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Teetering on the edge of sleep, Lafayette can't tell where his body wants him to land until he's prying his eyes open. Immediately, he's assaulted by the sunlight pouring in between the dark blue curtains and the sound of speaking to his right. He doesn't recognize the words right away, much to his annoyance, until he realizes they aren't in his native French.
"Chill out man, he's prolly downstairs," John says, craning his neck to get a look at Alexander's unlocked phone. From his spot on the bed, Lafayette can't quite make out what they're looking at, but the pressure behind his eyes doesn't give him much of an incentive to investigate further.
"Yeah, well he better have a good reason for not being in my arms right now," he hears Alexander say, earning a laugh from John that makes the Frenchman's head pound. Sitting on his knees across from Alexander, John wears a big smile on his freckled face, but Alexander doesn't seem to notice as he texts away. "Oh, he's making breakfast."
"See, I told you," John says, his head flopping over to give the man a cheeky grin. "How much ya wanna bet he's gonna burn something?"
"I know he'll burn something," Alexander scoffs, shaking his head. "Prolly those chocolate chip pancakes." Lafayette frowns at the pair of them, but neither man seems to even notice he's there.
"Chocolate chip pancakes? What are we, in third grade?" John laughs before snatching his own phone up off of the comforter and beginning to text as well. Alexander echoes John's words in a mocking tone, earning another laugh from the man. On the night stand to his left, Lafayette hears his phone begin to vibrate against the wood with more frequency. Against his will, he emits a soft groan that immediately catches the attention of his partners.
"Hey Laffy," John says with a grin. "How'd you sleep?"
"Sorry, did we wake you?" Alexander says, shifting in his place on the bed. "Breakfast isn't done yet if you wanna go back to sleep."
Lafayette only groans once again as he turns his head back over toward the night stand, slowly reaching up to grab his phone. The movement makes him realize just how warm he is under their comforter. Had summer come earlier than usual? As he retrieves his phone, he doesn't bother to unplug it from its charger before unlocking the device. The screen opens to right where he left it: their polycule group chat.
the polycule™
lalalaurens: aww ;) does baby.wanna choccy chip pancake,,
hamsandwich: yes i would actually
lalalaurens: .
lalalaurens: actualy herc can u make me 1 too,
hunkules: yes
lalalaurens: YAY!!!!!
Lafayette's eyes ache as he reads the foreign words on the screen, but every black letter seems to add to his pounding headache that only combines with the awful sensations weighing him down. Despite his discomfort, his fingers begin to slowly tap away at the screen's keyboard.
lafayes: GOOD MORNING BOY FRIENDS
lafayes: WE ARE ALL WELL TODAY, OUI??
hunkules: damn, did you have coffee before you woke up or something??
hamsandwich: don't let him fool you, he's laying in bed with the most miserable look on his face rn
hunkules: what? laf are you okay??
lafayes: i sleep bad,
lalalaurens: poor bby :(
Lafayette lets out a low groan in response, locking his phone and allowing it to drop down onto the bed at his side. "My poor Laffy," he hears John coo, but he pays the man no regard. When he feels the bed shift to his right, however, Lafayette glances over to watch John crawl over to his side of the bed and lay on top of him, bringing more warmth to the Frenchman's already overheating body. Unfortunately for him, it isn't long before Alexander joins in on the pile of heat as well, crushing the poor man. With another groan, Lafayette only barely catches Alexander as he raises his phone into the air and--click!
His phone vibrates on the mattress next to him. Reluctantly, he pulls his arm out from under John's torso and grabs it to take a look for himself.
hamsandwich sent an image.
hunkules: o h my god
hunkules: what I wouldn't do to join you guys in that pile on lafayette
The Frenchman lets out a huff.
lafayes: they are heavy,
He flinches when a light smack is delivered against his thigh through the comforter, and he can't help but smile despite his aching head and the weight of the two men pinning him to the bed.
hamsandwich: rude
lalalaurens: laf, r u gonna be ok to come w/ us on the date today??
hamsandwich: ye if you want, we can reschedule the date for another day so you can rest
lafayes: non!
lafayes: i need coffee and i will be ok
hamsandwich: if you say so
lalalaurens: :( if u start 2 feel bad, tell us ok??
lafayes: oui
As his boyfriends continue their text conversation, with John and Alexander mumbling amongst themselves on top of him, the words on his screen and in the air around him stop registering in his mind. Lafayette stares at his screen even long after the timer locks it, leaving him to stare at his own miserable reflection. He only comes back to himself when he feels his partners get off of him.
"He's so mean to me," John says with an undeniable smile, his fingers flying away sloppily at the keys. Lafayette can't help but snort lightly at that, knowing the man only types so fast because he has no intention of fixing his mistakes. The Frenchman unlocks his phone to try to pretend as though he's keeping up with the conversation--had the screen always been this bright? Squinting, he merely glances over the texts and sends a simple "lmao" before tossing his phone back onto the mattress and closing his eyes.
Lafayette doesn't know how long he lays like that, only barely hearing the sounds of Alexander and John speaking under their breaths as to not disturb him. It doesn't feel long before he feels a nudging against his side, and he opens his eyes to meet Alexander's concerned expression. Where did John go?
"Hey, breakfast is done. Herc made pancakes, some eggs, and maybe bacon if John can save it. You wanna eat?" Alexander says.
Lafayette pauses at that. Is he hungry? He doesn't feel hungry, but one look at his boyfriend's face tells him he probably doesn't have a choice. Silently, he begins to sit up, and the world spins around him. With a small groan, he raises his hand to hold his head, much to Alexander's dismay.
"You really didn't sleep well, did you?"
"Non," Lafayette mumbles, pulling the comforter off of him to get out of bed, though he supposes he should put some pants on before he goes anywhere. "I will have coffee and I will be fine."
"If you say so," Alexander says with an uncertain frown.
--
Lafayette closes his eyes and leans against the wall. Nearby, he hears Alexander and Hercules talking amongst themselves, trying to do... whatever it is they came here to do. Furrowing his eyebrows slightly, the Frenchman opens his eyes to investigate the small room once again.
"Where is John?" he finally asks, earning a strange look from his boyfriends that he only barely sees in the dim lighting of the room.
"Uh... He's in the other escape room," Hercules says slowly, shooting a concerned look at Alexander. Should Lafayette have known that?
"Didn't you read the group chat?" Alexander asks, as though reading the man's mind. "Or hear our discussion over breakfast?"
"Eh... Non, I guess not," Lafayette mumbles, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall behind him. He doesn't see the troubled expressions his boyfriends exchange before returning to their task at hand... whatever that is.
Lafayette feels his head pulsing as he begins to drown out the sounds around him. He feels a bead of sweat roll down his forehead and he moves to take off his jacket so he can cool down, until he realizes he isn't wearing one. Furrowing his eyebrows, the Frenchman tries to remember where it is they are. Is it supposed to feel this hot?
"Hey, are you ready to go?" Lafayette flinches at the sudden voice in front of him, his eyes shooting open to see Hercules. He blinks as he looks over the room, which is now somehow much brighter than before. Police tape surrounds a pool of blood in the middle of the room that gets his heart racing immediately. What the hell happened?
"Laf?" Hercules calls quietly, craning his head to try to catch the man's line of sight. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Ah..." Lafayette frowns, rubbing his hands over his sore eyes, and he feels a deep pressure in his cheekbones as he does so. Non, he wants to say, but he utters a quiet "oui" before Hercules takes his hand and leads him out of the room.
As they exit, Lafayette feels his eyes sting at the sensation of the bright lights around him. He raises his hand to try to block it, but finds it doesn't help at all. Where are they? Squinting, he forces his eyes to focus and slowly comes to realize they're at the mall. Hercules pulls him along gently, guiding him towards the food court. With his free hand, Lafayette digs into his pocket and pulls out his phone, finding a number of missed texts from the group chat.
the polycule™
hunkules: I guess your streak for winning bets is finally over, huh?
hamsandwich: FUCK
hunkules: john you beautiful, beautiful man.
hunkules: how did you do it??
lalalaurens: im rlly good under presure ;)
hamsandwich: GOD DAMN IT
Lafayette frowns at this digital exchange and racks his brain as Hercules pulls him along. What is happening? Why is his boyfriend so upset? Where is he? With one hand, he begins to tap away at his phone.
lafayes: alex, you are ok?
hamsandwich: NO I'M NOT OK
hamsandwich: BECAUSE THIS MEANS JOHN IS GOING TO HAVE CONTROL OVER ME FOR A DAY
lalalaurens: HAHAHAHAHGA
lafayes: o
hunkules: AVENGE MY HONOR, JOHN
lalalaurens: I GOTCHU.BABE
lafayes: this is un bad thing?
hamsandwich: YES IT'S BAD
hamsandwich: I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS
Locking his phone, Lafayette raises his head to speak to Hercules when he sees John and Alexander up ahead in the food court, one looking more happy than the other. As they approach the two men, their conversations becomes more clear.
"Fuck, how could this happen?!" Alexander exclaims, earning some odd looks from the shoppers around them. John laughs at him before turning his attention to Hercules and Lafayette. When he sees the Frenchman, his smile drops immediately.
"Are you okay?" John asks with great concern, to which Lafayette frowns. "You look pale." Silently, the Frenchman nods, trying to will the world to stop spinning so much. The three men give him an uncertain look.
"We're gonna go home so Laf can rest," Hercules tells him, and Lafayette closes his eyes to try to focus on the sensation of his hand intertwined with his boyfriend's.
It isn't long before Hercules begins to tug him along again, but he refuses to open his eyes. Even when they step out into the sun, Lafayette trusts his partners to keep him safe. A softer hand takes ahold of his free hand, and he knows without looking that it's John.
"C'mon, baby, let's get you home," John says softly as they come to a stop. He hears the familiar beep that he recognizes as Hercules' car and opens his eyes just long enough to slide into the backseat. To his surprise, John is waiting for him on the other side--when did they stop holding hands?--and he barely remembers to buckle his seat belt before his eyes are closed once again.
The motion of the car gives him a vague nausea that he groans at, leaning over to rest his head on John's shoulder. He isn't sure how much time passes before he opens his eyes once again. When he does, he sees John walking ahead of him in the mall with a smoothie in one hand and his phone in the other--something strawberry, he said--and Lafayette follows along behind him.
"J'ai gagné le jeu," John says to him, and Lafayette recoils. What game? Since when does he speak French? As though to answer his questions, John turns around to face him.
"Laffy," he says with a smile on his beautiful, freckled face. "Come on, let's go inside." Where? Lafayette tries to speak, but no sound comes out. His throat feels flooded with liquid, but somehow as rough as sandpaper.
"Lafayette," Alexander calls from beside John--when did he get here? Where is Hercules? With furrowed eyebrows, the Frenchman tries to look around the empty mall surrounding them. Where did everybody go?
"Laf, wake up."
With a start, the Frenchman jerks awake in the backseat of Hercules' car. Frantically, he looks around, seeing the car door to his right now open with Alexander standing outside of it, holding his hand out. With a frown, he looks to his left and sees John unbuckling his seat belt.
"Oh," Lafayette mumbles before fumbling to undo his own seat belt. He sniffles slightly before slowly stepping out of the car. Immediately, he falls backwards against the metal, reaching up to hold his head. Everything is spinning.
"Shit, are you okay?" Alexander says, grabbing onto his arm to keep him from falling over. Lafayette lets out a vague moan of acknowledgement before trying to stand upright, without much success. To his surprise, Hercules appears at his right to take his other arm.
"Come on, help me get him inside," he says to Alex, and they begin to lead Lafayette towards... somewhere. "John, can you grab the door?"
"Yeah."
"Où allons-nous?" Lafayette mumbles, finding it significantly harder to keep his head up all of a sudden. He feels one of his boyfriend's arms wrap around his waist to support him, which he only frowns at. He can walk just fine on his own, can't he?
"We're home," Alexander says with a worried expression that the Frenchman doesn't catch. "Let's get you up to bed."
"Do you think he can go up the stairs?" John calls from behind them. Lafayette tries to turn and look at the man but is immediately met with nausea that he clenches his eyes tightly at. He lets out a low groan and hangs his head to try to will everything to stop spinning.
Against his will, Lafayette feels the two men gently pull him along until the toe of his shoe hits the bottom of the stairs. At the impact, he feels himself stumble, but a pair of sturdy arms wraps around him before he can hit the ground.
"Come on, Laf, I got you," Hercules mumbles, beginning to half-carry the poor man up the stairs. Lafayette barely registers Alexander letting go of his arm to follow them.
To his relief, it only takes a minute or two of struggling to get up to the bedroom. As soon as he's able, Lafayette collapses onto the bed, shoes and all, ignoring the protests of his partners to change into his pajamas. The faint sound of their speaking barely reaches his ears as he falls into a dreamless sleep, his head burning furiously against the pillow.
Hours later, when Lafayette finally awakes, the first thing he feels is the congestion in his nose and sinuses. He grimaces as he shifts to try to relieve the pressure, but the scratchiness of his throat and the pounding of his overheated forehead assault him all at once. He lets out a low, agonized moan.
"Hey, you're up," he hears to his left. With a deep frown, Lafayette turns his head over and squints through his discomfort to look at the man sat in the chair at his bedside.
"Mon amour," Lafayette mumbles hoarsely, earning a pitied look from Hercules. He tries to speak again when he's pulled into a coughing fit, instinctively reaching up to cover his mouth with his arm.
"Oh, you poor thing," Hercules coos, slipping his phone into his pocket. "I knew you were getting sick. How do you feel?"
Lafayette lets out another groan as his coughing subsides, rolling his head over to face Hercules. "Like death," he mumbles.
Hercules frowns at this. "Do you want me to get you some water?" The Frenchman simply nods against the pillow, watching his partner stand from his chair.
"I'll be right back," Hercules says with a sympathetic smile before turning to leave the room. For a few silent moments, Lafayette does nothing but lay there on the bed, feeling miserable as all hell, when he feels his phone vibrate in the pocket of his jeans. Then, it vibrates again. He frowns and reluctantly reaches down to yank it out of its cloth prison, wincing at the light the screen emits.
hamsandwich --> lafayes
hamsandwich: hey
hamsandwich: how are you feeling? had a nice nap?
hamsandwich: i bet you're feeling way better now, right?
Lafayette doesn't try to choke back the cough he gets from the absurdity of the questions from his partner. No, he isn't in the mood.
lafayes: non
lafayes: je suis malade
hamsandwich: you are not sick
hamsandwich: you're just tired
hamsandwich: try going back to sleep and you'll feel better
The man frowns deeply, becoming more agitated at having to read the English text on his screen. For God's sake, can't his partner type in French to make it easier on him?
lafayes: :/
lafayes: my nose can not breath
lafayes: my head is hurt
lafayes: my inside neck is burn
lafayes: i soon die
hamsandwich: that's
hamsandwich: a little over dramatic, don't you think
Lafayette huffs, coughing lightly. He doesn't even take a moment to consider if he really is being overdramatic before sending his response.
lafayes: non
lafayes: je vais mourir
lafayes: s'il te plait dis à john que je l'aime
hamsandwich: .
He doesn't wait to see if the man will respond before locking his phone and dropping it onto his chest. Lafayette splays his arm over his eyes to try to block out the sunlight that still manages to peer in through the closed curtains on the wall to his left. When will death claim him? With the agony he's in, he assumes it will be shortly, but exactly when, he isn't sure. The sound of footsteps approaching catches his attention and the Frenchman uncovers his eyes to regard the grim reaper come to claim his soul, but he's only met with his partner bringing him a nice glass of water.
"Hey, uh," Hercules begins, placing the glass down on the nightstand with a nervous look on his face, "did you tell Alex you're dying?"
Lafayette frowns at this. Isn't it obvious? "Oui, I am." Hercules takes a deep breath before sitting down in his chair.
"Laf," he begins slowly, taking his phone out of his pocket and beginning to text as he speaks. "I know you're sick and you probably feel like shit, but you can't really tell Alex you're dying from an illness." At this, Lafayette frowns.
"Why?" he asks, shifting his gaze to the glass of water sitting enticingly next to him. He begins to slowly sit up so he can drink it, feeling the slightest bit of relief at the realization that the world has stopped spinning so much since he fell asleep.
"He didn't tell you? About his mom, I mean," Hercules asks, earning a confused look from Lafayette. The man shakes his head, to which Hercules lets out a shaky sigh. "Okay... It's not really my story to tell, but... you know, he and his mom got real sick when he was a kid. And he got better, but she... y'know..." he tapers off slowly, hoping the Frenchman will get the message. Fortunately for both of them, he does.
"Alexander has not told me of this," Lafayette frowns, completely forgetting the water in favor of focusing on his partner.
"He doesn't like to talk about it," Hercules says, unlocking his phone and beginning to scroll through his texts. After a moment, he holds his phone up to show Lafayette.
hamsandwich --> hunkules
hamsandwich sent an image.
hamsandwich: HE'S DYING???????
hamsandwich: WHAT DO WE DO
hunkules: woah woah woah
hunkules: calm down
Lafayette furrows his eyebrows as he reads through the messages as best as he can, scrolling down to read the rest of the conversation.
hamsandwich: okay fine. he's sick
hamsandwich: i will admit that.
hamsandwich: but what if this cold actually kills him??
hunkules: alex, calm down
hamsandwich: what if it's not actually a cold??? what if it's the flu
hamsandwich: or some obscure illness that's hard to cure
hunkules: alex
hamsandwich: we need to get him to a doctor
hunkules: alex.
hamsandwich: call an ambulance. we need to get him to a hospital
hamsandwich: i'm getting john and we're going home right now
Lafayette sucks in a sharp breath as he reads over this. Shit, did he do this to his poor boyfriend? He really didn't mean to... He reaches up to scroll down to the most recent messages.
hamsandwich: . but what if he's not fine
hamsandwich: what if we wake up tomorrow and he's
hamsandwich: and something happened to him
"Alexander... he is ok?" Lafayette asks quietly, looking up to his partner.
"I don't know," Hercules says, locking his phone to place on the nightstand. "I told John about it, he's trying to help calm him down right now. I really think you should tell him you're okay. It might help him to hear it from you directly." Lafayette nods quickly and picks up his own phone, immediately navigating to his conversation with Alexander.
lafayes --> hamsandwich
lafayes: alex?
lafayes: je suis désolé
lafayes: i am sorry
Lafayette pauses, rubbing his thumbs together as he waits for a response. When he gets none, he tries again.
lafayes: hercules tell me you are scared for me
lafayes: i did not mean to scare you
lafayes: i am fine!
Still nothing. Lafayette gives a glance over to Hercules, who has since picked up his own phone and resumed texting. The Frenchman tries one more time.
lafayes: please forgive?
Finally, he gets a response.
hamsandwich: i'm not upset with you
hamsandwich: i just.
hamsandwich: i've got a thing with people being sick.
Lafayette frowns, feeling guilt weighing him down somehow more than the blankets layered on top of him.
lafayes: hercules tell me.
lafayes: i am sorry
lafayes: i did not know
lafayes: but i was be, how you say?
lafayes: dramatique
lafayes: i did not mean to scare you
He lets out as much of a sigh as he can manage through his pain. He only hopes Alexander isn't angry with him.
hamsandwich: it's alright
hamsandwich: just. hurry up and get better, okay?
lafayes: oui :)
lafayes: you are get milk shake, oui?
hamsandwich: yeah. do you want something?
lafayes: vanilla
hamsandwich: what size?
lafayes: big
lafayes: with chocolate
hamsandwich: chips?
Lafayette recoils at that. Why would he want that?
lafayes: in milk shake??
hamsandwich: chocolate chips
lafayes: oh
lafayes: oui
Lafayette stares at his phone for a few more moments before it becomes clear that Alexander has nothing more to say. With a small sigh, he puts his phone down on his lap and stretches out a bit on the bed.
"Did you tell him?" Hercules asks, and Lafayette nods.
"Oui. He is okay now, I think. I am sorry, I did not know." With a side smile, Hercules reaches forward and takes ahold of his partner's hand.
"It's okay. I don't think anyone is mad at you... Just, y'know, for the future..." Lafayette nods. Hercules smiles again before he gestures toward the glass of water sitting untouched on the nightstand. "You should probably drink that. You don't sound too good."
Lafayette lets out a low moan and releases Hercules' hand to retrieve the glass. In mere moments, he downs the entire glass of water and replaces it on the nightstand, earning an impressed look from his partner.
"You want some more?" Hercules says with an amused look. Lafayette merely shakes his head, readjusting himself to lay back down on the bed.
"Non. I want to sleep," he says, closing his eyes and resting his head against the pillow. "If Alexander text me, you tell him I am okay and that I sleep, oui?"
Hercules nods, but the Frenchman doesn't see it. "Yeah, I'll tell him," is the last thing Lafayette hears before he's drifting off to sleep.
--
The sound of plastic crinkling rouses Lafayette from his slumber, and he opens his eyes to see John bringing in a takeout bag with food in one hand and a milkshake in the other. Hercules is now gone, seemingly having disappeared with the dining room chair.
"Hey, baby, how are you feeling?" John coos, earning a small sniffle from Lafayette. "Aww, poor baby, you really are sick."
"Oui," Lafayette mumbles, sitting up in the bed. "John... You can bring me tissues, please?"
"Of course baby," John smiles, walking over to place the bag and the cup down on the nightstand next to him, sliding the glass cup out of the way. "I'll be right back," he says before turning to walk out of the room. Lafayette follows him with his eyes for only a moment, barely catching the sight of eyes peering in at him through the doorway. A guilty pang hits his chest as he remembers the events from earlier.
"Alexander," he calls through his hoarse voice. After a few moments, his partner reluctantly enters the room, though he only hangs in the doorway. Lafayette can't say that he blames him.
"Sorry," Alexander mumbles, keeping his gaze lowered towards the floor. "I just wanted to check on you..."
Lafayette smiles. "It is okay, mon amour... I am sorry I upset you. Please forgive?"
"I already forgave you," Alexander says, hesitantly crossing the room to stand next to the bed. "Uh... how are you feeling?" Lafayette opens his mouth to respond when he pauses to consider his words carefully.
"Je suis malade... but I will be okay," Lafayette says with a small smile, earning one from Alexander as well. His boyfriend takes his hand and squeezes it gently, feeling relief at the sensation of warmth through his fingertips. Lafayette is right, he will be okay.