nawwwhh man you aint gotta feel bad about not doin sicktember. im bein real here, i thought i was and i did like 3, so i aint either. but if you really do want me to request one, i'd probably do psychogenic fever/stress induced illness with madix bein sickie bc itd relate to me personally the most (bc i always get stress sick and i'd love to see madix sick witb it too (bonis point if dakota take care of him GOD i loved the fic where dakote took care of him))
Hey man, thanks for always being there and loving my fics. I hope you like this one even though it's nearly two fucking years late I swear.
This fic is set in the past when Madix and Dakota are in school together.
CW: Graphic description of vomiting! It's seriously so gross I love it lol.
A flood of relieved students rushed past Dakota. He swam against the current looking for Madix among the test-takers. Since it was 2pm, they were no longer test-takers, but the sea of knowledge inside their brains would still be there until the PTSD of organic chemistry was washed away by time.Â
Dakota knew how anxious Madix had been for this final. The dreaded Orgo Chem kept his roommate up for the past three nights. It was a known fact that this second-year course was a killer, and Madixâs prof was a distinguished serial killer. Many students retook Orgo in the summer, trying for that passing grade with perhaps a more lenient prof.Â
With the hallway now emptyâall the students having leftâit was easy for Dakota to find Madix. He hadnât expected his friend to stick around after the final was over, but there he was sitting on the floor by the large windows. Madix looked like a crab, trying to find safety in the shell of his hunched over back. He had his head in his hands and was rubbing his temples as if the trauma of the exam pooled behind his eyes.Â
âHey, how did it go?â It was a very pointless question given that Madix was curled into a question mark.Â
âFuck if I know,â Madix slurred as he slid his hands down his face. âI keep going over every question, doubting my answers.âÂ
âWell, itâs over now so you donât need to think about it.â It worried Dakota how glassy and fragile Madixâs eyes looked, like he was about to cry or explode into flames. His cheeks were pale and sunken too.Â
âI need a 73 to pass the class.âÂ
Dakota squinted. âMmh sounds like youâre still thinking about it.âÂ
Madix dropped his hands to his side. âI canât stop. That exam is all Iâve been thinking about for the last week. I havenât even had time to study for Anatomy tomorrow.â
With a sigh, Dakota sat down on the floor next to his friend. âI brought you something to take your mind off studying.â From behind his back, Dakota revealed a fast-food bag from the student lounge. It was Madixâs favourite place to get comfort food because of the crispy fries, the juicy burger, and the creamy milkshake. Madix didnât like to indulge that craving too often because it was a greasy cheat meal that often left him feeling bloated, but Dakota thought it would be a nice gesture since Madix had hardly eaten anything leading up to this exam.Â
He was about to hand his friend the grease-wrapped gift, but hesitated. The heat coming off Madixâs body was alarming. Dakota could feel the waves just sitting next to him. A quick touch to Madixâs forehead with the back of his hand told Dakota that heâd been neglecting his roommate.Â
âShit, Mads, youâre burning up. I didnât know you were sick all this time.âÂ
âIâm not sick.â Like a starving animal, Madix reached for the bag of food, but Dakota held it out of his reach.Â
âBullshit. You can deny it all you want, but your headâs on fire, buddy.âÂ
Dakota couldnât stop his lecture now, as if the two of them hadnât heard enough lecturing the whole year. âYouâre the one in pre-med, you should knowâwait what?âÂ
Madix sighed at the theatrics of his friend. âIâve had a fever for three days. Itâs not going away.â He rubbed his own forehead, feeling the familiar yet puzzling temperature. âI donât have any other symptoms. I think itâs from stress.âÂ
It was honestly the oddest feeling. Madix could feel himself cooking from the inside. His cells buzzed like the many diagrams of excited particles when submitted to heat. But there was nothing else to indicate a virus or infection. His throat was fine; his nose was clear. If anything, he was infected with school. Perhaps his nose was clogged with equations and his throat was sore from reciting textbook chapters.Â
Dakota looked skeptical. âSo, you gave yourself a fever from worrying?âÂ
âYes, itâs a medical mystery. They should name a disease after me. Anyway, gimme burger.â Madix reached for the food like a child with grubby fingers.Â
Dakota scooted away from his friend, taking the prize with him. âI donât know, Mads. You really donât look well. I donât think itâs a good idea for you to eat something so heavy.âÂ
âCome on. You know Iâve been surviving on goldfish crackers.â It was only now that he could smell the fries and beef that Madix realized how hungry he was. His stomach was aching for something substantial. âBesides, I need the energy to study for Anatomy. Itâs tomorrow by the way.âÂ
âTomorrow? But you just had orgo.âÂ
âI have a shit exam schedule this year.â Madix pouted. âPlease, Kota. It will make me feel better.âÂ
Finally, Dakota relented. He had bought it for Madix after all. But now he was worried that it was the exact opposite of what the overworked boy needed.Â
He watched Madix stuff his face with his first real meal in 72 hours. The burger disappeared in record time. Fatty juices glistened on Madixâs chin as he dug into the fries. His fingers were coated in grease and fry seasoning by the time he was done. In between each mouthful, he took longs slurps of the Oreo milkshake.Â
âYou wanna slow down there, bud?â Dakota asked incredulously. There wasnât much more to eat at this point.Â
Madix dragged his sleeve over his mouth and shook his head. âHave to start studying soon.â He swallowed the last bite of fries and sucked at the last remnants of the milkshake. Madix let out a long burp at the end and sighed.Â
âIâm not gonna lie, that was impressive.â Dakota couldnât believe his eyes. âYouâre getting more colour in your cheeks.â Maybe the meal really had been a good thing. âBut Iâm still worried about this voodoo fever though.âÂ
âIt wonât go away until the exams do.âÂ
âThen neither will I.â Dakota stood firm in this decision. He wasnât going to let Madix get burnt outâŚliterally. His hardest exams were done, so he could keep a closer eye on Madix now. âIâll study with you in the library.âÂ
âYou donât have to, Kota. Iâll be fine.âÂ
By the tone of Dakotaâs voice, Madix could tell that he wasnât going to win this one. âFine, but weâre studying in the red zone.âÂ
âNot the red zone! Anything but that.âÂ
Madix shrugged. âYouâre the one who insisted on babysitting.â
The red zone was the fourth circle of hellâalso known as the library during exam season.Â
It was the quietest level of the building, reserved exclusively for students to study in absolute silence. No talking, no phones, you couldnât even sneeze without getting dirty looks. You could hear a pencil drop and then watch that pencil be escorted out of the red zone.Â
As someone with ADHD, Dakota hated the red zone. He much preferred the orange or yellow zone. At least in the orange zone, you could whisper and cough without being shunned. The yellow zone allowed for conversation and anxious tapping. He admitted that the green zone was definitely not ideal for studying. That was the first level of the library were students could openly cry over their exams or practice for their theater final that involved a murder scene.Â
Dakota pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key. He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them from moving on their own.Â
Madix on the other hand had no issue keeping his mouth shut. The nausea forced his lips together.Â
The fast food was quickly catching up to him, staying true to its name even inside his stomach. It hadnât taken long before the burger, fries, and milkshake resisted digestion. The meal churned in his belly like a wad of chewing gum.Â
The red zone was popular during this time of year, so Madix and Dakota hunted for two chairs next to each other. They found a long table with many students already studying there, but luckily there were two empty spots across from each other. Madix was grateful to be sitting across from Dakota so that he could rub his upset stomach discreetly.Â
Unfortunately, the red zone was not a good place to have a gurgly tummy. The girl next to Madix gave him the stink eye when the organ groaned, tossing chewed up cow inside his gut. He felt grease sticking to his throat and hot burps in his chest. He pushed down every belch lest he be escorted out of the level.Â
The words of the anatomy textbook swam across the page. Madix felt his fever ignite with a vengeance. Now he was dizzy, disoriented, and disgustingly full. There was heat behind his eyes that turned his vision to soup. Everything he needed to know for the exam was right in front of him in the book, but the letters became alphabet stew on a white background.Â
He dared not look up at his friend in fear that Dakota would see right through him.Â
Dakota could not study in such an environment, so naturally he saw every twinge of nausea flash across Madixâs expression. His poor friend was not having a good time. Madixâs cheeks were now flushed bright red, and beads of sweat gathered on his brow.Â
In the dead quiet of the library, he could hear Madixâs stomach struggle to digest the heavy meal. Dakota kicked himself for giving into Madixâs begging. The nausea was no doubt thwarting his efforts at studying which created a vicious cycle of stress and pain.Â
Dakota did a quick doodle in his notebook and passed it to Madix. He was quite proud of his drawing and had to keep in a chuckle.Â
Madix frowned at the drawing. Along the top were the words Green Zone Now? Below Dakotaâs messy handwriting was a drawing of a green-faced emoji. Its cheeks were ballooned with vomit. It seemed he wasnât hiding his ailment so well.Â
On the same page, Madix wrote back Iâm fine. Must study. Madix didnât think he needed to go to the green zone, despite what his complexion said. He could control his stomach. The food would stay down; it had to.Â
Dakota gave Madix a disappointed look when he got the note back. Why must he be so stubborn? Dakota had to drop the matter. Aside from physically picking up his friend, he didnât see any other way of convincing Madix to take a break for the sake of his health. He wasnât going to be making any compelling arguments in the red zone.Â
Madix tried to ignore his blistering fever and his unhappy guts.
Systemic Anatomy was hard to study for when he was so keenly aware of his digestive system. He imagined partially digested fries mixing with the gastric juices in his belly. His body went through the steps with much difficulty.Â
The muscular organ was literally in the process of contracting itself to squeeze all the nutrients out of the fast food. Madix did not like the squeezing. He hugged his aching middle and laid his head on the table in defeat.Â
It didnât seem likely that the food would continue on to his intestines. His stomach couldnât handle the greasy meal after days of hardly anything to eat. On top of all this, his body was too busy fighting a made-up virus called stress. The stress was very real, but his immune system was taking it too literally. It was no wonder why he couldnât keep the meal down.Â
Madix couldnât stop the burp from coming up. It burst from his mouth, splashing the back of his throat with acid. The girl next to him shushed him. Her expression was as sour as his stomach. He didnât have the will to apologize for the noise. Regardless, he wouldnât have had the chance to say sorry anyway because another burp filled his mouth with sticky saliva.Â
Dakota looked up quickly to see Madix hunched over his chair and gagging into his hand. Another sickly belch bubbled up, draining the colour from Madixâs face.Â
Before Dakota could do anything, he watched Madix lurch forward with a loud heave. Thick vomit spewed from his mouth and fell onto the table in front of him. The sick quickly spilled onto Madixâs lap.Â
âOh, shit Maddy,â Dakota cooed as he came to his friendâs side. He didnât bother with the anti-social etiquette of the red zone, not that it mattered though because everyone in their vicinity bolted from the room. No one wanted to risk catching whatever Madix had during their exams.Â
Madix coughed and sputtered. Scandalous! He could only moan miserably before the muscles in his belly contracted again, sending up another wave of mushy fries and curdled milkshake. Dark flecks of Oreo and beef dotted the sick.Â
âOh GodâŚâ Madix choked out. âI canât stop.â
Dakota rubbed his friendâs back while trying not to look at the growing pool of vomit that wasâŚeverywhere. âItâs okay, buddy. Just let it out.â The same heat from before lived beneath Madixâs skin. Dakota could feel the fever through his clothes. âNo one is here. Youâre good. Do what you need to do.âÂ
Madixâs belly gave another deep lurch. The pressure forced the undigested food up his open esophagus. If this wasnât the best way to study the digestive system, then Madix didnât know what else to do besides open himself up like a cadaver.Â
His fever made the room spin around him. If he had any sort of receptacle, he probably would have missed. Luckily, he had no issue catching his notebook, his lap, and his shoes in the process.Â
âGood job,â Dakota encouraged. He patted Madixâs back firmly. âGet it all out. Get that stress out too while youâre at it.âÂ
Madix had to admit that there was something cathartic about this purge. He felt lighter with each bout that left his body. He gave over to his subconscious mind and let his body do what it needed to do. He probably should have listened to the hunger and sleep cues before this, but he was listening now to the Get Out cues.Â
If stressed looked like a melted Oreo milkshake then it was certainly no longer in his body. He tried to imagine the pressure and the expectations and the need for validation leaving his body along with the vomit.Â
When Madix caught a break, he couldnât help but give a chuckle. âThis is the red zone. I just puked in the red zone.âÂ
Dakota laughed with him. âAll over it really.â He looked around at the empty room. âYou scared everyone away. They must think you have the plague.âÂ
âI think weâre all infected with it. This pressureâitâs an epidemic, man.âÂ
âDonât go turning into a philosopher.â Dakota took a step back from his friend. It wasnât a good view, but he was happy to see Madixâs shoulders relaxed. âDo you need anything? Water? Sleep?âÂ
âBoth.â Madix slowly stood up from his chair, cringing at the wetness that made his shirt cling to his body. âBut I think I better find someone who works here.â Madix rubbed the back of his neck. âGuess I should have listened to you, huh?â Â
âLetâs discuss my vast amount of wisdom when everythingâs cleaned up, shall we?"Â