James Maddison wasn't sick. Well he was, but he was also in 6 feet of denial, and 7 feet of overdue work due to his few days indisposed with entertaining Alex. He swept his hand over his sweaty forehead again, breathing through his nausea as started on his next document.
"Jamie?"
Rousing himself from his sickly daze, James looked up at Jefferson blearily,
"Yeah Babe?"
Running a concerned hand through the man's short hair, Jefferson eyed his partner, noting the drooping eyes,
"You okay?"
Visibly rousing himself, James murmured his affirmative, excusing his deterioration as exhaustion, feeling guilty as he blamed Alex.
"You sure?"
Accepting Maddison's excuse with a sceptical expression, Jefferson swept a comforting arm down the broad man's spine, leaving him to his work.
A few minutes later, Maddison was once again drawn from his work, where he had fallen into a productive stupor of words and typing.
"Maddi?"
Looking up quickly, startled, James eyed the toddler by the door warily, before freezing and staggering out the door, past Alex, to the toilet as his stomach rolled.
A soft, hesitant hand on his back, patting clumsily, comforted James as he hunched over the sink,
"Better?"
Washing out his mouth, James nodded gently, holding Alex's hand as he walked back to his office.
"No!"
Staring confusedly at the toddler, Maddison raised an eyebrow as Alex started tugging him towards the exit.
"Alex, I need to go back to work?"
Shaking his head determinedly, Alex continued to march towards the door, gripping James' hand in a fiercely tight grip.
"'Lex, bud, I really need to go back to work, I'm fine now."
"NO!"
The shout drew the attention of Washington and Jefferson, who came out of the Washington's office, where they'd been discussing some paperwork at length. As they emerged, Maddison shared a commiserating glance with them as he stood still, Alex hanging off his arm.
"What's happening?"
Ignoring the warning glance getting shot at him by James, Alex planted himself to the floor, sternly looking up at the men as he declared
"Maddi was sick and now we're going home so he can get better!"
Shaking his head as the boy started speaking, Maddison opened his mouth to refute this, but was silenced by a look from Jefferson.
"That sounds like a brilliant idea, how about I come back too?"
Washington nodded, leaving Thomas to deal with his boys as he headed back into his office.
Ignoring any protests, Thomas and Alex collectively hauled Maddison to the car, disregarding any protests as they pushed him into his seat. Climbing into his lap and curling up on his chest, Alex "pinned Maddi down," Jefferson, in the front seat, laughing behind his hand at Alex's thinly veiled desire to cuddle.
As they pulled into the driveway, James went to lift a dozing Alex, being stopped gently as Thomas took the boy, gesturing that James should go in first.
"Bed, now."
Rolling his eyes in mock exasperation, Maddison's annoyance was belayed as he smiled thankfully at his partner, flopping exhaustedly onto the bed.
"Maddi! Maddi!"
Whispering his name in excitement, a now awake Alexander stood at the edge of the bed, beaming back as James smiled at him sleepily, lifting his arms to reveal boxes of medicine, an icepack, and his treasured bottle, empty.
"I got everything!"
"Hey James, Have you se—"
Smiling sheepishly at Thomas from a nest of pillow and cushions, and other miscellaneous items, James gestured an arm to the appropriate medicine on top of the pile Alex had bought in.
"I think my caretaker has me sorted."
Restraining himself from giggling, Thomas nodded, collecting the excess medicine and leaving the door open to come in moments later, arms outstretched to pick up Alex.
"Nuh uh!"
Staring in momentary shock as his arms were hit away, Jefferson looked up again at Alex, reaching out again to pick up the child.
"I'm not leaving!"
"Alex!"
"NO!"
Stopping short as Alex's voice cracked as he started tearing up, Thomas bent down to his level,
"You'll get sick, darling."
"I won't leave him!"
Staring searchingly at the boy, Jefferson nodded, backing off and sharing a telling glance with Maddison,
"You two get some sleep."
It was the next morning when Jefferson checked on his boys again, his feet padding on the wooden floor as he walked in from the guest room. Sighing heavily at the scene that greeted him, Thomas swept down and pressed his hand against a feverish Alex's forehead. Looking up at a newly-recovered James, he nodded, and they scooped up the boy between them in tandem, carrying him between them to the bathroom, where Maddison nursed him as Thomas ran the bath.
"Wha'?"
As Alex stirred, James carded a hand through his curls, murmuring to the boy that they were just going to run a bath because he was sick. Loosening his grasp as the boy pulled back, Maddison was taken completely aback as the toddler yelled in distress and wiggled his way out of the man's grip, running out the door in only his shirt.
"Thomas!"
James groaned in distress as Thomas turned around, staring at the lack of Alex.
"We need to find him!"
Hauling the other man off the floor, Jefferson turned off the bath, and they strode out the door together, searching the house together.
"C'mon Alex, we need to have a bath!"
Crooning tempting to the boy, both men heaved exhaustedly as they lay on the floor, looking under the bed where Alex curled.
"I'll g't you sick t'"
Shaking his head desperately, Maddison looked the child in the eyes, his smile a desperate one of honest appeal;
"Thomas never gets sick, and I can't get sick again! My body already fought off the nasty germs, they don't wanna fight me again!"
Giggling through tears, Alex finally crawled out from under the bed, Thomas smiling gratefully at James as his back was granted a reprieve from his awkward positioning on the floor.
"Bath now?"
Smiling in agreement, Jefferson pulled Alex into his arms, melting a little as the boy curled his hands into his hair, reminiscent of the first time they met.
"B'bbles too?"
James smiled at the boy as he peered over Thomas' broad shoulder,
"Uh huh – The whole bottle!
Alex smiled, his next statement cut off by a small cough, his frown easing into a small smile as Jefferson rubbed his back,
"You okay?"
Alex murmured an affirmative, leaning back to stare at Thomas with shining eyes.
"Thanks Thoma' 'n Maddi"
"Our pleasure, Alex."
