I'm awoken the next morning when Alfred throws a pillow and hits me in the face with it. I start to yell at him, but he's stumbling down the hall in an attempt to run, looking green. He stumbles back and falls onto the sofa a minute later looking paler than before.

"How long have you been like this?"

"I don't know dude. Since yesterday? The day before?"

"Did you do anything? Get any medicine?"

"Naw, I jus' need ta rest. I'll be fine."

I go over and sit next to him. He's curled up on the side of the sofa. "If you're not better soon, I'm getting you to a doctor."

"But don't you do spells and stuff like that? Can't you make me better with your magic?" He looks over at me.

"No, it doesn't work like that." It probably could, but I'm worried something will go wrong and I'll hurt him.

He turns over so he's facing me and grabs my hand. "Come on Arthur, you can do it."

"No, I won't."

"Please?" He gives me his puppy dog look, which is still very effective despite him being sick. I look at the table, trying to block it out.

"No Alfred."

He tugs on my arm and I can almost feel the look he's giving me. "It would be easier, and it would get me better faster."

"It won't work."

He pulls more persistently on my arm. "Please? Don't you want me to get better?"

"Of course I want you to get better."

"Then why won't you use your magic or whatever?" He has a really annoying whine to his voice. "Please?"

"No! I don't want anything to go wrong. I don't want to make you worse."

He hugs my arm. "Alright. I'll come with you." He sounds hoarse and his voice is a bit scratchy.

"Shh. Rest your voice."

"Alright." His voice is barely a whisper. He falls asleep after a minute, clinging to my arm. I break my arm free of his grip and wrap it around him

A few hours later I wake up holding Alfred. He's curled up to my side. I check his forehead. He still has a fever, but it's not as bad as

it was yesterday. I get another cold cloth and hold it to his forehead and him to my side as he sleeps.

Alfred wakes up a half hour later. He looks up at me and squints a bit, trying to see me better. After a minute he smiles.

"So you stayed, huh? I was half expecting you to leave." He laughs a bit, but stops short, wincing a bit, so his throat must hurt.

I smile and rub his arm a bit. "I won't leave until you're well Alfred. Now, do you feel better?"

"Kinda. My headache's gone for the most part, and I can probably sit without getting dizzy, but my throat hurts soo much and I feel kinda queasy."

"Well come on. I'm taking you to see a doctor."

"Iggyyyyyyyy."

"You're going." I stand up and slowly get Alfred up. Once he is, I help him to my car and drive to the doctor. It takes a few minutes to get there and sign in. Alfred gets called back a minute or so later. I read the book I brought for the time he's gone.

He comes back after a while with instructions to not talk too much, drink something, and to rest. On the way home, we pick up the medicine prescribed which Alfred is to take two every six hours.

Once back at his house, he takes the two pills with some water. I put a water bottle on the table and turn on his TV. I change it to the SciFy channel for him and sit next to him on the sofa. He has wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and leans against me when I sit down. He grabs his glasses so he can actually see the UFO program on. I hold him to me. I don't pay attention to the TV, but I look at it, letting my mind wander and glancing at him occasionally. I know he looks up at me every now and then too, feeling his gaze on me.

He falls asleep a few minutes before midnight. I take off his glasses, put them on the table, and turn the TV off. I lay him down so he's using my lap as a pillow. I gently run my fingers in his hair. I fall asleep soon after he does.

I wake up the next morning to find Alfred was already up. He was in the kitchen looking through the refrigerator.

"What are you doing? You should be resting." I get up and go over to him.

"But I'm hungry." He whispers.

"You could have woken me; I would have got you something."

He shakes his head and grabs a milkshake. He goes back to the sofa, grabbing my hand and slurping his milkshake on the way. He sits down, and I sit with him, hands sill clasped. He takes his medicine, puts down his milkshake, and leans on me. He rests his head on my shoulder.

He gently squeezes my hand and whispers, "Thanks for staying with me Iggy."

"You already said that." I tell him with a smile.

"No, I really mean it. I'm really happy that you're here with me."

"I know you are." I softly kiss his slightly warm forehead. I know my cheeks are a bit pink. He smiles widely up at me and gives me a hug. I hug him back after a short minute.

He lets go after a moment and leans into me. I wrap my arm around him, holding him close.

~/~/~

A few days later, Alfred is well again.

"Iggy? Iggy. Iggy. Come on get up dude!" He shakes my shoulders, waking me from my sleep.

"What is it Alfred? Do you feel better?" I ask him, waking up.

"Yeah dude."

"Did you wake me up just to tell me that?"

"Huh? No. I was, uh, just thinkin' 'bout stuff." He thinks about things? Probably nothing important, but I ask him anyway.

"What were you thinking about?"

He looks away from me. "Well I was thinkin' 'bout how ya stayed with me an' how it was really nice a' you and stuff, and, uh, it mae me think 'bout how glad I am that ya worry about me and still care about me. And I, uh, realized that I, uh, I kinda, uh, like you?" He looks up at me, blushing a bit.

I smile at him. "I like you as well."

He shakes his head. "No, I mean like, like. You know what I'm sayin'?"

"I know exactly what you're saying."

"Really?"

"Yes. And … I feel the same for you." I look away, embarrassed that I admitted it to him.

He wraps his arms around me and kisses my cheek. I hug him back, glad that he's mine.