Alex groaned as he pushed himself off the floor. He had spent the night on the floor curled around the toilet in his bathroom. He'd spent the night heaving. His stomach had cramped all night, his vision blurred with each heave. Of course he'd really get sick just when he was getting his grades sorted out.

"Alex, breakfast! Got eggs frying!" Ben Daniels called from the base of the stairs.

Alex gagged at the very thought of food.

But the teen was resolute in the decision. He was going to school. He wasn't going to get as far behind as he was before.

He forced himself to the sink to brush his teeth. Then he dressed and made his way down the stairs. He muffled the cough as he made his way into the kitchen. Even in his sickened stupor he had to smile slightly as he caught sight of his new guardian in a purple apron flipping eggs like on a cooking show.

The smell wafting from the kitchen was enough to make Alex fight back another gag. This was Hell.

Ever since Jack had been killed he had been staying with Ben. The original plan of him going to stay with the Pleasures had been turned down. Alex adamantly refused to go stay with the family, saying that there was no way he was going to put them in danger anymore.

Jack's death had been enough to make him put distance between him and anyone he cared about.

Except Ben.

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"Why don't you just tell him you're sick?" Tom asked his friend as they slowly made their way home from school. Alex looked on the verge of death. His face was pale and sweaty even though the boy had two jackets on.

"I've been living with Ben for 6 months and I'm already sick? I don't need him to feel like he has to take care of me. I can handle this myself. See?" Alex replied as he shakily held up a bottle of flu medicine.

"Alex, he's the one who offered to take you in when you refused to go stay with the Pleasures. I...think he's kinda already feels like he needs to take care of you."

"Yeah, and he's done enough. He didn't have to do this and I'm not going to make this any harder on him than it has to be."

Tom rolled his eyes at his friends words.

"Whatever you say Al'. Just don't be too stubborn. If this gets any worse you have to tell Ben. Got it?"

"Yes, Mother." He said with a glare that didn't hold it's usual bite because of the glazed look Alex held and the fact that he broke off in a series of coughs.

"Man, you sound like you have the plague." Tom sympathized as he rubbed his friend's back.

"Ugh, it feels like it too." Alex complained as a particular cough rattled painfully through his chest.

"Maybe you should just go to the doctor. I mean you have been sick for quite a few days. I don't think that medicine is helping." Tom urged.

"No. I'm just going to go to bed for the next two days. I'll be fine." Alex assured as they approached the flat he and Ben now shared.

"Good luck then. I'll call you later and check on you." Tom stated.

Alex nodded and all but stumbled into the house and onto the couch. There was no way he could make it to his bed. He toed off his shoes and grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch Ben used when he fell asleep on the couch. This was all he needed. A good night's sleep and he'd be fine.

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Ben came into the flat with a smile on his face. He was really enjoying having Alex stay with him. He hated coming home to an empty flat. He came from a big family. A family that was currently living in France. Because of his job Ben didn't get to see them much. Alex was doing a good job at filling that void. They both needed each other.

Tonight, Ben was going to try his hand at cooking. He was decent but tonight he decided to try something a bit more extravagant. Paella.

He was about to yell for Alex but stopped short when he saw the boy curled up on the couch with his blanket. That was odd. Alex hardly ever slept anymore. Ben knew it was because of nightmares but he knew the teen was painfully ashamed of them. The man was currently in the process of figuring out the best way to help the boy but was still coming up with nothing.

Deciding to let Alex sleep, he moved silently into the kitchen and began cooking. He figured the smell of the food he was preparing would be enough to rouse the hungry teen.

The longer he kept cooking however, the more the lump under the blanket kept bothering him. There was something up he just couldn't figure out what it was. He continued to cook but he cast frequent gazes to the sleeping kid. Then he realized what the problem was. Alex's breathing was very labored. Probably a nightmare, he thought.

He put down what he was cooking and walked over to the teen. He squatted down and peered at the sleeping face. It was sweating. It wasn't hot in the room. Alex was also shivering. What was that about? Finally catching on he reached up to feel Alex's forehead. He tilted the blonde's face toward him and had to stop short. Alex's lips were tinged blue. Panic setting in he reached out and shook the teen's shoulder.

"Alex!" He shouted, eyes wide with concern.

Alex groaned and tried to roll over but Ben prevented it. He then felt something in the boy's jacket pocket. Reaching in he pulled out a bottle of flu pills. Mentally kicking himself for missing this, he focused back on the teen.

"Alex, you have to open your eyes." He said as he forced Alex to sit up. Alex's head lolled to the side but Ben could feel the awareness coming to his body.

"Stop. It hurts."

"What hurts?"

"My body. Head." Alex mumbled out.

"Body aches and a headache. Great. Alex, how long have you had the flu?" Ben questioned, looking for Alex's shoes before putting them back on.

"Few days."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm okay."

"Yeah, judging from your blue tinged lips I can assure you you are the furthest thing from okay. Can you stand up?"

"Where are we going?" Alex asked, moving to stand up with Ben's hand under his arm to keep him steady.

"To the hospital, Alex."

"No." He tried to weakly pull away from Ben but as he did he broke out in a coughing fit and pain erupted in his chest.

He groaned in pain and his knees buckled. Ben caught him and held him close to him.

"What's wrong?"

"My chest." Alex groaned out before his body went completely limp again as he passed out and Ben was forced to pick him up.

Ben snatched his keys up before heading out of the door willing himself to get Alex to the hospital before anything bad happened.

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The next time Alex woke up he was surrounded my warmth and soft cushing. Never before was he happy to to be in bed even if he could hear the soft heart monitor that was telling him he was in the hospital. He almost didn't care either. If it wasn't for the soft murmuring of his new guardian he would have sunk back down into the comforts of his bed. But that would be rude. No sense in making the man stay here for longer than necessary. He would assure the man he was okay and then he could go back home for the night.

Blearily opening his eyes he was surprised at how long it took them to focus.

"Ben?" He finally had to call out. He heard footsteps approach his bed and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm here Alex. How do you feel?"

"I'm okay."

"Yeah, I'm sure the doctor was just overreacting when he said you had pneumonia."

Pneumonia? Hm. Well obviously becoming a doctor isn't in my future. Alex thought as he looked around his room.

"Am I going to be okay?" Alex asked outright. Best to get right to the point.

Ben sighed.

"Yeah, you'll be fine. You just need rest."

"I have to go to school Monday."

"You can't even get out of bed much less sit through lessons."

"I have to."

Ben sighed again.

"Look, we have two days until you have to go to school. We'll talk about it then." He said.

"Fine." Alex replied, he wasn't feeling up to arguing anyways. He had been up less than five minutes and was already on the verge of falling back asleep.

"What time is it?"

Ben pulled out his phone and checked the time.

"8am." He replied.

"When can I go home?" Alex asked, his words jumbling together as he drifted off.

"Sleep, Alex." Ben admonished as he shook his head sadly, watching his ward finally succumb to sleep.

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Alex's fever wound up spiking again in the middle of the night, leaving Ben frantic to offer what comfort he could to the miserable boy.

Alex was shivering violently despite the fact he was sweating.

Ben had sat through all of this with a sympathetic expression but once Alex started groaning and muttering pitifully Ben decided he had to offer some comfort to the teen.

He reached up and stroked the Alex's hair while grasping his hand firmly.

"Alex, you're okay, kid. I know you're feeling pretty lousy but try to relax. You're safe."

He kept uttering these things until Alex opened his eyes and blinked blearily up at him.

"Ben?" He whispered.

"Yeah, kid."

"I'm cold." He groaned, pulling weakly at the blanket gathered around his stomach. Ben helped him pull it up to his neck before shrugging off his own jacket and draping it over the kid, knowing his body heat had warmed the jacket, making Alex sigh as it engulfed him.

"I know. They can't let you get any warmer or you'll have to get cold packs put on you. I know it sucks."

Alex sighed somewhat dramatically before tugging the jacket firmly around him.

"Thanks for staying, Ben. I know you didn't have to. You can go home now if you want. I'll be okay."

"I'm right where I want to be, Alex. Now go to sleep. I may step out to get coffee or to use the bathroom but I'll still be here."

The boy nodded into his pillow before settling back down to sleep.

Ben smiled at the boy before leaning back in the chair and lightly resting his feet on the edge of the bed. One benefit of being an SAS soldier...you can sleep anywhere.

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Alex woke up slowly hearing his guardian speaking. Ben was standing by his window talking into his mobile in a hushed tone.

"What do you mean 'likely story?' Phony doctor's notes? He's really sick! I don't know why you can't just excuse him. It's not like he's skipping. He's legitimately in the hospital."

Ah. Ben was on the phone with his school. Alex had told him he couldn't miss anymore school. Looks like Ben was going to have to learn the hard way.

"I don't believe this. No, I don't want to call you back when I've calmed down. I want you to tell me Alex can miss a few days to get better without there being any ramifications to him." Ben listened on the phone a few more seconds before he ended the call and all but threw the phone onto the window sill.

"It's not their fault, Ben." Alex said after a moment.

"It's not yours either, Al'. You shouldn't be punished for this. They think you're faking the doctor's excuses somehow. And then missing school on purpose!"

"I was getting fake doctor's notes. And I was missing school on purpose. Can you blame them? No kid goes from a football player to sickly little boy over the span of a year."

"This is rubbish. I'm calling Jones she'll-"

"No, you're not."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't call her, Ben. I don't need that. I ask MI6 for help and then they're shipping me out on some mission. No. I'm done."

"Alex, Blunt isn't even working at MI6 anymore. Jones won't send you on a mission. I won't allow it."

"You mean like Jack didn't allow it? I don't care that Blunt isn't there. She was just as bad when she didn't do a damn thing to stop it. Just let it go, Ben. So I fall a bit more behind in school than I already am. That's nothing new."

"You can't expect me to sit and do nothing. You're working until 12am everynight doing coursework as it is." Ben was mildly surprised at the mention of Jack. Alex hadn't mentioned her since he moved in.

"I can handle it."

"Like you handled this bout of the Flu? Alex, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?"

Alex looked away at that particular question.

"I thought I would be okay." He said weakly.

"Alex, your lips were turning blue from lack of oxygen. You were the farthest thing from okay."

"I wasn't aware of how bad it was, Ben."

"Doesn't explain why you didn't at least tell me weren't feeling okay."

"I...didn't want to bother you. You shouldn't have to help me with everything."

"I thought that was my job?"

"No, you're job is to give me a place to live until I turn 18."

"You really think that?" Ben asked with a somewhat hurt look on his face.

"What?" Alex asked confused.

"Why do you think I took you in with me?"

"MI6 forced you or you just pitied me I guess. Either one isn't fair to you, Ben."

Ben rolled his eyes immediately.

"MI6 didn't force me they damn near refused to let me become your guardian in the first place. And let's get one thing straight okay? I don't pity you. Pity isn't what you need. I empathize with you. You got dealt a very bad hand here, Alex. And it sucks...but I took you in with me because I think we can benefit from each other. It feels like my family lives on the other side of the world and you could really use someone to lean on."

"Ben, my problems are a bit more work than a long distance phone call once a week. I don't know why you're bothering."

"You're worth the bother, Alex. I want to help you. I'm going to help you."

"You know what happened to Jack. Are you really willing to take that chance?"

"Yes, I am." Ben replied with no hesitation as he looked Alex square in the eyes.

Alex shook his head sadly.

"I can't go through that again, Ben." He said with a shiver. Ben could see the teen's mind shifting back into that train of thought and the man knew he was about to lose him.

"Alex, I know I can't promise you anything but I'm not Jack. I'm trained, I'm armed and I'm going to do everything I possibly can to give you what you need from now on. I know you're still hurting but you're strong. You'll be fine. We'll be fine."

Alex looked back at the man peered deeply into his eyes, looking for any sign of deceitfullness.

Seemingly to find what he was looking for Alex smiled a fraction.

"I hope you're right."

"I'm always right. School, the nightmares I know you're having, all of it. We'll get you through it kid."

"You know what would really help me?" Alex asked innocently.

Ben leaned eagerly forward, surprised the boy was offering up his need for help.

"Sure, Alex. What do you need?"

"I need you...to go find my doctor and sign me out of this hospital."

Ben laughed.

"Oh, hell no."

"Ben, come on."

"No."

"Why not?"

"You wanted to handle this on your own. Well? This is how things end up when you handle it on your own. You end up sick. Let this be a little lesson for you. You get sick and don't tell me, you stay in this hospital until the last second that they say you can leave."

"Ben...please. You don't want to be here anymore than I do." Alex pleaded on the verge of nearly begging on his hands and knees.

Ben's only response was to settle down in his chair and prop his feet back up onto the side of the bed while pulling out his phone to play a game.

Alex sighed loudly.

"This is torture."

"No, kid. Torture is me having to sit through your obnoxious snoring all night."

"I don't snore."

"Ask any of your nurses. It's horrible."

Alex rolled his eyes and sunk down into his bed. A smile did creep back up into his face as he heard Ben arguing with his game app. It was familiar...almost even safe. Maybe things were starting to look up in his life after all.

A/N- ughh this has practically been done for like 2389479 weeks now I just couldn't figure out a way to end it. Hence it ending horribly.

Thanks for giving me the prompt! Sorry it took so long.

And I do apologize for the lack of medical info in this story. But it wasn't really the main focus of the story.