Big Brother Insticts
Sicktember day 1: Hopelessly Bad At Self-Care
Description: Aiden neglects himself trying to finish a novel and ends up sick. James is a kind albeit exasperated caretaker. Pre-Cody, Aiden is 23 James is 25.
It’s not unusual for Aiden to get caught up in his own little world when writing; in fact, it’s part of what makes him so good. However, he has a tendency to get lost to the point of neglecting himself. On more than one occasion, he has locked himself in the upstairs study for days on end, barely eating or drinking, and only coming down to take care of Otis and Kipper.
James and Trent have learned to just leave Aiden alone for the most part and let him do his thing. Generally after two or three days Aiden emerges and sleeps for twelve straight hours then returns to normal. His friends know better than to disturb him but on day 5 of radio silence on Aiden’s end. James is officially worried. His big-brother senses are tingling and despite both Trent and Daisy insisting that he’s fine, James finds himself at 6pm standing outside Aiden’s building with a bag of food from the corner deli; fully prepared to force-feed Aiden and drag him to bed if necessary.
James calls Aiden twice and after receiving no answer, uses his emergency key to let himself in. Otis is draped over the back of the couch in the sunroom when James opens the front door and Kipper is curled up on his dog bed by the window chewing on a bone. The dachshund immediately jumps down to greet James with his tail wagging. James sets the bag of food down and bends over to pet Kipper. He surveys the house and frowns. Aiden should have heard him come in. “Hey Aiden, buddy. I brought food.”, James calls out as he walks into the kitchen. There’s no response and James tries again.
“It’s your favorite. I know you forget to eat when you get like this but you can’t survive on air and caffeine.”
James is met with silence but before he can say anything else he hears coughing coming from upstairs and the unmistakable sound of Aiden wheezing softly between coughs. Shit James thinks before setting the food on the counter and quickly walking upstairs.
The door to Aiden’s study has a big KEEP OUT! sign on it which James chooses to ignore. He pushes the door open and is met with the sight of Aiden hunched over his desk, papers strewn everywhere, attempting to cough and type at the same time. There’s a small mound of tissues and crumbled paper in the wastebasket by his desk and a half-drunk mug of tea next to his laptop. The air smells stuffy and judging by the state of Aiden’s clothes, he hasn’t showered or changed shirts in days. It’s not unusual but it’s definitely not good either.
“Aiden, buddy you ok?” James calls out as he slowly approaches his friend.
“Mm fine, g’way.”
James rolls his eyes and walks up next to Aiden. The young writer is even more pale than usual and his cheeks are flushed bright red. His blonde hair is matted down with sweat and he keeps squinting in pain at the bright screen of his laptop. “You’re sick,” James states, point blank. Aiden shakes his head and blinks when the action makes him slightly dizzy. He opens his mouth to speak but is instead caught in a horrible coughing fit. Aiden doubles over struggling to get a full breath in between coughs. Each one tears his already sore throat and causes his chest to burn. James kneels down and wraps a strong arm around Aiden, rubbing his back soothingly,
“Easy there, try to breathe. I’ve gotcha.” James soothes. He can feel the heat radiating off of Aiden. One of the coughs morphs into a gag and James quickly grabs the small trash can, pushing it under Aiden’s mouth in time to catch a small stream of puke. Aiden whimpers and sucks in a small, raspy breath before sitting up. James places one of his hands against Aiden's forehead and brushes back his hair. “You’re burning up kid.”, James sighs. Aiden straightens up and tries to turn back towards his laptop but wavers slightly, even while sitting. He shivers and tries to blink away the fogginess. A large warm hand, James, comes to rest on his shoulder and Aiden tries to shrug it off.
“M’ok, I need to finish this.” Aiden mumbles stubbornly. He lifts a shaking hand up to the keyboard as another shiver runs through him. James stands up and scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “What you need is to take better care of yourself. Starting with dinner, shower, and bed.”, James replies. His brows creased with concern when he noticed how shaky Aiden was. Then, suddenly a sob bubbles up from Aiden's throat and tears spring to his blue eyes.
“I-I-I’m s-ssorry.”, Aiden chokes out between sobs, his slender shoulders shaking with the force. It wasn’t uncommon for him to get emotional when he was sick, particularly if he had a fever. Now that James has broken his focus, Aiden is acutely aware of just how terrible he feels. His head is pounding in time with his heartbeat, he is cold and aching all over. His chest and throat burn with congestion and his belly feels distinctly unsettled. There was no denying he was sick. Aiden had a notoriously weak immune system, which combined with his recent lack of self care had led to him catching a rather nasty bout of flu. Tears continued to track down his red, blotchy cheeks.
James quickly knelt down again, pulling the smaller man into a warm hug and rubbing his back. “Shshshsh, it’s ok. I’ve got you”, James coos softly.
The role of caretaker came naturally to James and he found himself on more often than not being the voice of reason with Aiden and Trent. He had lost track of how many times he’d helped the two of them through various illnesses and rough patches. James didn't mind either, it was second nature to help others and it gave him purpose. James carefully rubs circles on Aiden's trembling back for a few minutes, whispering reassurances, until Aiden’s sobs slow down. “I-I don’t feel so good,” Aiden whispers after a pause, his voice sounding far younger. He wraps his arms around himself and whimpers.
“What are your symptoms? Does your belly hurt? Head?” James questions gently, hoping to figure out how he could help his friend. Aiden nods softly in response and leans into James’s embrace. “What else buddy?” James asks, looking Aiden over worriedly. Aiden shrugs in reply, unsure of how to put into words just how miserable he feels. “Are you still feeling sick?” James asks, nodding towards the trash bin. Aiden shakes his head, his stomach hurts but he doesn’t feel queasy at the moment. James thinks it over for a minute, trying to come up with a plan.
“Alright, let’s get you cleaned up and into bed, Hmm?”
James scoops Aiden up gently and carries him out of the study towards the stairs. Aiden fits easily against James’s broad chest and he hardly weighs anything in comparison. Aiden presses his overly warm cheeks against the soft material of his friend's shirt and tries not to think about the way his tummy is sloshing and churning. Even though he doesn’t feel like he’s about to puke again, his belly is upset and the movement of being carried isn’t helping. The young writer wraps an arm around himself, resting a hand on his tummy and rubbing gently. He can feel it gurgling and bubbling beneath his fingertips.
James carries Aiden into the bathroom and sets him down on the closed lid of the toilet. He grabs the thermometer from the medicine cabinet and crouches down next to Aiden. “Open up.” James prompts as he places the device in Aiden's mouth. Aiden obeys and slumps against James as he waits for the beep. While they wait, James checks Aiden's pulse, purely out of habit, and listens to his breathing briefly. Finally, the thermometer beeps, and James forms at the reading, not at all surprised. “102.6°F, no wonder you feel like shit,” James says as he sets the device aside. “Can you manage a shower by yourself?” He asks Aiden, recalling the time his friend had passed out in the shower from dehydration.
“I can manage.” Is Aiden's tired response as he stands and slips his shirt off. James turns to leave, glancing back one last time. “I’m gonna grab you some clean clothes and heat up the soup I got you. Yell if you need anything.” He says before exiting the bathroom.
Aiden turns the water on and strips out of his clothes. He is immensely thankful for his fancy, high-end bathroom. The shower has a built-in bench and Aiden sits down letting the water wash over him. The heat eases some of the aching in his back and neck. He weakly grabs a washcloth and begins washing away the sweat and smell of sickness. The steam loosens some of the congestion in his chest and Aiden feels like he can breathe fully.
While Aiden showers, James grabs some clean pajamas and a soft, oversized hoodie for him. He sets the clothing on the bathroom counter and then goes to the kitchen. Otis is sitting by his food dish, staring at James expectantly and Kipper glances up hopefully. James fills both of their bowls and then opens up the bag from the deli. He places the sandwich in the fridge, unsure if Aiden’s stomach can handle anything that heavy, and heats up part of the matzo ball soup in a smaller bowl. He also grabs a bottle of water, a glass of apple juice from the fridge, and some crackers. In the background, he can hear the shower turn off and he carries the food and drink on a tray to the den. James sets the food on the coffee table and grabs one of the throw blankets from the closet. When Aiden walks into the den, James frowns; Aiden looks so small and vulnerable, not to mention pale and sick. It makes James’s protective big-brother instincts kick in. Aiden is clutching his beloved stuffed bear in his arms and he’s shivering despite the hot shower and warm hoodie. He sinks into the couch and James wraps a soft blanket around his shoulders and tucks another one over his lap.
“Now I know you probably aren’t hungry but you really need to get something in your system,” James says firmly, motioning towards the food. Aiden shakes his head and sinks further into the plush couch. “My belly feels gross, I-I don't think I can,” Aiden responds quietly. His tummy hurts, although that could just as easily be from lack of food; Aiden doesn’t want to risk it. James frowns and rubs his hand over Aiden’s arm. “I know you don’t feel good, but I promise this will help.” James reasons. Aiden glances up at his friend and pauses for a moment before relenting, “Can we watch Dr.Who though?” Aiden asks as he grabs the tray of food. James smiles and ruffles Aiden’s slightly damp hair before queuing up the requested show.
Aiden manages to eat most of the soup, allowing himself to get distracted by his favorite show. He even drinks a decent amount of the juice and after one and a half episodes he slumps back into the couch and pushes the food away tiredly. James stands up and clears away the dishes before returning to the couch. Aiden shifts on the couch and tries to get comfortable. His tummy feels bloated even after such a small meal. Aiden groans and wraps the blankets tighter around himself. James settles next to his friend on the cough and instinctively pulls Aiden against him so that the smaller man is practically on his lap. Aiden relaxes into the comforting embrace as James rubs his back. Kipper trots into the den and jumps up on the couch next to James, curling into a ball and Otis follows behind settling on a chair nearby.
After 3 episodes, Aiden is finally asleep and James turns the TV off, smiling at his friend. He picks Aiden up carefully and carries him into his bedroom tucking him under the blankets. He places a bin on the floor next to the bed and makes sure Aiden’s inhaler is within reach on the nightstand before turning off the light. James does a quick tidy-up and checks all the doors and windows are locked before climbing into bed with Aiden and promptly falling asleep himself.
They manage to sleep for several hours before the peaceful slumber is disturbed. James jolts awake to the sounds of coughing coming from next to him. He sits up and flicks on the lamp turning to Aiden. The smaller blonde is hunched over coughing harshly and clutching his mid-section. Upon seeing his friend's distress, James wakes up fully and reaches across the bed to grab the bin off the floor. He sets the bin on top of the blankets and starts rubbing Aiden’s back softly in an attempt to calm him down. Aiden whimpers as the coughs jostle his belly and tear his throat.
“Easy Aiden, you gotta try to breathe.” James soothes as he wraps one arm around Aiden's back and uses the other to brace his forehead. “I-I mngh..” Aiden tries to formulate a response but the words get caught in his throat as his belly churns and gurgles sickly. All the coughing is tugging at his gag reflex and Aiden leans over the bin with a dry retch. He burps, wet and hollow over the bin and swallows against the rising vomit. Aiden stubbornly swallows again, determined not to vomit. It’s a losing battle though and the next cough brings up a mouthful of partially digested soup that splashes in the bin. James doesn’t even flinch, after everything he’s seen and dealt with this is nothing. He rubs Aiden’s back as his friend coughs up more vomit. When the heaving finally stops Aiden slumps back against the headboard, panting and exhausted. It feels like his stomach has been wrung out like a wet rag. Aiden glances between James and the trash bin, “H-how did you know?”, Aiden asks. One minute he was fast asleep and the next he was puking it, he couldn’t quite fathom how James could react in time.
“Big-brother instincts my friend.” James replies with a smile.
James helps Aiden rinse his mouth out and get settled back in the bed, tucking the blankets around him and making sure his friend is propped up. Then he cleans out the bin and brings it back to the bedroom, before climbing back into bed. In his sleep, Aiden drifts closer to James, unconsciously seeking comfort. James smiles and ruffles Aiden’s hair once more before falling back to sleep.
