Influenza

“Is he asleep?” Matt asks, a faint smile appearing on his face.

I glance down at the small man in my arms and brush the damp hair from his eyes, nodding as I reveal his closed lids. The blanket around him has slipped from his shoulders and so I tug it upwards, pull it tighter around his quivering body and hug him closer to my own. Unconsciously, he snuggles against me and buries his face against my chest.

“Dude, if you wanna take him home then don’t let us stop you,” Jimmy says, smiling sympathetically at the left-handed man on my lap.

“I would but I don’t wanna wake him… He’s barely slept all week. He’s as good as dead to our conversation but if I take him home, he’ll be awake before I’ve even stood up,” I tell him, gazing down at my sick boyfriend with loving eyes.

“He should have stayed at home…” Johnny comments, quite unnecessarily.

“I know… But even a sick Zacky is hard to say ‘no’ to…”

~*~

“Who was on the phone?” Zacky asked me as I entered our room to take him a warm drink.

“Johnny. The others are going for a drink. ‘Wanted to know if we fancied joining them…”

“And you said?”

“No.”

“Why?” He whined.

“Because you’re sick, baby,” I reminded him as I placed the mug on the nightstand and stroked his cheek.

“I’m not that sick…” he pouted.

‘You could have fooled me,’ I thought, looking at his pasty complexion and the dark circles under his reddened eyes. “Zacky, you’ve got the flu!”

“But I’m bored, Bri!” He said, his voice weak and croaky. “Please? Let me go out and I swear I’ll be good until I’m better. I’ll do whatever you say…”

Yeah, right! I studied his face. Fuck! Those eyes: green like a cat’s but huge like a puppy’s. How could I say no?

“Alright, alright! Drink that first, though,” I told him, pointing to the mug. “I’ll get you some pills to take before you go, but make sure you wear something warm…”

“‘No need. JD will keep me warm…”

“You’re not having alcohol,” I replied, pausing on my way to the door and folding my arms defiantly.

“But-”

“No buts! It’ll make you feel worse and you’re definitely not having any with your meds.”

“You’re mean,” he stated childishly.

“You’ll appreciate it when you feel better. Now drink that and get changed. I’ll be right back.”

I returned a few minutes later to find him slumped against the cupboard door, his legs sticking out in front of him and his arms hanging limply by his sides as his head rested back against the wardrobe.

“Are you okay?” I asked, trying to hide the amusement that sparkled in my eyes as I knelt beside him.

“I’m too tired! ‘Can’t do it on my own.”

“Should you be going out if you can’t even dress yourself?” I asked, hoping that my ploy of showing him his weakness might have knocked some sense into him.

“I’ll be fine. I just need you to help me…”

Damnit! He never could get the hint!

~*~

Needless to say, it took us a long time to get here, with me having to dress his uncooperative body and carry him out to the car. He spent most of the journey leaning against the window, dozing off before being startled awake each time the car hit a bump in the road.

Once here, he’d spent less than 5 minutes in his own seat before I had felt compelled to invite his miserable ass to come and sit on my lap and, only a short while later, I’d had to send Matt out to my car to locate the blanket which now surrounds my boyfriend’s convulsing body.

I stroke the sweat slicked hair from his face once again and run my fingertips down his cheek, trailing them around the curve of his jaw. Even looking so ill, he looks beautiful, more so, if that’s even possible: his fluttering eyelids and sweaty, colourless face lending him a certain innocence which makes him simply adorable.

He wrinkles his nose and wriggles it rabbit-style, then sneezes in his sleep, leaving me laughing softly as I tousle his hair.

“Jesus!” Johnny yells, jumping up from his seat and stepping backwards. “I swear, if he gives me whatever the hell it is that he has, I will kill him.”

“Chill, dude. It’s flu, not an STI,” Jimmy reminds him, pulling at the hem of his shirt to get him to sit down again. “If you do catch it, it’s not going to leave you sexually impotent or with shrivelled up balls!”

“Ha ha! Yeah, you can’t kill him for giving you the flu, but if he gives you an STI and robs you of your manhood, we may be able to find it within ourselves to be sympathetic enough to let you kill him!” Matt joins in.

I raise my eyebrow. “Fuck off! If Zack gives Johnny an STI, then I kill him.”

My eyes fall back to my boyfriend. Though apparently undisturbed by our conversation, he now has beads of sweat rolling down his face and his eyes are clearly darting around behind his closed lids.

I close my eyes and let out a heavy sigh, placing my hand on his upper arm and gently shaking it to wake him.

“Zacky? Come on, wake up.” I tilt him forwards a little and pull the blanket away from his body. His eyes open at the sudden rush of cool air and he looks up at me, blinking blearily. “Sorry, but I don’t want you overheating and passing out.”

“And besides,” Jimmy whispers, leaning over the table to get closer to us. “Johnny’s fearful for his manhood!”

He falls back into his seat, laughing hard as Johnny swats at him across the table. Matt shakes his head, but there’s a smile on his lips as he taps his nails against his pint glass and stares into its depths. Zacky just looks confused, his groggy eyes moving slowly between us.

“Don’t worry about it, Zack. Just ignore him,” I say, unzipping the hoodie that he’s wearing and trying to wrestle his arms free of the fabric. “I’m taking you home, baby.”

“But I wanna stay,” he protests weakly.

“Why? So you can have another drink? So you can partake in our conversation? Because so far, all you’ve done is make my legs go dead and attempt to give your flu to Johnny.”

“But it’s boring at home...”

“Tough! That’s where we’re going, and that’s where you’re staying until you’re better.”

“Matt!”

“Nah, mate, he’s right. You’re better off at home. We’ll come see you in a few days, yeah?”

“Speak for yourself!” Johnny mutters, crossing his arms over his chest.

I scoop Zacky up, holding him to my chest as I stand and look down at the blanket and hoodie which has fallen onto the seat. “Matt?” I ask, cocking my head at them. He leans over to get them and dumps the small pile onto Zacky, who pouts, but holds them down with one hand so that I can see over the top. “Thanks.”

“Please, Bri. Just a bit longer?” Zacky asks.

“Nope.”

I bid our friends goodbye and begin to make my way out of the bar, Zacky flashing me those goddamn puppy eyes.

“No! I am not falling for that one again.”