Title: In Sickness and In Health
Author: Mickey Stone
Pairing/character: Reid/Tyler
Rating: FRT
Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue.
Word Count: 1,375
Prompt: Tyler's been sick for a while
Kink: Care of a loved one when sick- deeper than sex, hurt/comfort
Notes/Warnings: Slash, swearing. Written for rounds(underscore)of(underscore)kink at LJ.

Tyler felt his eyes on him as he shuffled around their dorm room, getting ready for the day ahead. He slowly pulled on his uniform, vision swimming a little as he bent over to grab his shirt from the bed, and he had to steady himself on the mattress before straightening up again. And all the time Reid watched him from his own bed. Tyler hated that. It made his skin crawl.

"What?" he snapped as he sat on the bed again to put his shoes on. A wave of dizziness swept over him and he had to stop with his head down between his knees until it passed.

"You're sick." Reid stated with a tilt of his head. That was something else Tyler hated; the way Reid talked to you like he knew better.

"No shit, Sherlock." He muttered and continued with his shoes.

He caught Reid's eye roll as he stood lazily from the bed, "Hey, I don't care if you collapse in class today."

"I'm not gonna collapse, dickwad." He shot back, annoyed. He watched the blond from under a frown.

"Whatever. Later." Reid sighed, picking up his bag. He left the room and closed the door behind him.

Tyler sighed and put his elbows on his knees, head in his hands. He'd been sick for a while now and getting steadily worse. He didn't know what it was, just that he felt like crap; sick, shaking and woozy. Even standing without passing out was an achievement. Caleb had told him to go see the doc, but he'd refused. He was sure it would clear up by itself.

Once dressed, he grabbed his bag and walked slowly to the door. When the door didn't open, he frowned. Hand on the knob, he turned and pulled like he would normally. Only this time the door didn't budge. His frown deepened. The handle was turning, sure, but it was like—

Reid.

"Fucking bastard!" he hissed, rattling the door once more. Something else was holding it firmly in place, and Tyler had no doubt that the blond had Used to keep him from opening it. His eyes flared as he called on the Power, but as he started to unpick the spell apart, Tyler's remaining energy left him and he fell to his knees weakly, hands sliding down the door. Sweat beaded on his skin as he tried again, but he couldn't hold it, and the Power flickered and died once more. Panting heavily, he leaned forward until his forehead pressed against the cool wood between his hands.

Maybe this was worse than he'd originally thought.

It took him twice as long to crawl back to the bed. Still on his knees, he stripped out of his blazer and pulled off his tie before he struggled onto the bed. He swallowed a few times, trying to squash the need to throw up while the world turned on its axis and span in the wrong direction. Black fuzziness crept across the edges of his vision and he didn't have the will or the energy to fight it. With a small sigh, he let himself fall into oblivion.

"Yeah, see you later, man."

Class was out for the day and Reid Garwin was making his way back to the dorm room that he shared with Tyler. A troubled frown crossed his face as he turned the corner and walked down the corridor. The younger teen had been sick for a while now, but refused to do anything about it. It was almost as if he were scared of what it could be. As he watched Tyler's health steadily decline, Reid could identify with the youngest's feelings. He'd never admit it out loud, but this morning he'd felt the fear bubbling inside of him as he watched Tyler move like an old man. And yet, the dark-haired teen was still set on going to class.

Bastard can be so stubborn.

Well, so could Reid.

He'd smirked this morning as he called on the Power, locking the door shut so Tyler couldn't get out. He's just gonna have to go back to bed, isn't he? He'd thought. Running his fingertips over the wood door once more, he glanced left and right to check for any people paying attention. His eyes flared with black fire and the Power unravelled under his hand. He turned the handle and entered the room.

And then wished he could go back to the beginning and start again.

"Shit." He breathed, letting his school bag slid down his arm and land on the floor with a thump.

Tyler had indeed gone back to bed, but instead of being under the covers and asleep like Reid had hoped, he was on top of the covers and shivering like crazy. Quickly, Reid closed the door and moved towards his brother, but the closer he got, the worse Tyler looked. His shirt was practically glued to him with sweat; his hair too, soaked with perspiration and plastered to his forehead like he'd just got out of the shower.

"Shit." Reid repeated, kneeling on one knee beside the bed and trying to think of what to do. Tyler tossed and turned, body quaking with feverish shivers. Well, the first thing he had to do was strip him of the wet clothes and clean him down. So, off came the shirt and pants, shoes and socks and, leaving the clothes in a pile by the door, the blond disappeared into the bathroom. He returned a few moments later with a wet, warm washcloth.

"So fucking stubborn." Reid muttered as he cleaned the clammy skin. Anyone watching the scene would have been surprised at the gentle, tender movements of his hands as he took care of Tyler. Maybe not so at his language. "We fuckin' told you to go see a doctor, but nooo, you decided to wait it out instead. Good idea, Simms." He added sarcastically.

An hour later, Tyler was re-dressed in a spare pair of sweatpants he found lying around and under the sheets. He was still shivering like crazy, but at least he was clean and not in danger of catching a chill on top of whatever the fuck sickness he had. The blond also changed, throwing his uniform carelessly on his own bed and pulling on sweatpants and a t-shirt. Once comfortable, he climbed over Tyler and settled himself between the wall and the other teen's body.

Now it was just a case of waiting until Tyler came around.

The gentle, repetitive motion of fingers brushing through his hair pulled Tyler away from the arms of unconsciousness and towards the land of the living. He shifted and tried to move onto his back, but whatever was behind him made it impossible. Tyler frowned and turned his head to look over his shoulder, but as soon as he moved his head, he knew that it was a bad idea. Pain shot through his head and his stomach rolled, causing him to hiss through his teeth. Cool fingertips connected softly with his temple and the presence of the Power calmed his stomach and numbed the pain.

"Awake then?"

Reid. A sleepy smile tugged at Tyler's lips and he nodded.

"Halle-frickin'-lujah." The blond muttered from somewhere by his neck.

"Wha' 'ime is i'?" He said around a yawn.

"Eleven thirty." Reid answered. The comfortable weight on his waist shifted a little and Tyler assumed it was the blond's arm. For reasons unknown to Tyler, the thought made him smile. "You've been out for most of the day."

"Hmm."

"An' I don't care what you say, Ty, you're going to see a doctor. 'cause seriously, I'm not taking care of your sick ass again."

The words were harsh, but Tyler knew he didn't mean it the way he said it. Under the sheets, Tyler moved his hand until he caught and held on to the one around his waist. Fingers interlaced without a second thought, but neither said anything else. Tyler was just content with lying still and breathing in time with his...whatever Reid was.

"You better not be going to sleep again." Reid said into his neck.

Tyler smiled as sleep claimed him once more.

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