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1
Alfie was a healthy man. He made sure to drink enough water and eat three meals a day, as well as visit the gym at least twice a week. His lovely partner never holds back on comparing him to one of those pretentious social media influencers; though he firmly believed that Tommy should be the last person to make fun of him, since he’s the one who had been living out of bloody spite until Alfie blessed him with his normal-functioning presence. Alfie’s immune system was one of a fucking shark, he never got sick. So, when he woke up feeling as if he died, went to hell, and returned to the world of the living… To say that he was absolutely dumbfounded would be an understatement.
Sure, perhaps it wouldn’t be that big of a deal if he wasn’t on holiday with the whole Shelby clan breathing down his neck as if he was some kind of barbarian trying to steal their beloved prince Thomas. Also, they were in Spain, in the middle of fucking June! Who gets sick in summer?
“Alfie? Are you listening?”
Alfie blinked, pulling himself out of his daze, and did his best to focus on the man besides him. “Yes, sorry, what did you say?”
Tommy fixed him with a look, his whole expression dripping with suspicion.
Ah, and, yes… Alfie made the not so wise decision to hide his condition from everybody. And he totally didn’t choose to do such a thing because he was embarrassed, alright? He just didn't want Tommy to worry, or any of Tommy’s other relatives to shove their noses into his business. They’d probably think he’s some kind of sissy, unable to handle a simple cold; and while usually Alfie wouldn’t give a fuck about what anybody thought of him, this was… Different. He was the first ever romantic partner of Tommy’s to accompany him to one of these family vacations, and although he had met Tommy’s family a dozen of times already, he’s never been with them in such a relaxed, intimate setting before.
“I asked you if you’d like to go shopping with the others?”
Alfie frowned. “And by others you mean…?”
“Polly, Ada, and Linda.”
If he hadn’t been feeling like absolute shit he would’ve laughed out loud. Sure, if it were only Polly and Ada, maybe he’d be able to survive. Ada was sort of the only person he got along with besides Tommy, and Polly tolerated him (which was apparently a good thing, Ada had shared the horrors Thomas’s exes went through because of the matriarch of the family, and Alfie thanked the universe for having been found likable by the woman); but to walk through endless shopping centers with that blonde snake that made her life’s purpose to judge him any chance she got? Alfie would rather throw himself into the beautiful Mediterranean sea and drown.
“Your lack of response is telling me you’d rather go to the beach instead.”
“You are correct.”
Tommy drank the last bit of his mimosa and stood up. “Let's go upstairs and change into our trunks, then.”
The bearded man beamed and followed him to the hotel lift.
Tommy knew him too well.
2
Alright, maybe going to the beach while suffering from a fever was a bad idea. Alfie felt like he was in the middle of fucking Antarctica, and not a nice, sandy beach in Ibiza. He was properly disheartened when he tried to step into the water and a full body shiver made him take a step back.
He returned to Tommy with the demeanor of a disgruntled puppy with its tail tucked between its legs. Meanwhile Tommy, who was laying on a double deckchair looking like some kind of deity, all oiled up with sunscreen and glowing in the sun, looked up from his book and raised his brow at him, his cerulean eyes covered with one of those overpriced vintage shades.
“I don’t really feel like swimming anymore…” Alfie muttered.
Tommy wordlessly scooched to the side and let Alfie lay next to him. Once the buff man got himself in a comfortable position, Tommy shuffled closer and leaned his head on Alfie’s shoulder.
“You’re hot.”
“Why thank you, sweetie.”
Alfie couldn’t see it, but he just knew that Tommy rolled his eyes.
“Not like that; your body, it’s warm.”
“Well, ’s not like it’s summer, right, and we’re not on a beach- Not at all-”
Tommy released a huff, and returned his attention to his book. He still didn’t remove himself from Alfie’s shoulder, though. Alfie was grateful for that. He really did feel cold, and Tommy’s body close to his felt like some kind of heavenly heater.
But then a thought crossed his mind.
What if I’m contagious?
Alfie gently pushed him off, making Tommy peer at him over his sunglasses, very obviously offended by the action.
“What are you-”
“Hey!! Guys, look!!”
Both men’s eyes flew towards the sea.
“Is that…?”
“John?”
John was kneeboarding through the waves. Alfie wasn’t that shocked. Tommy’s younger brother was the definition of a manic daredevil.
“Wait. Is that Finn driving the fucking boat? He doesn’t even know how to drive a car yet!”
Tommy practically jumped from the deckchair, running across the beach with the most impressive speed, and then screeched John’s name like a feral little mermaid.
Alfie wanted to run after him but he wasn’t sure if he was in the state to do that, so… He grabbed Tommy’s book and pretended not to know any of the crazy members of the Shelby family.
3
Dinner was a tense affair.
“I can’t believe you let Finn ride the boat! What were you thinking?!”
Tommy was pissed off, Polly was even more pissed off, Ada looked mildly amused by everything, and Arthur and Linda kept discreetly eye fucking each other, ignoring the presence of everybody else; meanwhile Alfie… Well, he felt like he got run over by a truck. Everything started to resemble a comfortable pillow, he was barely holding himself upright.
And he couldn’t even ask for some comfort from Tommy.
This vacation was the worst, and it barely even started.
“I’m sorry, Pol… But he really wanted to try it, and I thought-”
“You thought?! No, John, you weren’t thinking! He could’ve gotten both of you killed!”
Alfie sighed, looking down at his plate. The seafood didn’t look appetizing at all, and every time he’d hear Arthur slurp on one of the seashells his stomach turned.
Suddenly, his genius and not at all fever stunned mind came up with a great idea.
“I think I’m done, good night.”
He avoided Tommy’s eyes as he got up from his seat and left the dining area of the hotel. The moment he stepped into his and Tommy’s room, a weight disappeared from his shoulders. Unfortunately, it reappeared in his belly, and he barely made it to the bathroom before his whole dinner left his stomach.
“Fuck…” he groaned as he raised himself from the toilet and stood on his wobbly feet once again. He tensed when he heard the door of the hotel room open, and quickly flushed the toilet. Then he proceeded to squeeze half of the toothpaste tube on his toothbrush and shove it in his mouth.
“Alfie?”
The door of the bathroom creaked open and in came Tommy. Alfie spat out the toothpaste and sent the man a small smile.
“Oh, hello sweetie, you’re done with dinner too?”
Tommy stared at him. “Are you alright?”
Alfie swallowed down another wave of nausea. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
The suspicious look was back, but thankfully Tommy didn’t try to dig further. He just slid past Alfie and turned the shower on.
“Want to join me?”
God, how he wanted to… But that was a bad idea. He’d hate to spill his guts on his significant other.
“Nah, I’ll wait my turn.”
Oh, and there it was. The clench of Tommy’s jaw, the firm set of his shoulders.
“Fine.”
The man removed his clothes and got into the shower, closing the curtain with a quick motion.
Shit.
Tommy’s officially upset.
4
The next day was even worse. It started off badly not only because he woke up feeling like absolute shit, but also because Tommy wasn’t next to him in bed. It took him a long time to get up. His first attempt to stand up and get ready was a failed one, he had to sit back down right away because of the dizzy spell that came over him. His whole body ached, and of course, the nausea was back.
When he grabbed his phone, he saw that Tommy had sent him a text.
Went for a walk, I’ll see you at breakfast.
Huh, well, at least he didn’t get the silent treatment.
By the time he reached the breakfast buffet, most of the food was gone. Not that he minded, he didn’t have much of an appetite anyway. He grabbed a plain croissant and some tea for his sore throat, before starting his search for the Shelby family.
He spotted Linda’s blonde hair in the distance, and couldn’t suppress an eyeroll.
“Good morning, Alfie.” Polly saw him first before anybody else. Tommy’s back was turned towards him, and a spike of annoyance hit Alfie when the man didn’t even make the effort to look at him. Perhaps he was getting the silent treatment, after all.
“Yeah, it is.”
It really fucking isn’t.
“The beast is awake from his hibernation.” Arthur gruffed.
Alfie ignored the comment and sat next to Tommy. The enticing smell of mango tickled his nose, but he refused to ask the man for a slice.
“You look pale, Alfie.” Linda spoke with that overly sweet smile of hers. “Are you feeling alright?”
Fuck, did he hate that question all of a sudden. He didn’t know if it was because he had to pretend that he indeed was alright, or because it had come out of Linda’s mouth.
“I’m fine, thank you. What about you, are you getting enough sleep? Those circles underneath your eyes are looking quite dark…”
Linda’s smile fell. Arthur’s face reddened with poorly controlled anger.
But Alfie didn’t feel bad. You see, he got a prize for his response. A slice of mango appeared on his plate.
After breakfast they all made their way to the beach. Ada, John and Finn went off to play volleyball with some of the locals, and Polly left for the cocktail bar. Tommy, just like the day before, took his place on the deckchair and continued reading his book, meanwhile Arthur and Linda… Well, he didn’t really know where they scampered off to. Alfie wouldn’t be surprised if they went somewhere to have a very Christian, God honoring shag.
He looked longingly at the sea, but even the thought of swimming made him feel exhausted, so he joined Tommy once again.
They sat together in silence. Alfie usually didn’t mind it, but now he hated it. He didn’t want Tommy to think he was avoiding him, but admitting to him that he wasn’t feeling well would just… It would probably make him feel pathetic, and he really didn’t wish to feel that way more than he already does.
Quiet giggles made Alfie focus more on his surroundings. He turned his head to the left and saw two girls sitting not too far away from them, sneaking looks at Tommy.
Ah, just what he needed.
Alfie crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath. A moment later, his foot was nudged by Tommy’s own.
“Would you like to go out tonight?”
Alfie blinked. “Like, on a date?”
“Sure, I’ve found some good restaurants online.”
“Yeah, alright, we can go.”
For the first time in two days, Tommy smiled at him. Alfie smiled back. When Tommy leaned on him, he didn’t push him away. He couldn’t help it, he needed the closeness and Tommy was warm.
Alfie oh-so-nonchalantly pressed his forehead against the man’s shoulder, and enjoyed the pleasant heat of his body.
The girls walked past them with disappointed looks on their faces. It made Alfie’s smile even bigger.
5
Alfie didn’t quite think this through.
The restaurant was lovely, it really was. Tommy managed to make pretty good reservations, and they got seats in a more private part of the place. The music was great too, not too loud, so it didn’t make his headache worse.
But the food… Well, the food was amazing too, but the problem was in Alfie. He just couldn’t eat. Every time he tried his stomach lurched painfully. So, he did his best to distract Tommy with his usual rambling, and hoped that Tommy wouldn't notice his lack of eating.
After dinner, they decided to walk back to the hotel instead of catching a cab. It was Tommy’s idea, he wanted to look around, and Alfie really couldn’t refuse him. He already felt bad enough for keeping him at arm’s length yesterday, he wanted the man to have his fun; and although he felt sick during the whole stroll, Alfie didn’t mind much, because Tommy didn’t let go of his hand the entire time.
It shouldn’t have been a big surprise, what happened the second Alfie shut the door of their hotel room, but somehow Alfie was still surprised when Tommy pushed him against the door and proceeded to try and kiss the living life out of him. It was great the first couple of minutes, they even managed to move to the bed; but it seemed like Alfie’s body had a terrible sense of humor, because right when Tommy slid his hand into Alfie’s pants and took hold of his poor, hard cock… Alfie gagged into the kiss.
Thomas pulled back right away. “Alfie? What is-”
He had no time to explain, he only pushed Tommy off of himself, leaned over the mattress, and threw up like never before in his life. He couldn’t stop dry heaving, and he only managed to get it together once Tommy placed his palm on his back.
“Fuck, Tommy, sweetie, I’m sorry…” Alfie groaned as he laid back on the bed.
“Since when did you feel sick?”
“Uh…”
Tommy stared at him expectantly.
“Since yesterday?”
He expected Tommy to get angry, but the man just looked at him with clear disappointment in his eyes. It made Alfie curl up on himself.
“Why didn’t you tell me anything?”
“Because I didn’t want you to worry-”
The blue-eyed man scoffed and got up from the bed, avoiding the puddle of vomit on the floor.
“And because I didn’t want your whole fucking family to talk behind my back!”
Tommy paused. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, Tommy, please, it’s so obvious that they can’t stand me! Especially that brother of yours. I didn’t want to become a nuisance, I-”
“Alfie, just shut up, and get changed. There’s vomit on your shirt.”
Alfie looked down at his chest, and indeed, there was a big, dark stain there.
He made an absolute fool of himself, didn’t he?
He got up without another word, and went to look for a clean shirt, meanwhile Tommy called up the hotel’s cleaning service. Fortunately, the hotel had one that worked 24/7, and one of the employees came right away. After the poor bloke cleaned up the mess that Alfie made, Tommy gave him a fat tip.
Alfie sat on the bed, feeling like a moron.
“What are your symptoms?”
Alfie gulped. “Uh, well, nausea. And I think I have a fever, my whole body aches, too. It’s probably just the flu. I didn’t get the shot this year.”
Tommy approached him and pushed back his hair. He placed his lips on his forehead and pulled back shortly after, frowning down at him. “You’re burning up. I’ll go get something in the pharmacy, you get into bed.”
Alfie didn’t dare fight Tommy’s instruction, and slid further up onto the bed, covering himself with the duvet. He watched as Tommy got his wallet and phone, and left the room without another word.
Fuck. He was such an idiot.
6
Alfie didn’t even notice that he fell asleep. The enjoyable sensation of somebody running their fingers through his hair pulled him out of his restless slumber. Opening his eyes was a difficult feat, though. His head was pounding.
“Come on, wake up… I got you some medicine.”
Alfie blearily looked at the man above him. Woah, he sure was pretty- Wait. He released a groan as he sat up. That was Tommy.
“Here,” the man handed him a box of what Alfie assumed was most likely ibuprofen. “Take the painkillers first, then drink the tea.”
Alfie glanced at the bedside table. There was a steaming cup of herbal tea standing there.
“Thank you.”
Tommy only shook his head before standing up and sauntering off to the bathroom. He joined him on the bed shortly after, donned in fresh sleeping clothes. Alfie awkwardly sipped on his tea, while Tommy pretended to read another book. The comfortable silence that was normally present between them was nowhere to be found now.
It became unbearable after a while.
“I really am sorry, sweetie…”
Tommy threw his book aside. “Alfie, you need to tell me when you don’t feel well. I thought you were ignoring my advances because you didn’t- Because you don’t want to be with me.”
Oh, hell. As if Alfie could ever lose interest in this gorgeous, intelligent man. Hell, he’ll want him even when Tommy gets all wrinkly and his hair turns white. He’ll want him even in death, when both of them turn into dust.
“That’s not the reason, Thomas, not at all, fucking hell… I just didn’t want you to pick up whatever I have.”
“You’re an idiot.”
Alfie shrugged. “Yeah, sometimes.”
Tommy huffed. “No, all the time. Now come here, you look miserable.”
Alfie hesitantly placed his tea back on the table, and slid closer towards Tommy. The other man lowered himself further down the bed, then spread out his arm, looking at Alfie expectantly. He took the hint right away, and flopped down next to him, pressing himself close and resting his head on the latter’s arm. The blue-eyed man looked at him with poorly concealed worry for a long moment, before kissing his brow, and pulling Alfie’s head against his chest.
“Sleep now.” Tommy’s baritone voice vibrated against his cheek as he spoke, and Alfie suddenly couldn’t fight the exhaustion any longer. His eyes slid shut, and he fell into a deep sleep.
In the morning Alfie felt significantly better, but of course the sickness didn’t completely disappear. He still felt very weak, and the thought of going outside and walking was just awful.
“You go have fun with the family, I’ll just sleep some more…” he muttered into his pillow.
Tommy crossed his arms and looked at the pathetic duvet-bundled lump that was his partner. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and started typing a text to Ada.
Alfie squinted at him from underneath the covers curiously.
“What are you doing?”
Tommy ignored him and hit send.
“Tommy?” Alfie sat up, with the duvet snugly wrapped around his head and shoulders. Only his face was visible.
Tommy put his phone back, then looked at him. “Let’s watch a movie.”
Alfie looked at him all confused, and continued to look at him while Tommy crawled on the bed and tugged the duvet from Alfie, covering both of them with it.
When Ada came by, Alfie didn’t even realize it was her. It was already well into the afternoon, and they were watching some random Netflix rom-com that made no sense. Well, Tommy was watching it, while Alfie snoozed away, sprawled across Tommy’s chest.
The knock on the door made him flinch, and he moaned in displeasure when Tommy pushed him off and stood up, but relaxed once the man caressed his back, the soft touch lulling him back to sleep. The next time Alfie woke up, there was more tea at his bedside, but this time it was also accompanied by a bag filled with fruit.
He watched as Tommy peeled some apples for him, and couldn’t help but smile dopily.
“What?”
Alfie shook his head. “Nothing. I just love you.”
The sickness really must be fucking with him. The two of them didn’t say those three words out loud very often. It wasn’t something they saw as a necessary thing to do, simply because they knew it already, now, didn’t they? They loved each other, and that was it. No need to discuss it.
Tommy stared at him, seemingly unimpressed, but a moment later a smile graced his lovely lips. “You’re silly.”
Alfie wrapped his arms around the man’s waist, and pressed the side of his face against his thigh. “I do.”
Tommy hummed, still peeling the apple. “Yeah, I know. I love you, too.”
“Oh, and, see? My family doesn’t hate you. Ada bought these for you.”
Alfie snorted. “Ada is different.”
“How so?”
“Well, she’s like you.”
“And what am I like?”
“You fishing for compliments now, sweetheart?”
“Oh, hush.”
Alfie snickered. “You’re just you, Tommy. You’re the only one I need.”
Tommy rarely got flustered, but every now and then Alfie managed to make his freckled cheeks redden. He was about to say something even more cheesy, but the man had stopped him by shoving an apple slice between his lips.
“Eat. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you barely touching the food last night.”
Alfie’s poor heart couldn’t take this. Yeah, he definitely only needed Tommy, his emotionally constipated, little mermaid.