[Scar/Dream] Heart Thief

36. Hot

Scar worried about Dream the whole time he was at work, and several times throughout the day, he was tempted to text him to check in, but he told himself to just relax. Dream needed rest and Scar didn't want to bother him. Still, Dream was on his mind, and he hoped Dream didn't get any sicker. Dream had said it was a cold, but considering he had a slight fever, Scar was worried he might have caught the flu anyway. Flu shots weren't perfect.

After work, Scar swung by the nearest grocery store to stock up on soup, medicine, and tissues, then headed home. He brought everything inside and got the food put away, then went upstairs with the medicine and tissues to put them in Dream's bathroom.

He kept one box of tissues in his hand as he went to Dream's room, knocking lightly on the door. "Hey, I'm home. Can I come in?" Dream hadn't been anywhere downstairs, so Scar knew he had to be in here.

There wasn't an answer, and worried, Scar cracked the door open. Dream was asleep, clutching Lunchbox close to his chest. He was trembling, breathing roughly through his mouth, and what Scar could see of his skin was flushed and coated in sweat.

Scar frowned and walked into the room, setting the tissue box down on the nightstand. The crackers he brought were gone, so at least Dream ate. It looked like he had been drinking water too, and there was also a half-empty bottle of Gatorade on the table now.

Scar touched Dream's forehead and realized he was even warmer than he had been that morning. He picked up the thermometer and rubbed Dream's shoulder.

"Hey," he said gently. "Can you wake up?"

Dream shifted, then blinked his eyes open. He immediately groaned, squinting at Scar, then he made a soft, sad noise.

"Scar," he said weakly and Scar's heart broke at how quiet and hoarse his voice was. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. How do you feel?"

"Bad. So tired... don't wanna move. My head hurts."

"Poor baby," Scar said, stroking his cheek. "It's okay. I'll take care of you. Can I get your temperature?"

"Yeah."

Dream waited as Scar held the thermometer in his mouth. When it was done, Scar pulled it out to look, then hissed. 100.1.

"Is it bad?" Dream asked.

"It's not good." Scar told him the temperature and put the thermometer down.

"Oh. Yeah, that's bad... I hate how... I feel so hot and cold, and I'm all... all achey..."

"I know," Scar said sympathetically. "It sucks. So just relax, alright? Let yourself get better."

"I wanna eat but I'm not hungry. I know I should eat. I don't want to. Just... I missed you so much." Dream stared at him, eyes growing wet. "I hate being sick."

"Who doesn't? Oh, love. You'll be okay, I promise." Scar petted his hair, which was also sweaty. He ran his fingers through it over and over, and Dream's eyes drifted shut as he leaned into it. "Have you eaten anything other than those crackers?"

"No... don't feel like it," Dream replied.

"I know, but you should eat anyway. You'll need energy to fight this off."

"Do you think... it's just a cold, or something else?" Dream asked.

"I don't know. Probably a cold, but with how bad your symptoms are... could be a flu. Maybe both. You might be having a reaction to the shot on top of dealing with a regular cold, or anything else."

"Great. Ugh..." Dream looked like he was about to say more, but then he broke into a coughing fit. Scar winced at how rough it sounded, and when Dream was finally able to stop, he had tears in his eyes and was clutching his chest. "Ow..."