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(not) a sweet escape

Grizz had spent the entire day working the farmland and gardening. On these days when he was completely exhausted and his entire body ached, he usually went back to his own house. Depending on the rotation they had with Eden, sometimes he was alone, and sometimes Sam came with him. They always had at least two people in the house at one time but who depended on who had what shift the next morning. Between Becca, Sam, Grizz, Allie, Will, Gordie, and Bean, someone was always eager to babysit or help out the parents when they were too exhausted to stay up with Eden.

This was one of those days where Gordie, Will, and Bean all had early shifts the next morning, so Allie, Becca, and Sam were at Allie’s on baby duty while Grizz sat on his couch in pajamas, reading. He’d taken a couple of painkillers since his back was killing him and was sipping a mug of tea to relax before he finally fell into bed. It was already 11:30pm and he was almost ready to put his book down and flop into bed.

That’s when there was a knock at the door. Grizz jumped in surprise, before setting down his book and heading cautiously to the front door. When he glanced out and saw a familiar head of red hair, he rolled his eyes and threw open the door.

“What’re you doing here? It’s so late?” Grizz asked, ushering him inside. Sam shrugged, slipping his jacket off and hanging it by the door.

“Becca wanted me out of the house. Too many germs.” he rolled his eyes casually, walking further into the room leaving Grizz confused in his wake.

“Are you sick?” Grizz asked, coming after Sam who looked like he was just trying to brush Grizz off.

“Just the sniffles or something. But everybody’s sick so Becca didn’t wanna take any chances.” he shrugged, finally coming to a stop when Grizz grabbed his hand and tugged him around.

“You know you don’t have to hide from me. Or lie to me.” he promised, laying a hand on Sam’s cheek, then moving it to his forehead. No fever, so at least he wasn’t lying. Not yet, anyway.

“I’m not lying. It’s just nothing at this point.” he shrugged again, but he was flushing under the attention. Grizz was smiling softly, though. Sam was a bit paler than normal and the tip of his nose was flushed pink. He’s adorable.

“You know you can tell me if it is something, though, right?” Grizz asked, staring firmly at Sam, who nodded.

“I know.” he squeezed Grizz’s hand.

“Okay. Let’s go to bed, it’s late. I’ll make you a cup of tea while you change.” Grizz said, pressing a kiss to the top of Sam’s head and nudging him in the direction of the bedroom while he headed into the kitchen.

When Grizz returned with a fresh mug of tea for Sam and the rest of his own, Sam was curled up under the blankets in one of Grizz’s sweatshirts.

“Have I mentioned how much I love you in my clothes?” he mumbled, placing the mugs on the side table before leaning over the bed to press a kiss to Sam’s lips.

“You might’ve mentioned it a few times. Don’t.” he laughed, then grumbled against Grizz’s lips as he kissed him.

“I’m not afraid of your cooties.” he teased, leaning in to kiss him again before crawling into bed and handing Sam his tea. He rolled his eyes, settling into Grizz’s chest when he turned on an old movie to watch until they passed out. He flipped on the subtitles and wrapped his arm around Sam’s shoulders, settling into the pillows he had stacked up behind his back.

They drank their tea silently until Sam handed over his empty mug and laid down to snuggle into Grizz’s side. Grizz laughed, knowing this meant bedtime. He turned off the tv and the bedside lamp before flopping down on his back and tugging Sam so his head was resting on his chest.

“Goodnight.” Grizz signed, kissing the top of Sam’s head. Sam just nodded, turning his head to kiss Grizz’s shoulder and squeezed his hand. And despite how exhausted Grizz was, Sam almost immediately passed out. He sighed, figuring Sam was probably going to feel bad tomorrow even if he didn’t right then.

~~~~~

When Grizz woke up the next morning, Sam wasn’t in bed beside him. This was a bit concerning since Sam was usually the one who slept later between the two of them. He immediately jumped out of bed to go and find Sam.

He found him on the couch with another mug of tea and a blanket draped over his lap. Sam glanced over his shoulder before Grizz could approach, feeling the vibrations of his steps.

“Morning.” Grizz smiled, walking around the side of the couch to plop down beside Sam.

“Morning.” he replied back, but Grizz winced at the sound of his voice.

“You don’t sound good, baby.” he mumbled, leaning forward to press a lingering kiss to his forehead. Still no fever. He just shrugged and let his head fall onto Grizz’s shoulder. Grizz could tell his throat hurt now by the sound of his voice and his consonants were muddled, making it difficult to understand him. Grizz hoped that wouldn’t become a problem. He’d gotten a lot better with his sign language over the past few months, but he was still nowhere near fluent and still heavily relied on Sam speaking and signing to him. “You feeling worse?” Grizz asked when Sam just nuzzled into his side. He nodded, scrubbing his fist against the space between his eyes.

“Throat hurts. Head hurts. Can’t breathe.” he mumbled, sniffling into his mug.

“I’ll try and find you some medicine.” Grizz mumbled, running his fingers through Sam’s hair for a few minutes before kissing his cheek and getting up. He went to rummage through the medicine cabinet. He came back with three pills. “Here’s some pain medicine and I found one Sudafed but it expired last month. It should still be fine but it might not be as effective. You can try if you want.” he offered, smiling when Sam took all of them and swallowed them down with a swig of tea.

“Thanks.” he mumbled, slumping back against Grizz’s side.

“Want anything else?” he asked, moving his hand back to run his fingers through Sam’s hair. He shook his head, pulling his knees up to his chest and tugging the blanket up to his chin.

“Just you.” he mumbled, sounding sleepy as he snuggled into Grizz, nuzzling into his shoulder.

“You sound tired. Why’re you up so early?” he asked, swiping Sam’s empty mug from his hand and placing it on the table so he could fully snuggle into Grizz’s chest, wrapping his arms around him.

“Didn’t wanna wake you up coughing.” he admitted shyly, ducking his head when Grizz rolled his eyes.

“You should’ve. Do you wanna go back to bed?” he asked, realizing how bad he must feel when he actually considered it. Sam wasn’t usually a nap person.

“Can we just lay down? Cold.” he asked softly, sighing when Grizz ran a hand down his back.

“Yeah. Come on.” he said, tugging Sam up and holding his hand as they went back into Grizz’s room to snuggle up in bed. Grizz could tell he was probably going to spike a fever later because he was still cold wrapped up in Grizz’s sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants compared to just the sweatshirt and boxers he fell asleep in. He tossed another blanket onto the bed and whipped off his own sweatshirt, figuring he’d be plenty warm. Grizz grabbed a book on his way to bed but laid down and tugged Sam to his chest, holding the book above his head.

“Sorry, I’m boring.” Sam mumbled into Grizz’s chest, his voice muffled more than it already was by his cold. Grizz just shushed him, wrapping one arm around his back, massaging circles on the small of his back. He fell asleep quickly, warm and sleepy, as Grizz’s movements lulled him to sleep. Grizz sighed, still rubbing Sam’s back as he slept. He could tell how congested he was by how loud he was snoring.

“Poor baby.” Grizz mumbled to himself, making a mental note to text Allie later to see if she could get them Dayquil or Nyquil. For now, he kept rubbing Sam’s back and running his fingers through his hair while he read.

~~~~~

Grizz never fell asleep fully, but he’d been dozing for at least an hour when Sam coughed himself awake. He sat up, making Grizz jerk awake, automatically reaching up to rub Sam’s back.

“Breathe, baby.” Grizz mumbled, trying to feel useful even though he knew Sam couldn’t hear him. When he finally stopped, he slumped against Grizz’s chest, clearing his throat with a wince.

“Sorry.” he signed, not trusting his voice.

“Nothing to be sorry for. Can I get you some more tea?” he asked softly, smiling when Sam nodded. He kissed his temple, then crawled out of bed and made his way to the kitchen.

While the tea steeped, he pulled out his phone to text Allie.

“Do you have any cold medicine stored anywhere?”

“I’m sure there’s some at the pharmacy but we have some.

Might as well bring him back. Becca’s already sick, too.

We can keep everyone quarantined.”

“Shit. How’s Eden?”

“Happy and healthy as ever. I took her to give Becca a break.

Hopefully, it won’t get worse. How’s Sam?”

“He’s exhausted and congested to hell. Not running a fever, though.

We’ll see how long that lasts. I’ll see if he’s up to coming over later.

I’ll bring tea and pain meds.”

Grizz pocketed his phone and grabbed the tea, bringing it back to Sam. He was sitting up in bed, scrolling on his own phone.

“Here. Drink that while it’s hot. I texted Allie. She said Becca’s not feeling well now, either, so we might as well head over there. If you’re both already sick, it’s probably just a matter of time before everybody gets it anyway.” Grizz said, sliding back into bed and wrapping Sam up in his arms. He just hummed, and let his head rest back on Grizz’s chest. He could see, though, over Sam’s shoulder, that he pulled out his phone to text Becca. He asked her how she was feeling and apologized if he got her sick.

“If Becca’s sick, you’re definitely gonna get this.” Sam mumbled, glancing up at Grizz. And, yeah, he had a point. It wasn’t like Sam was kissing Becca and she’d gotten it anyway.

“I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it. But if you feel up to it and if they are about to start dropping like flies at Allie’s, we should probably go. I can help with Eden while you and Becca sleep.” he said, then leaned forward to further doom himself and brush a kiss against Sam’s lips. He laughed softly and swatted at Grizz’s chest.

“Stop trying to get sick.” he rolled his eyes, making Grizz laugh.

“Drink your tea, sick boy. Then we’ll go.”

~~~~~

“You weren’t kidding. He looks exhausted.” Allie commented almost the second she’d opened the door, taking in the circles under Sam’s eyes. When Sam clearly read her lips, he turned around and glared at Grizz, who froze. There was no heat behind his gaze, but still.

“You’re beautiful.” Grizz signed, tugging Sam to him by the back of his neck and kissing his forehead. He just blushed, grumbling under his breath as he pushed his way into the house.

“Gross.” Allie teased, letting him pass, but stopping Grizz until he groaned and rolled his eyes.

“How’s Becca?” he asked as they stepped inside.

“She’s still asleep. She said her throat’s killing her and her whole body hurts, but she doesn’t sound congested.” Allie shrugged, gesturing to Sam, who’d made himself comfortable on the couch.

“He’s stopped talking as much, so I think his throat hurts pretty bad too, but he won’t tell me. I can hear it in his voice, though. When he uses it. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was so stuffed up before we left that I could barely understand him when he talked to me.” he sighed, shaking his head.

“We can help translate for you if he gets worse and you really can’t understand him.” Allie offered, making Grizz sigh in relief, but still feel a little guilty. He was getting so much better, but he still wished he was already fluent. He nodded his thanks to her before scrubbing the back of his neck.

“I’ll go check on Eden.” he said, giving Allie’s shoulder a squeeze before going to find the baby. She was almost six months old and was starting to develop her personality. Grizz knew he was biased, but he thought he was her favorite parent, right behind Becca and Sam. And he couldn’t help but love her like she was his own. She was sleeping peacefully when he found her, still in the middle of her afternoon nap, so he quickly and quietly backed out of the room so he wouldn’t wake her.

When Grizz walked back into the living room, Allie was perched on the edge of the couch, a hand pressed to Sam’s forehead.

“I don’t think he’s warm, but he’s clammy.” she sighed, getting up so Grizz could take her place. “Becca’s running a low-grade one. I’d figure it’s only a matter of time. Want some orange juice?” Allie asked, resignation in her tone.

“Sure. Thanks.” he smiled before a surprised noise escaped his lips when Sam tugged him down onto the couch. He pushed him backward, practically flopping on his chest and wrapping himself in Grizz’s warmth. Grizz just laughed, running his hand up and down Sam’s back. When Allie came back with the juice, she laughed at the couple, rolling her eyes fondly when Sam glanced up, flipping her off. “He’s probably gonna fall asleep here. I’ll apologize in advance for the snoring.” he teased, nudging Sam’s head back down when he glanced up to try and figure out what Grizz was saying. Allie just giggled, giving Sam’s shoulder a pat before settling into the chair next to the couch and flipping on a movie to keep the pair of them entertained while everyone else slept. Sam fell asleep quickly again but Grizz stayed awake, talking quietly with Allie until they heard Eden start crying.

“I’ll get her.” Allie said since Grizz was quite literally trapped underneath Sam. He nodded his thanks and sat up a bit to shove a throw pillow under his head. Sam stirred slightly but he stilled again when Grizz ran his fingers through his hair.

When Allie returned with Eden, she had a strange look on her face and Eden was still screaming.

“What’s wrong?” Grizz asked, taking in the concerned look on Allie’s face.

“She’s warm and she has a runny nose.” Allie sighed and Grizz groaned. What the hell do you do with a sick baby?

“How did all three of them go down so fast when no one else is sick?” Grizz asked, sighing.

“No idea. It is in that weird time of year when nobody knows if they’re sick or if their allergies are acting up. Anybody could’ve given them something.” Allie shrugged, bouncing Eden to try and get her to stop crying.

“What do you even do with a sick baby?” Grizz asked, completely out of his depth.

“They make baby Tylenol or something? We might can find something. Other than that… no idea.” Allie mumbled, shaking her head, groaning when Eden still hadn’t stopped crying. Grizz sighed, shaking Sam gently. When he opened his eyes, Grizz nudged him up into a sitting position, then whipped off his sweatshirt and sat up beside him.

“I’ll take her. This usually works when she won’t stop crying.” he mumbled, taking her from Allie and laying her on his bare chest, rubbing her back in small circles. When Sam figured out why Grizz woke him up, he smiled softly, then leaned over to lay his head on Grizz’s shoulder. She calmed down fairly quickly, finally warm against Grizz’s chest, but she still sniffled against him. He reached up to wipe the tears from her cheek, then glanced at Allie. “She is warm. Jesus.” he sighed, glancing from Eden, who was flushed and still a little upset, to Sam who looked like he could fall back to sleep sitting up, then thought of Becca who had somehow slept through the whole thing upstairs. They were doomed.

“Okay, you know what we’ll do? I’ll take Eden to Kelly’s. I sent everybody else over there when Becca started feeling bad so hopefully, we could keep it as contained as possible.” Allie suggested, but Grizz shook his head.

“Becca would never go for that. Do you think Kelly would take one for the team and come here to help out? We need to have at least two or three healthy people here to take care of these two and the baby.” Grizz said, grimacing slightly.

“She might. What’re we gonna do when me and you go down?” Allie asked, wincing.

“I’ll be fine. I’m used to just powering through.” he mumbled vaguely. He wasn’t about to tell her that he’d never taken a sick day unless he was actively puking because his parents wouldn’t let him stay home if he wasn’t feeling well. She rolled her eyes fondly but didn’t say anything else. She just went to flop back in her chair, pulling out her phone to text Kelly.

“What?” Sam signed, not having bothered to pay attention to their conversation.

“Little one’s sick. Allie’s gonna ask Kelly to come over and help.” he signed back, gesturing to Eden who was now resting comfortably on Grizz’s chest, breathing through parted lips. Sam pouted, reaching over to stroke her cheek. She glanced up at him with big eyes, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly, then reached out for him. Grizz handed her over, maneuvering them so he could tug Sam against his chest while he held Eden after pulling his sweatshirt back on.

“Damn.” Sam signed, shaking his head as he did. Grizz rolled his eyes but blushed when Allie snorted from across the room, clearly having looked up at the right time.

Since Eden was up, Allie changed the movie to a princess movie they had laying around the house from when they were kids and took her off Sam’s hands once he started to droop again. He flopped against Grizz’s shoulder, sniffling and scrubbing his nose against his sleeve.

“You’ve got another hour or so before I can give you more medicine. How’re you feeling?” he asked softly, sighing when Sam shrugged.

“My head hurts.” he mumbled, and Grizz could tell by the way he was squinting that he was in pain.

“Why don’t you go take a bath? The hot water might help loosen up the congestion and help your head.” Allie suggested. Sam nodded, willing to try anything.

“Come on.” Grizz mumbled, tugging him to his feet and flipping Allie off when she winked at him. They made their way upstairs to the bathroom where they began filling up the tub with hot water and bubbles. Grizz looked anywhere but at Sam until he was submerged in the water. This wasn’t the time to get distracted. “I’m gonna get you some clothes and help Allie with some stuff. Just relax and text me if you need anything.” Grizz told him, squeezing his hand then he leaned down to kiss the top of his head.

He walked back into the bathroom a few minutes later with a change of sweatpants, a sweatshirt, a pair of boxers, and a pair of fuzzy socks. Sam was leaning back against the edge of the tub, submerged all the way to his neck, breathing through parted lips with his eyes shut. Grizz smiled fondly and let him be, closing the door behind him.

He went downstairs to help Allie clean and make lunch for everyone, mostly taking over the job of keeping Eden occupied so she could actually use both of her hands. He also rummaged through the medicine cabinets to find something to give to any of them. He managed to find some Dayquil to give to Sam and Becca as well as liquid Tylenol with instructions for a child’s dose for Eden. Then, he found a few packets of Emergen-C, which he and Allie took, clinking their glasses together and then downing them like a shot. He’d just finished heating up soup for Sam’s lunch when he came trudging down the stairs, scrubbing his nose into tissues.

“Hungry?” Grizz asked, nudging the soup bowl towards him. He just shrugged but accepted it anyway. He’d been nursing the bowl of soup for a few minutes when Becca came down the stairs and flopped on the couch.

“Hey, Bec. How’re you feeling?” Allie asked, only getting a groan in response. “We found medicine.” she said, laughing when Becca perked up at that. She brought her the pills and a glass of orange juice which she quickly swallowed, wincing when the juice burned her throat.

“Want some soup?” Grizz asked, smiling when she nodded. At least she wanted to eat. She walked over to the table, stopping behind Sam and falling forward until her forehead rested between his shoulder blades. He just hummed and continued to eat his soup until she stood up. She sat in the empty seat beside Grizz and promptly dropped her head onto folded arms while Allie popped the soup in the microwave.

“Bec, Eden’s running a little fever. After she eats, we found baby Tylenol to give her.” Allie said, making Becca’s head shoot up in alarm, but when she realized they had it covered, she relaxed.

“Thanks, guys. Sorry, I’m useless.” she grumbled, rolling her eyes when everyone shook their heads.

“It’s not your fault you feel bad. That’s what we’re here for.” Grizz smiled, reaching over to squeeze her shoulder. She just sighed, smiling softly at him before glancing past him.

“How you feeling?” she signed at Sam, who looked preoccupied.

He shook his head quickly a few times before ducking into the elbow of his sweatshirt with a sudden, “ettCHSshhiew!”.

“Bless you.” Becca and Allie signed while Grizz said it, but made sure to commit the sign to memory. He pressed his nose back into his bundle of tissues, sniffling heavily, tears in his eyes.

“That good, huh?” Becca mumbled, glancing at Grizz. “Sorry I pawned him off on you just to get it anyway.” she mumbled, but he just shrugged.

“You know I don’t care.” he mumbled, which was the least sappy thing he could possibly say in that situation. What he wasn’t gonna say was that Sam, who already loved cuddles, had practically attached himself to Grizz’s side, and that his nose scrunched up adorably when he sniffled, and the way he scrubbed at his eyes when he was sleepy were some of the cutest things he’d ever seen.

They finished lunch a few minutes before Kelly walked in.

“This is a sad sight.” she mumbled, taking in the group that was piled in the living room in front of the tv. Sam and Grizz were draped across the couch, Grizz being supported by pillows while Sam rested on his chest, snuggled into the crook of his neck, nearly asleep. Allie was sitting in front of the couch, bouncing Eden in her lap, who was periodically fussing; not quite upset but she definitely didn’t feel good, and Becca was draped across one of the chairs closest to the couch to keep an eye on Eden while Cinderella played on the tv.

“What do you mean? It’s a party in here.” Grizz joked, craning his neck to meet her gaze over the arm of the couch.

“I can tell. You’ll be down by tomorrow morning.” she teased, gesturing to Sam.

“I’ll risk it.” he grinned, smoothing a hand through Sam’s hair, his smile softening when he made a pleased noise and snuggled closer.

“Ugh, stop being gross and in love.” Becca grumbled, not able to deal with their sappiness today.

“Want me to snuggle you? Would that help?” Kelly teased, but clearly, it wasn’t an empty threat when she nudged Becca up and crammed into the chair next to her. Luckily, they were both tiny. She shut up after that, a pink flush on her cheeks.

“Might wanna chug some vitamin C before you get too close.” Allie warned her, gesturing to the open box of Emergen-C on the kitchen counter.

“Smart.” she mumbled but didn’t make any moves to get up.

It was quiet after that except for the sounds of the movie, Eden’s baby babbling, Becca’s soft snores once she passed out again, and Sam’s sniffling. That had been a constant since his bath. Grizz had joked that it did its job too well and Sam had smacked his chest.

Grizz was about to doze off, himself, too comfortable on the couch when he felt Sam stiffen. He ducked to the side, muffling a strong double, “hetCHisssh! CHsshew!” half against his wrist and half into Grizz’s chest.

“Bless you.” he signed, knowing it was sloppy, but the sentiment was there. He quickly brushed off Sam’s soft apology by smoothing a hand through his hair and kissing his forehead. When he lingered for a moment too long, then pulled back to look at him, concerned, Sam raised an eyebrow. “I think you have a fever.” he mumbled, moving his hand to Sam’s cheek, then his forehead, before nodding. “I’ll give you a fever reducer later. Take your nap first.” he nodded encouragingly, even though it didn’t take much encouragement for him to droop against Grizz and close his eyes. He was snoring in minutes.

“You’re doomed.” Kelly laughed, glancing over at him. He just shrugged with one shoulder.

“Probably. But how am I gonna say no to him?” Grizz mumbled, blushing when Kelly shot him a fond look.

“That’s kind of adorable.” she teased, laughing when Grizz just flipped her off, his blush intensifying.

~~~~~

Everything just went downhill from there. By the end of the night, Will was back under their roof, having woken up from an afternoon nap with a fever. He decided he should get out of the house, and leave Bean and Gordie so they, hopefully, wouldn’t catch it. Then, by the next morning, after being around Sam, Becca, and Eden for a few days and then sleeping with Will, Allie stumbled down the stairs coughing into her elbow, eyes bloodshot. Kelly took over most of the baby duties while Grizz worked to take care of everybody the best he could. He felt like a mother hen and Becca had already snapped at him to just let her sleep and leave her alone. Will and Allie spent most of the day curled up together in her bed, fast asleep. He had to beg Kelly for help, though, when Sam woke up that morning so congested that Grizz finally couldn’t understand most of the words that came out of his mouth. Kelly watched them try to communicate, slightly amused as Grizz got more frustrated with himself and Sam got more desperate. That is, until tears appeared in Sam’s eyes, quickly spilling onto his cheeks. She watched Grizz scramble up from his seat on the edge of the coffee table, flopping down on the couch in front of Sam and tugging him into his lap.

“I’m sorry. I know it sucks. I’m sorry.” he mumbled over and over, running his fingers through Sam’s hair and across his shoulders. He finally managed to get a feel of his forehead and, when he did, he sent Kelly a panicked look. “He’s burning.” he mumbled, his eyes pleading for help. She sighed, setting Eden down in her highchair for a moment while she walked over to them.

“Why don’t you put him in a warm bath? Not too cold to put stress on his body but not so hot that he overheats.” she suggested, smiling when Grizz nodded enthusiastically. “Just calm him down. I’ll go fill up the tub.” she smiled, squeezing his shoulder before heading upstairs.

He held Sam for a few more minutes before he pulled back to look at him. He sniffled and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, accepting the tissue Grizz handed him to wipe his nose.

“Let’s go take a bath.” he suggested, reaching up to brush Sam’s hair off his forehead, then kissing his forehead. He nodded, amenable to anything Grizz suggested as long as it kept them pressed together since Sam had been attached to Grizz’s side since they woke up that morning.

When they went upstairs to find Kelly sitting on the edge of the tub, she smiled at the pair and then headed back downstairs to get Eden, leaving them to strip and step into the warm water. Sam shivered, but Grizz just tugged him into his chest to keep him warm since he couldn’t make the water any hotter. He finally seemed to relax and Grizz could feel his temperature go down. They got out when Sam almost fell asleep in there, and he didn’t want to have to wake him up to get him in bed. He helped Sam into one of his own sweatshirts and a pair of boxers and sweatpants, before pulling on sweatpants and an oversized tee shirt. He pulled his damp hair up into a bun as he followed Sam into their room, flopping on the bed beside him. He curled into Grizz’s side without another word, promptly falling asleep. When Kelly came to check on them about an hour later, Grizz had also fallen asleep with Sam tucked under his chin. His arms were wrapped around the smaller boy, one under his head and the other wrapped around his waist. He didn’t move when the door opened with a squeak, soft snores escaping his lips. She sighed, hoping he wasn’t getting sick as well before backing out and closing the door.

~~~~~

Sam and Becca were both feeling a bit better by the next afternoon, right about the time Kelly started complaining of a headache. Becca was still running a low-grade fever, but her throat wasn’t hurting and she wasn’t congested anymore. Sam was exactly the opposite. His fever broke during the night, leaving both him and Grizz with sweat-soaked clothes, desperately needing a shower that morning, but he still couldn’t breathe through his nose. Becca was able to help Kelly with Eden again, but she tired out quickly, so Gordie and Bean offered to come help with everyone. Grizz was more than happy with this arrangement. After helping take care of everyone during the day and Sam all night, half the time sitting up with him at night because he couldn’t breathe, he was exhausted.

After being in bed for so long, Sam was more than ready to play cards with Gordie when they came over, happily sitting at the table with his mug of tea after lunch. Grizz was helping with Eden, mostly playing with her on the couch while also watching a mindless kids' movie on tv. He kept his gaze split between Eden and Sam as they played cards, but when Eden yawned widely, still not feeling her best either, and curled up on Grizz’s chest for a nap, he wasn’t long behind her.

He woke up when he felt something shift on his chest and he opened his eyes to find Sam picking up Eden, holding her on his hip. Sam smiled softly at him while Grizz yawned and rubbed at his eyes.

“Are you feeling bad?” Sam asked, gazing at him sympathetically, but Grizz shook his head.

“I’m just tired.” he mumbled, and it was the truth. He could breathe, his throat didn’t hurt, he didn’t have a headache, and he wasn’t chilly like he had a fever. He was just exhausted.

“You know you can tell me if you do, right?” Sam asked, shifting Eden, who was trying to go back to sleep in his arms. Grizz nodded, reaching over to squeeze his hand. “Why don’t you go up to bed?” Sam suggested, but he shook his head, electing to turn around once Sam sat down on the couch so his head was in his lap. He just laughed, cradling Eden in one arm so he could run his fingers through Grizz’s hair with his other hand. He was asleep in minutes.

Sam watched, a bit suspicious, as he slept. He slipped his hand around to feel his forehead, but it was cool. He just sighed, figuring if something was actually wrong, Grizz would eventually tell him.

~~~~~

Becca’s fever broke by the next morning, but Kelly was down for the count. Gordie and Bean had slept over, though, taking up residence on the couch and an armchair once everyone had gone to bed. Becca came down with Eden the next morning while Grizz was making coffee and Sam made breakfast, shaking her head when Grizz asked how Kelly was.

“I don’t think she slept. I heard the mattress squeak all night.” she sighed, smiling and accepting the mug of tea Grizz handed her.

“She gets Nyquil tonight. She needs sleep.” Grizz said, making them all nod in agreement.

“You feeling better?” Becca asked, glancing at Grizz. “You slept all day yesterday.”

“Yeah. Having more help was nice. I was just exhausted. And Sam finally slept, so I did too.” he shrugged, but she caught him stifling a yawn into his shoulder a few moments later.

“And you look better, too.” she smiled at Sam when he came over to kiss the top of Eden’s head.

“Mostly. Sinus headache, still.” he shrugged, but she could hear that his voice was a lot better.

“She’s fine now, too. A couple days of baby Tylenol knocked it out.” Becca smiled, bouncing a smiling Eden.

“Good. If her fever got as high as everyone else’s I would’ve freaked out.” Grizz sighed, slumping against the sink next to Sam. He sipped his coffee before whining when Sam plucked the mug out of his hands.

“Go drink your juice. This is just gonna make you jittery. If you need some caffeine, I’ll make you tea.” he instructed, knocking Grizz’s hip with his own before shooting him a wicked smile and taking a drink out of the mug. “Mine now.”

“Ugh. You’re lucky I love you.” he grumbled, stalking over to the fridge and pulling out the rapidly depleting carton of orange juice.

“Is he okay?” Becca signed, not saying it out loud.

“He says he feels fine and he doesn’t have a fever, but I’m not buying it.” Sam signed back, his gaze flitting to Grizz, thankful he wasn’t facing them. Becca just shrugged and took the plate of pancakes Sam offered her, swiping one strip of bacon off his plate before going to sit down.

They all ate in relative silence until Gordie and Bean woke up and wandered over for food. About half an hour after they’d finished breakfast, Allie and Will stumbled down the stairs. Allie was wrapped in a bathrobe and sweatpants, her hair pulled up in a messy bun, while Will’s hair was all over the place and he was in sweatpants and what looked like one of Allie’s sweatshirts.

“Here. Eat.” Sam almost immediately said, getting up and thrusting two plates of pancakes at them. They hadn’t been seen since lunchtime the previous day, pretty much sleeping through dinner and through the night.

“She lost her voice.” Will mumbled, sounding on his way to losing it himself, gesturing to Allie. She shrugged, going to make tea before eating. Sam squeezed her shoulder, nudging her back to her chair so he could make it for her.

“Fun group.” Bean mumbled, glancing around the table at everyone, who either looked like they were about to drop, or were barely past the point of not wanting to curl into a ball and die.

~~~~~

Becca was the only one to see Kelly for that entire day because she was staying in her room with Eden. She wouldn’t get out of bed, though, so Becca took her food. She said her entire body was aching so badly she didn’t want to move and she was running a 102.4° fever the last time she’d checked. She emerged the next morning for a mug of tea and a bagel before going back to bed. By that point, Becca felt completely better and Sam felt fine but his voice was still thick with congestion. Allie and Will were feeling a bit better but still pretty awful and now neither of them had a voice, Gordie was yawning constantly, and Bean had a headache. They all figured it was only a matter of time. Except for Grizz, who was, amazingly, still healthy. Except Sam still wasn’t buying it.

“You were so good to me. You’re so sweet. Can I do something for you?” he asked that night after everyone had gone to bed. Grizz was splayed on his back in bed, his hair loose around his face as he fought to keep his eyes open.

“I don’t think I’m awake enough to return the favor.” he admitted. He’d been up with Eden since early that morning because Becca had been taking care of Kelly.

“I didn’t ask you to.” Sam shrugged, grinning when Grizz nodded at that. Sam stripped him out of his sweatpants but kept his sweatshirt on when he tried to take it off and Grizz batted his hands away, claiming it was cold. Sam raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He kissed down his neck, nipping at the soft spot behind his ear before moving down the bed to nip at Grizz’s thighs before taking him into his mouth. He still couldn’t breathe properly, so it was a bit more difficult than usual, but it still didn’t take long before Grizz was moaning, fisting a hand in Sam’s hair, and coming down his throat.

He was completely boneless after that, allowing Sam to easily help him back into his sweats, then curling up under the blankets with him. Sam smiled when Grizz let him be the big spoon, not putting up any kind of a fight about it, only muttering a soft, “Goodnight” to Sam before he was asleep.

~~~~~

Grizz slept completely through breakfast the next morning and when he finally emerged, it was almost noon and he was rubbing his forehead.

“Headache?” Sam asked softly, coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Slept too long.” he mumbled but didn’t deny it. Sam didn’t say anything, just kissed his shoulder and moved to stick a few leftover sausages in the microwave for him but he motioned for him to stop. “I’ll wait until lunch.”

Sam still didn’t say anything when Grizz wordlessly swallowed down the Tylenol he handed him once they ate lunch.

~~~~~

It was the next day when Gordie and Bean were officially sniffling and everyone had given up on any semblance of functioning and piled into the living room to watch Frozen. It was the best entertainment they could come up with that also would entertain a baby. Bean groaned after a rough coughing fit, slumping back against Gordie’s legs and glancing over at Grizz.

“How’d you escape this?” she asked, glancing around the room at Gordie, who was staring blankly at the tv, his eyes glassy with the low-grade fever he was running; Becca who was cradling Eden, grimacing in sympathy having been there herself a few days prior; Allie and Will who were curled up together under one blanket, half asleep; Kelly, who was resting her head on Becca’s shoulder; and Sam who was laughing softly while tapping a random rhythm on Grizz’s shoulder.

“I have no idea.” he mumbled, shrugging. She grumbled in irritation, turning back to the tv. Sam glanced at Grizz while he wasn’t paying attention. He still hadn’t said anything to him, but he was wearing a sweatshirt, sweatpants, and thick socks with his hair down, his cheeks were pink, and so was the very tip of his nose. Sam could also see a few wrinkles on his forehead and he knew that meant he had a headache. But still, he hadn’t said anything, so Sam wasn’t about to push it.

Everyone fell silent, distracted by the tv until they jumped out of their skin at the sudden, “Hrusssschoo! uhhUSCH’ooh!” from the couch. Everyone turned in sync to Grizz, who looked guilty with his steepled hands in front of his face.

“Saw that coming.” Sam mumbled, rolling his eyes before getting up to get him a dose of Dayquil and a cup of tea while everyone else blessed him.

#my writing #snzblr #snz kink #snzfic #the society #sam eliot #grizz visser #grizzam