Universal Love - Scenes of YuZhou

In Sickness and In Health

The medicine he had taken earlier in the day had worn off. Completely. Everything hurt, literally everything. He barely remembered finishing his work for the day just as his symptoms started to come back. He had made it home, but he would not be able to say exactly how if asked. Sheer will had kept him going until he got to his bedroom. He couldn't crawl into bed properly, much less get under the covers, but just lay on top and curled into a ball. Even groaning at the pain was too much effort now.

He must have a fever, he thought, a pretty high one. He was shivering with cold despite being indoors and fully dressed, still wearing the heavy, down filled winter coat that normally made him sweat it was so warm. He curled tighter into himself, trying to trap some warmth, some where in his body. His head was pounding as though an elephant was marching over him. Every breath stabbed his chest with thousands of needles. His muscles and joints screamed with pain, the uncontrollable shivering only multiplying the agony. He lay there, trying to determine some part of his body that did not feel like it had been hit by a train, time moving immeasurably slow in his hazy perception. When the light suddenly flicked on, he felt blinded, even through his closed eyelids.

"Oh my God! JingYu?!?!"

The soft exclamation filtered through the ringing in his ears. Before he could form an answer and push it through the tightness in his throat, JingYu felt the bed give way next to him and a cool hand slide across his forehead.

"You're fucking on fire! What is this? C'mon, let's get you in bed."

JingYu wanted to protest as a firm grip gently pried his arm out from under him and pulled the coat sleeve off, but another wave of uncontrollable shivering rattled his teeth, making it impossible to do more than moan. With the coat gone, he curled back into himself to fight the chill. JingYu realized just how weak he was when strong hands grabbed his ankles, pulling his legs straight, and then rolled him onto his back. Any strength to argue was already gone when his jeans were deftly unfastened and removed from his legs. The rustling of bedcovers was accompanied by fragments of scolding as he struggled to move his body with WeiZhou's help.

"Damn fool...always getting on to me...take care of yourself...getting sick...pushing too hard...idiot."

With his head finally on the pillow, and the covers pulled up and tucked around him, JingYu finally croaked out a rebuttal.

"Medicine...just need more."

"It's in the kitchen, right? Just a minute."

JingYu felt WeiZhou leave his side, but could do no more than groan again. Within a moment, the clink of a glass on the nightstand signaled his return.

"Come here," WeiZhou said, his arm squeezing under JingYu's shoulders to raise him slightly. JingYu obediently parted his lips at WeiZhou's touch, the bitterness of a pill hitting his tongue before cold glass tipped warm water into his mouth, and the whole process was repeated once more. WeiZhou noted how JingYu winced and struggled to swallow. He could not stop himself from giving JingYu a tight squeeze, inducing another painful grimace, before gently lowering him back to the pillow.

JingYu rolled to his side and pulled his knees to his chest, battling the continuous shivers that just would not stop. Feeling movement next to him, JingYu tried to open his eyes, but only one parted halfway.

"Zhou...no," he attempted to argue, as WeiZhou pressed against him under the blankets. Though the arm that lay over his, fingers meshing together, brought comfort and soothed the spasming in his limb, JingYu shrugged against the contact.

"Hush it," WeiZhou commanded. As was their way, without saying anything, WeiZhou knew JingYu was worried about him becoming ill as well. "Just until you fall asleep...for my own peace of mind."