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Cody sucked at taking care of himself, especially when it pertained to health. Anyone who knew him was well aware of this. So of course the universe would choose the one weekend that his parents were out of town to leave him incapacitated with a fever. Just his luck. He didn't want to call his parents to go back home, they were doing important work stuff, and he'd hate to interrupt them. So, he decided to call the next best person: his boyfriend Ken.
Cody propped himself up against his headboard and held the phone up to his ear with one wobbly arm. "Pick up, pick up..." He wiped a couple drops of sweat off his forehead, grinding his teeth while he waited.
A few moments later, he heard the ringing noise stop and his boyfriend's voice come through. "Hello?" His quiet, calm voice came through the reciever slightly grainy.
"Are you busy right now?" He winced at how nasally and gravelly his voice sounded. He hadn't talked all day, partially because he wanted to give his sore throat a rest, and partially because he didn't have anyone to talk to.
"No, why?" Ken's voice grew slightly more concerned, seemingly picking up on the off tone of his boyfriend's speech.
"I'm sick and dying." Cody mumbled, his sentence automatically punctuating itself with a scratchy cough.
"Oh, puppy..." Ken murmured sympathetically. Cody melted automatically, and not from the fever this time. "Do you want me to come over?"
"I- I mean, you don't haaaave to..." Cody was playing coy. He absolutely wanted Ken to come over. It was the whole reason he called.
"That's a yes, isn't it?"
"...Yeah."
"I'll be there in a couple minutes, okay? I love you."
"I love you too."
Click.
Cody sighed in relief and flopped back down onto his bed. No matter how shitty he felt, at least he'd have his cute boyfriend to nurse him back to health. He smiled just thinking about it. All he had to do was wait.
Turns out he was very bad at waiting, considering he checked the clock about 5 times a minute. Roughly 10 minutes later, there was a knock on Cody's front door. Cody perked up like a dog who saw it's owner coming home and ran to the door despite his illness—his aching body would hate him for that later.
Cody flung open the door and launched himself into the taller man's arms. Ken instinctively held him close to his chest, and they both stood there silently for a few moments. Just taking in each other's presence. When Cody felt too dizzy to stand any longer, which unfortunately didn't take long, he broke the hug and sat down on the floor.
Ken stepped inside and closed the door behind him. They had already been letting too much cold air into the house. He furrowed his brows, taking in his lover's pale, clammy skin, not to mention the prominent dark circles surrounding his eyes. "You look awful."
"Okay, I'll just go kill myself then."
Ken raised his hands defensively. "N- Not like that, I meant-!"
Cody laughed, "I'm just joshing."
"Right, right... Do you know what you're sick with?"
"Probably just the cold. Plus I have a fever. Not fun." He waggled his finger back and forth.
"Have you taken any medicine?"
"I did, like, 2 hours ago," Cody lied. In actuality, he hadn't taken anything. Despite the fact that he wanted to get well, he didn't think he could stomach anything right now, even if it was only medicine.
"Okay, that's good." Luckily—or unluckily, depending on how you slice it—Ken didn't see through the fib. "What do you need, then?"
"Just... company, I guess? Oh- and, uh, also... can you run me a bath?" Cody twiddled his thumbs bashfully. He felt a little bit like a child asking for that kind of thing, but then again, most people tend to act at least a little immature when they're running hundred-degree fevers.
Ken blinked, a tiny pink tint coloring his cheeks. "Sure, sure." Admittedly, he liked when Cody asked to be catered to and cared for. Despite him always seeming pretty relaxed around Ken, he almost never asked for help or vented or anything of the sort. Cody had sworn that it wasn't because he didn't feel comfortable expressing feelings with him, but rather that he just often didn't feel comfortable expressing his inner feelings in general, especially when they were more on the negative side. So, just hearing Cody genuinely ask for help, especially from him... it made Ken feel warm inside.
While Ken went to the bathroom to start getting the water running, Cody went to his room to grab a change of clothes for after his bath, settling on an oversized pair of boxers and a plain t-shirt. He knew his sense of temperature would be super crazy for as long as he was sick, so he figured that he might as well just dress comfortable and deal with any potential coldness later. He walked back into the bathroom and set the clothes on the countertop. He grabbed a fluffy white towel from the closet, and after a few moments of deliberation, snagged the half-empty bottle of bubble bath solution from the back.
Cody walked over to Ken and held the bottle out to him. "Can you use this?" Great, now he felt even more like a child. Because he can't just take a normal bath. He has to have scented bubbles in it.
Ken's tongue grazed his teeth in contemplation, his eyes flickering away momentarily before returning to his boyfriend. "Are you sure? I know you have more sensitive skin... you might get a rash. Then you'd really be miserable."
Cody shrugged. "I'll take my chances."
Ken knew he couldn't change the other's mind, so he took the bottle and began squeezing the contents of it into the water.
With nothing else to do, Cody just stood there, swaying slightly as he watched the bathtub begin to slowly fill up. He kept his eyes focused on the frothy bubbles forming to distract himself from the unpleasant twisting he felt in his stomach. He felt a nervous flush come to his face at the thought of potentially puking in front of Ken. How embarrassing. He doubted that he'd actually throw up from a mild fever—especially since he hadn't eaten all day—but then again, he was always worried about throwing up. This wasn't new.
Cody felt a sudden rush of dizziness and unceremoniously lowered himself to the ground with a thud, leaning against the wall. Ken, who was kneeling by the bathtub, testing the water with one hand and holding the bottle with the other, was alerted by the noise. He turned his head to look at his boyfriend.
"Are you doing alright?" Ken asked, his brow slightly furrowing.
"Mhm." Cody nodded weakly, swallowing his spit in a vain attempt to soothe the dry burn of this throat.
"Don't worry. The tub's almost full, okay? It won't take long." Ken reassured, running a hand through Cody's sweaty brown hair. Cody leaned into the touch, pressing his forehead into Ken's hand. He knew that his hair was definitely greasy and disgusting, but he didn't care about that right now. Not when his boyfriend's cool hands soothed the dull throbbing in his skull so well.
Cody was snapped out of his touch-starved daze by Ken's gentle voice asking, "Is this enough?" He looked at the bathtub, which was filled with warm water full of lavender-scented bubbles thanks to the nice helping of bubble bath solution poured in. It was filled about 3/4 of the way, which Cody decided was enough for him. He nodded, standing up with a hand on the wall to prevent him from falling.
"Do you want me to help you, um..." Ken trailed off, cheeks ever so slightly pink despite the tenderness in his voice. Normally, Cody probably would've understood what he meant, but his fever-addled mind was very stupid, so he just tilted his head.
"D- Do you want me to help you... undress?" Ken's voice cracked slightly as he asked the question. Cody's eyes widened, and a slight flush spread across his pale face. Normally he would insist,"No, I don't want you to see me. Don't look at me," But something had him feeling less guarded today. Maybe it was the fever delirium, maybe it was that he felt too weak to do it on his own, or maybe it was just that he wanted to feel close to Ken right now.
Against his better judgement, he nodded. "O... Okay."
Ken's eyes widened slightly in response. He hadn't expected Cody, who was normally so guarded about his body, to agree like that. "A- Are you sure? I wouldn't wanna make you feel like you have to do it if you don't want to-" Ken started before Cody leaned over and shushed him with a finger to his lips.
"It's fine, babe." Cody smiled. He knew he'd probably regret this when he was lucid again, but that was a problem for future him.
Ken was still a bit unsure, but complied with Cody's wishes. He stood up and grabbed the hem of the shorter male's band tee and gently pulled it over his head, tossing it in the hamper once it was removed. Cody looked down at his binder, his conflicted feelings written on his face.
Ken gently put his hand on the other's shoulder. "I won't look if you don't want me to, okay?" He gave a tender smile to reassure him. If Cody wasn't fighting battles in his head, he'd probably be swooning and savoring how caring and considerate his boyfriend was.
He tried to reach the zipper on the back, but his sore muscles weren't doing him any favors in what would normally be a simple task. He sighed and defeat and turned around. "Can you unzip it for me...?"
Ken, who admittedly found Cody's struggle just a little bit cute, agreed. He gently grabbed onto the zipper with one hand and pulled it down slowly. He then turned around, giving Cody the freedom to remove his binder himself. "I'm not looking, don't worry." He spoke in a hushed tone, the same kind of way one would to a skittish cat.
Cody pulled the straps off his shoulders, letting the binder fall to the floor. He crossed his arms to cover his chest. "You can look now. If you want." He couldn't help but feel this weird bitter paranoia. Despite the fact that he knew rationally how accepting his boyfriend was, he couldn't help but think that he would see him differently after this. That he would see him as something lesser. Cody was starting to regret letting Ken help undress him.
Ken turned around apprehensively. Before he even noticed the other's body, his eyes focused on his face. Cody was staring off to the side, his jaw clenched hard despite the vacant look in his eyes. Ken knew this look. It was the look of poorly hidden insecurity. The same look he had seen many times before whenever Cody wanted reassurance but hated knowing he was being perceived. It pained Ken to see how embarrassed his boyfriend was over the simple act of existing. Without thinking, Ken stepped forward, tilted Cody's head up, and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
Cody looked up at Ken through his lashes. He had to admit, as insecure as he felt, it was hard to stay bitter when seeing his boyfriend trying so sincerely to make him feel better. He didn't have the words in him to properly express gratitude, so he just made a small whine noise.
Ken sat Cody down on the toilet. "Let me help you, okay?" He pulled Cody's sweatpants off, putting them in the hamper as well. He looked up at his lover, silently asking with his eyes if he could remove the rest. Cody nodded.
Cody was finally fully undressed, shivering slightly from the cold. "Can you help me get in? I don't wanna fall and splash water everywhere."
"Sure," Ken smiled. He grabbed the other's hand, supporting Cody as he stepped into the bathtub. Once sitting inside, Cody took his orange glasses off and set them on the edge of the tub.
He pulled his knees to his chest. "Y- You can go now. I can bathe by myself."
Ken nodded, understanding that the other was still embarrassed. "Okay. I'll be in your room. Just yell if you need me, alright?" He gave the other a quick forehead kiss and then stood up to leave.
"Ken?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you. And thank you."
Ken smiled. "Of course. I love you too."
• • •
After bathing and dressing himself, Cody waddled back into his bedroom, dizzy and shaking like a leaf. While the bath had helped to relax him and clean away his sweat, he could feel that the lack of medication was starting to take a serious toll. He opened the door to his room and dropped down on the bed, right next to where Ken was laying.
"How are you feeling, babe?"
"...Mmmnghh..."
Well, that wasn't the most promising reply. Ken pressed his hand to his boyfriend's forehead. "You're burning up. Stay here, I'm gonna go get you some medicine." Ken began to walk away, but he felt a tug on his hand. He looked back at Cody.
"Don't."
"Huh? Why not?"
"...Nauseous." Cody muttered, feeling a gag rise in his throat at the thought of swallowing anything, god forbid gross medicine.
Ken sighed and squeezed the other's hand. "I know, puppy. But you're only gonna feel worse if you don't take anything at all. You're gonna be fine, I just need you to let me help you."
Cody deliberated in his head for a moment before gently releasing his grip on the other's hand. "...Fine."
Ken smiled and kissed his lover's forehead. "I'll be right back." Ken smiled comfortingly before walking out of the room.
Cody felt anxiety rise in him as he waited in bed for what felt like forever, even though it was actually less than a minute. He was gonna gag. He would gag and then throw up and then he'd be even more afraid of eating anything. He tried to quiet the anxious voice in his mind, but his mind was so foggy that he couldn't.
Ken returned with three chewable tablets—Cody hadn't yet learned the art of swallowing pills—and a glass of water. He held the tablets out in his palm, which Cody begrudgingly took. He stared at them for a long few moments, already anticipating the chalky texture and unnatural grape flavor that failed to mask the underlying medicinal taste. Cody took a deep breath before tilting his head back and quickly popping the tablets into his mouth.
At first, Cody pinched his nose shut in an attempt to suppress the taste. It worked for a few moments, but then he quickly realized, "Oh shit, I can't breathe," forcing him to unplug his nose. He chewed very slowly, trying to take his time so as to not overwhelm himself. However, the longer he spent with the gross chalky sludge in his mouth, the worse he felt. A gag rose from his throat involuntarily. His urges told him to spit it out, but he felt Ken's hand move to his back, holding him up while also rubbing gentle circles. "You're okay, you're okay, I'm here." It was hard to hear Ken over the ringing in his ears, but after a few more stifled gags, Cody managed to swallow it all.
Ken grabbed the glass of water off the nightstand and held it out. "If you're feeling nauseous, take small sips." As much as Cody wanted to chug the whole glass, he knew that his boyfriend was right. He grabbed the glass and took a couple little sips before setting it back on the nightstand.
Ken ran his fingers lovingly through Cody's hair. "See? You did it. I'm proud of you," He praised, earning an involuntary giggle from his boyfriend. "Get some rest now, okay? You've had a long day."
"Can you sleep with me?" Cody gave the taller male the sweetest puppy dog eyes he could muster, despite knowing that he would probably agree anyways. Ken couldn't resist comforting and doting on him, and Cody knew it.
"Fine, fine," Ken playfully rolled his eyes, pretending like he wasn't over the moon to be asked by his boyfriend oh-so-desperately for love and attention. He lifted up the covers and crawled under the sheets. Cody wasted no time burrowing himself into his lover's lanky arms and planting his face against his chest, not bothering to remove his now-crooked glasses. He breathed in his boyfriend's scent as best as he could through his half-stuffed nose, letting out a contented sigh. He wasn't sure how to describe the other's scent. It just... smelled like him. Clean, soft... maybe a little ambery. It smelled like home.
"Lift your head up?" Ken asked gently. When Cody peeked his head out of Ken's chest, he took the opportunity to press a quick peck to the other's lips.
Cody's cheeks turned bright red, and he let out a whine of protest. "You're gonna get sick."
"I don't mind." Ken hummed, kissing him again just to prove a point.
"Fair enough," Cody relented, although it's not like he was really upset about being kissed anyway. He gave Ken a longer kiss on the lips before nuzzling into the crook of his neck.
One of the benefits of being sick was that it made Cody fall asleep a lot quicker. Within minutes, Cody had already found himself struggling to keep his eyes open, barely clinging onto wakefulness.
"Ken...?"
"Yeah?"
Cody yawned, his speech slightly slurred. "Love you..."
"I love you too."
And with that, Cody fell asleep in seconds, drooling against Ken's shoulder. Ken grinned in adoration before pressing a long kiss to his sleeping boyfriend's temple.
"I really, really love you."
Soon enough, Ken felt drowsiness overtake him as well, and he drifted off still holding his boyfriend. Before he fell asleep, one final thought ran through his mind. "I'm definitely gonna get sick."