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Cloud sighed in annoyance as he heard the floorboards creak behind him. “Stop getting out of bed.”
“I wanted to be near you, my dear.” Roche’s voice was strained and raspy. Cloud heard him stifle a cough. “The bed feels so empty without you next to me.”
Roche was always sick with something, it seemed. Even with his mind returned to him and the steps he made towards what Cloud hoped would be a full recovery, there was always something. It was aspiration pneumonia this time. Roche experienced a bad reaction to an experimental treatment he’d agreed to partake in, without Cloud’s knowledge. Roche had thrown up and those conducting the experiment didn’t roll him onto his side fast enough to prevent him from aspirating it.
It thankfully wasn’t as bad as Roche’s previous brush with pneumonia, at least he was able to get out of bed on his own, but Cloud was still worried for him.
“Fine.” Cloud stood up from his desk. It was late anyway, and he knew Roche wouldn’t go back to sleep unless he was in bed with him. “C’mon, let’s go.”
– – –
Cloud awoke to another one of Roche’s coughing fits. Roche sat doubled-over on the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around his chest. Cloud watched as Roche was hit by another bout of coughing, interspersed with pained, shaky breaths.
“You want some water?” Cloud asked as he propped himself up on an elbow.
“That would b-” More coughing. After it subsided, Roche straightened up a bit and turned to look back at Cloud. “That would be much appreciated, thank you.”
Cloud nodded and slipped out of bed and began to shuffle to the kitchen.
By the time Cloud returned to the bedroom, glass of water in hand, Roche had turned the bedside lamp on and laid back down. He looked horrible, Cloud noted. Pale with bags under his eyes. His hair was unkempt and hung down over his face. It reminded Cloud of… of when he had encountered Roche in the Temple of the Ancients. Cloud hurriedly pushed the memory of his head and placed the glass onto the sidetable.
“Hey, Ro.” Cloud tapped Roche’s shoulder.
Roche’s eyes slid open and he cautiously sat up against the headboard. “I was starting to think you’d never come back.” He chuckled and brushed the hair out of his eyes.
Cloud slid back into bed next to Roche as he sipped from the glass, and laid an arm over the other man' s torso. Roche’s breathing was a little less rough than the day previous, Cloud noted with relief.
Roche set the glass back down and fumbled for the lamp switch for a moment before turning it off and retreating back under the blankets. He rolled over onto his side, bringing himself face to face with Cloud.
“I feel utterly horrible.” Roche said matter-a-factly. “That’s the last time I’m ever letting someone in a lab coat touch m-” He was cut off by another cough. “-Touch me. Never seems to… end well.”
What Roche had intended as a joke seemed to have brought back a few less-than-pleasant memories for him. Cloud reached over to gently stroke his cheek.
“At least they were trying to help you this time.”
“They were, I suppose.” Roche smiled slightly, exposing a sliver of teeth. “It certainly didn’t stop you from trying to fight them when you found out what happened.”
Cloud didn’t respond, instead he pulled Roche up against his chest and pressed a kiss against the bridge of his lover’s nose.
Roche would pull through, he always did.