of his life. Jack grinned when he caught sight of his bedheaded husband.
"Good morning, sleepy-head. How's pancakes sound?"
Alex managed a smile back.
"Sounds great." And if his voice cracked, well, he had just woken up, it happened. Still he passed up on the coffee in favor of a cup of tea to soothe his throat, and Jack definitely noticed.
Once they were seated at the kitchen table with Jasey playing happily in the living room with her grandma, Jack nodded towards Alex's mug.
"Any reason you passed on my delicious coffee this morning, babe?"
Alex shrugged.
"Just wasn't feeling the need for a caffeine fix after sleeping in so late. "
Alex, of course, was lying through his teeth. He wanted that coffee bad. But he needed to kill the ache in his throat and popping a tylenol would definitely lead to questions he did not feel like answering.
Jack for his part let it go, but he made a mental note to keep an eye on Alex. Ten a.m wake up or not, he was always ready for coffee. If he was skipping out on it, something was up.
Alex got almost to dinner hiding how he felt marvelously. Every time he had to cough he'd step out onto the porch and close the door so no one would hear him. He drank two more cups of tea to to dull the way his throat felt like someone had tried to sand it down, and if he was more tired than he should have been after sleeping in, well, tired wasn't something you could tell by looking.
Except Jack could. And he was staring Alex down, watching his every move, and it was getting harder and harder to sneak out to the porch.
"Alex? You okay, babe?" Jack questioned the next time Alex retreated outside.
"Fine." Alex held back a grimace. "Just like the fresh air."
"You look tired."
"I'm not."
Jack shrugged.
"Okay. C'mere." Jack gestured to the spot on the couch beside him.
Reluctantly, Alex slipped himself under Jack's arm. He was pretty happy there, listening to Jack talk to his dad and watching Jasey color on the coffee table, until Mrs. Barakat excused herself to finish up dinner. Sick or not, Alex felt obligated to help. He should have known by now that Jack got all his attention to detail from his mom.
He had only barely shuffled into the kitchen when she was on him.
"Alex, honey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing Mrs. Barakat, I--"
She cut him off with a hand pressed to his forehead.
"Oh, goodness, you're burning up. Go sit down, sweetheart."
"No, really, Mr. Barakat..." Alex started to mumble. But he knew the game was up when she continued to speak right over him.
"Jack! Why are you letting Alex work himself to death when he's sick?"
Jack came rushing into the kitchen.
"I knew it! You are shameless." He told Alex, leading him back towards the couch. "You are absolutely shameless. I knew you looked sick."
"Well of course, he's sick, feel his forehead." Mrs. Barakat chimed in. "Sick as a dog and you," She said, brandishing a bottle of Tylenol at her son,"letting him run around the whole morning like this. I taught you better than that, Jack."
Alex had to interrupt here. "It's not his fault, Mrs. Barakat. I didn't tell him I..didn't feel well. I didn't want to ruin your family weekend." Alex added, addressing the last part to Jack.
Jack rolled his eyes.
"In case you haven't noticed mom, in addition to having the most wonderful husband of all time, I also have the stupidest husband of all time."
"Well I wouldn't say stupid, but I have to agree with Jack here, Alex, that's just silly. You aren't ruining anything."
"But." Alex found it prudent to stop himself. He couldn't really handle the stare he was being fixed with from his husband and his mother-in-law. It was at this moment Mr. Barakat wandered into the living room, Jasey trailing close behind.
"What's going on, Joyce?"
"Daddy, why're you under all those blankets?" Jasey added.
"Your daddy isn't feeling good, Jase." Jack told her, addressing both questions.
"Oh." She said solemnly.
"Jidoo," She turned suddenly and tugged on her grandpa's hand, and said in a whisper that wasn't all that quiet, "we have to go make get better cards for daddy."
Mr. Barakat chuckled and allowed himself to be led to the den, where they always kept a few toys and art supplies for Jasey. Jack and Alex did their part by pretending they hadn't heard anything at all.
Mrs. Barakat disappeared down the hall and returned with an assortment of multicolored pills and a large glass of water.
"Drink." She told Alex. "It's lucky I was making soup tonight anyways. I'll just add some chicken, and we'll be ready for dinner."
"Oh, Mrs. Barakat, don't change your plans on my account." Alex coughed.
"Nonsense. Chicken soup boosts your immune system. And you can eat in here if Jack can promise to keep from spilling all over my couch."
"Hey!" Jack protested from the couch, "That was one time."
"Yes, and the couch has never recovered. "
"Is that why you're never this nice too me when I'm sick?" Jack whined.
"No, it's because you're a pain and your better half is, better."
"Mom!"
"What? He's awful, really, Alex. A complete baby at the first sniffle." Mrs. Barakat told Alex conspiratorially. And in spite of himself, Alex giggled.Which led to him hunched over with Jack rubbing his back while he hacked his lungs out, but still. Mrs. Barakat headed back towards the kitchen, tossing one more
"I want all that medicine gone by the time I finish dinner, Mister!" over her shoulder as she went.
Alex promised he'd take it, and then settled back into the couch, his head resting on Jack's chest and then his lap as he slid more horizontal. Alex could hear Mr. Barakat seriously debating the merits of blue over red with Jasey in the next room. With Jack's fingers running gently through his hair, hd began to relax for the first time since he'd woken up. As he drifted off, Alex felt and intense pang of love and gratitude for his second family. "Jack?" He muttered into his husband's jeans.
"Yeah, 'Lex?"
"M'sorry I ruined y'rfamily weekend."
"Oh. Alex." Jack sighed. "You are family. This is what we do for family."
"We make a good family." Alex mumbled before finally succumbing to his heavy eyelids.
"I know." Jack responded. And he sat and listened to his husband breathe, to his daughter debate with his dad, and his mom bustle around the kitchen. They were the best family.