A noise slowly roused Hakyeon from his slumber, a insistent ringing that confused him at first. Jaehwan moved beside him, untangling their limbs as he reached out, searching for something. Still reluctant to open his eyes and face another day, Hakyeon could only hope that whatever was making the noise, Jaehwan would deal with it.

“Yeah?” The sleepy voice as soon as the ringing ended was all Hakyeon needed to know to realize that it had been his friend’s phone that had awoken him. With a soft groan, he rolled onto his stomach, reaching out for his own device. Disappointment hit him hard when he realized that his alarm would go off in only a few minutes, depriving him of any hope that he could return to his slumber.

“Hell…” Mumbling under his breath, Hakyeon rolled out of bed, heading toward the bathroom while Jaehwan listened to whomever was on the phone. All of his muscles felt stiff and his body ached, but the more he moved, the more Hakyeon realized that something more was wrong with him than just the damage caused by Hongbin. Growing dizzy, he braced himself against the bathroom door and took the last few steps to the toilet at a staggered half jog before vomiting inside the ceramic bowl.

“Hakyeon?” Jaehwan hung up the phone and went to his side, rubbing his back as he threw up again. “You going to be okay?”

“I-I’m fine. Must just be a little flu.” Panting slightly from the energy it took to heave out whatever was left of the pizza in his stomach from the night before, Hakyeon allowed himself to sink to his knees in front of the toilet. His forehead felt warm and clammy to the touch and he was beginning to shiver.

“Well… Um…” Voice guilty, Jaehwan continued to rub his back for a few more moments. “Think you’ll be okay alone? My dad needs my help with paperwork before school.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you there, Jae.” Closing his eyes, Hakyeon tried to gather his strength to stand again. “You go on ahead.”

“Alright. I’ll see you soon, Hakyeon. Make sure to eat something. It might help you feel better.” With a kiss on the top of his head, Jaehwan turned and left Hakyeon alone on the bathroom floor.

“Bye, Jae.” Sighing, he sprawled out on the floor, beginning to drift off. Maybe a few minute power nap would be all he needed to kick whatever was wrong with him…

An insistent knocking awoke him next, urging the tired man to stumble through his apartment in a haze of confusion. Hair a mess and looking rather disgruntled, Hakyeon opened the door, finding himself face to face with a concerned Jackson. With a smile at seeing Hakyeon alive, Jackson held up a bag from a cafe and a tray of coffees.

“Hey. I brought you muffins and coffee. Both are hot and fresh. If you want, I can wait for you in the car.” Jackson held out his offerings, his smile faltering slightly as he looked Hakyeon over, taking in his condition.

“You can come in. I just… I just need a few minutes to get dressed.” Their eyes met as a wave of dizziness washed over him and Hakyeon found himself feeling faint, barely catching himself on the frame of the door.

“Whoa. Hey.” Sitting the coffee and muffins on the hallway floor, Jackson gathered Hakyeon into his arms, lifting him to easily carrying him back into the apartment. “Jesus, Hakyeon. You’re burning up. You’ve got to have a fever.” Jackson placed him on the couch, pulling the blanket off the back of it to bundle him up with.

“I’m okay. I just need to…” Sitting up, Hakyeon began to push the blanket away only to have the back of Jackson’s hand gently pressed to his forehead.

“You’re burning up. If you’re leaving this apartment at all today, it’s to go to the hospital.” Shaking his head, Jackson gave him another concerned look. “You have a fever, Hakyeon. You shouldn’t be out of bed.”

“But I can’t miss class…” Protesting, Hakyeon felt anxiety beginning to nag at him. If he missed class… If he failed in school then everything he had been doing… He would have ruined himself for no reason… Sick or not, he couldn’t afford that.

“Look. I’ve got it covered, okay? I’ll make sure you aren’t behind.” Rubbing Hakyeon’s cheek with his thumb, Jackson crouched down beside him, looking him in the eyes. “I can do this for you.”

“Jackson.” Placing his hand over Jackson’s, Hakyeon couldn’t help but close his eyes as he leaned into the touch. The other man already did so much for him, he was kicked out of school for defending him, he offered to give him work that didn’t demoralize him, Jackson had always been so kind to him… It felt like taking advantage of him to have him babying him when he was weak and useless.

“Hakyeon. I know you hate having to rely on anyone. I know you hate feeling like a burden. But just this once, please let me take care of you. Let me take care of this. Please.” Jackson’s lips brushed his forehead as the other man began to cover him up again. “Look. If you would rather suffer through class, I’ll help you get ready, I wont stop you, but I’m begging you, please think about your health. I… Hakyeon, I feel pain when you’re suffering. I just… I understand that you don’t want me to step in when it comes to your work but… But let me at least do this…”

“I… Alright. Okay. This once.” Giving in, Hakyeon sank back on the couch, allowing Jackson to put a throw pillow under his head. With a small grunt, he re-situated himself slightly and made himself comfortable as Jackson sat down on the floor, his back pressed against the couch as he leaned his head gently against Hakyeon’s side. It was strangely comfortable, having Jackson by his side despite his displeasure at people seeing him weak. Something about Jackson was different than he was used to in the best way. Slowly, he moved until his hand was holding Jackson’s.

“Thank you. You get some more rest. I’ll take care of you. I wont leave your side, okay? So don’t worry about a thing today.” Placing a kiss on the back of Hakyeon’s hand, Jackson gave him a soft smile and rubbed his cheek with his free hand. “Hey. Hakyeon is really sick but he’s stressed over school. Can you do me a favor and bring him a copy of all the class notes and his homework? Yeah. I’ll owe you. Thanks, man.”

“Thank you, Jackson.” With a yawn, Hakyeon began to fall back to sleep, the combination of his flu and Jackson’s soothing presence lulling him off to a peaceful slumber.

“Silly boy. You never need to thank me. But you’re welcome.” Jackson kissed the back of his hand one more time before Hakyeon finally succumbed to sleep.

Some time later, Hakyeon woke to Jackson gently nudging him awake, his phone outstretched in his hand. Looking regretful at waking him up, Jackson dropped his gaze as he handed the phone over. “Jaehwan is on the phone for you. I’m going to make you some tea and soup, okay? You need to stay hydrated.” Rubbing Hakyeon’s head gently, he retreated to the kitchen to give him some privacy.

“Jae?” Holding the phone to his ear, he felt guilt at having lied to Jaehwan about seeing him in class, no matter how unintentional it was.

“Where are you? Are you okay?” Sounding worried, Jaehwan nearly shouted when Hakyeon answered his phone, causing the sick man to flinch and his head to throb.

“I’m sick. Jackson wanted me to stay home.” Holding his phone away from his head slightly, Hakyeon sat up slightly despite the unusual amount of effort it took him to do so.

“What about class, Hakyeon?” Voice coming off mildly aggressive, Jaehwan seemed to take his absence from class personally.

“Jackson said he had that covered today.” Yawning, Hakyeon managed to fully sit up, leaning heavily into the back out of the couch.

“Are you alone?” Continuing his line of questioning, Hakyeon’s friend was beginning to make him feel less like someone who was sick and more like a criminal.

“Jackson is taking care of me.” As Hakyeon snuggled into the couch, Jackson returned to his side with a cup and a bowl, both steaming with hot liquid for his consumption.

“I’ll stay all night with you until you’re better.” Smiling softly, Jackson sat beside him as he waited for Hakyeon to finish his phone call. “I wont leave you alone in this condition.”

“He’s sleeping over to take care of me.” Thinking this information would appease Jaehwan’s concern, Hakyeon was shocked and confused when Jaehwan let out a small hiss of annoyance.

“I’ll be there after class.” Seeming to only get more agitated, Hakyeon could tell by Jaehwan’s tone that he was most likely pacing the floor.

”No, Jae. You’ve already been exposed to my illness enough last night.” A mixture of nervousness at Jaehwan’s demeanor and concern for his health kept Hakyeon from accepting his self invitation. “It’s best if you stay away for now.”

“Hakyeon!” The shout made him flinch, jumping slightly as he pulled the phone away from his ear again. The hostility brewing between them was making him feel even worse.

“Jae, you don’t need to miss class over me, okay?” Chewing on his lip, Hakyeon’s hand began to shake but Jackson’s hand gently reaching out for his own calmed him enough to choke down his stress and finish the conversation.

“Fine. Don’t let him sleep in your bed.” Seeming to calm a bit, thought the edge remained in his voice, Jaehwan stopped shouting, allowing Hakyeon to relax slightly.

“Jaehwan.” Unsure of why his friend was insisting such a thing, Hakyeon shook his head. He hadn’t even thought about Jackson sleeping in bed beside him. He’d honestly assumed the other man would prefer sleeping separately so he wouldn’t catch whatever Hakyeon had.

“I mean it, Hakyeon. I’ll hang up first.” The phone clicked, line going dead before Hakyeon could reply.

“Whatever.” Sighing, Hakyeon tossed his phone on the table and shook his head. How was he supposed to react to that? What was even going on with Jaehwan?

“Everything okay?” Jaehwan’s concern snapped him out of the turmoil Jaehwan had been sending him into.

“Yeah.” With a small smile, he allowed Jackson to pull him closer, resting against the other man’s chest while Jackson played with his hair. “Thanks for taking care of me, Jackson.”

“You’re welcome, Hakyeon. Now eat up, okay? You need your strength.” Moving slightly, Jackson retrieved the bowl of soup, holding a spoonful up to Hakyeon’s lips. “After you’re fed, I’ll go get you medicine, okay? You’ll get better soon. I promise.” Nodding, Hakyeon allowed the other man to feed him, wondering slightly why he was so okay with Jackson doing these things for him when would have rejected such an action even from Jaehwan. Pushing those thoughts from his mind, Hakyeon decided to just embrace the moment and enjoy being babied while he was sick enough to allow himself to be.