Nicky's not well

Jeff awoke with a start. He didn't know what it was that woke him exactly; whether it was the harsh silence usually filled by Nick's faint snores and sleepy murmurs, or simply the tight, empty feeling in the pit of his stomach he always got when his husband wasn't around. Either way, when he rolled over and his arm fell onto the bed beside him- cold, hard and unoccupied- he knew something was wrong.

'Nick?' he mumbled, reaching out blindly as if he might be hiding somewhere just out of reach, and finding nothing but cold night air. He sat there for a while, half asleep and shivering slightly, waiting for Nick to return from the bathroom or wherever he was and cuddle the cold away. He didn't return. Jeff sighed as he stretched his lethargic limbs, swinging his legs out of bed and stumbling to the door. As he made his way through their apartment, a faint, miserable sounding groan emanated from the bathroom.

'Nicky?' Jeff whispered tentatively as he approached the door, 'Baby are you ok?' He opened the door to find his husband curled up in a ball, head resting against the cool tiles of the wall, evidence in the sink that he had thrown up already. Nick opened his eyes and Jeff's heart broke for him because he looked so vulnerable there on the bathroom floor. The grumpy look on his face would have been almost amusing if it hadn't been for the tired whine that escaped his lips with it,

'Jeff I don't feel good.'

'Oh Nicky,' Jeff whispered soothingly as he crouched down beside him, rubbing soft circles in his back. He sat there for a while just holding him, whispering soothing mantras in his ear, before carrying his tired form back to bed. 'I'll be back in one second,' Jeff promised, reluctantly leaving his worryingly pale husband there whilst he hurried around the apartment in search of anything that could make Nick feel better.

Nick awoke a few minutes later when Jeff struggled into the room, somehow balancing in his arms a hot cup of lemon and honey, various medications, a cold flannel, a bucket, a copy of Love Actually and his old Dalton Hoodie that Nick always licked to wear when he was ill.

'Jeff…' Nick whispered with a smile.

'Hmf?' Jeff mumbled, trying to hold onto his hoodie with his teeth whilst adjusting the cup that was kind of starting to burn his hand.

'I just…really love you.'

Jeff grinned as the DVD, hoodie, and several pill bottles fell to the floor around him.