Coffee and Christmas (Jalex)

Sick Days Are For Babies

"Achoo!"

The sound startles Jack awake, and for a moment he wonders why he's sweating so much in the middle of winter, then he remembers the heated blanket and falling asleep holding Alex close to him.

"Sorry," Alex mutters, his voice nasally. "Didn' mean to wake you up."

Jack shakes his head, holding his palm against Alex's forehead. "It's fine. How are you feeling?"
"Like shit."

Rolling his eyes, Jack sits back to get a better look at his friend. "Yeah, you're burning up." He bites his lip, furrowing his eyebrows together in concentration. "I'm going to head to the store and get you a few things so you're not sick on Christmas-"
"Get me coffee."
"Alex, I don't know if-"
"You owe me so much coffee."
Jack sighs. "Whatever. I'll ask May to keep my parents out of here. Are you hungry for anything right now? I can get you some toast or-"
"I'm fine, Jack." Alex smiles, but then sneezes a few times. "Just congested."

The younger man raises an eyebrow at that, knowing damn well Alex is known to downplay his symptoms. He's probably fatigued and maybe even a little nauseous.

Reluctantly, Jack nods and grabs a change of clothes before disappearing into the bathroom.

He tries to ignore Alex's coughing fits, but Jack can't help but worry about his friend. It's partially his fault this happened, so Jack is going to take responsibility and do what he can to help.

He checks up on Alex one last time before grabbing his keys and heading out into the living room.

His mom is in the kitchen, and doesn't look up from her cooking when she says, "You shouldn't risk your life for that boy."

Something inside of Jack snaps, sending a seething rage through his body.

He marches toward his mother, stopping behind the counter and pointing an accusing finger at her. "That boy has been my best friend since middle school! And you used to care about him until you found out about us!" Jack pauses taking a good look at his mother's startled expression.

"I'm going to do what I can to keep him safe, mother. He's been kinder to me than you've ever been, and you don't get to forget he's human too."

He turns around without another word, pushing past his father, who finally decided to crawl out of bed.

May looks to Jack curiously as he walks over.
"Alex has a fever," Jack explains. "Do me a favor and don't let them into our room. I'm getting some soup and medicine. Do you know if we have a thermometer? I want to make sure his temperature isn't dangerous or anything."
May shakes her head. "Pretty sure Dad broke it last year."

Jack remembers when his father was trying to see how cold the snow was. Apparently the electronic thermometer was not waterproof.

With a quick thank you Jack trudges out into the snow and towards his car. Thankfully the snowplows are decent enough up here.

*****

Jack returns later with soup, Gatorade, tea, and some of Alex's favorite snacks. Luckily, his parents are still enjoying their morning coffee and Alex is still in bed.

"Hold this under your tongue," Jack says, passing Alex the thermometer. He grabs a washcloth from the linen closet and then drenches it in cold water, then folds it up to leave on Alex's temple.

The thermometer beeps, and Jack checks Alex's temperature.
"101.2," he sighs. "No hospital for you yet. Are you feeling any better?"
"It's just a cold," Alex huffs.

Jack ignores his tone. May had already started boiling some water, and the kettle whistles.

"I'll be right back."

Alex is less than pleased when he's handed a cup of tea instead of a cup of coffee. He drinks it anyway. He's not exactly fond of being sick, though he's not sure hot tea is going to bring his fever down.

Jack spends the day with him, showing him memes and cool art he finds of the band. They laugh and tell jokes and eat soup and toast.

Alex is still burning up when they decide to call it a night. His fever went down to 99.8, but it's still higher than it should be. He'll probably feel much better by morning.

"I heard you talking to your parents this morning," Alex murmurs, looking up at the ceiling.
Jack startles for a moment. He'd completely forgotten about his argument that morning. "Listen, my parents don't know what they're talking about. Don't-"
"Thank you," Alex says softly, interrupting Jack's lament.

Jack turns to look at Alex, but Alex rolled over to face the other direction, essentially ending the conversation.

"You're welcome, Lex."