prompt came to me thanks to some dorky rp accounts. love them. ♡
Reggie is sick and is stuck in bed. with his parents constantly working he's left to fend for himself. luckily for him, his doting boyfriend is there to watch over him.
Another used tissue joined the large hill forming in the trash can beside Reggie's bed.
The occupant sniffled and hugged his pillow to his chest. He felt like crap: his chest hurt from coughing, his belly ached like someone had punched him, and his nose was like a leaky faucet that never stopped.
He was miserable and had been for about two days. Having missed school on Thursday and Friday, he was dreading the schoolwork waiting for him on Monday. But he couldn't help it. He felt like he'd been run over by a truck and then backed over again with his pounding head and aching belly.
His mom had checked on him. She took his temperature and declared he just had a cold, so it was fluids and box after box of tissues until the symptoms subsided.
What sucked the most was not being able to see his friends. They had been over to see him but after hearing him cough and seeing just how gross he was, they had kept their distance. Alex had promised to take notes for him in class to save him some catch up time on work, but other than that, he had been alone and napping on and off while riding out the symptoms. He felt a little better, but he was still lonely and felt too weak to play his guitar.
It was Saturday morning when there came a soft knock at his door.
He rolled over to see none other than Luke standing there with a pile of books in one arm and his guitar case slung on the other. They had been secretly dating the last few months, and Reggie could honestly say they were the best of his life.
But his happiness was a secret to everyone but the band. His parents had no idea, and he wanted to keep it that way. They would demand he end their relationship, so Luke was still just a childhood friend in their eyes.
"Hey, babe," Luke greeted him cheerfully as he walked in and kicked the door shut. "How's the nose?"
Reggie glared at him as he blew his nose pointedly, sounding like a stuffy trumpet. Normally when Luke used pet names, Reggie melted, but his tone was condensing.
That jerk had the nerve to snicker and put the books on the nightstand. "Alex got your homework together and notes from the last two days."
Reggie softened his expression as he sat up, a trickle of relief forming as he thanked his lucky stars Alex was such a good friend. "Is he with you?"
Luke shook his head. "He and Bobby wanted to rehearse some to get their minds off of this week." He grimaced. "Family stuff."
Reggie grimaced at that. He knew what that meant and understood the need to lose himself in music for a while and not think of what awaited at home.
"Why are you here then? Don't you wanna practice, too?" he asked, wondering why it looked like Luke planned to stay for a while.
After he nervously cleared his throat, Luke sat on the edge of Reggie's bed with his guitar case. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just felt bad you were by yourself. I can practice here if that's okay."
Reggie nodded eagerly then grimaced at his own head movements.
Quicker than he expected, Luke leaned over and felt Reggie's forehead like a concerned mama bear which had Reggie blushing to the roots of his hair. He pulled back with raised eyebrows, trying not to sound as tongue tied as he felt.
"It's fine. I just need to rest." He laid down against his pillows, but Luke wasn't hearing it.
"Hang on. Lemme get you ice packs. You're burning up, Reg."
Reggie pouted, but Luke ignored him and left for a few minutes. He was so protective of his friends. Reggie remembered Luke protecting him from bullies and always asking him what was wrong if he was too quiet at school. He wasn't always understanding why people were feeling bad, but he did his best to cheer them up and help. Luke had become particularly good at reading Reggie's body language and knowing when he needed comfort.
He came back with the ice packs and had a stubborn look about him as he said. "Here. Put this on your forehead and this one under you."
Reggie held one to his forehead and sighed in relief as the coolness seeped into his skin. Luke felt under him which had Reggie nearly rocketing out of bed and into the ceiling.
"Your hands are cold!" he yelped, looking at Luke with something like betrayal.
Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm putting it under your back to help you cool down. Your neck works, too," he added, his eyes gleamed wickedly.
Reggie scowled as he fought the redness in his face. "Just put it under me," he mumbled. The ice pack rested at the small of his back, and he felt instant relief. His belly hurt from coughing so much, but if he felt warm to Luke he was going to let him nurse him. Plus, he had to admit, it was nice being doted on.
His mom brought him juice when she was home, but she worked a lot. He had had to retrieve most of his fluids and bland foods to keep his stomach from rejecting what he took in.
Luke frowned when Reggie coughed and stroked his sweaty hair back in a comforting way. The bassist felt gross after lying in bed for two days, only taking a brief shower the day before because he had mostly been in there for the steam and not really to bathe. Luke didn't seem to mind.
Reggie blew his nose then turned over, his body aching all over.
"I'll just nap," he mumbled. "You play."
Luke strummed his guitar and the sound helped soothe Reggie as he closed his eyes to rest. He coughed and sniffled then slowly relaxed as he listened to Luke play and mutter to himself as he scribbled in his worn journal.
Reggie stretched out his legs and hummed a little as he listened to his boyfriend play.
Everything was fine until his lungs acted up. He tensed up, feeling like a bug had crawled inside of him, its little spiky feet trailing over his battered lungs and driving him crazy.
He hacked and choked until tears formed in his eyes. God, he hated this so much! He couldn't even talk to ask for water. Reggie just had to ride out the fit until he could form coherent words. In the meantime, his throat and chest ached like he had taken to drinking hot sauce.
Suddenly, a warm hand cradled the back of his neck and coaxed the rim of a glass to his lips. Instinctively, Reggie started to sip as the cool water touched his tongue, and relief washed through him as his coughs subsided. He swallowed the liquid then laid down slowly. His throat felt raw still, but it wasn't as bad as before.
He rubbed at his watery eyes and blinked up at Luke who had the gentlest look on his face as he put down the water and used tissue to clean Reggie's face of tears and (ugh) spit and snot probably.
The bassist opened his mouth to protest, but Luke held up a hand, stopping the words that had barely formed. "It's okay. Really. I don't mind."
Reggie set his jaw, looking like he wanted to argue, but Luke shushed him before he could speak again and murmured, "Let me take care of you."
Tears welled up in his boyfriend's eyes, but he nodded and laid back down, the urge to deny any care apparently gone now. Thank goodness.
Luke pulled the sheet over Reggie, trying to rub his back, but the darker haired boy turned over and his hand touched his belly instead. He made to move it, but Reggie grabbed his hand and shook his head with his eyes closed.
"Keep it there. Warm." He mumbled sleepily. He was exhausted after being up all night coughing.
Luke snorted. "You told me a minute ago my hands were cold. Now they're warm?"
No arguing there. Luke laid on his side and rubbed Reggie's stomach. It was awkward at first, but the warmth and the light massage felt good on his aching abdomen. There wasn't a heating pad in the house that either were aware of, so they settled with Luke's natural warmth.
And muscle. Even in his tired state, Reggie peeked open an eye to appreciate the view of Luke's arms, especially the one that was flexing to ease the annoying ache that had come about from his coughing and sneezing.
When the pain was bearable, Reggie had him let up, and Luke left for a few minutes to retrieve some juice for him. When he came back and took in some more fluid, Reggie was feeling good enough to cuddle. Once Luke was sitting back on the bed and resting against the headboard, Reggie scooted over to him immediately.
"So much for practicing," Luke murmured, amused, as Reggie rested across his lap and snuggled close. Luke put a pillow under his sleepy boyfriend's head then stroked his hair off of his face.
He was sweating less and seemed more at ease now that he wasn't coughing up a lung. Luke kept the sheets over him and stroked his hair until Reggie fell asleep.
Normally, Reggie just breathed deeply in his sleep, but with a stuffy nose, he snored.
Luke had to stuff his knuckles in his mouth to keep from snickering. It was sort of cute but mostly disconcerting.
"Dork," he murmured affectionately. He loved Reggie even if maybe they didn't use that word too often. Their relationship was a secret after all apart from Alex and Bobby knowing. They had to be careful if they were too open.
Reggie snuffed in his sleep, and Luke rubbed in between his shoulders in slow circles.
As the sky grew darker outside, Luke began to tire. He knew his neck and back would hate him in the morning, but he couldn't bring himself to get up and risk pulling Reggie from a hard earned sleep. Instead, he leaned back and closed his eyes, one arm behind his head and the other slung protectively over his sleeping boyfriend's shoulders.
He fell asleep, only shifting positions when Reggie woke up in the middle of the night and asked to cuddle better. Smiling, Luke laid down and hugged Reggie from behind so he didn't breathe on him so much. Luke knew he would most likely end up with a cold eventually, but it didn't matter.
As long as Reggie needed him, he would be there.
Luke made the silent promise to his boyfriend then slid his hand into his own as he drifted off.
Right before sleep took him, he felt a gentle squeeze against his fingers.
