Work Text:
In the three years, four months, and sixteen days he had been in the army, Patryk had not missed a single day of work. He had attended every training session, sat through every meeting, and led every patrol he’d been assigned, never without complaint, but never more than a few minutes late either. Even Paul, the second in command, had taken a few days off here or there, either for legitimate reasons or he just hadn’t felt like sitting through another of Tord’s lectures that day (which, in some instances, was perfectly legitimate). But Patryk, he was resolute. And if all he did in a meeting was crack a wise remark and then space out the rest of the time, at least he could say he’d been present.
So, the morning he woke up with a pounding headache and shaking legs, he didn’t even consider taking the day off. He just asked himself how much coffee it was going to take to get him out the door.
Paul woke to the sound of his boyfriend climbing out of bed. He would normally get up a bit later of the two, since Patryk needed the extra time to do his hair in the morning, but today he was aware that something was different. Wrong, even. It was still early, and their shared room was dark, so when he turned over and looked into it all he could see of Patryk was a dark shadow, just standing beside the bed.
“Patryk?” he said, sitting up. “Everything alri—”
Patryk stumbled, threatening to collapse for a moment before he fell back, landing on the bed. Paul scrambled over, grabbing his shoulders and steadying him, realizing that his breaths were coming in short pants.
“Hey, hey, Pat,” he said, keeping a firm grip, though not tight, on his shoulders. “What happened? What are you feeling?”
“‘M… fine,” Patryk said, still panting between his words. “Just got up too fast. I feel fine.”
Paul knew the man wasn’t lying, at least not on purpose, so he had to hold himself from getting mad at the ridiculous statement.
“Right,” he said. “Come on, lie down, there we go.” He helped Patryk lower himself down to the bed, then covered him back up with the sheets and blankets. He put a hand to his forehead and frowned. Even taking into account the warmth of their bed, Paul knew a fever when he felt one.
“Yeah, I’m calling Tord to let you off for today,” he said. “You can’t work like this.”
He climbed off the bed, listening to Patryk mumble complaints behind him. He went to their private private phone and dialed the number for Tord’s office, waiting a few rings before his boss picked up.
“Hello?”
“Red Leader, sir,” Paul said, an automatic greeting at this point. “Patryk will not be available for duty today, he’s come down with something and is unfit to serve. I understand he was scheduled to lead an inspection of the armory, I will gladly replace him and—”
“Nah,” Tord said, by his tone already bored with the conversation. “You two can have your day together, I don’t care. Just don’t make a habit out of it.”
Paul felt himself blush.
“Sir, I—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re telling the truth, Patryk’s really sick, I get it. Whatever. Just do whatever you two need to release the tension and be ready to work tomorrow.”
The line went dead. Paul stared at the phone in his hand a moment before he put it down and then walked back to the bed, looking down at Patryk’s face. He was asleep, but his breathing was ragged, and his eyebrows were deeply furrowed like he was in pain.
“Guess this is vacation,” he muttered. He had wanted to get work done today, and he was annoyed at Tord for assuming he just wanted to goof off. Still, he couldn’t help but reach forward and run a hand through Patryk’s soft hair. The man curled in a bit tighter on himself and mumbled something in his sleep, but he didn’t wake up from Paul’s gentle touch.
Paul got dressed and left to gather supplies, stopping at a couple of places in the base to get everything he needed. He planned to go to his office and grab some of the paperwork he’d needed to do, but when the time came for it, he found that his hands were too full, so he shrugged it off and walked back to his room with everything he already had.
Patryk was in the same place he’d left him, although he had somehow managed to gather even more of the blankets around him, so that he lay at the center of a little mound.
Paul put down everything he’d gotten onto the table, then walked over to the bed, leaning close to Patryk’s sleeping face. He seemed a bit more at ease now, although he was shivering, and every few breaths he would let out a small whine.
“Pat,” Paul whispered. “Hey, I’m back. How are you feeling?”
Patryk stirred and swallowed a couple times, sticking his tongue out once before he answered.
“Thirsty.”
“Okay. Anything hurt at all?”
“Head. And, everywhere.”
“Gotcha.” Paul walked away, filled a glass with water, then returned a minute later with a bottle of pain relief medicine. It was new and still had the annoying bit of paper sealing it on the inside, and it took Paul a moment to figure out how to open it.
“Okay, Pat, need you to sit up now,” he said. “This should help your headache. And if it doesn’t, you could try eating a little, if you feel up to it.”
Patryk grumbled at the noise, but he let himself be sat up, although he didn’t open his eyes until he was upright
“There we go,” Paul said, both in response to Patryk and the fact that he finally got the bottle open. He shook a couple of pills into his hand, then set the bottle down and traded it for the glass. He handed the pills to Patryk.
“Here,” he murmured.
Patryk took them.
“I feel like shit,” he said.
“I know.” Paul handed over the glass as well, and watched as Patryk downed the pills, followed by a long sip of water. He continued to take large gulps from the glass until, with a cough and a splutter, he wrenched it away from himself, hacking while trying not to spill all over himself. Paul took the glass back then gently rubbed his back, waiting for the coughing to stop.
“Down the wrong pipe?” he guessed.
Patryk nodded, only once, as that was all he had time for between coughs.
It took some time, but Patryk eventually made it through the fit, and they found themselves sitting in silence, with Paul still gently rubbing his back. Patryk’s eyes started to fluttered closed again.
“Oh, do you want anything to eat?” Paul asked, before his boyfriend was out for the next hour.
“Sure,” Patryk said, although it was debatable whether he was aware of what he was agreeing to. Still, Paul decided to seize the opportunity, and he walked back to the table to grab a package of crackers before returning to Patryk’s side. This time, he sat beside him on the bed, letting Patryk lean against his shoulder while he tore open the package.
“Here,” he said, pulling out a round cracker and handing it over. “This might help a little.” Patryk took the cracker and started to nibble on it while Paul took one for himself. It was dry and didn’t taste like much at all, but he reasoned it was better than being hungry. He finished his long before Patryk did, so he went ahead and helped himself to a second one, and then a third. All the while, Patryk was growing heavier against him, pressing into his shoulder. Paul didn’t mind at all, he was plenty strong enough to hold up his boyfriend, but he did reach a point when he had to look over and at last realized Patryk had fallen asleep again, with his chin tucked down and his lips parted, seeming more relaxed than he had before.
Lowering him to the bed was tricky, but Paul managed it, then layered the blankets on top of him until he was safely cocooned inside.
He thought to the paperwork still piled in his office. If he didn’t get it done today, then there would be a stack twice as tall the next day, and of course the hounding of various departments waiting for all of their requests to go through.
He picked up the water glass and carried it to the sink, filling it as he laid out in his mind everything that still had to be done. Some things were just a signature. But others needed budgeting, agendas. He knew that a last a couple things included questions about the future goals for the army. None of it was hard, per se, but it would all take time, and there was nothing in the pile he looked forward to, except the end of it.
He returned to their room and placed the glass right beside the bed, planning to leave again to go grab the miserable stack, when he heard a small whine from the blanket pile. He looked to Patryk, still curled in a ball, unsure if it was a sound of distress or just something that happened in sleep.
“Paul,” Patryk muttered, “you left.”
“I needed to refill your glass,” Paul said, stepping back to the bed and leaning down. “You’ve got to stay hydrated right now, it’s important for you to get better.”
“Mm.” Patryk hummed light he understood, but when Paul took a step to leave, he whined again.
“I don’t want to be alone.”
Paul stopped in his tracks. Patryk’s voice was muddy and the words came out a bit jumbled, but he was still able to make out the meaning perfectly. He turned back and looked down at Patryk, noticing now that even with the mountain of blankets, he was still shivering. He was pale, and he looked tired and uncomfortable.
“You’re not alone,” he said, leaning close to his shaking boyfriend. “I just have to go grab some things, but I’ll be back before you know it. You’ll probably sleep through most of it, anyway.”
But still, Patryk shook his head.
“Don’t want you to leave,” he said.
Paul knew that he should have been stronger than that. He was an adult man, second in command of one of the most powerful armies on Earth. He had faced down enemy soldiers, zombies, and all sorts of monsters without batting an eye, and he would gladly do it again when the time came.
But this was too much, and he knew all at once that he wouldn’t be getting any of his work done for that day.
He sighed.
“Okay, Patryk,” he said. “I’ll stay with you.”
It took a few tries to convince Patryk that he really was staying and wasn’t just making it up, but once he’d been convinced, he fell back to sleep again. Paul knew, at that point, that he could have snuck back to his office and picked up all the work he needed to do. He also knew he wouldn’t do it, no matter how long the opportunity existed.
Instead, he picked up a book, settled down on his side of the bed, and started to read. It was both freeing and terrifying to just ignore his duties like this, but the longer he went the easier it became. Patryk stayed still for a long time, but eventually he started to move over, inch by inch. Paul didn’t even notice the change until there was an arm around his middle, and he looked down to see Patryk cuddled up to him, probably appreciating his warmth more than anything else. Still, Paul smiled, and he continued to read his book while Patryk clung to him, occasionally murmuring soft reassurances which he hoped could find their way into Patryk’s dreams.
It was irresponsible, he knew, to blow off work so that his boyfriend could sleep. And yet, he didn’t care. Of all the people in the army, Patryk deserved a rest more than anyone. Sure, a sick day didn’t really count as vacation, but it was a start.
“I do love you,” he murmured before turning the page in his book. Still asleep, Patryk clung a bit tighter, and a happy sigh showed that he felt the same.