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asphaltcowgrrlYet another for the 100-in-100. This prompt was: infection.
Andrej sighed and lifted the bucket. Five days ago, James had begun complaining of a headache. Two days after that, a sore throat. Day after that, he was flat on his back with whatever was going through the station.
Yesterday, Zayne had started exhibiting the same symptoms. Today, Zayne was curled up in bed beside James. He’d put the two of them in Zayne’s old room and he was a little ashamed of having kicked them both out of his bed when they were both so sick. But someone had to take care of them, and he couldn’t do that if he were sick, too.
Swiping his wrist across his forehead, he entered the bathroom. He’d already cleaned the kitchen, the living room, and the dining room. His bedroom had gotten the once over as well. Despite keeping his home clean at all times, he’d put a bit of extra effort into his cleaning game, wary of any lingering germs that could reinfect one of his boyfriends. This hall bathroom was the last thing left on his list.
After spritzing everything with a heavy-duty antibacterial cleansing solution, he proceeded to wipe everything down. The sink, the faucets, the door handles, everything he could possibly clean. Finally, the only thing left was the toilet. With a groan, he bent to squirt cleaner into the bowl and felt a wave of dizziness pass over him. Bracing a hand against the counter, he took a couple long, deep breaths until he felt better.
“Maybe I should kneel,” he muttered, lowering himself to the floor.
“Do you think he fell asleep or passed out?”
“More than likely, he caught whatever those two idiots have.”
“Should we wake him up?”
“Yeah, I think that’d be best although I don’t know how you’re going to get him into bed.”
“Me? Why me?”
“Do I look like I can lift him? I’d be hard pressed to drag him, Jake.”
Forcing his eyes open, Andrej blinked at the two figures filling his bathroom door. “What are you two doing here?”
“I came to check on Rosewood,” Jake said. “I tried texting you, but you didn’t respond to my texts either.”
“And that worried me,” Hilary said. “Because you always respond to your texts.”
“No, sorry,” he said, wondering why he was sitting on the floor. “I must not have heard the notifications.” James had been talking about getting him a smartwatch so he didn’t miss things like that, but at this point, it was still only talk. Maybe he’d have to splurge and get one himself.
“Probably because you were passed out on the bathroom floor like Zayne on a Friday night,” Hilary pointed out. “Come on, I think we need to get you into bed.”
“No, no,” Andrej said, waving them off with a hand. “I must finish cleaning in here. I cannot have Jay or Zayne getting sick again.” He swiped his wrist across his forehead again. God, it was hot in there. Must be because there were too many people in the small room.
Hilary looked at Jake. “I think the bathroom can wait, Zeklos,” Jake offered. “You’re looking a lot like Rosewood did the other day, right before he damn near passed out on me.”
“I’ll finish the bathroom,” Hilary offered, likely realizing that Andrej wasn’t about to quit before he’d finished cleaning. “What’s left to do?”
“I – I do not remember,” he admitted.
“That’s it, he’s sick,” Hilary laughed. “Time for bed, buddy.”
Jake leaned down and helped Andrej to his feet, wrapping an arm around the detective’s waist for support. Hilary followed behind in case one or the other lost their balance. Not that she could have done much but get out of the way, but she was there and that counted for something. What, Andrej couldn’t have said, but he knew it mattered.
“Should we get him out of his clothes,” he heard Jake ask.
“Nah,” Hilary replied. “He’s already in sweats and a t-shirt, that should be fine. It’s not what he usually sleeps in, but it’ll be comfortable and keep him warm.”
He felt the covers being pulled over him and he started to doze.
“Do I want to know how you know what he sleeps in?”
“I know what your partner sleeps in, too, Hansen.”
“Okay, you can stop there,” Jake said, chuckling. “Whatever Reyes has been telling you, you can keep to yourself.”
Hilary snorted. “Okay, I think he’s out. I’ll have Trish stop by later to check on him. Let me scrub his toilet and we can go.”
“Wait, you’re really going to clean his bathroom?”
“Just the toilet. I’m going to assume it’s the last thing he does because it’s the last thing I do – and he was on the floor in front of it. Give me two minutes.”
“I think he’s alive,” Zayne muttered.
“I’d hope so, cowboy,” James retorted. “The alternative means we’ve spent the last several hours snuggled up to a corpse.”
Andrej blinked. “What – what is going on? How are you two feeling?”
“Better than you,” Zayne observed. “I’m still tired and achy, but other than that, I think I’ll live.”
“I’m at like ninety-eight percent,” James added. “But I also got sick first, so it stands to reason I’d be the first to recover.”
“Oh, good,” Andrej murmured. “You are both probably hungry,” he said, struggling to sit up. “Let me go see –”
“Stop right there,” James said. He put a hand in the middle of Andrej’s chest and gently pushed him back down onto the bed. “We’re fully capable of feeding ourselves and there’s no way in hell you’re okay enough to cook. Go back to sleep.”
“Back to sleep?”
“Yeah,” Zayne said with a grin. “No idea how long you were out before we found you, but we’ve been snoozing with you for the last two hours.”
“Oh no,” Andrej sighed. “This is not good.”
“It’s not that bad either, Andy,” James said. “Just means you finally got whatever we had. But now we get to take care of you.”
“Oh no,” he repeated, more forcefully.
“I think he’s got our number, gingerbread.”
“Don’t worry, Andy,” Trish said from the doorway to the bedroom. “Hil and I are here to take care of you. Zayne, Rosewood, out. Go shower and get dressed and let Andy sleep.”
“And there’s a bucket of cleaning supplies in the hallway,” Hilary added. “Sanitize your damn rooms so none of you get sick again.”
Grumbling, Zayne and James rolled out of bed and left the room. Once they were gone, the girls joined Andrej in bed.
“You will get sick,” he warned. “Please, I do not want either of you to be ill.”
“I was sick a couple weeks ago,” Hilary said. “I caught it from Jake, which is how I think Rosewood must have gotten it.”
“It’s a no-brainer how Reyes got it,” Trish added with a lecherous laugh. “And since Maxwell infected me, I won’t get sick again either. I’m just surprised you took so long to get it, too.”
“He lives a healthier life than any of us,” Hilary said. “I’m rather surprised he got sick at all.”
With a sigh, Andrej laid back against the pillows. “I am sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Trish said, grabbing a book off Andrej’s nightstand. “Just get some rest. We’ll hang out here in case you need us.”
“And boss the boys around while we can,” Hilary added. “That ought to be enough entertainment for the afternoon.”
Despite how awful he felt, Andrej laughed. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least we can do,” Hilary said. “You always do so much for us. Now, close your eyes and go back to sleep.”
He hadn’t intended to obey her directive quite so quickly, but his body had other ideas it seemed.
“Hand me one of those,” he heard Hilary say to Trish. “Just skip the cowboys okay? I’ve had enough of cowboy themed romance to last me a lifetime.”
While Andrej couldn’t blame her, he wouldn’t trade his annoying cowboy for anything n the world. And he had a feeling Hilary – and Trish – would miss Zayne if he were gone. James, too, for that matter. They’d formed this weird little family, one that now included Jake in it as well, and he couldn’t be happier.
Well, if he were healthy, that was.
He drifted off to sleep listening to Trish and Hilary debate the pros and cons of Highlanders versus cowboys versus small town law enforcement officers in romance novels. He thinks someone argued in defense of the cowboys, most likely Zayne. Then someone suggested vampires, someone who sounded a lot like Jake, although he couldn’t be certain. By the time the conversation migrated to shifters and witches, he’d zoned out and was blissfully asleep. He had a feeling that half of his book collection would be scattered across his bed when he awoke, but he figured he could deal with that when he awoke.
For now, he was going to follow orders and sleep.
Andrej sighed and lifted the bucket. Five days ago, James had begun complaining of a headache. Two days after that, a sore throat. Day after that, he was flat on his back with whatever was going through the station.
Yesterday, Zayne had started exhibiting the same symptoms. Today, Zayne was curled up in bed beside James. He’d put the two of them in Zayne’s old room and he was a little ashamed of having kicked them both out of his bed when they were both so sick. But someone had to take care of them, and he couldn’t do that if he were sick, too.
Swiping his wrist across his forehead, he entered the bathroom. He’d already cleaned the kitchen, the living room, and the dining room. His bedroom had gotten the once over as well. Despite keeping his home clean at all times, he’d put a bit of extra effort into his cleaning game, wary of any lingering germs that could reinfect one of his boyfriends. This hall bathroom was the last thing left on his list.
After spritzing everything with a heavy-duty antibacterial cleansing solution, he proceeded to wipe everything down. The sink, the faucets, the door handles, everything he could possibly clean. Finally, the only thing left was the toilet. With a groan, he bent to squirt cleaner into the bowl and felt a wave of dizziness pass over him. Bracing a hand against the counter, he took a couple long, deep breaths until he felt better.
“Maybe I should kneel,” he muttered, lowering himself to the floor.
“Do you think he fell asleep or passed out?”
“More than likely, he caught whatever those two idiots have.”
“Should we wake him up?”
“Yeah, I think that’d be best although I don’t know how you’re going to get him into bed.”
“Me? Why me?”
“Do I look like I can lift him? I’d be hard pressed to drag him, Jake.”
Forcing his eyes open, Andrej blinked at the two figures filling his bathroom door. “What are you two doing here?”
“I came to check on Rosewood,” Jake said. “I tried texting you, but you didn’t respond to my texts either.”
“And that worried me,” Hilary said. “Because you always respond to your texts.”
“No, sorry,” he said, wondering why he was sitting on the floor. “I must not have heard the notifications.” James had been talking about getting him a smartwatch so he didn’t miss things like that, but at this point, it was still only talk. Maybe he’d have to splurge and get one himself.
“Probably because you were passed out on the bathroom floor like Zayne on a Friday night,” Hilary pointed out. “Come on, I think we need to get you into bed.”
“No, no,” Andrej said, waving them off with a hand. “I must finish cleaning in here. I cannot have Jay or Zayne getting sick again.” He swiped his wrist across his forehead again. God, it was hot in there. Must be because there were too many people in the small room.
Hilary looked at Jake. “I think the bathroom can wait, Zeklos,” Jake offered. “You’re looking a lot like Rosewood did the other day, right before he damn near passed out on me.”
“I’ll finish the bathroom,” Hilary offered, likely realizing that Andrej wasn’t about to quit before he’d finished cleaning. “What’s left to do?”
“I – I do not remember,” he admitted.
“That’s it, he’s sick,” Hilary laughed. “Time for bed, buddy.”
Jake leaned down and helped Andrej to his feet, wrapping an arm around the detective’s waist for support. Hilary followed behind in case one or the other lost their balance. Not that she could have done much but get out of the way, but she was there and that counted for something. What, Andrej couldn’t have said, but he knew it mattered.
“Should we get him out of his clothes,” he heard Jake ask.
“Nah,” Hilary replied. “He’s already in sweats and a t-shirt, that should be fine. It’s not what he usually sleeps in, but it’ll be comfortable and keep him warm.”
He felt the covers being pulled over him and he started to doze.
“Do I want to know how you know what he sleeps in?”
“I know what your partner sleeps in, too, Hansen.”
“Okay, you can stop there,” Jake said, chuckling. “Whatever Reyes has been telling you, you can keep to yourself.”
Hilary snorted. “Okay, I think he’s out. I’ll have Trish stop by later to check on him. Let me scrub his toilet and we can go.”
“Wait, you’re really going to clean his bathroom?”
“Just the toilet. I’m going to assume it’s the last thing he does because it’s the last thing I do – and he was on the floor in front of it. Give me two minutes.”
“I think he’s alive,” Zayne muttered.
“I’d hope so, cowboy,” James retorted. “The alternative means we’ve spent the last several hours snuggled up to a corpse.”
Andrej blinked. “What – what is going on? How are you two feeling?”
“Better than you,” Zayne observed. “I’m still tired and achy, but other than that, I think I’ll live.”
“I’m at like ninety-eight percent,” James added. “But I also got sick first, so it stands to reason I’d be the first to recover.”
“Oh, good,” Andrej murmured. “You are both probably hungry,” he said, struggling to sit up. “Let me go see –”
“Stop right there,” James said. He put a hand in the middle of Andrej’s chest and gently pushed him back down onto the bed. “We’re fully capable of feeding ourselves and there’s no way in hell you’re okay enough to cook. Go back to sleep.”
“Back to sleep?”
“Yeah,” Zayne said with a grin. “No idea how long you were out before we found you, but we’ve been snoozing with you for the last two hours.”
“Oh no,” Andrej sighed. “This is not good.”
“It’s not that bad either, Andy,” James said. “Just means you finally got whatever we had. But now we get to take care of you.”
“Oh no,” he repeated, more forcefully.
“I think he’s got our number, gingerbread.”
“Don’t worry, Andy,” Trish said from the doorway to the bedroom. “Hil and I are here to take care of you. Zayne, Rosewood, out. Go shower and get dressed and let Andy sleep.”
“And there’s a bucket of cleaning supplies in the hallway,” Hilary added. “Sanitize your damn rooms so none of you get sick again.”
Grumbling, Zayne and James rolled out of bed and left the room. Once they were gone, the girls joined Andrej in bed.
“You will get sick,” he warned. “Please, I do not want either of you to be ill.”
“I was sick a couple weeks ago,” Hilary said. “I caught it from Jake, which is how I think Rosewood must have gotten it.”
“It’s a no-brainer how Reyes got it,” Trish added with a lecherous laugh. “And since Maxwell infected me, I won’t get sick again either. I’m just surprised you took so long to get it, too.”
“He lives a healthier life than any of us,” Hilary said. “I’m rather surprised he got sick at all.”
With a sigh, Andrej laid back against the pillows. “I am sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Trish said, grabbing a book off Andrej’s nightstand. “Just get some rest. We’ll hang out here in case you need us.”
“And boss the boys around while we can,” Hilary added. “That ought to be enough entertainment for the afternoon.”
Despite how awful he felt, Andrej laughed. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least we can do,” Hilary said. “You always do so much for us. Now, close your eyes and go back to sleep.”
He hadn’t intended to obey her directive quite so quickly, but his body had other ideas it seemed.
“Hand me one of those,” he heard Hilary say to Trish. “Just skip the cowboys okay? I’ve had enough of cowboy themed romance to last me a lifetime.”
While Andrej couldn’t blame her, he wouldn’t trade his annoying cowboy for anything n the world. And he had a feeling Hilary – and Trish – would miss Zayne if he were gone. James, too, for that matter. They’d formed this weird little family, one that now included Jake in it as well, and he couldn’t be happier.
Well, if he were healthy, that was.
He drifted off to sleep listening to Trish and Hilary debate the pros and cons of Highlanders versus cowboys versus small town law enforcement officers in romance novels. He thinks someone argued in defense of the cowboys, most likely Zayne. Then someone suggested vampires, someone who sounded a lot like Jake, although he couldn’t be certain. By the time the conversation migrated to shifters and witches, he’d zoned out and was blissfully asleep. He had a feeling that half of his book collection would be scattered across his bed when he awoke, but he figured he could deal with that when he awoke.
For now, he was going to follow orders and sleep.
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Date: 2020-12-30 10:23 pm (UTC)Poor Andrej. Trying so hard to take care of everyone else. Nice story.
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Date: 2020-12-30 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-31 12:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-31 02:40 am (UTC)