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11. No known cure
David sniffled miserably, sighing dramatically on the exhale, and glanced over to where Patrick was standing at the register in the store, looking away quickly before catching Patrick’s eye.
Patrick looked up at his boyfriend and cracked a smile. “What’s the matter, David?”
David, acting surprised, stopped adjusting the product on the table in the center of the store. “Hmm? Oh, nothing. I just seem to have caught an illness with no known cure.”
Patrick barked out a laugh at that. “Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic? You just have a cold.”
David huffed, his hands going to his hips. “You try having a stuffy nose and being expected to work! It’s exhausting.” David sniffled again for effect, loving the attention he was getting out of Patrick because of his cold. In reality, David didn’t feel all that bad. Sure, having a stuffy nose wasn’t a super pleasant experience, but other than the stuffiness, he felt okay. No body aches, no chills, no cough or sore throat. He knew that playing it up would earn him some extra snuggle time once they closed the store for the day, and he loved getting extra snuggle time—sue him.
“I’m sure it is, sweetheart.” Patrick walked around from behind the register and encircled David in his arms, playing into David’s act. “Is there anything I can do to help you and your incurable disease?”
David melted into Patrick’s arms. “Maybe some of your mom’s famous soup and a movie on the couch tonight?”
“I think we can probably swing that,” Patrick replied, kissing David’s cheek. “You don’t feel like you have a fever.”
“It’s probably just a matter of time,” David said with a flair of drama.
Sure enough, the next morning David woke feeling like he’d been hit by a train. He reached an arm out and felt for Patrick beside him in the bed—no one was there. Groaning, David pushed himself up on one elbow and grabbed his phone to check the time. It was earlier than when he normally woke up, but Patrick was always around in the mornings. “Babe?” he called out hoarsely.
There was no answer.
Deciding that maybe a shower would make him feel a little more human, David crawled out of bed and into the bathroom to stand under the hot water until he warmed up a little; he was cold enough to be covered in goosebumps, his stuffy nose had clogged up completely overnight, his throat was sore, and his head felt full of cotton. Overall, it wasn’t a great start to the day.
Once the water started running cold, David got out of the shower and huddled into his bathrobe. Patrick was waiting for him on the couch with breakfast and tea from the cafe.
“David? Are you alright?” Patrick stood and followed David to the bed, where David curled back up under the blankets.
“I’m afraid my incurable disease progressed overnight,” David squeaked. His voice was getting worse the longer he was awake.
Patrick pulled the covers up over David’s fetal form and let his hand come to rest on his forehead. “You’re warm.”
“I did just shower and use all the hot water.” David hugged the blankets to him and tried to breathe through his nose—it wasn’t happening no matter how hard he tried.
Patrick frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. “I know you were being dramatic yesterday, but I didn’t expect you to actually get sick. What’s bothering you?”
David gasped. “I was only being a little dramatic!” His exclamation made him cough, which made his throat hurt even more than before.
“Okay, okay! Sorry,” Patrick apologized while he rubbed up and down David’s arm until his coughing fit was over. “Do I need to close the store for the day?”
David, coughed out for the moment, shook his head. “I’ll just go back to sleep.” While he’d been wanting Patrick’s attention yesterday, now that he was really not feeling well he wanted to be alone.
“Are you sure? I can call Ronnie, have her put a note on the door,” Patrick offered.
“No, I’m sure. Just maybe bring me some lunch later?” David shivered when Patrick stood and left the side of the bed, like his presence was keeping him warmer, somehow.
“I’m not leaving yet, David. Here, take your temperature.” Patrick was back on the side of the bed within 30 seconds, and he handed David the thermometer.
David stuck the tip in his ear and handed it over to Patrick once it beeped, not even bothering to look at the numbers on the screen.
“Just low-grade. Want some paracetamol?”
David nodded and rolled onto his back so that he could prop himself up on his pillows. He took the pills Patrick handed him and swallowed them down with the tea he’d brought with breakfast.
“Need anything else before I go?” Patrick asked, whisking around the apartment to gather up anything David might need. He deposited everything on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed again.
“I don’t think so,” David said after he’d surveyed what Patrick had brought to him. “I’ll be okay.”
“Alright. Call me if you need me to come home. Or even if you just want me to come home. I can close early.” Patrick kissed David on the forehead so gently that David felt like he might shatter into a million pieces.
“I will. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
David woke next to a cool hand on his forehead.
“Hey,” Patrick said softly.
“Patrick? What time is it?” David asked groggily. He was feeling about the same as he had been that morning—stuffy and achy and miserable.
“It’s lunch time. I brought you some soup and more tea. Are you hungry?” Patrick sat on his side of the bed and leaned against the headboard, handing David a takeaway cup of tea once he was propped against his pillows.
“Thanks,” David whispered, taking a sip of the tea. He leaned over until his head was resting on Patrick’s shoulder and sighed.
“Want to watch something?” Patrick asked, reaching for his laptop.
“You don’t have time to watch something.”
Patrick paused, seeming scared to tell David he wasn’t going back to work. “I closed the store for the day.”
“What?!” David’s outburst made him cough. He continued when he was finished. “Why did you close the store?”
“Because I wanted to be home with you,” Patrick replied simply. As if it made total sense.
“Why would you do that? I told you I was fine.” David felt defensive about Patrick thinking he couldn’t take care of himself.
“Stop jumping to conclusions. I know what you said, but I could’t stop worrying about you. So I came home to make sure you were okay.” Patrick looked David in the eye as he said that, making sure David knew he was being sincere.
“You…missed me?” David wasn’t sure how to feel about that. At first the idea kind of repulsed him, but the more he thought about it, the more it made his heart flutter.
“I did, David. Want me to yell it out the window so that everyone hears it?”
David giggled at that. “I can pretend I missed you, too, but I was sleeping the whole time you were gone.”
Patrick kissed the top of David’s head. “So, how about a movie?”