A Cross Examination of a Disgrace and Syrup with Honey

Welcome to the Dark Side, We Have Chicken Noodle Soup and Decongestants

Nate's eyelids felt heavy, but he forced himself to open his eyes anyway.  A quick glance at the clock no his bedside table told him it was three in the morning.  There was a light coming from the hallway and noises from other parts of the apartment.  Something was clearly wrong.

He still felt sick, a bit weak, and his head was fuzzy.  This wasn't a good moment to deal with whatever was in his apartment, but he knew he had to do something.  So, with what little strength he had in his body, he stood up.  The sweatpants he had been sleeping in clung low on his hips and his t-shirt was worn and wrinkled.  He was sure his hair was horribly messy and sticking out in every direction.  He felt sweaty and he wished he could just get in the shower and maybe sleep under the water for hours.  But instead, he walked out of his bedroom, following the sounds until they took him to the kitchen.

For a moment, he felt alarmed, until he recognized the man standing in his kitchen, his back turned to him, muttering under his breath as he searched through cabinets.  He was confused until a vague memory reminded him that Garrett had come the night before with medicine.  For some reason, Nate was sure he had fallen asleep holding onto him.

Maybe it had been a dream.

A very good dream.

"Garrett?" He asked quietly and, oh, his throat was really scratchy.  Garrett jumped in surprise.  "What are you doing?"

"Oh, God, Nate, you scared the hell out of me," Garrett muttered with a hand on his chest.  "Don't do that again."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Nate entered the kitchen, walking towards him slowly.

"How are you feeling?" Garrett instantly put his hand on Nate's forehead and this time Nate was conscious enough to feel a rush of adrenaline at the touch, his cheeks coloring up.  "You're not so warm now.  I think the fever broke."

"I feel less like the walking dead," Nate answered.  "What are you doing?"

Garrett looked around the kitchen, his eyes widening.  "Oh my God, you don't think I'm stealing or anything, do you?  Because I'm not, I swear.  I was just looking for something to put the soup I brought you in, because I sort of only had one thermos and if I needed it, I--"

"Garrett relax, it's okay, I know you're not stealing," Nate would have laughed if it wasn't for his head still hurting.  "I meant, why are you in the kitchen in the middle of the night?  If you wanted to sleep, you could've woken me up and I could've arranged my study.  I have a sofa bed in there, you could--"

"Oh, no, don't worry.  I actually, uh, I actually fell asleep with you for a little while, I just woke up a few minutes ago," Garrett blushed and looked at the wall behind Nate as he said that.  "But I need to go soon because I didn't get any baking done last night before coming here and the store will be empty when I open in the morning if I don't leave now."

Nate leaned against the counter, his legs a little shaky, his body still weak.  "Oh, Garrett, you shouldn't have come here.  I'm so sorry, I was--"

Garrett interrupted him and shocked him at the same time when he moved closer to him and put a finger over his lips, effectively silencing him.  "Nate, don't.  I wanted to come, I wanted to make sure you were fine.  I don't care about anything else, okay?  I didn't want you to be alone when you didn't feel good.  You still don't feel good, and I want to help you.  What can I do?"

Nate had to resist the impulse to kiss Garrett's finger.  Garrett, luckily, moved it before Nate's fevered brain did anything irrational.  "You've done more than enough.  Thank you."

"Why are you up?  Are you hungry?  Do you want some soup now?  Do you need more medicine?" Garrett looked seriously concerned and Nate shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, not used to someone showing concern for him.