pairing: BaekChen
length: 1177 words

“You shouldn’t have come,” Baekhyun weakly protested in between hacking coughs. “I’m still germy.”

“I couldn’t let you starve,” Jongdae said as he breezed past his boyfriend and set the heavy bags of groceries on the kitchen floor. “Yifan told me you haven’t had a proper meal in three days. Just Gatorade and whatever broth he has leftover from the restaurant.”

“My stomach won’t keep things down,” the older male explained while reaching into his pocket for a tissue to wipe his red, runny nose. “I feel bad eating anything else he brings home if all I’m gonna do is puke out my guts half an hour later.”

“You have to eat something though,” Jongdae chided while rummaging through the refrigerator to see what was already there—not much, to his disappointment. “You need to keep up your strength if your body is going to have any chance at healing itself and overcoming this nasty bug you’ve caught.”

“But gaming and sleeping are so much easier,” Baekhyun said as he sat at the dining table to watch his boyfriend make some magic happen in the kitchen. “It’s easier to forget how horrible I feel when I’m shooting up a bunch of zombies or being a potato in bed.”

“Were you gaming before I got here?”

The older male nodded sheepishly. “I was just looting a bunch of stores in GTA V. Nothing too crazy.”

“Well, even robbers need to eat if they’re going to pull off any successful heists,” Jongdae pointed out. “You don’t have to eat a lot, but even a little bit is better than nothing.”

“Okay, but you’re gonna have to clean it up if I end up barfing,” the sick male said in a singsong voice. “You’ve been warned!”

“And you’re very lucky I love you so much, Byun Baekhyun.”

The older male smiled innocently as he wrapped his blanket more tightly around his body like a cocoon.

Jongdae didn’t make too much food, just some hearty chicken porridge and ginger soup to warm his sick boyfriend’s stomach. He doled out a small portion for Baekhyun to ingest and then packaged the rest into smaller servings to eat throughout the rest of the week.

“Thanks for cooking all of this, Jongdae. It's really yummy.”

“Good, I’m going to put the rest of it in the fridge later once it’s cooled down. And how is your stomach feeling right now?”

“I don’t feel like throwing up yet,” Baekhyun reported after swallowing another spoonful of porridge. “But we’ll see how I feel in half an hour.”

“Once you’re finished, we can game together for a bit. Maybe that’ll take your mind off of your stomach and keep you from puking,” Jongdae suggested as he finished wiping down the kitchen counter.

“I mean, I did game all week, but it didn’t keep me from throwing up…” Baekhyun said, his eyebrows slightly pinched with uncertainty.

“That’s because you were by yourself, so you weren’t completely distracted. Part of your brain was still focused on your upset stomach,” the younger male said as he helped his sick boyfriend to the living room couch. “But now that I’m here, you’ll be paying attention to me the entire time and you won’t have any brain cells to spare on your sickness,” Jongdae continued with a smug grin.

“Psh, I don’t think about you that much,” Baekhyun said, using his socked foot to gently push his boyfriend’s leg.

“The hundred text messages you sent me this week beg to differ.”

“Anyway,” Baekhyun hastily changed the subject, “what game do you wanna play?”

“You can choose. I’m okay with anything.”

“Okay. How about Overcooked?” the older male suggested.

Jongdae raised an eyebrow and sent his boyfriend a lopsided smile. “You’re trying to make me cook even more after I just made you a week’s worth of meals?”

“I can play GTA V and Call of Duty by myself, but Overcooked is only fun if you’re here,” Baekhyun explained in that saccharine tone that made Jongdae’s heart melt into goo.

“Alright, but I’m handling the left side this time!”

And so began several hours of pandemonium as the two boys screamed at the television screen, at each other, and at themselves to fulfill the complicated meal orders while navigating the chaotic kitchens of each level. There was no rhyme or reason to their movements on-screen, just pure bedlam as their avatars scurried from corner to corner, hastily moving ingredients or chopping them up to be tossed into a pot or pan.

The couple screeched in unison when the timer blared upon ticking down to zero, signaling their failure at serving the minimum number of dishes needed to pass the current level. They then slumped against the couch, letting the adrenaline in their bodies run its course and gradually sap away.

“Well, that’s enough self-induced stress for today. C’mon, back to bed,” Jongdae coaxed as he hooked his arms under Baekhyun’s and semi-carried his sick boyfriend back to his bedroom. “Want me to read you a bedtime story?” the shorter male joked as he helped Baekhyun slip under the thick duvet.

“Only if you’ll join me in bed,” the older male joked back as he theatrically batted his eyelashes at Jongdae.

“Oh my, how scandalous, Mr. Byun,” Jongdae replied, placing his hand over his chest and staring at his boyfriend in mock surprise. “Whatever will the press say when they catch wind of this rendezvous?”

“Who says the press has to find out?” Baekhyun toothily grinned as he tugged the younger male onto the bed. “After all, I am but a lowly white-collar worker. If they want a big scoop, one worthy of the massive price tag they’re always chasing, they’re better off going after the big fish like…like Suho Kim.”

“Considering he has a new film premiering next month, I’m sure the press has been stalking him like sharks following a blood trail. Thank god we aren't celebrities,” Jongdae mused as he settled comfortably in the small dip next to Baekhyun while making sure not to accidentally pull the duvet away from the sick male. “Anyway, I’ll stay until you fall asleep. And then I’ll be back tomorrow to make some more food for you.”

“Why can’t you stay the night?” Baekhyun whined as he burrowed himself up against Jongdae’s chest.

“I still have work to do, love,” the younger male answered apologetically as he began Baekhyun’s soft brown hair. “I’m technically supposed to be finishing up a presentation for a client that’s due next week, but I told Lu Han that I’m taking the weekend off. It was killing me to stay away when I knew you were sick, so I stayed a few extra nights at the office to be able to come here today and tomorrow.”

“Man, it having to share you with the corporate world, but at least you’re here now,” Baekhyun sleepily murmured. “And that’s all that really matters.”

“Get well soon,” Jongdae whispered as his boyfriend’s eyelids fluttered to a close, “and sweet dreams, Baek.”

♈♈♈