Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

IV woke with a start, jumping slightly as his eyes shot open. It took a moment for his thoughts to catch up with him as he slowly realised where he was. He was laying in bed, a cold feeling clinging to his skin and a persistent throb behind his eyes. He supposed the cold could be explained by the blankets that he had tossed to the end of his mattress, but he couldn’t think of any good reason for his sudden headache. He let out a small sigh and rubbed his eyes groggily. IV knew the only way he was going to kick his headache was by venturing down to the kitchen to take something, but the thought of going all the way downstairs in his current state was far from appealing. After a moment of laying in despair, he summoned the energy to haul himself out of bed and stand up. He swayed sleepily in the darkness, a mild dizziness creeping into his vision before quickly vanishing. Great. Another symptom he hoped would be dulled by some paracetamol.

As he wandered downstairs, trying his best to keep quiet, IV tried to ignore the dizziness that caused him to reach a steadying hand out to the wall beside him every so often. It was a strange feeling that seemed to come and go every few minutes. It came on just long enough for him to feel unsteady but seemed to fade away just before it got too severe. After slow journey from his room, IV managed to half stumble into the kitchen and begin his hunt for their medicine basket. He knew that Vessel and II had spent a rainy weekend reorganising it not long ago, but he couldn’t quite remember where it had ended up. He began opening cabinets in no particular order or pattern in the hopes of simply stumbling across it, but after a few minutes it seemed that plan was failing miserably. Frustrated, IV paused and took a deep breath, desperately trying to remember where the other could have hidden it. A vague but sudden memory of the basket being in the cupboard beside the pantry had him shuffling over to the other side of the island bench. He pulled the door open and was blessed with the sight of a blue plastic basket that was stacked neatly with every sort of pill and bottle of medicine that they owned. He pulled it down off the shelf and quickly brought it back over to where he had been standing a few moments earlier. As he began frantically digging through the box attempting to read various different labels in the dark he felt his eyes start to blur. The sudden movement was catching up to him faster than he realised. He blinked a few times, trying to make out the words on the bottle of pills he was holding when another wave of dizziness came crashing over him. It was different than before. It was worse. IV felt himself start to sway on his feet and knew it was only a matter of time before he would be forced to the floor. Slowly, he used the counter to lower himself to the cold wooden floor and leaned back against the cabinets. The room spun in a million different directions and even when he closed his eyes, IV couldn’t shake the unpleasant feeling of constant motion. He kept his eyes firmly shut, as this made it ever so slightly more bearable and let his head fall back with a dull thud. Maybe if he just stayed like this for a few minutes and waited for the dizziness to fade again he could—
“IV?” A voice called out quietly, bringing IV’s thoughts to an immediate halt. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see II standing at the other end of the kitchen. He quickly walked over and kneeled down to join IV on the floor.
“It’s the middle of the night, why are you up?” he asked, concern evident in his tone. IV took a moment to try and gather his thoughts to explain.
“I uh…I woke up with a headache so I came to get some painkillers but then I started to get a little dizzy…and then I kinda just…” he trailed off, gesturing to the floor. II gave him an empathetic look and brought a hand to rest on his knee.
“Oh darling, you should have woken one of us.”
“I didn’t want to bother anyone though,” he pointed out, staring down at his hands.
“You’re never a bother to us Ivy, especially when you’re not well. You know that,” he reassured him, giving his leg a gentle squeeze. He stood up suddenly and picked up the bottle that IV had abandoned. “Were you looking for paracetamol?” IV nodded from the floor. II opened the bottle and shook two tablets out before leaving them on the counter to go fill a glass with water. He came back from the sink and handed both to his partner, who swallowed the pills quickly, “Drink the rest of that water and then I’ll help you back upstairs. Are you up to walking?” he queried. IV nodded as he downed the last of the water and handed the glass back to II. The smaller man left the now empty glass at the edge of the sink and hurriedly put the basket back in it’s place before returning to IV. He held his hands out and let IV take them cautiously. He pulled him up to his feet slowly and but was quick to bring a steadying arm around his waist and hold IV’s arm over his own shoulders in case the dizziness returned. “You sure you're okay to walk?” he checked quickly.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” he answered softy, already leaning into II’s body a little. They both made their way upstairs and back into the hallway without too much dizziness, II guiding the way and IV at his side. When they got to IV’s door, he was expecting II to lead him inside but instead, they continued walking a little further and IV was ushered into II's bedroom. IV was secretly glad, though he'd never admit it in fear of seeming clingy. He always preferred company.

II busied himself with getting IV comfortable, tucking blankets around him, asking a million "do you need anything's" and finally settling into bed beside him. He brought a hand to his forehead and IV watched his brow furrow as he did.
"You have a bit of a fever. I thought you felt kind of warm before. Are you hot? Cold? Do you need more blankets?" He asked persistently. IV almost managed a small laugh.
"I promise I'm okay II," he said with a small smile. "Thank you for taking care of me...really. I appreciate it."
"Always. Now get some rest and hopefully you can sleep off whatever's causing all this," he instructed gently, pulling the sheets over himself.
"I will. Love you," he whispered.
"Love you too." II's response was the last thing IV heard before the light was flicked off and the room settled into silence. He felt a gentle hand come to rest across his torso, and another just above his head, occasionally running a few fingers through his hair. It was so soothing that IV suddenly found it much easier to ignore the persistent pain behind his eyes. It wasn't long before he had slipped into the hands of sleep, peaceful and safe.

Chapter Text

The sound of thousands of people screaming and singing along to Infinite Baths rang out through the arena. III did his best to keep his focus despite the fact it was diminishing quickly and looked around the stage. IV was still dancing around beside Vessel as he played. III wished he had even a fraction of the guitarists energy in that moment. He knew that people would catch on and assume something was wrong. He hadn’t been his usual self at all, but he didn’t have enough energy to care. He had woken up unwell, but spent the entire day promising the others that he would fine to perform. They had tried their best to convince him otherwise, and he was starting to understand why. He really did feel like he could sleep through a landslide. As the song finally came to a close after what felt like hours, III was desperate to get off stage. He threw his pick out into the crowd with as much flair as he could and turned to hurry himself off stage and into the wings. He removed his bass from around his shoulders as he walked and handed it to one of the tech crew who took it from him carefully. III watched her carry it over to an instrument store area and start packing it away securely as he continued walking to the back exit.

When he made it outside into the cool night air, he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. His heart was still racing and it felt as if his entire body was on fire. It was a huge relief to be free from the hot stage lights and constant noise. He continued along a narrow path that led to their waiting bus and was pleasantly surprised to find the AC already on when he stepped inside. He felt hot and sticky, probably a result of the mild fever he’d been running since that morning. He decided to shower straight away, peeling his costume off and leaving it for their wardrobe tech to collect before they started travelling again. After a good 10 minutes of scrubbing his body paint away and washing the sweat from his hair, III dried off and put on some sweatpants and an old t-shirt. When he wandered out to the lounge area of the bus, he found his bandmates scattered across the lounges still with half of their costumes on. Vessel was sitting at a table with II, and IV was lounging across a sofa on his phone. Vessel was the first to notice him.
“Hello my love,” he greeted softly. “How are you holding up?”
“Could be worse. Sorry I ran off,” he apologised, sliding in beside Vessel and resting his head onto his shoulder. Vessel brought an arm around him. “I see why you were trying to talk me out of performing,” he admitted with a sigh. IV got up and walked across to take one of his hands.
“Lesson learned?” II suggested with a sympathetic look.
“Yeah, I think so,” he agreed with a tired nod.
“How about I go and shower, then we can go to bed, yeah?” IV suggested.
“Sounds good,” III mumbled, looking up at him and letting his hand slip away as IV went to the bathroom.

The remaining three sat quietly for a while, Vessel eventually glancing down at III’s pale face.
“How are you feeling?” III blinked slowly and lifted his head from Vessel’s shoulder to answer the slightly shorter man.
“Exhausted, really hot and everything aches,” he listed.
“I’m sorry you’re not feeling well darling,” Vessel said, pausing for a moment before continuing, “But just promise me you’ll take a day off the next time you’re sick.”
“I will…I just didn’t want to disappoint people tonight,” he defended, leaning his head back against the wall.
“You can’t think like that love. Taking care of yourself is far more important than any show we could ever play,” II tried to remind him. III nodded again solemnly and let his eyes close for a moment.

A hand on his shoulder caused III to open his eyes again and he looked up to see IV standing beside him. He wasn’t sure if he’d fallen asleep or how much time had passed but he knew that he wanted to sleep.
“Ready to go to bed?”
“Yeah,” he murmured, taking the hand that IV had reached out and getting to his feet.
“Sleep well my love,” Vessel said softly.
“Yes get some rest,” II added quickly, kindness and love radiating from his bright blue eyes. III gave them a tired “thank you” smile before letting IV pull him towards the back of the bus. He had folded the couch out so they could sleep comfortably together and pulled the blankets and pillows out from their bunks.

III practically collapsed into bed and gladly let IV turn the lights out before pulling the blankets over him and shuffling in beside him. He buried his face into the crook of IV’s neck and took in the familiar scent of his bodywash.
“I should have listened to you,” he whispered.
“Well yes probably, but there’s not a whole lot we can do about that now is there?” he laughed softly. III shook his head slightly. “That’s okay sweetheart, just rest and hopefully you’ll feel a little better tomorrow.” III felt soft lips brush across his warm forehead and a hand snake over his waist. He had definitely learned his lesson, and would not be making the same mistake twice. At least he had the three best people he could think of to take care of him.

Chapter Text

It had been a typical morning in the manor. The boys had all woken a little later than usual and were finishing breakfast, discussing plans for the day.
“I still really need to plant some of those new flowers in the garden,” III thought aloud, shovelling more toast into his mouth.
“Oooh yes! I can come help you,” II agreed eagerly, resting his knife and fork on his plate as he finished his food. He noticed Vessel still hadn’t eaten much of his own meal and was pushing his food around his plate. He had been quiet for the most of the morning but II had simply put it down to him still being half asleep.
“Yes, I think they’ll go nicely out the back with the daisy bush,” III hummed in agreement. “What about you IV? Any plans?”
“Mm not really. I was gonna practice the new setlist for a bit but not much after that. Maybe play breath of the wild?” The others all nodded as II began collecting their plates. He left Vessel’s in the hopes that he would eat a little more.
“If you’re playing games I’ll join,” Vessel said quietly. IV’s face lit up and he stood from the table.
“Even better,” he smiled, “I’ll come find you when I’m done practicing.” They all began getting up from the table and going about their mornings. III headed outside and IV to the basement studio. II continued taking dishes from the table and watched Vessel intently. He still hadn’t moved and didn’t seem particularly interested in eating much more. That was strange. II moved behind him and ran his hand along Vessel’s shoulders gently. He was surprised to feel that the back of his neck was damp with sweat.
“Why are you so sweaty?” he asked curiously.
“Probably just a bit warm,” Vessel guessed. II wasn’t convinced but took his plate anyway, albeit reluctantly. Now that he really paid attention, he could see a thin sheen of sweat on Vessel’s forehead as well. II scraped the leftovers from the plate into their scrap bin and deposited the now empty plate into the sink with the others before rounding the bench, returning to his partner. He leaned back against the table and looked down at Vessel who was staring at his hands.
“Are you okay my love?” His voice was noticeably quieter as he posed the question.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he insisted.
“You sure? You haven’t been yourself this morning.” Vessel paused, thinking for a moment.
”I’m just feeling a bit off.”
“In what way?” II asked. Vessel just shrugged, still not wanting to meet his eyes. II took his right hand and placed it on his sweaty forehead. Vessel went to pull away instinctively but stopped himself, letting II’s cool hand press into him for a few moments before it slipped away. It was nice.
“Vess honey you feel like you have a fever. You’re not well,” II said softly. “Is that why you didn’t eat much breakfast?” Vessel nodded sheepishly. II sighed and leaned over to take one of Vessel’s hands in his own. “Were you gonna tell us? Or were you just going to try and ignore it?” he asked.
“I was going to tell you guys, I swear. I just didn’t know how to bring it up.” II could tell from the way his voice had shifted that he was starting to get upset. He stood up properly and gave Vessel’s hand a squeeze to prompt him to do the same. When he obliged, II led him into the living room and pulled him down to sit down on the couch. Now that they were at a similar eye-level, II could see that Vessel’s eyes were shining.
“Vessel darling, I know you’re not used to relying on other people, but you know that we’re here for you.” Vessel nodded as he spoke. “You’re allowed to ask for help or comfort whenever you like. You don’t have to try and wait for the right time, just ask us.” He stopped for a moment and cupped the side of Vessel’s face with one of his hands. “How about this,” he started, “Next time you start feeling unwell, you come and find one of us straight away, doesn’t matter when or where, and you just say ‘hey I don’t feel well’ or something like that.” Vessel nodded again, seeming to understand. “Doesn't matter if it's the middle of the night or during something important, you can just tell us. That's all you have to do,” he reassured him with a soft smile.
“Okay, I will next time. Promise,” he agreed, voice barely above a whisper.
“Good,” II decided. “Now, go upstairs and put on a clean t-shirt so you don't feel all gross, and get a blanket off your bed to bring down here. I'll make you some tea and then we can watch something together,” he instructed, letting his hand fall from Vessel's face. The taller man did as he was told and disappeared upstairs. II went back to the kitchen and began brewing some ginger tea.

When Vessel returned to the living room and settled himself on the sofa, II was quick to bring his tea over and leave it on the coffee table to cool.
“It's ginger,” he said, sitting down with Vessel. “Should help settle your stomach. It's also just a nice flavour.”
“Thank you love. I appreciate you looking after me, especially because you wanted to be out in the garden with III,” Vessel pointed out.
“Don't worry about that darling. There'll be plenty of other opportunities for me to get outside. And besides, IV can always give him a hand if he needs it. I'll go and let them know you're not well in a minute.”
“That's true I suppose. Thanks.”
“No problem. Now let's focus on getting you feeling better,” he suggested, handing him the remote. “Your pick Vess.” He smiled properly for the first time that morning and took the remote from II. At least he'd always have good company when he got sick.

Chapter Text

Vessel desperately wanted to be back in bed. It was just after 4 in the morning and he was slowly making his way back up to his room. He had just finished putting a load of sweat soaked sheets into the wash to be done in the morning. III had been sick for days, coughing and sniffling constantly. They had all assumed that the worst of it was behind them when he had woken that morning feeling marginally better than the days previous. Unfortunately, they had spoken too soon. His fever had spiked again just after dinner, forcing him into bed almost immediately. Vessel had quickly agreed to take over and keep an eye on him, leaving II and IV to have some time to themselves after days of fretting over him.

As he crossed the hallway and got to his bedroom door, Vessel peered inside to see III curled up with his eyes closed, a faint look of distress painting his face. He walked in and closed the door as silently as possible, wanting to keep the room quiet in the morning when the others woke. When he reached the bed, Vessel sat down carefully next to III’s legs. He ran a hand through his dark hair and watched his face soften at the touch. The ends of his hair were still slightly damp, though thankfully no longer with sweat. Vessel had woken almost half an hour ago to the sounds of III’s whimpers and whines. His fever-addled dreams had left him shaken, afraid and drenched in sweat. After some convincing, he had reluctantly agreed to let Vessel help him shower and get into some clean clothes. He had also changed the sheets and taken them to the laundry to be washed, hence the trip downstairs.

The room was quiet except for the occasional sigh from III as Vessel sat at his side. The shorter of the two eventually decided that he should probably go back to sleep. He climbed over III’s long legs (not particularly gracefully) and slipped under the fresh blankets. III seemed to stir at the movement and let out a soft groan, reaching out for Vessel in the wrong direction.
“It’s alright my love, I’m over here,” Vessel whispered, placing a guiding hand on III’s shoulder. He quickly turned and rolled over, settling on his stomach with his head turned to face Vessel, eyes barely open. “Go back to sleep dear, you need the rest,” he continued, watching III’s eyes fall closed again. He had pushed the sheets down to his waist while Vessel was gone most likely to try and balance his wildly fluctuating temperature. Luckily this left Vessel with the perfect place to lay a soothing hand, his back exposed as he lay on his stomach. Vessel dragged his hand back and forth slowly across the soft fabric of III’s t-shirt. The taller man let out a contented hum, prompting the other to press into his back more firmly as his hand travelled. Vessel was relieved to see that it seemed to be calming III down a little, as he was still jumpy after waking from his nightmare. After a few minutes, he pulled away and switched to something else, now letting his fingers trace patterns along III’s spine lightly. When he got to the small of his back, Vessel slid his hand back up and began rubbing gentle circles into him repetitively.

After a short while, he felt III’s breath begin to even out and could tell he had fallen into the hands of sleep again. He hoped she would be a little kinder to her third this time around. He slowed his movements and let his hand come to rest across III’s lower back, hoping that keeping such close contact would allow him to sense when his partner became restless again. Vessel let the steadiness of III’s breath lull him into a sleep of his own and felt himself slip from reality all too easily.

Chapter Text

The house was quiet. It was far too early for anyone to be up and the sun had barely risen enough to give off any light. But there Vessel was…lying awake in bed. He blinked blearily trying to focus his eyes, but felt them sting and tear up in a tell-tale way. There was a stuffy feeling in his nose and what felt like the beginning of a headache at his temples. As he went to roll over he hesitated, feeling the heavy, burning, ache that enveloped his body. He let out an exasperated sigh. What terrible timing.

It was the first day in weeks that the boys didn’t have a million things to do. They had all made excited plans at the beginning of the week to go out to breakfast and finally spend some stress-free time together. As much as he had been looking forward to it, Vessel couldn’t currently bear the thought of getting out of bed. Even if he could force himself to get up and try to function, he didn’t feel like he would make very good company. Why did he have to get sick today of all days? He just had to go and mess everything up. Frustrated, he rolled over and reached for his phone on his bedside table, quickly opening the group-chat he shared with the others. He sent an apologetic text (that had more than a few spelling errors) and explained that he wasn’t well, but that they should still go and enjoy the morning without him. As much as it pained him, the last thing he wanted to do was get them sick as well.

With another frustrated sigh, he tossed his phone back onto the bedside table and flopped onto his stomach. Pressing the side of his face into the pillow, Vessel let a few tears fall from his already glassy eyes. He felt like he deserved at least a few minutes to feel sorry for himself. After a short while of quietly sniffling and wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Vessel could feel himself becoming tired again. He pulled his blankets up as much as he could, but they were messy and disordered from his tossing and turning during the night. He was too tired to get up and fix them so he settled for what he could reach. As his eyes fell closed, Vessel felt sleep pull him into her realm almost immediately. He hoped desperately that she could dull his pain, though that was notoriously a bit of a gamble.

***

When Vessel woke again, he was warmer than before. At first, he assumed that he had somehow managed to yank more blankets over himself in his sleep, but as he slowly became more aware, he realised that his sheets were now sitting neatly around his shoulders. Not only that, but there was something heavy over his waist…and his back was pressed into something warm and comfortable. He slowly realised that there was someone wrapped around him, bodies pressed together and arms holding him close. Before he could figure out much more, a voice spoke softly to him from behind.
“Oh, you’re awake. How are you feeling dear?” Vessel smiled fondly. It was II.
“Not great, but better now that you’re here,” he said softly, voice low and a little hoarse. II laughed softly. “Wait…” he started, realisation washing over him. “Did you guys stay home because I got sick? You shouldn’t have cancelled just because I’m—”
“Vess honey,” II said gently, cutting him off. “It’s okay. I stayed because I didn’t want you to be by yourself, III and IV went out by themselves. Took some convincing though, they felt a bit bad leaving you,” he recounted. Vessel felt an all too familiar warmth spread across his chest. The three people he held dearest never hesitated to take care of him, even if it was at the worst times. “I saw your text and came to check on you, but as soon as I saw you I couldn’t bear to leave you alone.”
“Well thank you for staying.”
“Of course love.” There was a comfortable silence between them for a moment, Vessel savouring the feeling of II wrapped around him. “Do you want to do anything?” II asked him eventually. “Food? Go back to sleep? Get up?” Vessel thought for a moment.
“Mmmm, I kind of want to just lay here and watch TV, but I feel like I should go downstairs and take some medication first,” he reasoned. II shifted behind him and reluctantly let Vessel go, reaching for something beside the bed.
“I brought you the box so you can pick what fits your symptoms best,” he informed him, pulling their medication box up onto the bed. Vessel pushed himself up to sit against the headboard and looked across at II in adoration.
“You’re too good to me…always knowing what I need,” he whispered. II leaned over and pressed a kiss into his slightly warm forehead, cupping one side of his face as he did.
“You do the same for us when we’re unwell, only fair we try our best to take care of you too,” he reasoned, slowly pulling away. Vessel smiled and began rifling through the various boxes in the container.

After he had found the right combination of cold and flu tablets, painkillers and antihistamines, he downed the handful of pills with some water (which II had also brought up to him) and let II put the box back on the floor. A few minutes of shuffling around later, II settled, leaning back against the headboard with Vessel laying on him. He sat comfortably in II’s arms, slotting in perfectly between his legs and started scrolling through channels on the TV. Eventually he decided on a documentary about a zoo and let himself relax into II. The shorter man pressed a few kisses into his hair and wrapped his arms around Vessel protectively. It might not have been the morning they were planning on having, but just having each others company was all they really needed.

Chapter Text

“I hate to say it darling, but I told you this was going to happen,” Vessel sighed, turning to face the man beside him. II gave him a tired look but leaned into him a little more. They had been sitting on the sofa for the last half hour, II feeling miserable and Vessel feeling more than a little guilty. Just two days after Vessel had come down with a flu of some sort, II had managed to pick it up as well. This hardly came as a surprise to anyone as he had continuously ignored the warnings of his partners and stayed in very close proximity to Vessel while he was contagious.

“I don’t regret it,” II said suddenly.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he smiled. “I’m just glad you’re not sick anymore.”
“Well while I have to agree, I can’t say I don’t feel guilty about getting you sick my love.”
“It’s not your fault Vess…not really anyway. I knew it was probably going to happen at some point,” he admitted, coughing a few times as he finished speaking. Vessel smoothed down a stray piece of II’s long dark hair that was sticking out behind his ear. The smaller man nestled his head into Vessel’s shoulder and closed his eyes, already exhausted despite only being up for an hour or so. The pair sat like that for a while, quiet until they heard familiar footsteps coming down the hall. Vessel turned to see III wandering into the living room.
“Good morning my love,” Vessel greeted.
“Morning,” III responded cheerfully. “How are you two going?”
“I’m good, II’s sick,” Vessel said bluntly.
“Why am I not surprised? We did warn you love,” he pointed out, rounding the sofa and sitting down at it’s edge.
“Mmmph,” II grumbled against Vessel’s neck, opening his eyes slightly so he could see III properly. “Be nice…I’m sick.” He coughed again slightly, almost as if to prove his point.
“I know, I’m sorry,” he apologised, holding a hand out and inviting II into his arms. II reluctantly sat up and shuffled over to where III was sitting. He pulled II close and wrapped his arms around him gently, resting his head on tops of II’s. Vessel couldn’t wipe the look of adoration from his face as he watched them.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, pulling away from II so he could see his face better. He nodded.
“I’m just really achey and tired,” he confessed.
“Would you like me to run you a bath? It might help a little.” II seemed to like this suggestion and even looked mildly enthusiastic.
“That sounds like a great idea,” Vessel chimed in. “Go and relax in some nice warm water for a little and when you come back downstairs I’ll make you something to eat.”
“See, doesn’t that sound nice? Hot bath, then breakfast.” II nodded again. “Alright then, let’s go upstairs,” III prompted, pulling II up from the couch as he stood. He gave Vessel a smile and mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ before leading II up to the bathroom.

As III began drawing the bath, adding all sorts of nice soaps and bubbles as he went, II was quick to start undressing. He had to admit that in his current state it felt like a bit of a workout. Raising his arms above his head felt like his muscles were tearing in half. It hardly took long for the tub to fill though and before he knew it, II was being helped into the steaming water by III. The water was blissfully warm as he slid into it and smelled divine. Instantly, he could feel some of the pain in his muscles fading.
“What soap did you use?” II asked as he found a comfortable position and leaned back against the edge of the bath.
“The coconut and vanilla one.”
“It smells so good,” he hummed, obviously content. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Anything to get you feeling a little better…even if it was your own doing,” III said with a slight chuckle, sitting down on the floor beside the bath tub. II shot him a dirty look and rolled his eyes but found himself laughing as well. “I’m kidding. At least you did it for a noble cause.”
“Noble cause?” he posed.
“You did it for love,” III said with a sweet smile, head propped up on the arm he had resting on the bathtub’s edge. His sparkling grey eyes gazed down fondly at II.
“Don’t we all?” II sighed.
“Sure do,” III agreed, taking a hand and running it through II’s hair as he laid back. “The four of us in this little house, always full of love. I hope it never changes.” II smiled.
“Me too my love, me too.”

Chapter Text

Vessel stretched his arms above his head and rolled his shoulders back as he sat up from the couch. He had spent the better part of the morning lounging around and reading in the living room. III had joined him for a while before heading downstairs into the studio to practice with II, which came as no surprise to Vessel. They often liked to practice together especially on days when the weather wasn’t great. Just like it had been all morning. The air was cold and a brisk wind whipped it’s way through the trees outside. Vessel was fairly sure it would end up raining as well so he didn’t see much harm in having a lazy indoor day. As he sat on the couch he wondered if IV had any plans on getting out of bed. It certainly wasn’t uncommon for him to be the last one out of bed in the morning, but today seemed a little excessive. It was almost midday and Vessel couldn’t shake a slight feeling of worry that had settled at the bottom of his stomach. He thought for a moment, biting at his lip as he did. It couldn’t hurt to check on IV, he was probably fine anyway. It was just to be sure.

As he walked upstairs and down the hall to IV’s room, Vessel’s feet thudded quietly against the floor. When he reached his door, Vessel noticed that it was almost completely shut with just a small sliver left open. That was strange. The only reason any of them ever closed their doors is if they wanted some privacy or didn’t want to disturb anyone with something noisy. Vessel put a hand against the smooth wood and gently pushed against it, opening the door slowly. As he stepped inside, his heart dropped. Something was wrong. IV was curled up tightly on his side, arms covering his face and had tossed all of his blankets off despite the cool temperature. Vessel was rushing to the far side of the bed in an instant and went to crouch down beside IV.
“IV?” he started tentatively. “Are you okay honey?” He whined quietly and pulled his arms away from his face a little to look up at Vessel.
“I don't feel good,” he murmured, eyes shining and brimming with tears. Vessel immediately brought a hand up to stroke the side of his face. Despite feeling his own anxiety rise, he knew he had to be calm.
“I'm so sorry my love, what's wrong?”
“Head hurts,” he started shakily, “And my stomach too…feel like I'm gonna throw up.” As he spoke, Vessel watched the tears he had been trying to contain spill over and did his best to catch each one. He brushed them away with his thumb and got up to lie down beside IV. As he brought his arms around the smaller man and pulled him close, he could feel how hot he was. IV shifted a little and laid his head on Vessel’s shoulder, still sniffling softly.
“Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” Vessel asked, desperate to calm him down even a little. IV looked over at something across the room.
“I want my bunny,” he sniffed against vessel's chest. He thought for a moment before realising what IV meant and shifted him onto his own pillow before quickly getting up and retrieving a dark grey plush rabbit from atop his drawers. Vessel laid back down and passed it to IV who hugged it close, immediately looking relieved. He brought himself closer to Vessel and rested his forehead against his arm, holding the stuffed animal tightly. III had given it to him a few Christmas’s ago and it was now one of IV’s most treasured items. He took it everywhere. Travelling, on tour, holidays, or any other time he was away from home. Vessel was just glad it seemed to bring him some extra comfort and helped him calm down.

Vessel rolled onto his side and rested an arm on IV’s side, watching him carefully.
“Thanks,” he murmured.
“That’s alright my love. Do you need anything else? Like some medicine or water?”
“That’d probably be good but I don’t know if I can get downstairs, my head hurts so much,” IV admitted, avoiding Vessel’s gaze for a moment.
“That’s okay baby, I’ll text III and ask him to bring some things upstairs. We can just lay here, you don’t need to move.” IV nodded slowly, seeming to have forgotten that there were other people in the house to help him.
“Oh yeah…thanks Vess,” he said softly, shivering as he did. Vessel noticed and started pulling the blankets IV had thrown off back up to cover them both. He tucked them over IV’s back and shuffled closer.
“Is that a little better?” he asked.
“Yeah…sorry I don’t know what’s wrong with me I just feel so terrible, and now I’ve cried all over you and got snot on your shirt and—” Vessel cut him off with a shush and pushed a hand through IV’s sweaty hair.
“None of that. It’s all okay and there’s no reason for you to apologise. Why don’t you just close your eyes and try to relax until III gets here,” he suggested gently. IV nodded and let out a slightly shaky breath. Vessel didn’t have the heart to start the ‘why didn’t you ask for help sooner’ conversation so he pushed it to the back of his mind to deal with when he wasn’t so sick.
“We’ll get you feeling better soon my love, promise.”

Chapter Text

II walked into the house exhausted. He had managed to bring in all of his shopping bags from the car, but was very eager to put them down somewhere before he dropped them everywhere. Both of his shoulders were aching and felt like they were on fire, so he was glad to finally be home. He walked through the hallway and into kitchen and was met with III’s smiling face.
“Hi handsome,” he smiled, “How was shopping?”
“Tiring but good. Got a bunch of errands done,” he stated as he began putting the various grocery bags down on the counter.
“Hey II,” IV called out from the couch, turning around to greet him.
“Hey honey,” he replied cheerfully. “I thought we could have pizza for dinner tonight, does that sound good?”
“Oh my god yes,” IV nodded enthusiastically.
“That sounds great my love,” III agreed. He watched II stretch his arms and roll his shoulders back with a grimace. “Are you okay? That looks like it hurt.”
“Yeah," he started, pausing quickly before continuing, "When I was at the pharmacy this morning I decided to get my flu shot because after the last time I got sick you guys said it was probably a good idea. So I did and it was totally fine, but I think I must just be having a bit of a reaction to it because I’m really achy.”
“Oh, that’s no good,” III said, bringing him into a light hug. “I am glad that you got it though, hopefully you won’t catch any more virus’s now.” II nodded and stepped away back to the bench.
“Yeah it’s a bit annoying but I’d rather have the side effects than the flu,” he agreed. “I might go and rest after I put the groceries away.”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll put them away,” III decided.
“Oh you don’t have to do that, I’ll be fine,” II tried to convince him.
“It’s no problem, you should go and rest if you’re a little under the weather. I’ll get the heat pack too, it always helps when I’m sore.” III immediately went to one of their cupboards and pulled a heat pack that looked like a cat down from one of the shelves.
“Thanks love. You really don’t have to do that…but…thank you,” II said quietly. III put the plush cat into the microwave and set it to run for a minute or two before walking back over to II.
“It’s all good, sounds like you’ve had a busy day,” he added. II nodded with a tired expression he knew he couldn't hide. III leaned down to kiss him, quickly brushing a thumb over his cheek before going back over to the microwave as it began beeping. He took the heat pack out and handed it to a very grateful II.
“Thank you my love,” II said, blushing slightly from the kiss just a moment ago.
“You’re very welcome. Now go and relax, I’ll handle this,” III assured him, gesturing to the shopping.
“Come sit down with me,” IV piped up sweetly. II obliged and moved over to the couch, heat pack in hand. He lowered himself down and laid back to rest his head in IV’s lap, placing the heat pack behind his shoulders so he could lay on it properly. He let out a breath and smiled as IV began twirling his fingers through the ends of his hair. IV passed II the remote and he was quick to flick on the TV and find something for them to watch. After a busy day, II thought it was a pretty perfect way to unwind.

Chapter Text

It had been a few hours since Vessel had found IV curled up in his room, sick and upset. After an hour or so of calming him down and getting him to take some medicine with III’s help, Vessel had gotten IV back to sleep. He was now in the kitchen refilling IV’s water bottle with some cold water and putting some flavoured electrolytes in it to help keep him hydrated. He hated seeing IV so sick, especially knowing he had been alone for the better part of the morning.

When he made it back upstairs to IV’s room, Vessel stopped at the door and poked his head around the corner. III was sitting at the end of the bed, watching his sick partner sleep, too scared to look away, but too anxious to keep his eyes on him for more than a minute or so. Vessel entered the room as quietly as he could and went up to III, placing a hand on his shoulder. The taller man looked up at Vessel sweetly.
“Back already?” he questioned.
“Yeah, just refilled his water bottle, put some of those electrolytes in too.”
“Oh that's a good idea, especially if he hasn't got much appetite,” III reasoned. As if hearing mention of himself, IV stirred suddenly. He let out a soft whine and wriggled under the covers. Vessel moved up to where his head was and spoke to him softly.
“Are you okay baby?” IV slowly opened his eyes and did his best to nod, the rabbit stuffed animal still held close from earlier.
“Yeah I'm a little better now,” he said quietly, pausing for a second before continuing, “Will you guys come lay down with me? I don't want to be by myself.” III gave him a patient smile from where he was sitting.
“Honey I don't think the three of us will fit,” he pointed out kindly, brushing a hand over his leg. He had a fair point. IV’s bed was fairly small in comparison to his partners. Vessel thought to himself quickly.
“Why don't you come and rest in my room, that way we'll have a bit more space,” he offered.
“That’d be nice,” he mumbled, still half asleep but clearly wanting the affection.
“Okay then, do you want III to carry you?” IV nodded more adamantly this time around.
“Do you want to take anything with you my love?” IV gestured to a blanket he had been using earlier, “Maybe just this?” Vessel was quick to move and gathered it into his arms without a second thought. III got up and began slowly wrapping his arms around IV’s legs and torso before picking him up gracefully. IV let his head fall against III’s chest as he carried him and closed his eyes, still hugging his plush rabbit tightly.

Vessel followed them up the hallway into his own room, quickly going to pull the blankets in his bed out of the way so III could put IV down. Once he was settled, III decided to go and find II to see if he wanted to nap as well. This left Vessel alone to fret over IV and make sure he was comfortable for the millionth time.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked, pulling the extra blanket IV had chosen over his body.
“I'm all good, thanks angel,” he assured him. This seemed to be enough to convince Vessel that he could finally lay down with IV and stop fussing. He climbed over him and settled on his side, one hand on IV’s chest.
“You sure there’s nothing else you want?” he asked again, gazing across at his partner with a slight sparkle in his eyes, curious and always kind.
“Would you…” IV murmured, pausing for a moment, “…sing for me?” Vessel smiled, pleasantly surprised at the request.
“Of course honey, always,” he agreed. IV shimmied himself a little closer to Vessel and tilted his head to rest at his neck. Vessel ran a hand through his floppy bangs and began to sing softly. “You guide me in, to safety and silence.” As he began singing, Vessel traced small patterns into IV's chest with his free hand and watched him carefully. “As you breath me out, I drink you in.” He continued through the verses and became too caught up in the song to notice II and III eventually return. They stood by the door, listening intently. After a while, IV seemed to be asleep again, breathing a little deeper and his expression a little softer. “And I know as you collapse into me, this is the start of something.” II went to whisper something to III and immediately revealed that they had been standing there for a few minutes at least. Vessel turned and smiled.
“Care to join us? Or would you like to just keep standing there?” he teased quietly. II rolled his eyes but made his way over to join them, III in tow. He settled on the other side of IV and managed to weasel his way under the blankets without disturbing the sleeping man. III however, wandered around to the other side of the bed and propped himself up against the headboard beside Vessel. He had never been one to sleep much during the day, but he would also never say no to a cuddle pile. He opted to sit and read instead, allowing Vessel to lean against his outstretched legs while he glanced out of the window every now and then into the misty afternoon. II seemed enticed by the idea of sleeping for a little while and quickly settled himself. Vessel was happy to just watch. The others all seemed content for the time being, and that meant he was too.

Chapter Text

Vessel shrugged a hoodie on over his head as he wandered out of his bedroom. It hadn’t been quite as cold when he had gone to bed but that had been a few hours ago. It was just after 1 in the morning and he had decided to venture downstairs to retrieve his water bottle that had been forgotten on the kitchen counter. He dragged himself through the house, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he moved slowly. The house was dark and quiet, a lifeless opposite to what it usually was during the day. Shuffling into the kitchen, Vessel immediately laid eyes on his water bottle and went to grab it. As he went to head back upstairs however, he stopped in his tracks with a sudden gasp, heart jumping out of his chest.
“Gods III, you scared me darling!” he breathed. III was curled up on one of their sofa’s, the darkness turning him into a shadowy figure that would’ve scared anyone who wasn’t expecting it. He turned his head sleepily.
“Huh? Oh…sorry Vess I didn’t hear you,” he mumbled, moving to sit up properly. Vessel wandered over, curiosity piquing suddenly. III wasn’t one to fall asleep on the sofa…or stay up very late without a reason.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked as he turned on a lamp beside the sofa and kneeled down in front of III.
“Just fell asleep I guess.” Vessel looked over him and inspected his face. The rims of his eyes were red and puffy and he was sniffling quietly to himself every minute or so. He looked like his thoughts were miles away. Vessel’s face softened and III knew he had caught on. He felt tears sting at his eyes again but blinked them away.
“What’s got you upset my love?” Vessel asked again, tone gentle but pressing.
“It’s nothing,” he defended meekly, trying to avoid his partners insistent look. Vessel laid a hand on III’s thigh and waited patiently for him to continue. “I just…” he murmured, trying desperately to collect his thoughts, “I don’t even know.” He broke down into sobs as he spoke and hid his face in his hands.
“Oh darling,” Vessel soothed, moving to sit beside him. He brought an arm around the taller man and pulled him close. He continued crying, his breathing quickly becoming erratic and uncontrolled. “Hey, hey, take a second and breathe darling. Take a breath,” Vessel instructed calmly. III did his best to follow his instructions and managed a few slower breaths. “What’s going on my love?” Vessel questioned slowly. III took another couple of shaky breaths before starting to explain.
“I don’t really know,” he started, pausing for a moment. “I don’t feel great and I don’t know why, and I was going to go get ready for bed because I’m so tired but it felt so hard and all I could do was just lay here and cry,” he rambled, trying to stop the tears from picking back up again. “It sounds dumb but I don’t feel right and it’s really messing with me,” he huffed. Vessel took a minute to run a hand over his shoulder and down his side.
“I’m so sorry darling. I wish I could make you feel a bit more normal,” he said gently. III leaned into him a fraction more.
“Sorry I scared you before.”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for my love,” he reminded him. III sniffed and wiped at his eyes, daring to glance up at Vessel again for just a split second. He knew that Vessel only wanted to take care of him, but he was still getting used to something like that.

Vessel was almost certain he knew exactly what was going on at this point. This was how it always started. III would get emotional and start crying over the littlest of things and before anyone knew it, he would get sick. Vessel hated the fact that he knew it was coming, but also hoped that maybe meant he could help. It was strange but it always seemed to happen that way.
“I think you definitely need some sleep dear, why don’t you come and sleep with me for the rest of the night?” he offered. III nodded against his shoulder.
“That sounds really nice. Thanks.”
“Of course my love. Now, come here,” he ordered gently, turning to face III properly and pulling him into a tight hug. “Let’s go to bed. You can get some rest and hopefully feel a little more like yourself in the morning,” he mumbled into III’s ear. He then let go slowly and stood, holding a hand out for his partner.
“Yeah, okay.” His voice was soft as he agreed, but it was an agreement nonetheless. He took Vessel’s hand and allowed himself to be led back to safety, still unaware of what was to come.

Chapter Text

III blinked his eyes open sleepily and yawned. The room was dark, it was still early. He turned his head to look out of his window and could see the sun just starting to rise through his sheer curtains. As he gazed out of the window, still half asleep, he savoured the feeling of being wrapped in blankets. The were warm and soft and comfortingly heavy on top of him. As he took in a deep breath he realised they felt a little too heavy. That was strange, he didn’t remember pulling his weighted blanket over last night. He rubbed his eyes and shifted slightly under the unfamiliar weight, trying to get a look at what was on top of him. He glanced down to see IV clinging to him, buried under the covers, face pressed into his side. III couldn’t help but smile. As he moved to run a hand through his hair, III noticed that IV’s forehead was incredibly hot. Now that he thought about it, III could feel how warm the rest of IV’s body was as he pressed himself against him. He was running a fever. As if on cue, IV shivered and tightened his grip on III. The poor thing had definitely come down with something. That would explain why he had decided to crawl into bed with III. That always seemed to be his first idea when he started getting sick.

III guessed that if he gotten up unwell in the middle of the night and come to his room, the likelihood of him going downstairs to take any medication was pretty low. The best way to kick whatever was making him unwell was probably going to be meds, fluids and rest, and it appeared he’d only been able to do one of the three so far. III decided it would be best to quickly go downstairs to grab a few things so he could be ready for when IV woke up. Unfortunately, that involved moving IV from where he looked to be sleeping very peacefully. The last thing he wanted to do was wake him, so III decided to check how asleep he actually was.
“IV? Are you awake honey?” No response. He was dead to the world. III took this as a hopeful sign that he wouldn’t stir and slowly unwrapped IV’s arms from around his waist. Thankfully, he remained asleep and looked content for the time being. III slipped out from under the covers and tip toed out of the room quickly, barely making a sound.

He was quick to gather supplies in the kitchen and was hurrying back upstairs in no time with a bottle of cold water, some crackers and their medicine basket in his arms. III was also sure to pass by IV’s room and grab his favourite blanket which he found tossed towards the end of his bed. When he returned to his own room he found IV rolled over and shivering. He had tossed all of the blankets off and now looked freezing. III sighed and walked over to his side of the bed, leaving the supplies on his bedside table. He climbed back into bed and draped IV’s blanket over him before pulling up the rest of the covers. IV seemed to settle for a few minutes as his breathing evened out, but before long he was squirming again. He rolled back over to face III and appeared to be waking up. III laid a hand on his side and ran a hand over it carefully.
“Hey honey, are you okay?” IV slowly opened his eyes and met III’s gentle gaze before tucking himself against his side again.
“Yeah I’m alright.”
“I’ve got some water and meds for you when you’re ready my love. There’s also some plain crackers if you’re hungry. Are you still cold?” IV stared up at him in mild disbelief as if he were lost for words.
“I love you,” he whispered after a moment, ignoring III’s question.
“What?”
“I love you so much,” he continued. “You have all of these things ready for me and I didn’t even get a chance to tell you I wasn’t feeling well…how did you know?”
“Well I woke up and you were practically on top of me so I assumed there had to be a pretty good reason why. You’re also running a pretty crazy fever that I can feel radiating off of you and you’re shivering,” he listed.
“Yeah, that makes sense,” IV admitted with a tiny laugh. “I will definitely take you up on the water and medicine.” III smiled and leaned over to grab both from the bedside table. IV took them graciously and sat up to swallow the pills. He kept the water for a little longer and sipped at it slowly. III hoped that whatever virus he had managed to catch wouldn’t last long and that with some rest he could get over it quickly.
“Can we lie back down?” he asked, passing the water bottle back to III for him to put away.
“Of course honey, come here.” III settled back onto his side and let IV snuggle into his arms, pulling the blankets back over them both. “Better?”
“Yeah, thanks,” he nodded, letting his eyes fall closed again.
“Oh, one more thing,” III added quickly.
“Hm?”
“I love you too.” IV smiled and felt a slight blush creep across his face. It must have been the fever.

Chapter Text

II hadn't been able to feel his left leg for the last 20 minutes. He supposed that the man sleeping in his lap might have something to do with it…but if that were the case, he didn't really mind. He was propped up against the headboard of Vessel's bed with his right leg outstretched and his left tucked up partially underneath it. Vessel was laying comfortably on his side with his head resting on a pillow that sat on II’s lap. He’d been asleep moat of the morning, struck down with a cold. II wondered how much longer he would manage to sleep but his thoughts were interrupted by a tap at the open door. He turned to see IV.
“Still sleeping?” he whispered. II nodded, shooting a quick glance down at Vessel.
“Yeah but he’s been starting to stir so I’m not sure how much longer he’ll stay asleep.” IV padded over and sat at the foot of the bed.
“That’s okay, he’s rested a little at least. III will be up in a minute, he’s bringing some snacks and tea. How has he been otherwise?”
“Not too bad, just the usual, ‘I’m fine, don’t worry, you don’t need to do all of this’ kind of thing.” Both men looked down at their partner for a few seconds. Vessel was so used to brushing off help in fear of getting hurt that it was taking a lot of getting used to. It was a slow adjustment but an adjustment nonetheless. Slowly but surely, he was starting to ask for help more often, accepting it without so much hesitation. The others never minded, they were patient and often the same…but Vessel always seemed to take it just a little harder.

“He’s getting used to it,” II started, “But I can tell it’s strange for him.” IV nodded in understanding but his attention was quickly shifted as he noticed Vessel wiggle his feet beside him. He let out a small groan and squinted as he slowly opened his eyes.
“Speak of the devil,” IV smiled. He placed a hand on Vessel’s legs and gave him a gentle look. “How are you feeling angel?”
“Still sick, but less like I’m going to die,” he explained, coughing a little as he did. “Wish this stupid cough would go away though.”
“You’ll be back to yourself soon my love, I’m sure of it,” II assured him. Vessel was about to speak again but was quick to notice III at the door with a tray in his hands. He smiled warmly as he entered the room.
“Hey Vess, you hungry?” Vessel bit at his lip and didn’t answer immediately.
“Not really.”
“Thought that might be the case. I’ve got some butter toast and peppermint tea if you’d just like something small. You don’t have to finish it but you should really try to have something on your stomach,” III implored him. Vessel sat up with II’s help and sheepishly took the tray from his partner. He was quick to blow his nose as III had put a tissue box on the tray as well but hesitated at the sight of food.
“I’m just not that hungry.”
“I know you’re not but can you have just a tiny bit…please?” II asked quietly, rubbing his shoulder as he did. Eventually he gave in and took a few meagre bites of the toast. Just as III had suspected, Vessel was actually decently hungry. After realising the food wasn’t going to make him feel worse, he started to eat a little more and even managed to sip at the tea as well. They all stayed like that for a while, Vessel being fed and fussed over by his partners and letting himself enjoy it for once.

By the time he had finished eating, IV had shifted over to lie beside II, leaving room for III to sit down properly next to Vessel who was currently in the middle of a sneezing fit. When he finally stopped, he took a breath and flopped back into bed.
“Ugh I’ve barely been awake for 20 minutes and I already want to go back to sleep.”
“If you’re tired just rest darling, there’s no doubt you need it,” II said tenderly. He ran a hand through his hair gently and Vessel felt himself growing sleepier by the second. III took this as a sign to move the tray over to his dresser to take away later before sliding into bed beside him. The others all settled in their own spots and III cuddled up closer to Vessel. He sniffed quietly and pulled his hands back into some sleeves that looked far too big for him.
“Is that my hoodie?” III asked with a small laugh. Vessel turned his face back into the pillow, hiding his eyes.
“Maybe…I like it.” III smiled and gently brushed a few strands of hair away from Vessel’s forehead that had become misplaced after II brushed through it.
“You’re adorable when you’re sick, you know that right?” Vessel felt a light pink brighten across his cheeks and dropped his head onto III’s chest. He let the taller man continue playing with his hair as he drifted back to sleep. Maybe being taken care of wasn’t quite as bad as he had remembered.

Chapter Text

“I just don't know what to do,” II sighed as he leaned forward against the kitchen counter. IV sighed and walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around II’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry my love. I wish there was something I could do to help more.” II gave him a grateful look.
“It’s okay. Hopefully the painkillers will help,” he reasoned. IV nodded. He knew II was good at dealing with his back pain, but that didn’t make it any less painful. They both knew it was inevitable, that’s just what happens when your spine is misshapen, but it was starting to cause problems.

“When’s your appointment?” IV asked, separating from his shorter partner.
“Still another month away. Specialists are a nightmare.”
“Gods yeah, hopefully they can help though.”
“I’m sure they will,” II agreed, turning to face IV better. “The waiting just sucks."
“You’re sure there’s nothing else I can do to help?” II thought to himself for a moment.
“The only other thing I usually do when the pain’s bothering me is lay down on the floor but I won’t make you do that,” he said with a small laugh.
“I’ll lie on the floor with you,” IV responded, his tone dead serious. II was somewhat taken aback.
“What? Really?”
“Of course,” IV nodded, a soft smile forming on his face. He took II’s hands and helped him down to the floor before shifting to lie beside him. “I will stay on the floor with you all day if you need. Anything to make it a little better.” II felt a warmth in his chest, a pleasant reminder of how lucky he was. Even if he felt terrible in the moment, he’d always have someone to keep him company. He turned his head to look at IV next to him.
“Thank you darling, for being with me.”
“Always,” he murmured, reaching to take II’s hand in his own. The pair stayed there, content with each others company…even if it was on the kitchen floor.

Chapter Text

“You know it’s for the best,” Vessel reminded III, who was tucked up against his chest. The pair were somewhat upright in III’s bed, entwined and wrapped up in layers of blankets. They had been all day….and…most of the previous day.
“I know…it’s just annoying. I feel useless.”
“That’s not true darling, you’re sick. It’s more than okay to rest.” Vessel’s voice was soft and kind as he reassured III. The taller man dipped his head and closed his eyes. “Tired?”
“Mmyeah,” III mumbled. Vessel adjusted the way his arms were wrapped around his partner so he could put his weight into Vessel more comfortably. As he settled, III felt tears prickle at his eyes like thousands of tiny needles. The way that he was sitting made it hard for Vessel to see his face so naturally he was a little shocked when a hot tear suddenly landed on his arm.
“What wa— oh darling…” Vessel breathed, using one hand to guide his face back up towards his own. “What’s wrong?” III looked like he was trying to answer but was too caught up attempting to get enough of a breath in to form words. “Are you a bit frustrated?” He nodded. “That’s completely understandable. I’m sure being stuck in here for the last day or so hasn’t been particularly fun,” Vessel acknowledged, plucking a tissue from a box on the nightstand and starting to wipe III’s eyes carefully. The other man let him contentedly, and even seemed a little calmed by his soft touches.
“I just miss doing normal things…like walking down the stairs, or cooking, or seeing the others properly.” Vessel’s heart ached for his partner, his voice was so raw and full of vulnerability. It had taken a long time to get to that point at all.
“You’ll be back to doing all that very soon my dear, I promise. This flu won’t last forever. Even though it probably feels like it might,” he joked lightly. This brought a hint of a smile to III’s face. Vessel finished cleaning up his face now that the crying had mostly stopped and pressed a kiss into his forehead. III wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. Vessel tossed the tissue into the trash can beside the bed and immediately did the same. They held onto each other securely and swayed slightly, back and forth for a few minutes. Vessel could feel how exhausted he was from the way he let Vessel take his weight. When III eventually broke away, he seemed much more grounded.
“Sorry, I really freaked myself out. I’ve just never felt this…stuck before,” he admitted with a shaky exhale.
“It’s all okay my love, you’ve really had a rough few days.” III nodded and sniffed, rubbing at his eyes. There was a short pause between them while III reached for his water bottle and took a few sips, downing the last of the liquid. “Do you want me to go get you some more water?”
“Yes please, that’d be so good.” Vessel took the bottle and slid his way out of bed.
“Will you be okay by yourself for a minute or two?” he queried, just asking to be safe.
“Yeah I’ll be fine. Thanks Vess.” He gave his partner a reassuring smile and watched him disappear into the hallway.

Vessel replayed the events of the last few days over in his head as he walked. It had all started the night he’d found III crying in the living room. That had been the first sign he was getting sick. From there, it had only gone downhill. He’d woken the next morning with a miserably high fever, full body aches, endless exhaustion and non-stop coughing and sneezing. A few of his symptoms had subsided, but he was still a mess and had been almost completely bedridden for the last 48 hours. That had been the main source of his misery. Vessel hoped it wouldn’t last much longer.

As he came downstairs and down the hall, Vessel found II busy preparing something in the kitchen. He noticed Vessel as soon as he rounded the corner and gave him his usual bright smile.
“Hey, how’s he going? I was going to come up keep you guys company for a bit…and also bring snacks for him” II said, cheerful and upbeat.
“Hey babe, he’s okay, just came to fill his water bottle and stretch my legs. Could be better…could be worse in all honesty.”
“Oh?” II questioned curiously.
“He was starting to get a little upset so I think having some more company might cheer him up a little.”
“Oh, poor thing. I’ll take these up to him if you wanna stretch your legs for a bit. Take a little break,” II offered generously, gesturing to the snacks and the bottle that Vessel was holding.
“Sounds great love. I won’t be long,” he agreed, handing the bottle over and moving to the living room to do some stretches on the open floor.

After a few minutes and half a dozen laps of the house to stretch a little, Vessel was wandering back to III’s room. When he arrived and walked through the door quietly, he saw II and III chatting quietly as they sat cross legged. They were both smiling and III looked much more cheerful already. There was even a hint of colour back in his face.
“You feeling a little better?” he asked, sitting down at III’s side.
“Yeah, I think I was stuck in a bit of a spiral. Thanks for being patient with me, both of you.”
“Of course darling.”
“No problem.” II reached a hand up to ruffle his hair slightly and smiled again. “Do you want to play something on the switch? Might cure the boredom a little,” he suggested.
“That sounds fun…but only if you let me win in Mario kart,” III bargained.
“Oooh, tough request…but I think I can work with that,” he agreed with a grin. “Just for today though.” Vessel watched as he flashed a quick wink at them both before hopping up to retrieve their switch from III’s desk. He scurried back over and into bed, eager to cuddle up to his partners and take III’s mind off everything. He’d been through enough in the last few days.

Chapter Text

II let his face press into the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. It managed to distract him, but barely for more than a moment. It felt as if someone was driving screwdrivers through his head in every direction over, and over, and over, and over again. It had started with a dull ache that he hadn’t taken much notice of. It hadn’t felt like anything particularly bad, but barely 20 minutes later, the pain had crashed over him like a tsunami. It had all happened so fast that he hadn't been able to get his medication before the pain got unbearable. Now he was stuck. Confined to the cold bathroom floor, wishing desperately for even just a few seconds of peace. He should have known better, especially after dealing with headaches for so much of his life. But he hadn’t. And now he was just going to have to tough it out and wait for the pain to ease so he could get up and crawl into bed. Why hadn’t he taken something for the pain sooner? Why didn’t he try to—
“Hey…can you hear me my love?” There was a voice somewhere behind II. It snapped him out of his thoughts and he suddenly felt gentle hands on his side. “Can you open your eyes for me?” the voice asked kindly. II whined and turned his face further into the floor. “Too bright?”
“Mmyeah,” he managed to mumble out. II felt the hands leave his side but before he had a chance to protest, the room was suddenly becoming darker and he could hear the sound of the blinds closing. He heard some shuffling and a soft sigh as the hands from before came to rest on his shoulders again.
“Is your medication still in the top cabinet?” the voice asked, slightly quieter than before. II managed a nod and the hands were gone again. He still couldn’t quite piece together who they belonged to in his hazy state of mind. He heard the crinkling of a medication packet and the splash of the tap running for a few seconds before someone was at his side again.
“You’re going to have to open your eyes for this part, sorry my love,” the voice whispered, stroking II’s arm gently. II let out a shaky breath and slowly blinked his eyes open, squinting at first, but eventually adjusting to the light. The pain behind his eyes intensified ever so slightly, but the thought of taking something to dull the pain was more enticing than screwing his eyes shut again and trying to ignore it. “There we go,” the voice started softly, “Just take a breath. No rush handsome.” There was only one person who called him that. He turned his head to look up and found III staring down at him. His eyes were full of the usual kind, caring look they so often carried. “Let me help you up.” II felt hands under his back and around his waist. Before he had the chance to try and sit up himself, III had already pulled him up to lean against his chest. “You okay?” he checked cautiously. II nodded and took the cup of water III had filled for him. III then handed over the two small tablets he had retrieved and watched II swallow them quickly.
“Thanks,” he murmured. III brought a hand up to rest on the side of II’s face and pressed a gentle kiss into his temple.
“Did it come over quickly?” he questioned.
“Yeah, I feel like it came out of nowhere. Like by the time I realised I needed to take something, I could barely walk a few minutes later. It feels like it’s never going to stop,” II whined.
“I’m so sorry baby. I know you’re in pain, but I promise the meds will help.
”This is the worst headache of my life,” he continued with an exasperated sigh, “I just want it to be over.” III could hear that his voice was beginning to waver. He was obviously getting upset and III knew that wouldn’t help anything.

III let his partner sit and catch his breath for a minute or so before deciding that the bathroom floor probably wasn’t going to be comfortable for much longer.
“When you’re ready,” he started, brushing a strand of II’s hair away from his face, “Do you want me to help you into bed?” II nodded against III’s chest and hummed in agreement.
“I think I’m okay for now, I can get up,” he decided after a moment.
“Okay, let me give you a hand.” III gripped tightly around II’s upper arm and wrapped an arm around his waist, slowly pulling him up to stand. II winced a little and leaned into III but seemed to be stable on his feet for the most part. They began taking small steps back towards II’s bedroom, moving slowly and carefully. When they eventually made it over to the bed, III helped ease II down and pulled his comforter over the bottom half of his body.
“Are you okay my love?” III asked softly, kneeling down beside the bed.
“Yeah, thanks. Are you gonna go?” he asked looking across at his partner, bright blue eyes shining in the dim light.
“Not unless you want me to.”
“Will you stay?”
“Of course. Do you want to cuddle?” III asked him with a kind smile. He nodded and III was climbing over him in an instant. He tucked himself behind II and wrapped his arms around him protectively. He leaned over to press a kiss into the side of II’s face before resting his head beside his and whispering to him quietly. “Just rest my love, it’ll be over soon.”