Chapter Text
Miguel woke up on that Wednesday feeling exhausted, it was so hard to get out of bed that he was almost late for school. His eyelids felt like they were made of lead and his forehead was slightly sore. It seemed to be just tiredness and lack of sleep, so he got dressed for school, despite his body's protests. When he remembered that he would have to go by bike, since Carmen and Rosa had traveled to visit his great-aunt, he almost gave up. He wasn't sure he could get there the way he was going.
He spent some time contemplating his options, just long enough to hear the door of the apartment opposite open and Robby Keene's voice say, slightly impatiently, "Come on, I'm going to be late!" to his father, who must surely have missed the hour once again. Anyway, Johnny was going to take Robby by car and Miguel was feeling so low on energy that he thought he could put up with the other boy's presence for a while if his sensei agreed to give him a lift, so he left the house as quickly as he could and caught up with Johnny just before he got into the car.
"Sensei, can you give me a ride to school? Mom's not home," Miguel asked hurriedly.
"Sure, no problem," Johnny replied, then got into the car and waited for Miguel to sit down in the back seat and close the door.
Miguel looked at the front seat where Robby was sitting and contracted his mouth, feeling a bitter taste, and completely ignored the other boy's presence. Robby had already realized that Miguel didn't like him, and he also felt insecure about the brunette's easy and warm relationship with Johnny, so he didn't make much of a point of interacting with him. He just continued listening to music and looking out of the window until they reached the school.
Robby actually liked school, when he didn't have to worry about making ends meet and when he had the slightest incentive to study. Despite all Johnny's shortcomings, he was getting up early every day to take Robby and had gone to the school with him to register, even buying - albeit only the bare essentials - material for him.
Robby had just started school and didn't have many friends yet, just a nice girl called Sam. He thought she was just one of the insufferable popular girls, but when she started walking alone and they got talking, they hit it off immediately and were now inseparable. Miguel had defended Sam in the cafeteria and gained a lot of popularity from it, but as soon as he saw her with Robby, he distanced himself from her. She seemed to find the two of them quite funny, but Robby had no idea why. Johnny was always trying to get the two of them to get along, which frustrated him even more.
When it was time to leave, Miguel drove back with them and the journey was just as quiet as the outward one. Robby was already thinking about having to put up with this for the rest of the week until Carmen returned. He was surprised that Miguel started coughing on the way back, but Johnny asked him if he was all right and he said yes, so he didn't think much more about it, not until the next morning, when Miguel got into the car looking a bit pale and still coughing. And when he looked even more tired on the way back, Robby asked him himself if everything was all right.
"Piss off" was all he replied, and Robby crossed his arms in irritation and gave up trying to be a decent human being with him.
Robby was in a bad mood and left the house on Friday morning ready to put Diaz in his place, but the boy didn't show up asking for a ride. He was probably better and had ridden his bike earlier instead of waiting for Johnny and being late. 'Better for both of us,' thought Robby. The ride to school was much quieter than the last two days. It was all too well, which was certainly a harbinger of doom, at least according to Robby's track record. He was always prepared for the next bad thing to happen, and it arrived that very morning. When Johnny picked him up, he said he was going to leave him at home and take a short trip, because his teenage friend Tommy was very ill and they were going to visit him before it was too late. Robby wanted to go along, but Johnny said he'd better not.
Robby entered the apartment and went straight to the kitchen to prepare something to eat, as he was starving. Then he sat down on the sofa to eat while he watched some program about renovating houses, something that didn't require much mental effort. He had almost finished eating when the phone rang, and he was sure it wasn't Johnny, as his father rarely remembered to use his cell phone. He left his food on the table next to the sofa and went to answer it, surprised to hear Carmen's voice on the other end of the line, asking to speak to Johnny.
"He's not here, he's gone to see a friend who's very ill," Robby explained.
"Ay, Dios. I've been calling home for almost an hour and Miguel isn't answering, he's not answering his cell phone either," Carmen said worriedly.
"I didn't see him at school today... He didn't look very well yesterday," Robby said.
"Can you take a look at it for me? I was going to ask Johnny, but..."
"All right," Robby said, even though he didn't like the idea very much. He knew how bad it was to worry about someone's health and not be able to do anything about it.
And Robby went, using the spare key that Carmen had indicated where it was, in the corner of a flowerbed at the back of the apartment complex, a very clever idea. He opened the door and immediately called out for Miguel, expecting to be sent away, but received no reply. She went into the living room and closed the door, then headed for the corridor that led to the bedrooms, easily finding the other boy's room.
Miguel was asleep in bed, which explained why he hadn't answered any calls, but it was very strange. If he'd been sleeping straight through since morning, he was probably even worse than the day before. Robby approached silently and noticed that the brunette's face was still pale and his forehead was covered in sweat, causing a few black curls to stick to it. Miguel seemed to be clenching his teeth and shivering, even though the temperature was around 27 degrees. Robby didn't want to wake him, so he just went into the kitchen and called the number Carmen had given him so that he could get in touch when he had news. She told him where the thermometer, medicine, and clean towels were.
Robby returned to Miguel's room with all the items, put the thermometer in the mouth of the taller one, and was astonished to see the thermometer read 38.5. He needed to take an antipyretic urgently, but he also needed to rest and this doubt left Robby at a loss as to what to do. He sat on the end of the bed and watched for a while, until the brunette started talking, as if he was waking up. Miguel spoke a word in Spanish once or twice, almost whimpering, but continued to sleep.
Robby's Spanish wasn't all that, but it was enough to understand that the first syllable had a "u" and the word ended in "ete". He could have sworn he heard Miguel asking for a toy, but it was probably just his imagination. He took the clean towels and went to the sink to wet them with cold water and make a compress to reduce the brunette's fever. She put one on each arm, one on his stomach, and a smaller one on his forehead, then went to the kitchen to find something she could give him when he woke up. Maybe some tea or something light to feed him.
She opened some drawers and found some honey. She was going to use one of the lemons in the fruit bowl to make him some tea. Still looking through the drawers, he found something very curious, which would be very useful, since he didn't trust Miguel with a hot cup of tea. Right next to the small bottle, there was also another object and Robby looked at it with wide eyes, wondering if this was what Miguel had asked for. He called Carmen and told her that he had found everything by chance and that he promised not to make Miguel feel bad, and then she confirmed that Miguel used them when he got sick or had severe anxiety attacks.
Robby didn't want to snoop around too much, but he went over to Miguel's bookshelf and picked up one of the books to distract himself, smiling when he saw that they were both science fiction fans. Maybe they had a lot more in common, if they could stop picking on each other for silly things, they could even be good friends. He sat on the end of the bed and started reading Necromancer, getting so involved in the story that he hardly noticed the time passing, only when he heard Miguel grunt in discomfort and try to get up, dislocating one of the compresses.
"You'd better not get up. You've got a fever," Robby said as he put the compress back on the other man's left arm.
"What are you doing here?" Miguel asked, confused.
"Your mother called and you didn't answer, so she got worried and called the house. I came to take a look at you," Robby explained.
Miguel sighed and threw himself back on the pillows. He didn't want Keene to see him like this, he didn't know if he was going to be an asshole to him, but he'd rather not find out.
"You've looked, you can go," he tried to say seriously, but the coughing fit he had made him sound a bit pathetic, and Robby just rolled his eyes and let the comment go.
"I'll make you some honey-lemon tea. Don't move," Robby ordered, trying not to sound too authoritarian. Not that it made any difference, Miguel didn't have the energy to get up anyway.
When Robby returned, Miguel was almost falling asleep, and his eyes still looked a little cloudy from the fever, even though he was no longer incoherent. Robby removed the compresses, and Miguel moaned a little, cold, and tried to grab a blanket that Robby pulled away, receiving a glare from the taller man.
"If you cover up, your fever will only get worse. I've got some antipyretic for you, take it and then drink the tea.
"Who do you think you are, my mother?" Miguel teased petulantly.
"God forbid. But she's not here and she asked me to help you, so don't be ungrateful" Robby scolded him, putting the antipyretic in one of his hands and offering him a bottle of water. At least it wasn't hot; if Miguel spilled a little, he wouldn't get hurt.
Miguel took his medicine and said he needed to get up to go to the bathroom, and Robby offered to go with him. He thought it would be humiliating and tried to refuse, but as soon as he got up, he felt dizzy and fell back on the bed.
"Come on, let's go," Robby said, slipping one of Miguel's arms around his shoulders and one of his own around the Latin boy's waist.
They walked slowly and Robby helped Miguel to stand while the boy pulled down his clothes and peed. He threw the paper with which he had dried himself into the toilet because he knew he wouldn't be able to hit the garbage can and then flushed, all while being supported by Robby, who then balanced him so that he could wash his hands, and took him back to bed.
"Thank you," Miguel said softly, followed by more coughing.
"Before you go to sleep, drink your tea. It'll help with the cough. Let me help you... " Robby was a little nervous when it came to giving Miguel his tea. He was a little more airy, as if he was going to fall asleep soon, and Robby thanked himself for having followed the idea of the bottle since he couldn't hold anything at the moment.
Robby helped him lean against the headboard and sat down closer so that he could take the bottle of tea to Miguel's mouth. He could only imagine how upset he would be when he found out, but at that moment he seemed quite content, sucking the liquid greedily, and Robby tried to ignore how cute it was to see his cheeks expanding and how adorable he looked. Robby took the bottle from him and he coughed a little, then reached out one hand towards him almost blindly, trying to take it back. Robby giggled and couldn't resist saying in a baby voice:
"Calm down, there's more!" feeling grateful that Miguel had no idea what was going on.
Robby took one of the towels he had made as a compress and used it to wipe up the tea that had run down the corner of the brunette's mouth. When the drink was finished, Miguel tried to continue sucking on the bottle and gave a sad little moan when nothing came out. Robby smiled and took it from him, running his other hand over his forehead, which was still damp from the cold water, and pushing back his curly hair.
"Now go to sleep, Miguel. I'll make you honey milk later if you want," Robby said, fluffing the pillows and listening to Miguel make a satisfied, almost purring sound.
Miguel said a few more things that Robby didn't understand, but he clearly recognized the word "mamá" and felt a tightness in his chest. Well, Johnny wasn't home and wouldn't be back until the next day, so maybe the best thing to do would be to spend the night at the Diaz house. Robby continued to stroke Miguel's forehead until he fell asleep, then took the bottle back to the kitchen and washed it so that he could use it again later. As he passed through the living room to go back to Miguel's room, he thought about getting a sheet from the boy's room and sleeping in the living room for the night. In a way, it was good to have a plan.
Carmen called again to find out how her son was and Robby told her that he had a very bad cold and a bit of a fever, he was very airy, coughing, and stuffy, but he was going to be fine. He talked about what he had done and she praised him and said he was being an angel, as well as giving him a few more suggestions, including a bath from lukewarm to cool. The boy didn't have much confidence that Miguel would accept this, but he was going to try.
I watched from the corner of my eye every time he made a sudden movement, looking a little restless. He must have been very uncomfortable because he was coughing in his sleep and his blocked nose wasn't allowing him to breathe properly. Robby remembered something Carmen had said, about one of the medicines in the bathroom cupboard, and went to look for it. He was going to wait for Miguel to wake up because he didn't want to touch him without permission. He waited a little over an hour since the brunette's sleep was being very broken, which he hoped would improve after the bath and the medicine. Long, deep sleep is essential for the body to recover.
Miguel woke up and stretched dramatically and outrageously, and Robby was already getting attached to the idea of being his friend. He was going to be very disappointed if Miguel simply rejected him.
"Hey, sunshine, you're finally awake," Robby joked, waiting to see how alert he was.
"Tired" Miguel said, pouting. Cute and much more lucid.
"I spoke to your mom again. She gave me some medicine to give you to help with the cough and congestion," Robby said, showing her the Vick's bottle.
"Hmm, it's nice," Miguel agreed, remembering the feeling of relief.
"Great, but first you need to shower. I'll prepare one for you and take you there, okay?"
"I don't want to get up. Please," Miguel said, feeling unwell.
"Come on, it'll be good for you. I'll take you back. You can have your milk after your bath."
"With chocolate?" Miguel asked, emotionally blackmailing me.
"Okay, Diaz. With chocolate. Now get going!" Robby said, and helped him up again.
The two of them went into the bathroom again, and now everything was easier, as Robby only had to leave Miguel leaning back in the bathtub full of water. He left Miguel for two seconds just to get a jug of water to wash his sweat-drenched hair. Robby put liquid soap on the sponge and handed it to the other to clean himself while the shorter man spread the shampoo on his hair, massaging it in carefully. Miguel let out another of those sounds of satisfaction that hit Robby's heart like an arrow. He loved to please and make others happy, and he realized that cheering Miguel up and having fun were things he loved.
Miguel had a happy, relieved smile on his face, he looked like he never wanted to leave, but the water was getting cold fast and as soon as he had finished rinsing his beautiful black curls, Robby helped him up. He was going to take him back, but Miguel's bed was covered in sweat.
"Where is the clean linen?"
"Don't worry. Mamá... her bed. More room."
Robby took the boy there and went back to get his pillows, changing the pillowcase first.
The room was much more comfortable and the bed was a double, so Miguel wouldn't feel trapped.
"I'll give you the meds now, okay?" He asked.
"Yeah" Miguel allowed, a little unsure, and Robby didn't show any ill intentions. Perhaps he was being paranoid, the taller man thought.
Robby lifted Miguel's shirt and began to apply the medicine to his chest, carefully massaging the warm skin. The Latin boy couldn't help but sigh with satisfaction at the mixture of the product's refreshing sensation and the touch of Robby's soft hands.
"You'll get better soon. I'll take care of the bedding in your room, try to get some sleep" Robby said, and Miguel nodded "I got it for you... don't worry, I don't want to tease you or anything."
Robby handed the pacifier to Miguel, who stared at it wide-eyed as if they had discovered that he had committed a terrible crime. Robby immediately left the room so as not to make him uncomfortable and the boy gazed at the object for a long time before finding the courage to put it in his mouth and lie down to try and get some more sleep.
Miguel tried to sleep, but although the medicine had relieved his cough, the headache and fever were bothering him again, especially as the hours passed, making another dose of the antipyretic necessary. He turned from side to side, trying to find a comfortable position, but couldn't. The fever, pain, tiredness, and frustration overwhelmed him and he began to cry quietly.
Robby had put all the clothes in the wash and while he was waiting to put them in the dryer, he had to do the dishes, since he wanted to prepare soup for Miguel for dinner later. He didn't want to leave the boy alone for too long, but as he was probably asleep, half an hour wouldn't be so bad. When he'd finished taking care of the clothes, he went to Miguel's room to tidy up the bed and, as he passed Carmen's, he heard the whimpering sounds that indicated something was wrong. He entered the room and saw Miguel lying in a fetal position with his forehead resting on the pillow, and realized that the sound was a heartbreaking cry.
It was slightly muffled by the pacifier in his mouth, but his blocked nose made him sniffle even more to try to breathe through his tears. Robby approached the bed to try to understand what was going on and, as Miguel was curled up and facing away from him, he knelt beside him and tried to make eye contact, asking in a whisper what was going on, while caressing his already messy curls, noticing that his fever had returned. Miguel opened his eyes and confirmed the information, his cloudy gaze a sad combination of pain and fever.
"Shh, it'll pass. What's wrong, Miggy?" Robby tried to calm him down by using the nickname his mother and grandmother used to use with him, but Miguel couldn't answer, only letting out more of those wailing moans.
The shorter man didn't know what else to do and was starting to get nervous that he might be getting worse, so he sat down on the bed next to him, leaning on the headboard, and impulsively pulled him onto his lap, humming softly and trying to cradle him as if he were a baby. A six-foot baby and quite heavy, but still a baby. Robby said random things in a baby voice and felt a bit stupid for a moment, but when Miguel snuggled closer to him and held his shirt to keep him close, hiding his face in his neck, he trusted that he was doing the right thing.
He could feel Miguel's warm forehead touching his jaw and he worried, he wanted to make him take the medicine again, but he could barely communicate, he didn't know if he could swallow a pill. He decided to cradle Miguel in his arms until he could sleep, and the brunette gradually felt the pain becoming more and more distant until he fell asleep. Robby tried to put him to bed and go out to buy him some medicine in drops, but he was clutching his shirt tightly, and he had no choice but to call the pharmacy and ask them to deliver the medicine there. Until they arrived, he would see what to do, but in the meantime, he would stay there stroking the Latino's hair and watching over his sleep.
The doorbell rang almost half an hour later, and Robby struggled to get rid of Miguel and answer the door. Not just because of the hand holding him, but because he had no desire to leave him alone. He received the package and paid for it with the little money he had, but he didn't regret it for a second. He went back to his room and lay down next to the tall one, determined to wait for him to wake up before giving him the medicine. He still wanted to make the soup, but he wouldn't until he was a little better.
Miguel started to wake up and stretched a little before opening his eyes, which were still a little cloudy. Robby took the opportunity to ask him to open his mouth to take some medicine and he obeyed, surprisingly, and then received the drops in his mouth and made an exaggerated grimace at the bitter taste of the medicine, making Robby laugh with relief. If he was reacting and tasting better, he was already better than before.
"I know, it's bad. I'll make you some tomato soup with lots of garlic. And ginger, if you have any. Will you wait here quietly?" Robby asked, not knowing if the other person would be able to understand and answer.
"Hmm," he moaned sadly. He didn't want to be alone, but he was hungry.
"It'll be quick, I promise. Sleep a little longer until then, you need to rest."
Robby was about to stand up when he felt Miguel's hand rise. His eyes were still closed, so he was moving blindly towards any part of Robby he could reach. The Latino's palm met the side of Robby's face and for a second the insane thought that he would slap or punch him ran through the shorter man's mind, quickly disappearing and being replaced by a warmth in his heart when Miguel smoothed his face, caressing the flushed cheek. Robby was surprised, to say the least, but positively. He grabbed his hand and pulled it away, keeping it between his own as he promised to come back soon.
All this change and how docile Miguel was made Robby a little dizzy, it was very different from the way they normally interacted. He just hoped that when Miguel got better, they wouldn't go back to treating each other the way they had before. Thinking about this made him feel a little sad, but he tried to distract himself by cooking, something he loved to do and did with love. He washed the blender as soon as he had finished using it, he didn't want to leave anything for later. She made lemon juice to go with it and strengthen Miguel's immunity and took it all to him. She put the juice in a bottle because he was still a bit feverish and fussy, and also because she couldn't deny that she found it adorable to see him drinking things like that. I didn't know if I'd ever see that again, so I was going to enjoy it as much as I could.
Miguel was more alert when he returned, probably because the medicine was already working. Robby sat down next to him and said he would help with the soup, which was answered with a pout and a grumble:
"I can do it myself"
"Of course you can," Robby said cleverly, "I just wanted to help because you're still sick and it's good to have someone to look after us." He let that last part slip, looking down and thinking of all the times he'd been sick and alone, trying to look after himself and eating instant soups stolen from gas station stores, "but it's okay if you don't want me to," he said, forcing a smile.
Miguel wasn't sure why, but Robby's sad smile made him feel sick, so he accepted help. He could feel that he was already getting attached to the other man and genuinely enjoying his presence. Robby fed him with all the patience in the world and then offered him the juice, and now that he was more conscious, the shame was clear on the brunette's face.
"I..."
"Take it before it gets hot, Miggy" Robby repeated the nickname, trying to make the taller man realize that he just wanted to help. And look after him. And to see him well again. He felt that strange sensation again and decided to change the subject - you've had a lot of sleep, haven't you? Do you want to watch cartoons before bed?
"Cartoons?" Miguel asked, surprised.
"I like to watch cartoons when I'm sick," Robby revealed, thinking that showing some vulnerability would make Miguel feel that the situation was a little more level.
"Hmm... that might be good," Miguel said, still hesitating a little.
"What's your favorite? Mine is Adventure Time" Robby said, showing excitement.
Miguel's eyes widened as if he couldn't believe that Robby really watched cartoons and wasn't going to laugh at him for it.
"Gumball," he replied with a smile that made Robby's heart leap a little.
"Great, I love it! Let's do it," Robby said, and in a few minutes, the two of them were lying side by side, laughing their heads off.
"Do you think I'd be Gumball or Darwin?" Miguel asked, recovering from the coughing fit caused by the laughter.
"Darwin, of course. You're a good boy, most of the time. When there are no bad influences."
"I don't know if it's a compliment or an offense" Miguel said, arching an eyebrow "and you?"
"Anais, of course. She's the best" Robby said with a mischievous smile.
"Yeah, I should have seen that coming," Miguel said, laughing and shaking his head.
It was incredible that they were feeling so comfortable with each other, and Miguel almost didn't want it to end. Except for being sick, it sucked. After a whole season, Miguel started yawning and ended up laying his head on Robby's shoulder and falling asleep. When the shorter man noticed, he froze, not knowing how to get him out of there without waking him up. So he just did what anyone would do and flopped further down on the bed, letting Miguel use him as a pillow, and slept next to him, normal clothes and all.
The next day, when Miguel woke up, he was slightly shocked by the position he was in and the fact that Robby had been there all night. He was feeling much better and, although he still had the flu, he no longer seemed to have a fever. He picked up the thermometer from the bedside table and checked the temperature, just 36.9. He waited for Robby to wake up, after all, he had done so much for him that he deserved a rest. And when the green-eyed boy woke up, he parted with Miguel already awake and looking at him.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Miguel asked unexpectedly.
"Yes, despite the clothes. Would you like to eat? I can make us some coffee. I just need to shower first and see if my dad's back yet."
"There's no need to worry... my fever's gone. You're free, Genius," Miguel said, pulling the reference out of the back of his childhood trunk.
Robby laughed in such a charming way that Miguel almost thought his fever was back with the heat he felt on his face.
"Good one, Diaz. But I don't mind. Get some more rest, I know you'll want to go to school on Monday."
"Yeah, I didn't even want to miss school yesterday. But I felt like trash."
"I'll be back soon. I won't leave you alone here," Robby promised.
"Why?" Miguel asked, really interested.
"Because I don't want to," Robby answered sincerely, "I can put up with you for one more day," he added lightly.
"Right, funny man. I'll wait for you, then."
"See you later," Robby said after getting up, and kissed Miguel on the forehead as if it were something very natural, realizing a bit too late what he was doing. They both seemed petrified, looking at each other without understanding this new dynamic.
"It's... hm" Miguel snorted, and he didn't want Robby to regret what he'd done, he had no idea why he'd done it, but he liked it "it won't take long" he said softly, and Robby nodded in agreement.
"Robby, wait!" Miguel said, holding his hand and looking at her, avoiding facing him "thank you... for... for everything."
"You're welcome, Miggy," Robby said, getting emotional when Miguel kissed his hand and let it go, immediately turning to the other side of the bed to hide his embarrassment.
Robby left the Diaz house and he couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy.