Mason was at Jamie's desk after school, doing homework when he heard Jamie roll over in bed. He didn't think much of it, as Jamie moved around a lot when he was in bed by himself.

He did look up when he heard a thump and saw that Jamie had flopped an arm to where he had resided a few hours ago.

Then a croaky voice. "Mace?"

"Here." His heart warmed to know that he was the first thing Jamie thought off as he woke up.

He rolled the chair over to the side of the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Better. Definitely better now that you're here."

'Now that he's here'? Did that mean that Jamie forgave him for last night?

Mason sighed in relief. "Good. That's so good to hear. I should take your temperature before I tell your mom, though."

Jamie only hmmed in confirmation. "When are Brodie and Kellen coming over?"

"That's up to you. I told them they could come when you were feeling better and ready for visitors."

"Today?"

"Yeah, I told them that today."

"No, I mean, can they come today?"

"Oh! Already? Yeah, sure." Mason grabbed his phone from Jamie's desk. "Do you wanna text them or me?"

Jamie groaned. "No, thank you." It was cute how Jamie was still polite when sleepy and sick.

"Okay."

Jamie asked if you guys could come over today. He's still pretty tired, though (just woke up), so don't be expecting him out of bed.

Mason ran a hand through Jamie's sweaty blond hair as he took his temperature. "101.9. Better, but still not great. Are you sure you want them over today?"

"Yeah," Jamie nodded. "I was really lonely today, cause mom had to into work today. She didn't want to, but they needed her, and I told her I'd be fine and so I was alone for most of the day and so I just want to be around people. Not just anyone though, but, like, friends. Friends are good."

Mason's heart broke. Jamie was a very person oriented person who needed attention, especially when sick, and to be alone the whole day? No wonder he wanted the other two to come over even though he wasn't feeling great.

Kellen was the first to respond.

Cool, We'll be over after practice

Mason went to roll the chair back to the desk when a hand around his wrist stopped him.

"Were you reading more of Shakespeare?"

He wasn't, he was doing geology, but said; "Yeah."

"Could you read it out loud again?"

"Of course." He couldn't deny this boy anything.

Mason tried to grab the book from his backpack, but it was just a bit too far away.

"Jamie? You're gonna have to let me go so I can grab it. I'll be right back."

Jamie let go but kept his arm out and fingers stretched to reach for him the whole few seconds it took for Mason to grab the book. He took Jamie's hand, pressing a kiss to the knuckles before rolling back over. Was Jamie's face that red before?

Mason got settled in the chair, holding the book with one hand, the other still holding Jamie's hand and began to read.

Mason lost track of time as he was reading and it wasn't until the door open did he stop. He looked up, expecting to see Jamie's mom in the doorway out of habit, but it was Brodie poking his head in.

"Jamie's mom sent us up. Is he okay?"

Mason looked over to the Jamie-sized lump in the bed.

"Jaims? You awake, buddy?"

"Mmhm," came the quiet reply from under the blankets. The only part of him that he could see was his hands and half of his forearm from where he was still holding Mason's hand. Then his other hand poked out at the top to pull it down enough that Mason could see his face.

Jamie sleepily blinked a couple times before he turned to Mason. "What?"

"Brodie and Kellen are here," he explained. It seemed that Jamie was too out of it to hear them enter.

Jamie grinned and sat up quickly. "Hey!" Then he groaned as he swayed.

"Hey." Mason was on the edge of the bed with his arms around his best friend in a second. "Jamie? Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah, yeah," Jamie waved his hand dismissively. "'M fine. Just a bit dizzy."

"Maybe you should lay down again," Mason suggested.

Jamie grunted, but instead of leaning back as Mason expected, he tilted sideways into Mason's chest, who's arms instinctively went around the blond.

"Um, should we go?"

Mason looked up to see Brodie and Kellen standing awkwardly by the door.

"No, no. Please stay. Sit," Jamie awkwardly tried to be a good host.

Mason pushed the chair over to the two boys, and after a second, Kellen sat down on the chair while Brodie perched on the edge of Jamie's bed.

Jamie's head fell onto Mason's shoulder as he yawned and stretched like a cat, body pressing into Mason's, with his face scrunching up in the process. Then he rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple times. Finally, he looked back at the two newcomers in his room and asks; "Hey, what's up?" as though he didn't just make a production on how tired he was.

"How are you feeling?"

"Is that Mason's shirt?"

Jamie blinked as the two spoke simultaneously. "What?"

"One at a time, please," Mason added on.

"Are you okay?" Brodie asked again. "Cause, like, you're home sick, but you're acting as though we're at lunch at school."

Jamie shrugged. "I jus' wanted it to be like normal. 'M tired and the only places I've been in the past few days are here and the bathroom. I wanted it to feel like just any other day to take a break from this," he gestured around his bed, "thisness."

Mason frowned at the thought of Jamie being tired and bored and being contained in such a small area. "Do you wanna watch a movie in the living room or basement?"

Jamie thought for a second then nodded.

"Did you just offer up Jamie's basement to him?"

"Um, yeah? I guess I did," Mason laughed. "Do you two have enough time to watch a movie? It's cool if you don't."

They looked at each other and shrugged. "Yeah, we're down for that."

"Great." Then he turned to the sick boy. "Do you want to try the stairs?"

"Ummm, yeesss," Jamie drew out, sounding unsure.

"Don't worry, I'll be there the whole time."

Jamie nodded. "Okay."

Mason climbed out of the bed and held out his arms for support as Jamie climbed out of bed, the other two standing up as well.

"That is Mason's shirt!" Kellen exclaimed gleefully, practically bouncing in delight.

Mason looked down at his shirt, confused as to what Kellen was talking about.

"No, not you, Mason. Obviously you're wearing your shirt. I'm talking about Jamie."

"What?" He and Jamie both look at his chest and saw his football shirt from sophomore year.

That was the only year that Mason was on a sports team; after that he focused more on academics than sports, keeping his exercise to gym class, rather than an extracurricular. The team got t-shirts that had their number and name to look like their jerseys, and sure enough, the number 25 was in small numbers with the words Lincoln Football underneath on the front over his heart.

Mason ducked his head around to look at Jamie's back where the name Viveros was splayed out for all to see.

It made his heart flutter to see his name on Jamie like that. It was like when girls wore their boyfriend's jerseys to games and such. God, he wished that was the case here. Or that that was to become Jamie's last name. When Mason looked back up, both Brodie and Kellen were giving him sly looks. He gave a hard stare back.

"Uh, you may want to put pants on."

Again, that was meant to be for Jamie, as Mason saw that he only had his boxers and Mason's shirt on.

"Oh, um," Jamie's face flushed as he looked around his room. "Where are my sweatpants?"

"Uh," Mason opened Jamie's closet and found Jamie's favourite pair of track pants. They were a light gray and super fuzzy on the inside. "Here they are," Mason said, holding them up.

Jamie held out his hands for them, and when he caught the pants he started to put them on, but when he lifted one leg, he started to tip over from lack of balance.

"Maybe you should sit," Mason suggested as he caught him before he hit the floor.

It wasn't until they had gotten the pants on Jamie and ready to leave did he notice that the other two had left the room and closed the door. When he opened it, he saw them talking as they waited there in the hall.

"Um, hey," Kellen said when he noticed them.

"Sorry about that," Jamie apologize, rubbing a hand across his face.

"Don't worry about it, dude. It's understandable. You're sick. Hell, I can hardly stand having more than a sheet on, I get so hot."

"Yeah, well, both Mason and my mom are keeping me under at least two blankets at all times, so," Jamie shrugged.

"I see that he's taking good care of you."

"Yeah," Jamie beamed at him and MAson's heart fluttered. "Mason's been great. He always is."

Ignoring the pointed looks and stare, he turned to the stairs. "Do you want to try the stairs on your own first?" he asked the sick boy who was still looking at him.

"Uh, sure." Jamie didn't sound convinced.

Jamie had gotten a whole step before one of his knees buckled, sending him careening into Mason.

Mason had had his arms out, ready for when the clumsy boy would fall, catching him easily after years of practice from when Jamie would trip over roots and rocks and other various things growing up.

Lowering himself out of Mason's arms, Jamie sat on the steps, blinking dizzily.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Mason tried to hide his grin.

Jamie just pouted and held his arms out like the girls did when they wanted to be picked up.

Before Mason could do that, Kellen spoke up. "Should one of us," he gestured between himself and Brodie, "be lower on the stairs so you don't fall down?"

"That'd… actually be great, thanks."

They finally got sorted out, Brodie a few steps below them - he was the strongest and could keep them from tumbling down the stairs if needed.

Mason got Jamie's arms and legs secured around him before he stood up, arms under the blond's thighs and ass said boy clinging on like a koala.

It took awhile, but eventually, all four boys were situated on the couch in the basement. They had chosen a light, fun watch that didn't have a lot of flashing or loud noises that would give Jamie a headache and were about to turn off the light when Brodie spoke up.

"So, when was the wedding?"

Mason was so confused. "What wedding?" He hadn't been aware that there was one.

"Your wedding," Brodie pointed to where Jamie was pressed against Mason's side. "I'd ask when is the wedding, but my dudes, you're already married."

Jamie's face went a bright red as he squeaked. Adorable.

"We're not," Mason tried, face feeling as hot as Jamie's looked.

"Mason, please. You were holding hands and reading to him when we got here, you suggested a movie like you lived here, which it seems that you do, you helped Jamie up, found his sweatpants, helped him get them on and carried him down the stairs with him clinging to you the entire time. All while Jamie is wearing your shirt."

"And," Kelen interjected, "that's only in the last, what, ten minutes? The past few days at school you've hardly looked up from your phone, waiting for updates from or about Jamie, and the only times you did look up was to give us said updates. Not that there's anything wrong with it, we just were wondering when you got married."

"Umm," Mason didn't know what to say.

"And now you're cuddling on a couch," Brodie flicked off the lights, "in a dark room."

Before he or Jamie could react, Kellen pressed play on the remote, starting the movie.

Mason didn't know what to think. He was grateful that his friends were so accepting, but did they have to rub it in that he and Jamie would never be together the way Mason wanted? They exposed how he was feeling and Mason wasn't sure how Jamie felt about that.

It was around fifteen minutes into the movie that he realized that Jamie didn't seem to mind. In fact, his best friend was practically climbing in his lap, no, scratch that. He was climbing into Mason's lap.

Jamie lay sideways across Mason, leaning against him as his arms wrapped around his torso and his head resting on Mason's shoulder.

"You okay?" Mason asked quietly, not wanting to disrupt the other two.

"Mmm cold. Tired." Jamie nuzzled his face into Mason's neck.

Mason wrapped his arms around him and looked around for a spare blanket, not seeing one.

"Hey," Mason whispered to Brodie who was sitting closest to them. "Could you grab the extra blankets from the closet back there?" He gestured to the back of the room with his head.

Brodie nodded, quietly climbing off the couch, pushing off the blanket he was sharing with Kellen before returning moments later with an armload of blankets. With Brodie's help, the two of them got a nest wrapped around Jamie.

Jamie let out a little puff of air against Mason's neck, making him shiver. Mason ran a hand through his blond hair and rubbed his back as the other slowly fell asleep.

He stared at Jamie for a while - he loved to watch him sleep; he looked so content - and, forgetting about the other two, he kissed Jamie's forehead, before leaning his head atop Jamie's and got cozy to watch the rest of the movie.