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He's staring at the ceiling again. There are 36 tiles up there still. It hasn't changed. He doesn't know why he thought it would, but hey. There are other people in the room, but he's not really paying attention to them. It's hot. His head feels heavy and his neck hurts, maybe because he's propped against the neck rest of an armchair staring at the ceiling again. There are 36 tiles up there.
Faraday's been sick a while. He knows that's right. It's going on almost a week, probably. He remembers being thrown into the Colorado river during a rare rainstorm and having to sit in the car with everyone on the way back to their base in Rose Creek. He rode on the back of Vasquez's motorcycle to his apartment complex and they said their goodbyes. He was wet and cold. He knows he went upstairs immediately, taking the stairs two or three at a time until about the fourth floor when he decided to sit down for a minute and take a breather.
Joshua knows his neighbor helped him into his apartment, which would be fine except he's pretty sure it was the real pretty girl down the hall who he was hoping wouldn't find out how pathetic he is. Also he's fairly sure she had to reach into his soaked pants to get his keys. Uncool.
Ah well... she was way too young for him anyway. Barely even old enough to drink, and you could really tell because she did not know what to say to his collection of antique whisky bottles displayed against the wall. She also left him half frozen and soaking wet in a heap on his couch. Whatever.
He'd hauled himself into the shower, disregarding the fact that he still had all his clothes on, and took the hottest shower he could stand, which was standard. He hated cold water. Getting his clothes off had been a bit trickier when he reminded them they were waterlogged. He left them in a heap on the shower floor. All he remembers from that night and the next few days is grabbing a case of water, unplugging his alarm, and going to bed. He knows his phone rang and he may have answered it and even held a semi-coherent conversation, which all his associates are fairly familiar with.
Really, that was when he'd started counting ceiling tiles. He kept having to restart because sometimes he'd fall asleep and sometimes he'd get so hot and dizzy he'd just have to shut his eyes for a while. It was exceptionally warm in his room. He laid in bed for three whole days, wallowing in silence, occasionally answering the phone and talking to people, before Vasquez showed up.
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The door shook a little as he rattled the hinges with his knocking, which was normal. Vasquez didn't know the meaning of the word 'subtle'. He always knocked first when he visited Joshua--Lord knows sometimes that man was jumpy as hell. He waited a few seconds before going for his keys, a gift from last Christmas. He heard the lock click and he swung the door open, calling out for Josh as he stepped inside.
"Guero, I know you are here. Your damn bicycle is right there," he said, kicking at the red Huffy's tire where it leant against the wall. He listened for a minute but nobody called back. Vasquez frowned and took another step in, closing the door behind him.
"Cariño? Are you here?" he cast a look around the place. Nothing was out of order; all the terrible dime novels were thrown on the coffee table, Joshua's blanket was thrown over the armchair, his 'antique' crap shack was in one piece, his coat... was not on its hook. Eddie hmmm'd and turned on the desk light, putting his own coat on the rack. Where would Josh have walked to?
As he finished that thought, he heard shuffling from down the hall. He glanced at the clock--3 pm--and grinned. Just like Joshua to still be in bed. He idly wondered to himself how much Faraday'd had to drink the night before to still be in bed almost come evening.
"Wakey, wakey, caro. Are you ready to--" Vasquez stopped pushing open the door when he got a good look at Josh in the bed. He was lying on top of the covers in a sweat soaked long-sleeved t-shirt and thick pajama pants. He was looking up at the ceiling and muttering to himself, though Eddie couldn't hear what exactly even when he stepped closer in concern. The Irishman didn't even seem to notice him.
Vasquez stepped closer and ran a hand through Faraday's short hair, wincing at the heat coming off him in waves. Jack had said he called Faraday the day before last and had a whole conversation about Josh's trip down the river the other night, but Josh had never said anything about being sick. Eddie scowled as he helped move the other into a sitting position, pushing his head over his shoulder as he hoisted him against the headboard. Joshua finally stopped muttering, "36.... 36".
"Where'd you c'me fr'm?" he slurred, helping situate himself a bit but really just squirming. Vasquez removed his shirt and pants, tossing them in the hamper in the corner before replying.
"The door, idiota," he said, and grabbed some new clothes--shorts and a t-shirt this time. He began dragging the sometimes-drunk out into the living room and away from the fever drenched bedroom. Josh flopped on the couch and sighed, curling up underneath his favorite blanket. Vasquez shook his head and grabbed the thermometer, already preparing himself to phone Horne.
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"He supposed to be all still like that?" Goody's voice penetrated Joshua's fog encumbered brain. He tilted his head back down a bit to get a look at the man, sending his flat eyed stare into Goody's slightly grimaced face.
"It was a high fever. Everyone reacts differently," a hand patted Joshua on the head and he jerked so hard to the side the chair rocked a little. Everyone in the room startled almost as bad as he had.
"Well that's the most response we've got since I first got here," a very familiar voice said, smoothly taking away from that incident and Eddie's face appeared in front of Faraday's confused eyes, "You in there, querrido?"
Josh transferred his intense stare to Vasquez's brown eyes, but he had nothing to say. He had no idea where anyone had appeared from. All he knew was that his ceiling had 36 tiles in it and he was hot. And no longer wet.
"Eye contact is good. S'more than ya had yesterday, right?" Jack's voice again, and his hand settled on top of Faraday's head more delicately this time, prepared for a flinch that didn't come again. Vasquez hmm'd and stood back up straight, walking back into the kitchen. The television was on but muted, some game... Faraday's head knocked against the back of the chair again as he resumed his count of the ceiling tiles. He could feel everyone staring at him, but he just couldn't be bothered to care. Above him Chisolm's face swam into view, looking down into his face and disrupting Joshua's view of the ceiling. Rude.
"You in there, Faraday? Never seen you so quiet," his voice was characteristically stable and pitched low, probably meant to be asking orphans about a house fire or something instead of a mercenary with a nice fire going inside his head, but Faraday still had nothing to say. He just blinked up at the tall man, lifting his hand a few inches off his lap and then letting it flop back down, exhausted. Nobody else said anything. Sam eventually moved to give Faraday his unobstructed view back.
"I don't like him like that," Billy's quiet voice cut into Josh's silent musings, "it's unnatural."
"Well boys," Horne cut in, settling himself into the chair opposite of Faraday on the other side of the coffee table, "I will admit I expected him to be louder, and a fair bit whinier, but perhaps this is better. A blessing in disguise. We will always know when Joshua is sick now because it is so obvious."
Everyone hummed in mild agreement, nobody really appreciated this silence when Josh was clearly miserable. Vasquez stepped back into the room with a plate full of coffee cups, setting it on the table. Everyone grabbed theirs, knowing which cup was theirs because of Faraday's crude handwriting on the side in black sharpie. The man was all class.
"Up, guerro," Vasquez said, appearing in Faraday's line of vision for a second before he was pulled up. Someone's arm went like an iron band around his middle, holding him up while Eddie fixed the chair to his liking and sat down. 'How rude' Josh thought before he was pulled into the Texican's waiting lap. His legs were thrown over Vas' legs and the arm of the chair, his head leaning against the taller man's shoulder as he was pulled into a more comfortable position.
"Planning on moving anytime soon then, Vasquez?" Goody's laughing voice cut into Faraday's haze, his stare being focused on the rise and fall of Eddie's chest.
"Not today," the Mexican grinned, and Josh could feel it against his forehead the way Vasquez's mouth stretched to smile. Faraday shifted a little, trying to pull his head away to look back up at the ceiling for another count but his head was gently forced back down and turned into a comfortable shoulder.
"I think you've counted it enough times today, Joshua," Vasquez said, using his name for the first time in what felt like forever. Another, rougher hand pressed against the side of his face and his neck, cool on his hot skin.
"He's cooling off, finally. Any longer and I'd've wanted you to take him into the hospital," a voice rumbled to the side--Jack.
"I'm surprised you didn't already send him in, what with him only just getting over that bit of pneumonia from last month," Billy said. He was sitting with Goody on the couch, Faraday thought, and he lifted a hand to turn himself but it just flopped a bit before settling down.
"Yeah I think our intrepid explosives expert is waking up a little bit," Red cut in, ruffling Faraday's hair a little. Josh hmmm'd a bit, startling Vasquez into stopping the petting he'd been doing to Josh's neck and shoulder.
"Something to say?" Vasquez's throat vibrated next to his face, specifically his mouth, so Faraday just turned his head a little and kissed it then laid back down. His eyes shut for what felt like the thousandth time. He heard Goody laugh with Jack and Billy nudged the chair with his foot. He could feel Sam and Red both roll their eyes at what was sure to be a shit eating grin on Vas's face from across the room.
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Josh's eyes flicked open again. It was a little darker in the room, the daylight no longer poking through the blinds. He knew without looking that most everyone was gone. He could hear Billy and Goody talking quietly on the couch, Vasquez sometimes interjecting with a quick one liner. His face was pressed into Eddie's shoulder, his entire body sunk down onto the other's body so Vasquez's head could comfortably rest on top of his. Josh was looking straight down at the button up he'd loaned Vasquez almost a month ago. It had ten buttons.
He counted them again to make sure, then another time. It wasn't until Eddie's hand ran under his jaw that he realized he'd been quietly counting aloud to himself. His face was pushed up and Vasquez's dark eyes looked into his for a hint of recognition.
"What are you mumbling about now, guerro?" He said, using his other hand to push Josh's sweaty hair out of his face. And that was neat, because Josh wasn't burning lava hot anymore. He was only a bit overheated, like being right next to the furnace for a long few minutes in a small room and wearing a light jacket.
"You have ten buttons on my shirt," he said and yeah, his voice did sound a little rough but nothing he didn't get from a bad night of drinking. Vasquez laughed a little, a light, relieved thing, and gave his head a kiss.
"There you are," he said, smiling brightly with all his teeth just how Joshua liked it. Vasquez looked like the handsome devil he was when he smiled like that.
"There I am," he said back, sitting up a bit and scrubbing a hand over his face. He was exhausted. And hot. But mostly exhausted.
"What's up?"
"Well hello to you too, sunshine," Goody called as Billy patted Faraday's shoulder, making him jump. Josh turned around and looked at them, not realizing he was staring until Goody made a face.
"I thought he was fixed? Stop looking at us, damn it, Faraday, that damn stare is giving me the creeps," Vasquez laughed and tilted Faraday's head back to his shoulder, pausing to give him a quick peck on the mouth.
"It's a work in progress, Goody, right cariño?"
"Uhuh," Josh said blankly, staring at the buttons again. Vasquez's shoulder was a lot comfier than it had any right to be, and he belatedly realized he was completely in the Mexican's lap. What this realization resulted in was his face staying smooshed into Eddie's shoulder while one of his legs tried to jump ship, thumping heavily onto the floor. It was quickly picked back up and Eddie's arm clasped around his knees again.
"Trying to escape already?" Billy poked, firing off a quick group text to everyone about Joshua's semi-returned speaking abilities.
"Not if I can help it. I like it when he lets me hold him," Vasquez grinned against his head, and Faraday couldn't really find it in himself to care that they were laughing at him while sat around in his home watching him get better. It was nice to have a family.