24- Feeling Better

Ryan took a moment to get himself together before he made his second phone call. This one was short and sweet. The person in the other end didn't make any fuss as far as Scott could tell. Ryan even ended it with a "thank you."

Scott gave Ryan a kiss on the cheek and got up to get him a dose of Tylenol, his hormone suppressant, and a cold Gatorade.

"How's your stomach, Hot Stuff? Need some Pepto too?"

"No, my stomach feels okay... But my head hurts..."

Scott handed over the pills and the drink. "This should help. I'll get you a fresh cold compress. Are you hungry? I can make toast, or I've got oatmeal? If you're not up for eating, there's plenty of the broth from last night?"

"Maybe... a piece of toast...?"

Ryan wasn't particularly hungry. His extremities felt languid. He knew it had to be from not eating nearly two days straight. Even if he couldn't finish it, he'd feel less bad about wasting a piece of bread than he would about an entire bowl of oatmeal.

Scott got the couch set up for him again, bringing all the things back from the bedroom, including the trashcan. He undid Ryan's hair, combed it out with his fingers, then swiftly braided it back. Ryan secretly loved the feeling of having his hair played with... Lastly, his compress was replaced, complete with a kiss. Ryan allowed himself to revel in it. It made him feel all fuzzy inside. It was almost enough to make him forget about the dressing down he got from calling out late.

Scott making breakfast for him was a completely different feeling. Even if it was just toast, nobody had offered to cook for him like that in a long time. Between the care and the concern, he felt special. He was a little chilly, but his blanket was still there from yesterday, so he wrapped himself up in it.

Soon, there was the sound of popping toasters and brewing coffee. Scott asked if he wanted anything on his toast, he actually called out an impressive list of spreads considering he lived by himself, but Ryan just wanted it plain. In no time at all, he had a single piece of toast in front of him, cut diagonally, on a plate and everything.

"Who says you can't cook...?" Ryan joked.

"Shhhh, that's a secret! I'd have to make toast for everybody if word got out!"

Ryan waited for Scott to come back with his own toast, smeared with some kind of jelly, and a novelty mug full of coffee. Checking that it was okay, Scott put on a news program. Ryan didn't take the first nibble until Scott started eating.

He really didn't want the toast. He forced himself to eat half of it. He leaned against Scott who was leisurely eating his own breakfast. Nothing interesting was being covered in the news, just gas prices, weather reports, and meaningless fluff pieces.

It hit him all at once. Ryan knew he wasn't going to make it to the bathroom. He grabbed for the trashcan. His hands shook. He braced himself, and belched loudly into the container. Scott was immediately rubbing his back. For a moment, he thought he was in the clear. He didn't puke, it was just a burp! Then, up came the toast. Scott kept rubbing in big, slow circles.

Well, maybe having the trashcan around was a good thing after all. He moved to go clean it out, but Scott put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"You stay. Let me take care of that."

"Sorry..."

Scott took the bin from him to the bathroom to clean it. Ryan sagged back against the couch. He was back in "Don't Feel Good" mode. It's not like he wanted to make more work for Scott, it was just an accident. Maybe he shouldn't have tried eating after all, not while he was still upset from the phone call. He pushed the plate with the remaining half-piece of toast on it a little further away from him, and wrapped his blanket tighter.

In next to no time, Scott returned with a clean trashcan, which smelled of bleach. He wordlessly dished out more meds, which Ryan downed without complaint. Once Scott sat back down, Ryan flopped against him, pillowing his head on Scott's shoulder. He considered asking something truly selfish, but he wanted it so badly...

"Um..." Ryan hesitated.

"What do you need, Hot Stuff?"

Scott put his arm around Ryan's shoulders. His tender undivided attention emboldened Ryan to voice what he considered a petty request.

"Could you... Once you're done eating... could you maybe... rub my belly a little? It... It makes me feel better... And... I really want to lay back down..."

In response Scott made a big show of finishing off the last of his food and brushing the crumbs off. He repositioned himself on the couch and held his arms out, making grabbing motions with his fingers, still chewing.

Ryan shimmied over and leaned against Scott's chest. A bit of scooting and shuffling and they were both comfortable. Scott made sure both of their drinks were in reach. His touch was soft, but effective, as he alternated between using his fingers and his palm to trace spirals on Ryan's abdomen.

"I'm not... being a pest... am I...?"

"Call it sick person privilege. There's no shame in needing a little 'Boyfriend Medicine' every now and then. Besides, it's nice to feel needed."

Ryan didn't have a response for that. Scott had a super important job, wasn't he needed all the time? That aside, he gave amazing belly rubs. Ryan couldn't decide which he liked better, that or having his hair played with. How long had it been since someone treated him like this? Was Scott only treating him this way because he was an alpha and Ryan was an omega? His collar felt clammy and constricting on his neck. He reached up and loosened the lacing.

"Do you want to take that off?"

"No... it's okay now..."

Scott continued administering his special treatment. Under his fingers, Ryan's muscles were tense, his stomach still slightly bloated. He was pretending to watch the news, occasionally drinking a bit of coffee, but he was actually watching Ryan from the corner of his eye. If the fever spiked any more, they would go to the hospital. Same thing if he couldn't stomach solid food by the end of the day.

He could feel Ryan fighting sleep. He willed the scales to tip in sleep's favor. The best thing for a sick person was sleep. The body could fight so much harder that way. Half an hour later, sleep finally won.

Sleep won so hard in fact, that Ryan barely stirred when Scott had to get up to use the bathroom. He just curled up on the couch, dead to the world.

Scott let him be. There were a few small chores he had to do, anyway. That didn't mean he didn't hover, he felt Ryan's cheek at least every ten minutes. Thankfully, Ryan seemed to be cooling down. It was hard to tell for sure without talking a reading, but things were definitely moving in a positive direction.

Ryan slept until almost one. By then, Scott had his laundry done, the floors swept, and his bathroom cleaned. He was checking some paperwork he had spread on the kitchen table, when he witnessed Ryan rise from the dead, bleary-eyed, cowlick, and everything.

Ryan stretched and yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Feeling any better?" Scott asked

"I think I'm hungry?"

"Oh? What do you want?"

"Did you say you had oatmeal?"

Scott came over and felt Ryan's cheeks. The fever seemed to be gone, and the thermometer confirmed it! It was still best to proceed with caution, but his relief was plain to see. Scott happily cleared the table off and prepared a packet of instant oatmeal, inviting Ryan to come and eat. Scott himself hadn't had lunch yet, so he heated up some leftover Chinese and joined him.

Ryan thanked Scott for the food, then made sure to eat very slowly. After the first bite, he was sure he was definitely hungry. In fact, his stomach loudly protested against being made to wait, which earned a good-natured chuckle from Scott.

"I'm so glad you're feeling better."

"Me too. I'm sorry I've taken up such a huge chunk of your weekend. I mean, it's Saturday. I'm sure you have more important things to do besides watching over me. Or, things you'd rather be doing..."

Scott took Ryan's free hand in his, and looked deep into his boyfriend's eyes.

"You ARE important!" he insisted, "And snuggling with you on the couch? Best feeling ever! I LIKE spending time with you! Even like this."

"Wouldn't you have rather played some video games instead?" Ryan objected shyly.

"You feeling up to some player two shenanigans?"

After they ate, Scott insisted Ryan try to drink some more. Hydration being important to recovery and all. They ended up playing a puzzle game, since Scott wanted to limit the excitement and it was one Ryan already knew how to play. They sat side by side on the couch, shoulder to shoulder, legs touching. This was the kind of Saturday Scott could get used to. Pajamas, video games, and Ryan all to himself. He kept watch over Ryan from the corner of his eye, wanting to monitor any changes and make sure he didn't start feeling bad again.

They played for a few hours. Ryan was actually genuinely enjoying himself. Sure, the day got off to a rocky start, but he liked playing video games with his boyfriend. He decided this one was probably his favorite. The characters were so cute!

If only every Saturday could feel like this…