Zander woke up on a chilly Monday morning, unready to start a new week. Hailey attempted to wake him up several times, but he groaned at her and curled up more in his blankets. He was sniffing and sneezing up a storm, and he didn't feel like moving at all. Hailey, as she realized what was happening to her stepbrother, phoned Luke and asked him to stay with Zander after school, because she was meeting with Jake.
Zander ignored Hailey calling Luke, however, and stuffed his head under a pillow miserably. He curled into a ball before feeling a gentle poke on his shoulder. He took the pillow off his head and grumbled, "Please, Hailey, I don't-" but the concerned eyes watching him were not his stepsister's black eyes, but his boyfriend's pale, mesmerizing lemon yellow ones. He squeaked in surprise, sitting up against his tan-colored wall. "LUKE? What are you doing here?!"
"Hailey told me you were sick," he replied with a quick smile, before sitting down on his bed and taking his hand. "I said I'd stay home to take care of you. My parents are out on that business trip, remember?"
"Oh," Zander said, before he tried to stifle a sneeze. It came out as a high-pitched squeak, just like when he'd seen Luke come in.
Luke tried not to smile, Zander could tell. Embarrassed, he stuffed his face in his pillow and grumbled, "Shut up..." earning a light chuckle from his boyfriend.
"I'll make you some soup. You get some rest." Luke kissed his cheek and got up, not before being pulled down again.
"Can you stay here?" asked the periwinkle-eyed boy, returning the puppy dog eyes Luke often used on him.
"Hey! You can't use my trick!" Luke attempted to act offended, but as Zander blinked innocently at him, he sighed. "Oh, no. You could force me into anything now."
Zander gave him a rare smile and curled up beside him. The two fell asleep in each other's arms.