Chapter Text
Emiliano’s morning alarm blared on his nightstand. He tried to sit up and turn it off but he felt weighed down, as if his body was made of lead. There was a vague aching behind his eyes and a hollow pain in his stomach. The back of his shirt was slightly damp with sweat but he still had goosebumps. He clumsily reached over to his phone and snoozed his alarm then rolled onto his side and curled up with his covers all the way up to his chin, trying(and failing) to get warm. A few months ago he would have completely shut off his alarm and slept past noon at the slightest discomfort. He used to take any possible excuse to ditch school but now he had a reason to go.
He would never admit this to anyone but Emiliano was head over heels for Mason. He smiles at his phone while they text each other, when they’re alone he holds his hand and rests his head on his shoulder. His usual reserved and nonchalant nature virtually disappears when Mason is in the picture. He loves everything about mason. He loves his hazel eyes and the way they light up when he talks about baseball. He loves the way he laughs when a 67 joke perfectly lands. He loves his ice cream haircut and how it sits on his forehead. Mason makes him excited for school. The eye straining fluorescent lighting, the air that burns your eyes for some reason, the annoying people, the horrendous workload, it doesn’t seem that bad if he can experience it with Mason. His phone screeches on his bedside table once again. It couldn’t have been five minutes already.
Emiliano sits up, his feet hanging off the side of his bed, his face in his hands. He just felt gross. His back, arms, and legs ached. Emiliano groaned sheepishly. He wants to see Mason. If he were congested, coughing, or had a sore throat he’d go. He’d push through. A stomach issue is a whole different story. Even the thought of throwing up made him queasy and he didn’t want to deal with that at school. He tried to just not think about it. He decided the best option was to text Mason and tell him he wouldn’t be at school today.
[Emiliano]
Good morning I won't be at at school today sorry
[Mason]
Good morning are you okay?
[Emiliano]
I'm OK just nauseous have a good day
Emiliano lays back down and curls up with his head in his hands, his head really hurt now. He was half asleep and the sun was just starting to come up when his grandma cracks his door open and says from the hallway and reminds him he needs to get ready or else he'll miss the bus. He groans, then responds "Grandma I don't feel good. I can't go to school today." His strained voice and him not wanting to go to school told her everything she needed to know. She didn’t know why but lately he’d had much more motivation to go to school and do well than usual She walked in his room, sat on his bed and felt his forehead. She noticed right away he felt awfully warm. “what kind of sick do you feel?” He exhaled then said “my stomach hurts and my head too” She noticed him shaking and pulled his blanket up more over his shoulders. "You get some rest" she told him "I’ll bring you some ibuprofen and something to eat."