Chapter 19
Harry woke up groggily, immediately noticing that it was still dark outside his window. He groaned a bit and turned over in the sheets, trying futilely to get comfortably again before shoving them a bit to the side so he could get out of bed. He hated it when he woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, but looking at the clock that showed it was just approaching 6am, he knew that was what had happened this morning.
He figured he might as well take advantage of it though and get cleaned up and make some breakfast. As he shrugged off his pajamas and pulled a towel around him, he noticed the slight ache in his arms but put it off as remaining exhaustion. It was only when he stepped in the hot shower sprays and felt nausea well-up that he started to rethink.
Harry let out an overdramatic moan and pressed his cheek to the cold tiles of the shower, angling his body so that water was still running down him but his head was out of the spray. You're not getting sick, he tried to a argue with himself, you're just not feeling well because it's so early….
He repeated this mantra as he washed his hair off then stepped out of the shower, drying himself off hastily then crawling back under the sheets of his bed, snuggling into them to try and find some remaining warmth. It had been a fine temperature before the shower, but it was freezing now. He momentarily debated skipping school but reluctantly decided he couldn't. Besides, it would be the weekend in a day and he could make it through a few hours of just sitting in class.
Taking another look at the clock and seeing that close to half an hour had passed, Harry slowly rose from his bed and stumbled over to his dresser where he pulled out some boxers, jeans, and an odd assortment of tops that he figured he could layer. By the time he had finished dressing himself he was wearing a short sleeve, an old flannel belonging to his father, and a sweatshirt over them both.
Declaring himself fit for school, he wandered downstairs and started on a breakfast that he likely wouldn't be eating.
"Morning," James called our roughly as he stumbled into the kitchen and filled up a mug with the coffee Harry had already brewed.
"What're you doing up so early?"
"I woke up early and didn't feel the best," Harry said honestly as he flipped the last pancake and slid it onto a plate. "Figured keeping busy would be the best thing."
"You staying home from school?" James accepted the plate Harry gave him and tore into the pancakes eagerly, moaning in delight. "It's been so long since I've had breakfast," he offered, noticing Harry's gaze.
Harry laughed at that and shook his head, walking over to make himself a cup of coffee. "That's what happens when you don't cook it," he teased.
"School?" James prompted again, laughing when Harry took a small sip of the coffee and immediately grimaced.
"School," Harry agreed with a sigh and nod. "It's almost the weekend and I'm not actually feeling too sick. I'm still hoping that this is just a product of waking up too early or something."
James took his plate over to the sink and washed it down quickly before placing it in the dishwasher. "Alright, come home if you need to though. I'm off to work but I'll see you tonight."
Harry waved a goodbye to him and tried another sip of the bitter brew, still finding it to be relatively tasteless but at least it wasn't upsetting his stomach. It was barely approaching seven so he still had a bit of time before Edward picked him up. Just enough time to pick up the kitchen, enjoy his cup of coffee, and maybe motivate himself to actually be productive today.
The time passed by quickly though and Harry barely had time to chug down he rest of his cup of coffee when he saw Edward's Volvo pull up in his driveway.
You can do this, Harry told himself with a steely resolve. He grabbed his backpack, swung it over his shoulders, and marched out to the car, barely remembering to lock the door on his way out.
"No coffee," Edward noted when Harry climbed in the passenger seat.
"Nope," Harry offered him a small side grin then turned to face the front of the car before Edward could question him on his haggard appearance. He had looked in the mirror before he left and he knew he didn't look very pretty.
"Hmmm," Edward narrowed his eyes at that but turned back to the road, knowing it bothered Harry when he didn't pay attention, even though he still had complete control of the vehicle even without looking forward. "How was your night last night? You seemed to sleep pretty well through it."
"No nightmares," Harry assured him, this time turning to face him with a grin. "I didn't notice you coming in though."
"It seemed like a deep sleep," Edward agreed with a warm laugh. "You were snoring."
"No I wasn't!" Harry gaped indignantly and turned to fully face the vampire. "You're a dirty liar," he accused.
"I assure you I'm not lying. I was surprised myself at such a big noise coming from such a little person," he teased, this time keeping his eyes on the road just so Harry wouldn't be able to see the humor in his gaze.
Harry shook stubbornly, "I do not snore," he grumbled.
Edward took another glance at Harry, noting the way he was dressed and how he as holding himself. "You don't normally," he agreed.
"Feeling okay today, partner?"
"Feeling great!" Harry lied.
"Really?" Edward said doubtfully. "Why are you wearing that ridiculous outfit then?"
Harry was kinda offended at that. Sure, he was wearing a few more layers than normal, but he didn't think it deserved the title of ridiculous. He had even tried his best to match colors and patterns. "I like this outfit," he pouted, "and maybe you should focus on your own outfit. Wearing a short sleeve in this weather isn't exactly normal for humans."
Instead of replying, Edward just reached back, one hand still on the wheel, and pulled up a black leather jacket. He grinned at Harry's pout and lightly tossed it on the human's lap. "I figured I'd bring it in, though if you're cold you can borrow it too."
Actually, Harry was beginning to get a bit overheated in his outfit. "I think I'm good," he grimaced. "It's getting pretty warm out, I might take off my jacket soon too."
A quick glance towards the car dash told Edward that the temperature outside was in the low 40s. His stubborn little human was clearly sick. "It's too cold to take off your jacket. Are you sick?"
Harry gaped at him, "I…am not sick!" he protested weakly.
Edward pulled into the school parking lot and pulled smoothly into a parking space closer to the front of the school than he would typically, not wanting Harry to walk too far. "I'm sure I'm not going to convince you to go home," he sighed defeatedly, "Just please be sensible. I don't want to see you without a jacket today," he warned.
"Yes, mother," Harry grinned at him, heart half warmed by the clear worry and half frozen because, well, he might be sick.
"You are impossible," Edward shook his head but offered his mate a smile in return. Concern was still resting heavy in his chest but he knew he wouldn't be able to convince Harry of anything now. Perhaps by lunch his human would allow him to take him home…
"I know," Harry smiled innocently and opened up the door so he could stumble out of the car. He was actually feeling pretty alright right now. It wasn't too cold or too hot and he wasn't feeling ache-y anymore. His hope had returned that this had just been a morning sickness from waking up too early.
Seeing how Edward was still sporting a small concerned frown, he reached up on his tippy toes and pressed a kiss to the cold cheek. "I'm fine," he promised, hand reaching out to quickly grasp Edward's before he could pull it away.
"You're going to get cold," Edward's voice rose in protest but Harry stubbornly ignored that and marched on towards the school, all but pulling Edward along beside him. In fact, Harry ignored all of Edward's protests until they reached the front of the building that held the classes, at which point he squeezed the cold hand, offered a cheeky smile, and threw out a "See you at lunch!"
He couldn't hear what Edward said in response to that, but judging from the tone of the mumble, he knew it was probably something deprecatory about his quick departure. Silly vampire being so concerned…it was probably just a head cold, nothing to be worried about and certainly nothing that was bad enough to keep him home and collecting absent work to complete later.
Harry wandered into his first class and sat down in his assigned seat, grabbing a few tissues on his way just in case his nose decided to start running during class. He maintained that the worst part about a cold was a runny or stuffy nose. Not only was it gross, it was just so annoying. He really never took enough time in his daily life to appreciate being able to breathe out of his nose, because not being able to was absolutely torture. His nose was feeling fine and clear this morning, but Harry didn't want to take any chances of doing the awkward emergency run to the tissues if he sneezed unexpectedly.
As the class wore on though, his nose remained perfectly normal. Instead of being happy about that development, however, Harry just grew more concerned. His dry nose combined with the growing joint aches clearly hinted away from a cold and towards the flu. That thought kept his mind occupied through the rest of his classes, and by the time lunch rolled around, Harry was stubbornly pulling on his second jacket as he walked into the cafeteria, thinking of ways he could stop Edward from unnecessarily worrying…and maybe also how to steal his jacket without him noticing.
Harry scowled threateningly as he walked up to Edward's and his typical table, seeing the pale boy already sitting down with a tray of food and staring at him with a judgmental look. "No, I'm not sick. I'm feeling just fine, and stop bringing it up,"
"Afternoon," Edward nodded to him, raising an eyebrow at the new jacket adorning Harry's body and trying not to laugh at Harry's sullen entrance to the cafeteria. "Lunch?"
Harry grimaced at the sight of the food-filled tray that was pushed in his direction. "Pass."
"I thought you weren't sick?"
"I thought you weren't going to bring it up anymore," Harry countered still sassily.
At that, Edward finally broke and started laughing. "Of course, love. What are your plans for the rest of the day?"
Harry broke out of his scowl and smiled a bit sheepishly at the vampire, knowing that he was being a bit bratty. "Would you mind just dropping me off straight home after school today?"
"Of course," Edward assured.
"Thanks," Harry took a second look at the food and tentatively picked up a bread roll, observing it as if it were a wild creature ready to attack him. After a few more seconds of Harry watching the roll and Edward watching Harry, the human took a small bite of the bread then immediately recoiled.
"You are sick."
"I'm sick," Harry finally sighed in defeat, putting the bread down on the table.
Edward laughed a little and learned forward, pushing the tray of food off to the side so it wouldn't bother Harry. "Why don't I just drop you off at home right now? I'll call into the office for you."
"I'm not sick-sick," Harry tried to explain. "I'm just not feeling 100 percent, not like the flu or anything. It's probably honestly just me being tired."
"I'm taking you home," Edward said definitively.
"No, you aren't."
Edward groaned at that and leveled his mate with a slight glare. "Why are you the most stubborn creature?"
"Alright, alright," Harry finally conceded. "You can take me home, but just because I want to make you happy. I am absolutely not sick enough to be taken home."
"Of course," Edward agreed in such an over-exaggerated manner Harry just knew he was mocking him. Edward stood up from the table and offered Harry his arm, which he grumpily accepted, then lead them both to the front office. Five minutes and one explanation later, Harry was being driven home at a speed way above the legal limit.
"I'm pretty sure the speed limit does not go this high," He said dryly.
"Does it not?" Edward grinned but obligingly slowed down as he turned the corner that took him onto Harry's street. As he got closer to Harry's house he started to slow down even further, face now pulled into a frown.
"Edward?" Harry asked confused by the actions.
"Someone is at your house," Edward noted, barely crawling along now. Not just someone either, he could smell them several houses away. Sirius Black and another who he assumed was the son, Jacob, that Harry had mentioned earlier. He tried to restrain the growl threatening to erupt out of his chest at the unexpected visitors, but Harry still seemed to sense his displeasure by the way the human kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eyes.
"Who?" Harry almost didn't want to know. Judging by Edward's reaction, these apparently weren't visitors that Edward was pleased to see. "Where are you going?" Edward had driven past his house and was now continuing on to the end of the street.
"It's the Blacks; Sirius, and I'm guessing his son," Edward sighed, pulling his car around the the end of the block.
"Oh," Harry sighed, somewhat annoyed by the new development. He wasn't exactly up for entertaining visitors and he was a little curious as to why they were there when his father was still at the station. He also wondered why Edward seemed so displeased by their presence. Granted, he wasn't very happy either, but Edward had a very visceral reaction.
"They shouldn't be there, especially without your father home," Edward nearly hissed through clenched teeth.
"Is that why you're so bothered," Harry pursed his lips in confusion and turned to face the vampire, noticing that his eyes were darker than they had been when they'd left the school.
Edward hesitated before answering his mate. Harry didn't know the history behind the Quileute reservation and he knew it wasn't his place to tell, both because it would break the treaty his family had formed with them, and because he had heard that the gene that affected that population had died out in the recent decades. Still though, they were dangerous, with our without the activated gene, and he didn't want them and their tempers anywhere near his mate. "I don't think it's appropriate for them to be in your home at this moment," he carefully crafted his answer. "Besides, you're sick and shouldn't be entertaining guests."
"Hmm," Harry hummed. "I do admit to being curious as to why they're here. They did this the other week too, but that was just because James was running late at the station and they had showed up a bit early. Still nearly gave me a heart attack though. I'll just tell them that I'm not feeling the best and redirect them to the station if they want to visit my dad."
Edward still didn't look too happy, but he did put his car back into drive and slowly roll forward until he reached Harry's driveway.
Seeing that the Black's car was already in the driveway, he pulled his own car up to the curb, even more resentful now that Harry would have to walk further to the door. He gave a frustrated sigh and put the car into park, leaning forward to help Harry undo his seatbelt before capturing his lips in a gentle kiss. "Call me if you need anything, alright?"
"I suppose, if I really need something," Harry agreed cheekily, offering up a small smile that turned into a bigger one when Edward moved up to press one last kiss his nose. "I'll call you later tonight around 6?"
"Sounds perfect," Edward murmured. "I love you, you stubborn human."
"I think you've got me matched on stubbornness," Harry smirked, "but I love you as well."
Edward reluctantly unlocked the car door and watched as Harry grabbed his backpack then slid out of his seat, closing the door behind him and waving a goodbye. He was still opposed to leaving him alone with the Blacks; he didn't trust them, but he knew very well that he couldn't exactly follow Harry inside to confront them. Even his presence would be asking for trouble. Harry had said he'd call at 6 though, and that knowledge satisfied him enough to allow himself to pull out of the driveway and head to his own home to tell Carlisle of this new development. The werewolf gene may have died out in the past decade, but the knowledge of a new generation of pack members still needed to be passed on.
—
Harry took a breath and steeled himself for the upcoming confrontation. He really hated being rude, but he didn't want to deal with people today and entertaining visitors in his house hadn't been part of his plan. He just wanted to go inside, curl up under a blanket, and gather up the courage to drive to the hospital and politely request a flu shot in hopes that it would stop his sickness in its track.
Instead he was standing outside his front door, dancing from foot to foot as he tried to convince himself to just get it over with.
As it turned out, he didn't even have to make the first move because not even a second later, the door swung open slowly and a familiar face peaked out. "Harry?"
"Hello, Jacob," Harry sighed and opened the door all the way so he could step inside his house.
Jacob shut the door behind Harry and followed the raven-haired boy as he walked over to the unoccupied armchair and set his bag down.
"We saw that your truck is still here," Jacob broke he silence, seeming almost disappointed that Harry wasn't driving the car he had built. "Who dropped you off?"
"Edward," Harry answered shortly, "He drives me to school sometimes."
"Cullen?" Sirius black leaned forward in his arm chair, eyes narrowed and suddenly alert. Harry nearly started at the unexpected loud declaration, not even really noticing Sirius on the couch in absence of a greeting.
"Cullen," Harry confirmed somewhat suspiciously, wondering why that had deserved such a reaction from the man.
Sirius grimaced and sat back on the couch, looking slightly awkward as he cleared his throat. "You need to be careful. How well do you actually know that family? The Cullen's aren't what they appear to be on the outside," he warned.
Harry bristled at that, angry at the quick judgement and the fact that these strangers were intruding on his personal life. "I know the Cullen's very well, and I know they don't deserve anyone talking down about them," Harry's tone left no room for argument, something that Sirius seemed to catch on to because he didn't say anything in response.
Jacob looked nervously between the two figures, Harry still glaring challengingly and Sirius meeting his gaze. "Anyways, how was your day, Harry?"
Seeming to deflate a bit, Harry began to shrug off his first layer of jackets. "I'm feeling a bit under the weather," He admitted. "To be honest, I really wasn't expecting visitors and I'm afraid I'm not in good shape to entertain. If you're looking for my father, he's at the station and he'll be there until pretty late I'm guessing. Feel free to visit him there or I can just tell him you've dropped by."
Jacob opened his mouth to respond with his usually puppy-like enthusiasm but Sirius cut him off before he could. "We're actually not here to see James. He mentioned that he wanted us to keep an eye on the house in light of recent events."
Harry really, really wasn't in the mood. "Well I'm here now to keep an eye on the house," he said as friendly as he could with frustration, and a bit of nausea, welling up inside his chest.
Seeing that neither of them made a move to rise, Harry crossed his arms a bit stubbornly. "I don't mean to be rude, but I really don't want company over right now. I'll call James and explain so that you don't have to when you get back home."
"Of course, we didn't mean to intrude," Sirius rose from his position on the couch, and after giving Harry one last glance, starting walking towards the front door. Jacob tailed right behind him with an almost painful looking expression. Harry would have laughed at the clear awkwardness reflected in his expression, but he was feeling just a little too annoyed and a little too sick to engage in it, so instead he just offered him a wave goodbye.
As soon as they left, Harry walked over the the door and clicked the lock shut before returning to the couch and falling face-down on it with a huff. Setting a mental clock for 15 minutes, he closed his eyes and tried to relax. That encounter had really raised his blood pressure and in the aftermath he felt a small bit of guilt swirl around in his stomach. He groaned at all the conflicting feelings and rolled over, grabbing the remote to click on some mindless television to entertain him.
When his estimated 15 minutes were up and he was suitably bored by the show on tv, he dragged himself off the couch and walked to the counter to grab the keys to his truck. Taking one last longing look to the inviting couch, he grabbed his discarded jacket and exited the house, making sure to double check the lock this time.
On the way to the doctors he did a quick self assessment. His joints were still aching ever so slightly, but not enough to be concerning. His stomach felt a bit upset but for the most part the earlier nausea had faded, and aside from the fact that his body temperature was still out of wack, he felt somewhat okay. He was feeling confident in his decision to get the flu shot before he got even more sick, and hopefully in time to prevent James from getting the flu from him too. Assuming, of course, that James wasn't the one to pass it to him in the first place. It was always so hard to judge who had transferred it to who…
Pulling into the parking lot, his only concern now was that Carlisle would be his doctor.
Naturally, he was the first face to greet him as he walked into the empty waiting room.
"Harry?" the elder said in slight concern.
"Hi," Harry offered him a small smile in greeting.
"Is everything okay?" The patriarch walked over to him in concern, running an eye over him critically. He gave a nod to the nurse at the counter as he gently lead Harry through the door.
"All good! I'm just here for a flu shot. I think I need to sign in though," Harrys said, turning his head to look back at the entrance and the nurse still waiting there.
"That's not necessary, it's a pretty quiet day," Carlisle said conversationally, opening up a door to their left. "I was just coming in to check and see if there were any walk-ins because it's been so unnaturally quiet."
"Oh, alright then," Harry followed the silent instructions and hopped up on the table, feeling the paper crinkle underneath him as he sat down.
Carlisle offered Harry a smile, noticing how he was looking around the room somewhat nervously, no doubt anxious. "This won't take very long," he promised. "I'm just going to ask you a few questions first."
Harry adjusted himself slightly to get more comfortable and nodded quickly.
"To start, how are you feeling today?"
Of course that was the first question. Harry wondered if Edward had told his family anything or if that was just a normal question, and he debating if lying or telling the truth would be better.
"I'm feeling well enough," he hedged.
"Well-enough?" Carlisle raised a questioning eyebrow and wrote something down quickly on the clipboard.
"I've got a slight headache but that's probably just because of dealing with some unexpectedly stubborn house guests."
Some of his annoyance must have shown through because Carlisle gave a short laugh and titled his head in consideration. "Who were these unexpected house guests? I'm sure that Edward would be more than willing to assist you next time."
The amusement was clear in Carlisle's voice and it was all Harry could do not to flush in embarrassment at the fact that Carlisle had noticed how….protective Edward could be at times. "Oh, I'm sure," he laughed and shook his head a little. "He seemed to not want anything to do with them though."
At Carlisles obvious curiosity, Harry quickly amended. "It was Sirius Black and his son, Jacob. Edward seemed to be displeased with the fact that they were at my house but I just told him that I'd shoo them away. I just wasn't expecting them to give me any trouble over it, I practically had to shove them out my door."
"Hmm," Carlisle frowned. Harry half expected him to pursue it further, but the elder vampire just raised the clipboard a little higher and asked him a few more general questions about his health before grabbing a blood pressure cuff.
"I used to be afraid of these," Harry laughed a little as he held out his arm so Carlisle could wrap the cuff around it.
"Surprisingly, you're not the first person to tell me that," Carlisle's frown faded away again into a smile and he quickly took Harry's blood pressure before scribbling it down quickly on the clipboard. "I'll be back in just a moment."
Harry nodded and watched as he walked out the room, knowing that he was going to grab the needle. While he wasn't terrified of needles, per say, he also really really didn't like them and he hoped that this one wasn't very painful.
Judging by Carlisle's small smirk when he walked back into the room, Harry could tell that his apprehension was painted clearly on his face. "I'll be quick," he promised and Harry swallowed and nodded, trying not to grimace as his left arm, now without the protection from his several layers, was swapped.
True to his word, Carlisle pricked him very quickly, not even giving Harry much time to tense up in preparation for the needle. "All done!"
"Thank you," Harry accepted the offered bandaid and quickly plastered it over the small hole. "Hopefully I got this in time!"
"If you have any side effects or start feeling sick, make sure you call in," Carlisle collected is clipboard again and waited for Harry to hop down from the table. "Or, I suppose, you can just call Edward," he added playfully.
Harry groaned, recognizing the truth in those words, and allowed himself to be lead out of the room back to the front entrance. He was almost at the door to the front office when he heard Carlisle call him name.
"-and Harry, if anyone ever bothers you at your home again, please be sure to call someone. I know that all of us, especially Edward, would be more than willing to assist you."
Harry nodded and offered the elder male one last smile and opening the door, giving the nurse a quick thanks before leaving though the glass doors and hurrying to his car to escape the outside chill. Carlisle's words were following his exit and occupying his mind as he fished out his keys and started the engine. Despite the smile and typical friendly tone of the Cullen Patriarch, he could sense the underlying meaning. A small part of him felt gratified at the obvious concern and the knowledge that all of the Cullens, not just Edward, cared. The bigger part of him was stuck on the fact that Carlisle was doubtlessly going to inform Edward of his troubles.
Harry groaned and banged his head lightly against the steering wheel. Maybe he should have kept that part to himself….
At the very least, his flu shot was over and done with. He would take an awkward conversation over getting the full brunt of this seasons flu, so perhaps the tradeoff was fair.
The drive home was quiet enough, and as he pulled into the driveway of his house, he noted the presence of the parked police cruiser. He pondered that for a moment as he walked up to the door. He hadn't thought his dad would be home so early..
"Hell - oh" Harry faltered in his greeting, raising an eyebrow weekly as his father's haggard appearance came into view. Well, that explained the car then.
James groaned and shifted a bit on the couch. "Sick," he just stated as Harry came to join the police officer in his sprawled out position on the couch.
"Hmm, well I'm glad I got the flu shot then!"
James sat up a bit at that and furrowed his brow concernedly. "What do you mean you just got the flu shot? You were sick first."
Harry shrugged and kicked off his shoes so he could curl his legs under his body. "I wasn't feeling too poorly so I figured I might have caught it in time."
"I'm not sure thats how that works," James said in a hesitant voice, but Harry just shrugged again and grabbed the remote to turn on some mindless channel.
An hour later, Harry indeed found out that James was correct.
"Ow," he moaned dramatically, chest heaving as he laid on the ground, having abandoned his position on the couch.
"I told you," James remarked, now having taken over the whole couch.
"I'm going to be sick," Harry just moaned. If he had thought he felt sick this morning, it was nothing compared to how he currently felt. His stomach was churning, his head hurt, and his body felt as if it was covered in a hundred bruises.
"I can't believe the doctor actually gave you the flu shot. You're never supposed to get a shot if you're already feeling the effects. Instead of fighting it off, your immune system just takes another hit."
Harry winced at that, "Yea, I might have lied a bit about how I was feeling."
At James raised eyebrows, he quickly tried to defend himself, "I thought it was just like a head cold or something! I didn't think I was fully into flu territory."
"Hm," James hummed and closed his eyes, taking a rest between his episodes of extreme nausea. Deciding to follow his lead, Harry closed his own eyes to try and rest a bit. It was only about 4pm, so the night was still young and he definitely had time for a little nap before he had to wake up, do homework, and remember to call Edward.
By the time 6pm rolled around, however, all of that had gone out the window and Harry was feeling nothing except pain. "I hate this," he moaned as he grabbed a third blanket and threw it on top of him, wincing as the joints in his hand and arm protested the movement.
Distantly he could hear his phone ringing, but he couldn't find the energy within him to get up and grab it.
"You going to get that?" James asked.
"If I move, I am 110% confident that I'm going to puke."
The phone rang for another half minute before calling silent and both Harry and James let out a sigh of relief as the silence. Five minutes later, the phone rang again.
Harry cursed under his breath and shakily got the his knees, all but crawling his way over the his phone. "Hullo?" he groaned.
"Harry? Are you feeling alright?" Edward asked concernedly.
"Sick, can't talk," Harry said shortly, feeling his energy waning. "See you tomorrow?"
"I'll see you in a few minutes," Edward said determinedly, and Harry felt a mix of gratitude and dismay at Edward seeing him in such a state. He didn't have any time to voice him complains before Edward was hanging up the phone.
Rather than crawling back to his resting place, Harry just laid back down on his back and threw his arms over his face, mirroring James position on the couch. "Fuck," he groaned.
"Yea, fuck," James groaned back, and then they laid in silence until there was a knock at the door several minutes later.
"Not it," Harry said quickly, to which James just shook his head weakly. They didn't have time to argue about who would open the door though, because not a second later Edward and Carlisle were opening the door.
Harry offered them as much of a smile as he could manage, "How's it going?" he rasped.
Edward just stared silently back at Harry until the human started to feel self-conscious. "Do I really look that bad?" He half wondered, half joked.
"Yes," Edward said in an almost angry tone before taking a few steps forward so he could be closer to Harry.
Harry motioned weakly to the blankets gathered in front of the couch. "Could you grab those for me?" He asked, ignoring the last comment. He was surprised when, instead of getting the blankets, Edward just walking up the him and carefully picked him up. "Hey!" Harry protested.
"Shh," Edward just shushed him and carried him over to the other couch, setting him down gently before turning to gather the blankets so he could tuck Harry in. "You shouldn't have gotten the flu shot," he nearly growled.
"That's what I told him," James piped up tiredly from the other couch.
"Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose," Harry said a bit cheekily.
"Well, it appears as if you both caught the strain of flu thats going around town," Carlisle murmured as he quietly assessed the two humans. "I would suggest you both get plenty of fluids and rest. Try to eat something and make sure you're consuming enough electrolytes. That's one of the biggest dangers with the flu."
"You got it, doc," Harry gave the pale doctor a smile that looked more like a grimace. "So, is this like a 24 hour thing or…."
"It could be," Carlisle said thoughtfully, "Depending on your immune system and how well you take care of yourself. Though, I've also not had a patient yet that's also received the flu shot," he continued wryly.
At Edward's stern glare, Harry offered up an impish smile. "Yea, that's fair."
"I'll stay here," Edward said definitively. "Is there anything you need right now?"
Harry looked over to James only to see his dad more or less asleep. "I think I'm good right now, but I might ask you to get some medicine from the kitchen in a few."
"I'd recommend against any decongestants," Carlisle mentioned from the door. "They'll dehydrate your sinuses. Any flu medicine should work well. And again, make sure he's drinking enough fluids," he directed his last comment to Edward who nodded seriously.
Carlisle send Harry one last kind smile and politely excused himself, leaving Harry alone and defenseless against Edward's mother-hen tendencies.
"I'm going to make you some broth," the vampire said firmly, and before Harry could protest, he was already in the kitchen.
Three minutes later he was back in the living room with a mug full of liquid. Edward set it carefully on the coffee table then moved to help Harry sit up before handing him the mug. "Thanks," Harry said as he shakily grabbed the mug and took a small sip of it, waiting to see if his stomach would actually accept it. Thankfully it did, and Harry continued taking occasional sips of it while Edward watched on with an intense gaze.
The soup was only the beginning of it. After an hour of Edward doting on Harry, constantly asking how he was doing, and fluttering around him like a concerned mother, Harry had about had enough. He reach out out with his leg and poked Edward in the thigh, grinning when Edward whipped around to face him with an expectant gaze.
"You are ridiculous," he said with as much affection as he could while still feeling incredibly sick.
Edward titled his head in slight confusion.
"I know you can't really get sick, but the flu happens all the time. Despite looking horrible, I really am fine."
"You are not fine," Edward frowned.
"I am fine," Harry argued stubbornly.
Edward growled under his breath but didn't argue further, knowing that Harry could argue with the best even while sick. "Regardless, I'm not leaving you or your father in such a state."
Harry gave an over exaggerated sigh and motioned the vampire closer until he was within reach at which point he wrapped his ankle around Edward's and pulled him forward. Or rather, he tried to and Edward remained firmly in place. "I won't break," Harry frowned, and Edward reluctantly allowed himself to be pulled closer and pushed down so he was next to Harry on the couch.
"You're going to get cold," he argued.
Harry just wrapped the blankets tighter around himself and snuggled into Edward's side. "Shhh," he hushed and closed his eyes, smiling when he could feel Edward start to fix his blankets so he was more covered.
Edward hummed as Harry curled more tightly into him, brushing a hand through the black hair in repetitive motions until he could feel the breathing start to level out.