That Time When You Needed Me
[Memory, Junior Year, October]
For the last two days, Alexander had skipped classes and communicated strictly via messages, as he appeared to be deaf to the sound of his own ringtone. Lyn didn’t like this one bit, while Brad dismissed it as being nothing and joking that His Majesty might just be trying to prove that he could skip classes and still keep his academic scholarship, no explanations given.
In all honesty, Lyn was worried. Alexander had taken care of him just last week when he’d been sick, and there was a big possibility that the doctor-in-training might have caught whatever Lyn had at the time, despite his constant assurances that he knew exactly what to do to protect himself from such an eventuality.
Two days was too long. Armed with a can of soup and whatever cold medicine he could get without a prescription, along with several bottles of water, Lyn headed toward Alexander’s dorm building.
He was being, most likely, ridiculous. Alexander knew a lot better than he did what to do to treat his own cold. And also, he had to have an entire shelf of medicine for various ailments just for fun.
Still, as futile as his attempt to treat the future doctor might prove to be, Lyn refused to back down. Alexander was a proud creature and most likely would hate him forever for witnessing his one moment of weakness, but Lyn couldn’t let it go.
Brad didn’t know about his secret mission. He’d most likely want to join in, and Lyn didn’t see how Alexander would ever live down the humiliation of being seen down by not one, but both of his friends.
While Brad had tons of acquaintances and friends, Alexander only had Lyn and Brad.
Lyn smiled as he pictured Alexander as an abandoned puppy, but one with a pedigree, who’d love the attention and help but refuse it because of his upbringing and pride. Oh, the puppy was going to get all the care he needed, despite his protestations.
What puppy, he thought with a snort. Alexander was a hound. Perfect genes, all that jazz, bred for prizes and awards.
Yeah, Lyn grinned again. He was perfect and now most likely looked like warmed over shit. It was worth teasing him a little over it, especially since Alexander had had the opportunity to see Lyn at his lowest, too.
Lyn paused in front of the door. No sign of life could be detected; no harmonious notes poured out from one of Alexander’s classical music playlists.
The grin he’d worn on his way here faded. “Alexander?” he called out, knocking gently at first. “You’ve skipped classes for two days. Are you okay?”
Finally, a sound came from behind the door. Lyn decided to take it as an invitation to go in and turned the knob.
It was unlocked, so Lyn slipped inside. At first, he needed to blink a few times to accustom himself to the dim light. The curtains were drawn, preventing the gentle October afternoon from seeping in.
“I said ‘go away’,” came a muffled protest from underneath a mountain of blankets.
“Are you sure? What I heard, exact words, was ‘come in’,” Lyn said without skipping a beat.
“Lynton,” the mountain of blankets moved and spoke, “you are out of your league here.”
Lyn paused. “Do you need the hospital, then?”
“No, I don’t need the hospital. I’d know if I did.”
“Great, then.” Lyn clapped once, making Alexander’s ruffled dark hair peek out from beneath the sundry items he must’ve piled on top of himself. Not all of them were blankets, Lyn noticed now. “Then I’ll be the one to rescue you.”
“I don’t need any rescuing.” Alexander’s tirade was cut short by a fit of coughing.
“Yeah, sure.” Lyn walked closer and put a hand on Alexander’s forehead. “You’re on fire!” he exclaimed.
“And that is news how?” Alexander asked, quite cheekily given his present state. He was trying to peek at Lyn from underneath his friend’s hand.
His lips were dry, Lyn noted. He hurriedly opened one of the water bottles he’d brought and helped him to a sitting position. While keeping one arm wrapped around Alexander’s back, he brought the bottle to his current patient’s lips.
Much to his surprise, Alexander obeyed and accepted the offer, drinking greedily.
“You poor thing,” Lyn said, without even thinking.
Alexander groaned but fell back on his pillow with a vague look of satisfaction on his face. “You know I’ll have to kill you now,” he joked. “Since we’re friends, I’ll let you pick your burial spot.”
“Will it be on your family estate’s grounds? I’ve always had a weakness for the baroque aesthetic,” Lyn said airily.
Alexander snorted.
“I brought some soup. I know it’s better hot… But I have no idea how to warm it up, seeing your spartan living quarters.”
“Just leave it. I can’t eat anything anyway.”
“Well, you’re going to have to,” Lyn insisted. “I might not know a lot about caring for someone with a cold, but I’m willing to learn.”
“Lynton, are you here to fuss over me? Do I look like the type?”
“Really, for someone with a fever, you are annoyingly talkative. And you took care of me just last week. Damn it, you caught it from me, didn’t you?”
Alexander let out another dry cough. “That must mean we’re terribly compatible, don’t you think?”
Lyn groaned. “That, or whatever I had was more contagious than you thought, you stubborn ass. Now, let me fuss over you. It’s mandatory. I did bring some medicine, but you’re better at this than me, so consider me your assistant and order me around.”
“My assistant? Am I allowed to touch you inappropriately?” Alexander joked again. “Workplace romance is a thing, you know.”
Lyn rolled his eyes. “It must be the fever, because I’m sure you didn’t just mistake sexual harassment for romantic overture in front of me. I’m a lawyer; I know the difference, and I’ll drag you to face justice for your actions.”
“Not a lawyer. Yet,” Alexander corrected him with pedantry.
“Right. That means you’re safe. For now.”
The place was a mess. If there was anything Lyn knew how to do better than most people, it had to be tidying up, so he put himself to work, making sure to move quietly since the patient appeared to have returned to a state of slumber.
He paused when he noticed the takeout bag. So, Alexander had ordered something to eat, and when Lyn opened the bag he was pleased to see that the food was still slightly warm, unlike the miserable can of soup he had managed to procure.
“Hey, Alexander,” he whispered, “are you still awake?”
“Yes. I’m just suffering in silence while I listen to you playing maid around my room.”
“There’s warm food. I think it’s something you could manage to eat, even if only a little.”
A short pause followed. “Ah, that must’ve been him, then,” Alexander murmured.
“What do you mean?” Lyn asked, but he noticed the small note right away. Brad had horrible handwriting, but the ‘get well, Your Majesty’ was clear enough to read. “So he knew about your debilitated state and chose to tell me nothing.”
“I told him not to say anything. I also told him not to fuss over me, just as I told you,” Alexander said with a groan. “But he keeps tiptoeing around my room, just like you are.”
Lyn couldn’t suppress a smile. So Brad had thought the same thing: that Alexander couldn’t bear the thought of being seen down by his friends, so, just like Lyn, he’d kept quiet and helped however he could.
Well, the delivered soup was still warm, so Lyn took it out of the bag carefully. Since the room was in disarray he’d have to make do with what he already had at his disposal.
“Well, Your Majesty,” Lyn said breezily, “please don’t break into hives, but you’ll have to eat from a plastic spoon.”
“If this is how I die,” Alexander said with theatrical flourish.
Lyn returned to his patient’s side, this time with proper food. He helped Alexander sit up again, but the posh asshole showed no sign of wanting to pull his arms out from underneath the blankets. Instead, he stared at Lyn with red-rimmed eyes, looking downright miserable.
Yep, perfect Mr. Handsome looked so messed up right now.
Lyn snickered and sat down gingerly by Alexander’s side. “That must mean that I have to spoon-feed you, right?”
“As you can see, I’m incapable of feeding myself. Remember, Lynton. You chose to play this role.”
“It’s all right,” Lyn said cheerfully. “It may be hard work,” he joked, “but it’s worth it. I’ll take my payment in giggles at your expense.”
“Giggles, huh?” Alexander commented but dutifully accepted the first spoonful of soup.
“It’s not every day that I have the privilege to see the great Alexander Montgomery III down on his luck. You look almost human.”
Alexander snorted but opened his mouth for a second spoonful without talking back.
Lyn would have trouble explaining later what possessed him to do the next thing, but he leaned over and kissed Alexander’s forehead. He was easy to baby when he was like this.
Surprised cold-blue eyes stared at him.
“This is embarrassing, I know,” Lyn said quickly to cover his mistake, “but I don’t believe I’ll have another chance in my lifetime to have you at my mercy, like I have you now.”
“Ah, so having me at your mercy means you can kiss me willy-nilly?” Alexander teased, a faint smile gracing his cracked lips.
“It’s easier when you’re all soft and compliant,” Lyn joined in.
“Oh. That’s good to know then.”
“Can you handle more?” Lyn asked, gesturing at the soup.
Alexander dropped back on his pillow. “Just give me a moment.”
“Sure thing,” Lyn hurried to say. “I’ll be here for as long as you need me.”
Alexander extricated one hand to grab Lyn’s arm. “Sit right here then.”
“Here on the bed?” Lyn asked, somewhat startled.
“Yes. Otherwise, you’re free to go.”
Lyn sighed for show and set the food aside. “Just let me make myself a little more comfortable.” In his hurry to attend to Alexander’s needs, he hadn’t even removed his coat.
“Don’t take long,” Alexander ordered like a petulant child.
It made him smile, anyway. Alexander could be a spoiled brat, too, as much as he enjoyed saying that about their mutual friend.
Lyn came back and climbed on the bed. He placed one arm cautiously over Alexander’s head. “Okay. Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?”
“Yes,” came the surprising reply.
Even more surprising was, however, the way Alexander pushed his head against Lyn’s ribs. “Is it okay if I hold you?” Lyn asked, surprised at the tone of his own voice.
“I was hoping you would,” Alexander replied. His voice didn’t have its usual cutting quality, either.
“I’m going to have so much fodder to torture you with later,” Lyn said with satisfaction and wrapped his arm around Alexander, holding him close. “Your Majesty,” he added for good measure.
“Hey,” Alexander protested feebly, “I thought I told you only Brad is allowed to call me that.”
“I remember you framing it differently. It’s okay. I just wanted to check if there was still some spunk left in you since you didn’t react earlier when I called you that.”
“I refrained from doing so, nothing more.”
“Why? It’s not like you to refrain from anything.”
“Isn’t it obvious? I was trying to get you in my bed.”
Lyn groaned and teased Alexander by pulling gently at his hair. “This must be the fever talking. I bet your fan club wouldn’t like to hear you talking like this about a guy.”
“What fan club?” Alexander grumbled and pushed himself against Lyn’s side with a vengeance.
“You know. Your past, present, and future jilted lovers.”
Alexander began snickering against his ribs. “There’s no such thing.”
“So you’re ignoring them, then. Good. For a moment there, you acted so out of character, I was beginning to worry.”
There was no reply from the demon this time. Lyn leaned over only to notice that his patient was slipping into the world of dreams. It looked like there would be no need for a bedtime story, after all.
Later, Alexander might pretend this never happened but, for the moment, Lyn chose to adjust his position so he could hold his friend close.
Funny. Alexander vulnerable and needing help.
Yeah, that wouldn’t age well, Lyn thought with an internal snort. He pressed Alexander’s head gently against his chest. Whenever his mom did that for him, he always felt safe, even after he had grown up.
“I can hear your heartbeat,” Alexander said.
“Sorry, I’ll try to slow it down so you can sleep,” Lyn joked.
“No, don’t change anything. It’s comforting.”
“Aww, really?” Lyn tried to play it down.
“Really,” came the muffled, yet prompt reply. “Will you be here when I wake up?”
“Definitely,” Lyn said with conviction.
“Why?”
The question caught him off-guard.
“Because you did the same for me.”
“And if I hadn’t?”
“I’d still be here,” Lyn replied, not needing to think twice about his answer.
“Why?”
So, sick Alexander reverted to being a four-year-old.
“Because you’re my friend. If you ask me ‘why’ one more time, I’m going to start pulling your ear, you brat.”
Alexander giggled while pressing his head hard against Lyn’s chest.
“You need me,” Lyn said simply. “That’s enough.”
TBC
Author's note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, which happened right after the memory chapter in which Lyn got sick, and Alexander nursed him back to health.
@Derek - for all that you said, yes, yes, and yes :) I know you'll get what I mean.
@DavidB - thank you so much for the nice comment! I know I've tortured you guys enough... the end is in sight now!
@FCW Reading - a misalignment of feelings, yes. Next chapter will be quite revealing.
@Buchanan - I think you found the above chapter just as cute, if not cuter!
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