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Bowie didn't get sick. It was simple as that. He didn't get sick.
But on the rare occasions he did, he never let it show. Even now as he went about getting ready in the morning, he ignored the throbbing pain in his forehead and the dull aches and chills that littered his body. He felt like shit, but he kept getting ready like it was nothing. He tried not to let any discomfort show as Raj got ready beside him. The shorter male looked exhausted, and Bowie was not looking to add to that with his...issue...
They couple got ready in silence, mostly focused on their own routines. Raj brushing his teeth, and Bowie lifting a shaking hand to put in his contacts. Raj side eyed him curiously, spitting into the sink. He knew Bowie well enough to know that his hands shaking wasn't normal.
"Hey, are you okay?" Raj asked, fully starring at Bowie now. Bowie nodded, blinking blankly at his reflection. He could not find it in himself to put in his contacts. Everything ached too much for that.
"I'm fine...just gonna wear my glasses today." Bowie muttered, stepping past Raj and out of the bathroom. Raj watched him stumble over to his nightstand and frowned. That wasn't normal either...Thats when it hit Raj. Bowie was sick...Not that he'd outwardly admit it...but they both knew he was.
“Hey Bo?” Raj called, trying to sound as casual as possible.
“Yeah?” Bowie called back, rummaging through his nightstand drawer for his glasses case.
“You feelin’ okay?” Raj asked, peeking around the door frame. Bowie found the case and took it out. He gave no answer as he opened the case and put his glasses on. “Bowie?” Raj repeated.
“Yeah, I’m fine, honey don’t worry.” Bowie finally said, adjusting the frames on his face, blinking to let his eyes adjust. Raj pursed his lips and went back to the bathroom sink.
“Riiiight…” Raj replied, clearly not believing him. Raj finished brushing his teeth and silently came back out into the room, hearing the quiet beeps of the thermometer. He watched Bowie remove it from his mouth and grimace at it, before setting it back on the nightstand. He glanced up to see Raj and startled slightly.
“I know what you’re gonna say…” Bowie started. “And I’m fine.”
“What’s the temperature?” Raj asked. Bowie side eyed it, then looked back at Raj.
“98.” Bowie replied. “I’m fine.” The couple both eyed the device and both went for it. Raj got there first, staring at it. He looked up at Bowie, an unamused frown on his face.
“Bowie it says 101.” Raj said flatly. Bowie let out a nervous laugh.
“I’m fine.” He said again.
“I’m not letting you go like this…” Raj said simply, blocking Bowie from passing him. Bowie stared at him, eyes narrowing behind his frames.
“Rajesh…” Bowie started. Okay so using his full name wasn’t the best argument, but Bowie was desperate. “Let me past. I have work to do.” Raj eyed him, taking his words in.
“I don’t care. You need the rest…” Raj paused, hesitating slightly. “Beauregard.” He looked a little uncomfortable after saying it, but stood firm. Bowie looked taken aback, but crossed his arms.
Bowie silently weighed his options, then faked one way and when Raj moved, Bowie moved the other way, getting past him. Raj whirled around as Bowie exited the bedroom. Raj hauled after him and grabbed him.
“Raj!” Bowie yelped, as the shorter male, slung Bowie over his shoulder. “Put me down!”
“Nope! You’re getting rest!” Raj said, carrying Bowie back to their room. Bowie pouted as Raj pulled back the blankets
“Raj…I’m fine! I can handle myself!” Bowie complained. Raj set Bowie down on the bed and eased him back.
“I know, but let me help you, honey.” Raj said sweetly, kissing Bowie’s forehead. Bowie pouted and moved to try and get up. “Nope! Not happening, man!” Raj said, quickly going to worm under the covers, placing himself on top of Bowie.
“Raj…”
“Shhhhhh…” Raj hushed, lifting his head to kiss Bowies lower jaw. “Close your eyes…”
“Raj I’m fine I promise…” Bowie muttered.
“Bowie if you don’t at least try to relax I am going to scream.” Raj said, peering up at the other man. Bowie fell silent, glaring at the ceiling. Raj reached up to pluck the glasses off of Bowie’s face, placing them on the nightstand. Bowie watched him and an idea crossed his mind.
Bowie grinned to himself and he put a hand on Raj’s face. Raj looked at him curiously but didn’t pull away. He let Bowie caress his face. The blonde gave him a warm smile, lifting his other hand to fully hold Raj’s face. “You're beautiful…”
“You can’t even see me.” Raj teased. Bowie chuckled, leaning to kiss Raj. It was slow and tender. He pulled back, giggling to himself.
“Okay, you’re beautiful and blurry.” Bowie laughed. Raj wrapped his arms around Bowie and chuckled too. “You act like I don’t know what you look like…” Bowie muttered before pressing his lips to Raj’s again. Raj laughed against the other man’s lips, a small blush growing on his face. Bowie’s thumbs slowly caressed circles into Raj’s cheeks. Raj hummed softly against his boyfriend’s lips, pulling Bowie a little closer to him.
They parted to breathe, air mingling as they stared at each other. “Hi…” Raj whispered. “You’re gonna get me sick…”
“Hi yourself…” Bowie replied coolly. “I can stop kissing you if you want?” He suggested.
“You better not!” Raj replied immediately, leaning to crash his lips against Bowies again. Bowie smiled into the kiss and moved to tangle a hand in Raj’s hair. Their lips moved together, as Bowie ran the tip of his tongue over Raj’s bottom lip. Raj’s lips parted to give his boyfriend access.
The two made out for a while, holding each other tightly as they kissed. It was then that Bowie finally put his escape plan into action…
Slowly he moved his arms down to wrap around Raj’s torso. Raj went to cup his face, letting out a small gasp as his side was gently squeezed. “Bow…” he murmured. Bowie chuckled and shifted to slowly turn them over. Raj let him, not even processing that he was against the mattress now. Bowie pulled back to smile down at Raj.
“I love you…” He said fondly. Raj grinned up at him.
“I love you too…” Raj said back, going to lean in for another kiss. Bowie met him halfway, reaching a long arm to grab his glasses, then pulled back. He put on the glasses and pecked Raj’s lips a final time before climbing off him and off the bed.
“Sorry…” He said, moving to escape the bedroom. Raj shot up immediately, eyes bugging out.
“That was foul play!” He exclaimed, crawling off the bed. “Get back here and rest right now!” He yelled, scrambling after the taller male. Bowie was already tugging on his coat and grabbing his keys when Raj reached him. “Bowie!” He exclaimed. “You have a fever!”
“I. Am. Fine!” Bowie replied adamantly. The couple stared each other down, Bowie was acutely aware of how awful he felt, but he was too stubborn to just sit around and waste away. He had a test in a few days and this was the last day of new material and Bowie was not about to miss this class. Fever or not. "I have to go in today." He said. "I need these notes. It's an hour long class." He explained, taking a mask from the table by the door. "I'll come back right after and rest okay?"
Raj crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Promise?"
Bowie sighed and nodded. "I promise." He replied. Raj relented, motioning for Bowie to go.
"What time does the class end?"
"12:30. I have twenty-five minutes to get there...it starts at 11:30."
"Okay, then I'll see you back here around one." Raj said simply. Bowie nodded and put the mask on, before leaving the apartment. Raj deflated for a moment, then glanced at the small kitchenette, a smile growing across his face. Maybe he could make Bowie something...
Bowie drove to his class, feeling worse then he had when he left. He rolled his shoulders after parking and tiredly got out of the car. The next hour of his life was pure torture. Sitting in the class, taking notes with a killer headache, a fever, and feeling like he was going to collapse. But he pushed through it. He pulled himself up after class, gathering his stuff. He had no idea if he even got any decent notes...
"Have a good night Bowie!" One of his classmates exclaimed as she passed.
"Um, hey...quick favor..." Bowie said to her. She paused and glanced at him. "I don't think my notes are any good...any chance you can send me yours?"
"Yeah sure!" His classmate replied. "I still owe you one for that assignment earlier this semester. I'll send them when I get back to my apartment."
"Thank you, you're a life saver." Bowie replied gratefully.
As Bowie left the lecture hall , he checked the time and sighed. Maybe he had told Raj a small lie. Well okay, it wasn’t a small lie…it was a major lie…
See, Bowie had said he’d be back at one but that wasn’t the case. Bowie had to go into work. Now, was that the best idea in his state? No. Was he going anyways ? Yes. One of his coworkers asked him to cover and they were already understaffed as is, so off to work he went. Is head was throbbing and his face burned, but he walked into the department store he worked at like it was nothing. He shivered slightly, but brushed it off, checking the schedule, clocking in then heading upstairs.
He passed Priya, who worked with him, folding clothes at a rapid pace.
“Bowie?!” She exclaimed, catching sight of him. Bowie paused and glanced back at her. “Wayne said you were sick…”
“Oh yeah? Im not sick. I’m fine.” Bowie said, feigning confusion. Priya looked unconvinced, but went back to folding.
“If you say so…” She said, looking at the shirt in her hand. The second Bowie was out of ear shot, Priya scanned the area for any sign of life. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she pulled out her cellphone. She pressed Wayne’s contact, then the call button, putting the phone to her ear.
He picked up after two rings. “Sup brah?”
“Hey Wayne, didn’t you say Bowie was sick?” Priya asked, eyeing the direction the taller male went.
“Yeah, why?” Wayne asked. “YOSHI!” He shouted in frustration. Priya blinked a few times in confusion. “Sorry, Rajie and I are playin Mario kart at his place. You cool if I put you on speaker?”
“Yeah, no, that’s fine…but um…if he’s sick, why did he just come in to work?” Priya asked nervously. She faintly heard Raj talking but couldn’t make out what he said at first. “What was that?”
“He asked if you were sure.” Wayne supplied.
“Yes I’m sure. When I asked him about it he said he was fine and went on his way.” Priya explained, moving the phone to her shoulder, resting her head against it as she resumed folding. “I don’t know what department he’s in right now, but I do know he’s here…”
“Any chance he can leave?” Raj asked, sounding closer now.
“Not unless there’s an emergency…our boss is a bit of a pain with that.” Priya sighed.
“An emergency huh?” Raj said thoughtfully. Priya paused her folding.
“What are you planning?” She asked.
“Thanks Priya!” Raj said, before shuffling could be heard in the background.
"Hey Priya, I'll talk to you later eh?" Wayne said.
"Waitwaiwaitwait-" Priya started.
"Love you! Bye!" He said before hanging up. Priya blinked a few times, then lowered the shirt in her hand. What the hell were they planning...?
Bowie was at a register alone. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and grimaced at the heat. He was feeling dizzy but tried to keep his head on straight. He'd checked out one customer since he'd arrived, but the store seemed relatively empty for a Thursday at 3pm, two weeks before the holidays...Bowie didn't mind either way. It made his job easier.
He'd been working for about an hour, having checked out a grand total of seven customers since he'd arrived, when his manager nervously approached him. "Hey, Bowie..." She said. Bowie glanced up at her, and immediately straightened his posture.
"What's up?" He asked.
"I um...I received a very frantic call...you need to get home...your friend Wayne, is dying..." The manager said sadly. Bowie's face fell.
"What...?"
"According to the man who called, he's dying and you need to get home."
"Oh my god..." Bowie muttered nervously, grabbing his bag from under the counter. "Oh my god...thank you for letting me know...I need to tell Priya..."
His manager nodded, letting Bowie rush away. Bowie quickly rushed back to Priya, his hands shaking slightly.
"What's wrong...?" Priya asked him.
"The manager just came up to me and told me I need to go..." Bowie said, his voice wavering. "Wayne's dying." Priya's eyes bugged out and she dropped the shirt in her hand.
"What?!" She yelled.
"We have to go..."
"Oh my god...okay...Cindy I need to go..." Priya said to the older woman at the counter. "My boyfriend is dying." The older woman motioned for her to go and the two rushed towards the stairs, passing the manager as she was closing the register Bowie was at. The two clocked out and rushed out to the parking lot. "I'll meet you there." Priya said. Bowie nodded and they split up, both quickly going to their cars.
The entire drive back, Bowie tried to comprehend how Wayne could have gotten himself into a situation like this. What could he have possibly done to be actually dying right now?! He wasn't the sharpest, but he wasn't outwardly careless. This had Bowie worrying about Raj. Was he okay? Was Raj also dying?! His stomach churned with anxiety and sickness as he sped down the street.
He and Priya arrived a few moments a part. She was getting out of her car while Bowie was parking. She waited for him as he gathered his things and exited his vehicle. They went into the apartment building, impatiently taking the elevator up to the third floor. Upon reaching the third floor, Bowie rubbed at his forehead, feeling faint. He needed more meds. Reaching his apartment, Bowie opened the door and went in quickly, Priya following after him and shutting the door. "Raj? Wayne?" Bowie called. They walked further into the apartment, hearing the sound of Mario Kart, and upon closer inspection, the tv had a game actively going. Bowie and Priya exchanged a confused look and stepped up to the sofa, only to see Wayne lounging on the sofa, perfectly fine. Priya's face flushed red in slight aggravation and Bowie stared in confusion.
Feeling eyes on him, Wayne paused the game to look back and he grinned at the duo behind him. "Oh, hey guys!" He said cheerfully.
"Why are you alive?!" Priya exclaimed. "I was told you were dying!"
"Oh nah, I'm fine! Rajie just needed a way to get Bowie to come home." Wayne explained.
"So, you're first instinct was to scare us?!" Bowie replied.
"It was Raj's idea eh! I just agreed to it!" Wayne countered.
Bowie pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. He felt sick but swallowed it down. He was not about to throw up right now. Priya came around the sofa and took Wayne by the shirt. "Never scare me like that again Wayne Cooper." Priya huffed. Wayne swallowed thickly and nodded. "I'm glad you're okay..." She said, her tone softer now. She pressed her lips to his cheek and hugged him.
"About time you got back...You were supposed to be back, like three hours ago." Raj cut in, leaning against the doorway to his and Bowie's room. "You promised me."
"I know I did, but I needed to cover for someone at work and-"
"Bowie, you are sick. You need to rest. You can't just spread yourself thin...you need a break..." Raj explained.
"So, you said Wayne was dying?!"
"Was the worst thing I could think of..." Raj replied sheepishly. "But you need a break...please...for me?"
Bowie chewed on his bottom lip and looked away. Raj pulling the "for me" card never failed to work on Bowie. He sighed and nodded. "Fine...you win...I'll rest..." Bowie sighed. Raj let out a whoop, pumping his fist, coming over to hug Bowie. This made Bowie's stomach clench again as Raj leaned to kiss him. Bowie stared blankly ahead, and Raj frowned. "I'm gonna throw up." Bowie said duly. Raj immediately let go and Bowie slowly walked towards the bathroom, vacant look in his eyes. Raj followed Bowie into the bathroom as the taller male lifted the lids and knelt down. As he got sick, Raj stood beside him, gently rubbing his back, cringing at the sounds. When he was finished, Raj excused himself to let Bowie clean himself up. The shorter male came out into the main room, staring at Wayne and Priya while the blonde gamed. Raj came over and sat beside Wayne, taking his controller.
"I got next game." He said. Wayne nodded as Priya shifted to curl further into his side. Bowie came out of the bathroom and slunk into the bedroom. He finally put his pjs back on, took some meds and get into bed. It was the most relaxed he'd felt all day. Warm and relaxed as he placed an arm over his eyes. After the round, Raj came in to check on him, smiling at his boyfriend. "I made you soup." Raj said softly. Bowie lifted his head, moving his arm to look at Raj.
"Really?"
"Yeah...you're favorite..." Raj said shyly. "You want some?" Bowie nodded and Raj beamed at him, going to grab a bowl and bringing it back for Bowie. Raj sat down on the edge of the bed and Bowie sat up a little more, letting Raj slowly bring the spoon to his mouth and feed the soup to him.
Bowie hummed gratefully, his eyes fluttering closed. "Incredible..." He muttered. Raj's heart fluttered and he scooped another spoonful. This continued until the bowl was empty. Raj took it out to the kitchen before returning and he moved to actually lay down this time. Bowie eyed him curiously, but opened his arms to let Raj cuddle up to him. "I'm gonna get you sick..."
"I don't care, I want cuddles." Raj replied, lifting his head to kiss the bottom of Bowie's jaw. Bowie chuckled and pulled Raj closer.
"Okay...but when you do get sick-"
"I know, you'll say you told me so." Raj replied, his eyes closed. Bowie laughed again and kissed Raj's forehead. "Now rest. You deserve it...and you better take the day off tomorrow." Raj said, lifting his head to glare at Bowie good naturedly.
"Okay okay...I will..." Bowie muttered, closing his eyes. Raj lowered his head back to Bowie's chest. "Thank you for worrying about me...I love you so much..."
"I love you too, Bo..." Raj replied, kissing Bowie's lower jaw again. Bowie ran a hand over Raj's back as they cuddled and sighed contently. This was worth the day spent rushing around. Getting to relax with his darling boyfriend...Maybe he shouldn't have been so stubborn...he could have gotten to enjoy this all day...Maybe they could stay like this all day tomorrow. Because being held by Raj was enough to make Bowie feel better than any other type of medicine...