#(jaylen)

The pair met up again at checkout and got to their car without really speaking to one another at all. Once they'd loaded their groceries into the trunk, Jaylen grabbed Key's hand as he turned towards the driver's side to get in. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just haven't been getting much sleep lately and I wanted to fix that today. Tomorrow is gonna be stressful and to be honest I'm feeling the anxiety already."

Key turned around to face Jay. "You still had no right to speak to me that way."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"Thank you. Let us get home then so you can get some proper sleep." He gave Jay a quick peck on the cheek and got into the car.

At home Key unpacked while Jaylen took a shower. As he was putting their veggies into the fridge he suddenly felt an intense wave of nausea wash over him and he had to stop. He was leaning heavily against the fridge, panting as he was trying to figure out if he was going to be sick or not. The fridge started beeping as the door was still open and Key closed it in slow and deliberate movements. The nausea wasn't letting up and he gagged into his hand. Jaylen was still in the shower, he could hear the water running. So he turned towards the sink and tried to take deep breaths. His stomach seemed to calm down a bit and Key let himself sink to the floor to sit for a minute and take some measured breaths.

He scrambled up as he heard Jaylen exit the bathroom, he hadn't even realized the water had been turned off. The quick movement jostled his stomach and a bubble of air made it's way up his esophagus. He couldn't hold it back so just as Jaylen turned the corner to the kitchen, Key burped. Loudly.

"Whoa! What a greeting. I'm happy to see you too." Jay laughed as he stepped further into the kitchen. Key still had his fist in front of his mouth while staring intently at the floor. The burp had brought some relief but for a second Key had been convinced he was going to throw up on their kitchen floor.

Jay paused. "Hey, you okay?" He put a comforting hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.

Key straightened up. "Yes, just fine. Sorry, that snuck up on me." He laughed and went back to packing away the rest of the groceries that still lay on the table. He was still feeling slightly nauseous but it wasn't bad enough to worry Jaylen with it. Key figured he'd simply sleep this off.

Jaylen wasn't entirely convinced but Key seemed happy enough so he let it slide. "Any problem with me going to bed now? I'd really like to try and sleep."

"Of course, babe. I'll join you in a bit. Sleep tight." And with a quick kiss Jaylen left the kitchen. Key finished up and followed soon after, still feeling slightly iffy.

He lay awake for what felt like hours. Jaylen was sound asleep next to Key as he tossed and turned, failing to get comfortable. The nausea ebbed and flowed constantly causing Key to sit up several times, each time considering if he needed to make a dash for the bathroom. At about 2 am he was so frustrated that he decided to sit in front of the toilet to maybe trick his body into throwing up and just getting it over with so that he could sleep. He got up as carefully as he could as not to wake his boyfriend and tiptoed to the bathroom.

Of course his body wasn't doing him any favors. Now that he was sitting on the bathroom floor, knees and ass hurting from the hard surface, he was actually coming to the conclusion that his body was set on torturing him on purpose. What he'd done to deserve this, he didn't know.

Key was starting to fall asleep, head on the edge of the bathtub as the nausea suddenly surged again. Key barely had time to sit up before a wave of vomit rushed up his throat. He'd been sitting too far from the toilet and he cringed internally as he heard some vomit splatter on the floor. He managed to position himself properly for the second rush. He coughed and spluttered as his body purged everything he'd eaten that day. He tried to keep as quiet as possible but that's a rather hard task when your insides are trying to become your outsides.

Wave after wave of sick landed forcefully in the toilet and Key couldn't seem to catch his breath. His back and stomach muscles were hurting from the constant heaving and tears of exertion were streaming down his face. He was choking on another wave when suddenly a strong hand started pounding on his back while another grabbed his shoulder.

Key was faintly aware of Jaylen talking but he couldn't make out what his boyfriend was saying. He was too preoccupied with the agony he was currently experiencing. After what felt like hours to Key the vomiting tapered off and he could finally draw in some much needed breaths. The pair sat in silence for a couple of seconds with Jaylen dutifully rubbing his boyfriend's back.

Finally Key groaned and straightened up a bit to grab some toilet paper and flush. "I am so sorry."

Jay switched to slightly massaging Key's shoulders, careful not to apply too much pressure. "Why are you sorry, babe?"

Key melted into Jaylen's touch and sighed. "I did not mean to wake you up. You have to get up soon."

Jay cursed himself. "Oh babe, you should have woken me up. I don't care if I don't get sleep because I'm taking care of you. My heart hurts at the idea of you suffering by yourself. Please don't do stuff like that. Just wake me up, your health and well-being will always come first for me."