Just Pretend

Chapter 12

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Kongpob wandered down the street to the pharmacy, purchasing a selection of medicines to take back to Arthit. Not knowing what caused the fever was a problem, but he figured he'd do what he could to bring Arthit's temperature down. If it didn't work, then a visit to the doctor was their next step. He stopped at the congee stall on his way back, ordering extra. His stomach had begun to growl as well and he realized he'd been so preoccupied with Arthit that he'd forgotten to eat. The stall owner handed him the bags of food and he slowly made his way back toward the apartment.

He felt bad for taking his time, but he also wanted to give Arthit time to take care of his...issue. He could practically feel the embarrassment radiating off of Arthit, so he decided to give him time to recover from the ordeal.

It had been close to an hour by the time he made it back to the apartment, having taken a few detours just to add a few minutes to his walk. Arthit was asleep again when he cautiously entered the apartment and Kongpob sighed in relief. The congee was cold when he poured it into the bowls, but he just stuck it in the microwave for a couple minutes. Arthit would be none the wiser. When it was done he carried a bowl, a glass of water, and the bag of medicines over to the bed, setting them on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed and placing a hand on Arthit's shoulder.

"P'Arthit, I brought food."

No response. Kongpob shook a little harder, trying to quell the worry rising in this chest. It had taken him nearly 4 hours to wake Arthit up before, afterall. The older kept shifting and mumbling words into his pillow before falling back into a deep sleep. He kept shaking and calling Arthit's name until finally he stirred, blinking confusedly at Kongpob.

"P'Arthit, can you sit up? I brought you food and some medicine."

Slowly Arthit pulled himself into a sitting position, his balance unsteady, but Kongpob helped position the pillows to allow him to lean against the headboard. After quickly skimming the labels on the medicines Kongpob chose two that said to take before food and handed the pills to Arthit. He placed them on his tongue and reached for the glass, his fingers slipping on the condensation before Kongpob could even let go.

"I'll hold it for you, just drink," Kongpob instructed and Arthit obeyed, taking a few large swallows. Once Kongpob was sure Arthit had swallowed the pills he pulled the water away and held up the bowl of congee. "Here, you need to eat something."

Arthit accepted a spoonful of congee, coughing slightly at the heat. Kongpob blew on the next bite before holding it out for Arthit. They continued like that, Kongpob feeding Arthit small spoonfuls until he'd eaten most of the bowl.

Arthit shook his head at the next bite. "'M full. But I would like some more water."

Nodding Kongpob set aside the bowl and helped Arthit with another drink of water before taking the dishes back over to the sink. After washing them he picked up his own bowl and began eating. It had gone cold again, but Kongpob didn't bother heating it up. He was eating purely out of necessity, any appetite he'd had having been lost at the sight of Arthit looking so pale and weak It reminded him so much of when Arthit had been in the hospital and it made him sick to his stomach. He only ate about half the bowl before dumping out the rest and washing the bowl.

Arthit was still sitting up, which was good, but he was curled against the headboard shivering, blankets pulled up to his chin, which was not good. Kongpob took the electronic thermometer he had bought along with the medicine and approached Arthit, gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Arthit, can you open your mouth? I need to check your temperature."

Arthit obeyed, his lips going slack as Kongpob placed the thermometer under his tongue. After a minute the thermometer beeped and Kongpob took it out.