Blake has been acting rather strange. Not in a bad way. However, I noticed that he has been… a little clingier ever since we went to the club a week ago. We’ve been meeting up almost every day, not that I’m complaining. I did, after all, suggest we should work on our Web Comic all winter break and it’s been going great. We’d usually meet up at his place, but today we went to my place to actually just relax for once. 

I poke at Blake’s shoulder while flipping through the streaming site to get his opinion on which movie to watch. But my brows furrow as I notice the lack of response. His eyes are closed, and his breathing comes in short puffs. I scoot a little closer and watch him closely. 

“Blake?” I call out.

He stirs slightly and that’s when I reach out to put my hand on his forehead. 

“Oh god,” I gasp, hovering over him now with concern. “Blake, wake up! You’re burning up.”

He finally wakes up, his hazel eyes staring directly at my soul. “Charlie?”

God, he sounds so weak. How come I haven’t noticed it before? I knew he was overworking himself, but seeing this big guy actually sick tugs at my heart. 

“Come on,” I murmur, hoisting him up so he can lie down on my bed. 

After making sure Blake’s settled down comfortably, I turn to the door. I’m halfway there when a warm but firm hand pulls me back. I whip my head back, only to find Blake out of bed.

“What are you doing? Stay in bed.” I usher him back. I manage to do so, but his grip on my wrist is firm as ever. I sigh, “Blake, let go.”

“Stay.”

Lately, he’s been asking me to stay. Not that I’m planning on going anywhere. If he wants me to stay, then I’ll stay, but his health is my top priority right now. 

“I will,” I breathe, gently prying him off. “Let me get you some medicine first.” 

“And then you’ll be back?” he whispers.

I release a soft breath, smiling. “You won’t even know I was gone.”

Blake sighs heavily as if I had just told him I was never coming back. I can’t resist the chuckle leaving my lips as I head out of my room and into the kitchen. I return a minute later with some medication and a glass of water in hand. My feet come to a halt when I find Blake nuzzled into my blankets, seemingly passed out. I almost want to drop the glass to grab my phone and snap a picture of him. Blake can be seriously adorable at times. I move to stand next to my bed, setting down the pills and water before nudging him.

“Blake.” I try harder. “Get up for a second. Drink some medicine and then you can sleep all you want.”

The moment those words leave my lips, he practically jumps up. I have to bite back a laugh, seeing him so silly in that disoriented state. I grab the medicine, gently placing it in his hand. Blake doesn’t fuss. He swallows the pill and jugs down the glass of water before dropping back down onto the bed. 

I reach out and cover him back up with my fuzzy blanket, giving in to the urge and moving some loose hair strands away from his sweaty forehead. Blake is still really warm. Once he goes back to sleep, his eyes fluttering shut, I take the moment and slowly move towards the door. 

“Charlie,” Blake rasps, making me stop in my tracks. “Where are you going?”

I huff, almost exasperated. “I’m getting you a wet cloth. We need to bring your temperature down.”

This time, I don’t wait for an answer and walk off. It takes me a while to find a clean cloth and when I come back to my room, I see Blake wide awake, staring at the doorway. Only when he sees me walking back over to the bed does he relax and slump back down. 

“Geez…” I snort in amusement. “I told you I’m not leaving you.”

“Just making sure,” he grumbles.

I take a seat on the floor, placing the bowl of water between my legs. Making sure the cloth is cold and damp enough, I press it on Blake’s forehead. “You’re quite a handful when you’re sick, you know that?”

He hums, “Complaining? Is it hard to take care of me?”

I simply shake my head. “I will take care of you at anytime. Anywhere. Just like you do with me.” 

“Then…” Blake breathes. “Is it too much to ask for you to take care of me forever?”

Forever? “I can do that.” 

He chuckles, closing his eyes once more. “I was just joking, Charlie.” 

I wasn’t, though.