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It took Matt a little while to get used to physical contact again. After so long of avoiding it as much as he could, to suddenly have that option available to him is slightly overwhelming. The guys were so good about it though, leading into it with soft touches to his shoulder or the back of his neck before they went into hugging and kissing and cuddling.
In all his life, Matt never thought he'd meet six grown men so into cuddling, into physical contact in it's own right. It wasn't all that surprising he guessed. Beside the families of Joel, Adam and himself, the others had been raised to be free and generous with their love and affection, and the easiest way to do that was through physical contact. Even before he'd found out that they were his Fated, he'd seen hints of it around the office. He'd seen it in the way Bruce wrapped his arms around their shoulders as he stood next to someone and in the way James leaned into their space, all guileless blue eyes and wide innocent smiles, sometimes bopping the other on the nose, other times just staying their until his actions were returned.
Matt. laid back and adjustable Matt, needed only a few months to really settle into the routine of dating six other men, a fact that surprised some and left others unruffled, but all of them relieved. They hadn't moved in together yet, it was too soon in the opinion of everyone, but that didn't stop them from spending their nights at each other's places in various patterns and configurations.
And that was when Matt was introduced to the very new concept of actually having someone else care for his well being.
The first time it happened they'd been crunching for a while, balancing their time between editing, filming and collaborating two weeks worth of content in less than four days. A feat, to be sure. By the end of the fourth day, only Adam and Matt were still at their computers, the sun long gone down and Adam having a long time ago ordered the others home, though among their protests he and Matt continued to work, bent over their computers until almost past midnight when Matt made the last adjustments to the edit and Adam wrote the last description.
Sighing in relief they shut down their rigs and pushed back from their desks, glad to finally be done. "I'll drive?" Matt offered and Adam nodded, tossing the smaller man his keys. Adam's car was in better shape, Matt could admit, and it would be easier to drive to Adam's place, which was closer. They rode down, climbed into the car and drove away, slower than usual.
Adam's house was dark and their were no cars and Matt was secretly thankful that the others weren't there. He didn't think he could deal with the fussiness right now and, judging by Adam's soft sigh next to him the other man was of a similar mind. They parked and stumbled out and up to the door, stumbling inside into the darkness. "Food?" Adam huffed out and Matt shook his head listlessly, vision blurring at the edges. They hadn't eaten since the end of the day two and Matt can't remember drinking anything but RedBull and coffee since the middle of day three but right now the most pressing thought on his mind was sleep, a bed and nothing else for maybe two or three days. The last sleep he'd gotten had been a thirty minute catnap sitting at his desk an hour after they'd sent everyone home that morning, Adam muzzily shaking him awake with the offer of another cup of coffee.
Together they fumbled up the stairs and into Adam's room, where they made quick work of clothes down to boxers and pulled the covers back. Adam hunkered down first and pulled Matt in with him, pulling the covers up over them. Matt made the quietest sound of protest, but quickly silenced as the warmth and comfort of his Fated and the bed surrounded him. Adam pulled him close and wrapped an arm loosely around his weight, tight enough that Matt could take comfort in the contact but lose enough that the lithe man could wriggle out of it with ease if he wished. Finally done, both men fell into sleep gratefully, totally ignorant of the world around them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Everything's hot. Why was everything so hot? Matt whined and kicked away the blankets, trying desperately to relieve the heat that enveloped him. He cracked open his eyes, vastly relieved when only darkness met him, though everything was blurry and it felt as if he was looking through thick glass. He twisted when , off to the side, something moved and a concerned, familiar voice trickled in. "They're burning up, Bruce." Matt opened his mouth, desperate to call out to the comforting voice and ask them to make the fire stop but a big hand gently cupped his face and hushed him gently.
"I know Matt, I know. We'll make it better I promise." James, that was James talking and he leaned into the touch, whispering the large man's name softly. On the other side of the bed must of lain Adam, who James was doing his best to keep calm as well. Further away a deep voice rumbled out instructions but as to what was being said, Matt hadn't a clue, instead leaning into James' cool hand and fading in and out of awareness.
Soon there was a rustling to the side of him and Matt turned his head, forcing his vision to focus as much as he could make it, cursing when it refused to become clearer, and the figure that stood there was Joel, smiling at him gently. "I need to take your temperature Matt. Can you open your mouth?" He coaxed and Matt opened up obediently, allowing the digital thermometer to be placed under his tongue. Joel gently closed his mouth and stroked his stubbly cheek soothingly, trying to pass the time. A minute later there was a beep and Joel gently pulled the thermometer away, frowning at the reading.
"102, Bruce." He sighed and Matt settled back on the bed, vision blurring out again. Huh, that was pretty high, wasn't it? That was his last conscious thought as he slipped away again, falling into darkness as exhausted sleep overwhelmed him again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bruce thinned his lips as he sat vigil over Matt and Adam's resting forms. Not that they were very restful right now. They tossed and turned, wracked with fever dreams and phantoms pains, the occasional whimper escaping them as they battled the combined exhaustion and dehydration and lack of proper food in too many days.
He'd called in a favor, a friend from school named Brian who was a nurse at a local emergency room and who'd only been too happy to give Bruce the proper information to care for his sick Fated. Start with extra strength liquid tylenol and a bottle of pedialyte, let them sleep as much as they needed. Once they broke through the fever it was a matter of slowly nursing them back with sleep and care and enough food and water until they were well recovered. Brian had warned them that it'd likely take a week or so for them to feel completely better and if their fever didn't break before the next morning, or got higher than 104 degrees, they were supposed to bring them right in, no delay.
God, Bruce was angry at himself. They were all angry at themselves. He should have pushed harder for them all to go home, to not leave Matt and Adam working in the office for almost nineteen hours after they'd all left, but Matt was like a dog with a bone, worrying away at his projects until they were completed and Adam had pulled rank(and his secret super power of unknowing puppy dog eyes) and sent them home anyway.
So they'd left and gone home, piled up at Bruce's place, where they'd eaten, showered and then all piled into the beds. They'd woken up at eight in the evening to eat again and then slept again until the next morning. After they'd showered and dressed in the spares they kept around they'd gone back to the office, half expecting to find them there and asleep on the couch. They were relieved to find the office empty and, upon further inspection Adam's care was found gone. The guys had probably just gone home to Adam's house.
So they'd piled in the cars again and gone to Adam's house and Lawrence had let them in with the key Adam had left them. Sure enough next to the door was two familiar pairs of sneakers and a hoodie that they'd know anywhere was hung in the door. It didn't take much to figure out they were upstairs and the group made their way to the bedroom.
The horror they'd felt when they came upon their two lovers in the bed, both flushed with something that definitely wasn't pleasure. Adam had curled towards the edge and was actively crying, shaking on the bed and Matt was whimpering quietly, starfished out as he twisted in the sheets. They'd kicked into overdrive after that, rushing to get cool cloths and sooth their tears and Bruce to make his call.
Things were looking a little better though, now. Bruce watched as Lawrence gently levered Matt up, cradling the smaller man's shivering form as he mewled quietly in protest at being jostled and woken up but Lawrence soothed him and helped him drink from another bottle of pedialyte before tucking him under the blankets and moving to do the same for Adam. Bruce chewed on his lip and slipped out of the room down the hall to check on the others.
No sense in the rest of them getting sick with two of them already down for the count.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Adam groaned as light hit his eyes and he swatted uselessly at the air, wincing when his muscles twinged viciously with the movement. Why was he so sore? He rolled towards the center of the bed, gaze alighting on Matt. The other man was curled on his side toward him, sleeping peacefully with his mouth open, breath quiet in the still of the room. His curly hair was matted to his head and there was a little pink over the bridge of his nose. He vaguely remembered crawling into bed with his Fated after a crunch at the office but after that it was all a bit fuzzy.
"Hey, you're awake!" Adam looked towards the door in marked confusion, surprised to see Spoole standing there. When had Spoole gotten here? "I have to tell the others you're up finally!" He darted out of the door, leaving Adam to lay in the bed and watch Matt's face, a creeping worry settling over him. What had Spoole meant by "Finally"? How long had they been out and if he was getting this much relief for being up, had Matt not woken up yet?
His questions were answered when the rest of his Fated flooded the room and he found himself quickly surrounded by gentle arms and soft lips. Bruce stopped on Matt's side of the bed, large hand coming to rest on the other's forehead before he hummed softly. "Fever's almost gone. He just needs a little more sleep." Everyone relaxed noticeably and Adam couldn't suppress his curiosity anymore.
"What happened?" He rasped out, voice rough from disuse and mouth tacky-dry. Someone wrapped his hand around a bottle and he tried to lift it up, but he was so weak and shaky he almost dropped it instantly. A hand wrapped around his own and helped him lift bottle up. He stopped short when the first sip brought the flavor strawberry instead of plain water and Joel chuckled. "Pedialyte. It's what we've been giving you since we found you yesterday morning." Adam nodded and drank the rest. It wasn't terrible sure, but he wasn't sure how kids put up with it. He'd have much preferred Propel or Gatorade. When the bottle was taken away he looked around him, taking in the mixed signs of stress and relief that was in everyone.
"What happened Adam was that you were an idiot, Peake was an idiot and so were we. We should have never allowed you to stay there on your own, orders or no." Bruce's voice shook the barest amount and Adam felt wretched. He'd only wanted them to get some sleep and eat, he and Matt were more than capable of handling the last of the work load themselves. They just had forgotten to take breaks as there was so much left to do and once they'd gotten into the swing of things they'd found it near impossible to break it off. There was a hand in his hair, and Adam leaned into the touch.
"The lack of sleep and food and water tanked your immune systems and you and Matt caught that flu that's been going around the office building. You've been down with a fever since sometime in the early morning yesterday, same with Matt. When we found you guys you weren't in the best shape. Bruce called a nurse friend who gave us some help and information to take care of you. Your fever broke an hour or two ago and Matt's getting better. You're gonna be weak for about a week, and Burnie moved the trip back. We opened up the emergency footage to pad the next few days so everything's setup for you and Matt to do nothing until you're better." Lawrence's voice left no room for argument but Adam was about to protest anyway when Bruce grabbed his chin, face fierce.
"No, there's going to be no argument about this, Kovic." It was the angriest Bruce had sounded in a while, but fear and concern lurked in his eyes and Adam felt instantly worse. "Do you understand how scared we were when we found you, Adam? You were crying, begging someone to make the fire stop and Matt woke up so many times, screaming from nightmares! We were this close to taking you both to the emergency room even after Brian told us what the safe level was, because we were sure your brains were frying in your heads. So you're going to take the week off, you're going to rest and eat and drink and if there's a single argument I will personally stay home with you all week. We all will." Bruce pulled him close to his chest to alleviate the sting of his concerned and angry words and Adam knew that his lover was right. No arguing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bruce was in the kitchen when he'd heard it. James had taken Adam to shower away the grime from his fever and Lawrence and Spoole were readying the second bed in the guest room. Adam, and Matt when he woke up, could stay in there while the master was aired and cleaned. Joel was with him in the kitchen, stirring up a pot of chicken broth and white rice for the boys to start on. And then a cry split the air and they froze in fear.
That was Matt's voice.
Bruce shot out of his chair and took the stairs two at a time, bare feet slapping the stairs loudly in his haste to get to their newest lover. Lawrence and Spoole were already there and Matt was standing on his feet, eyes wild and limbs shaking as he cast his gaze wildly about the room. When he found Bruce he shot forward, staggering so hard he almost tripped and would have fallen if Spoole hadn't caught him under the arms and brought him to his feet. Bruce moved himself forward and suddenly found himself with an armful of Matt, the smaller man's breath hitching with sobs and his hands pawing at the sleeve of his own shirt, trying to pull it up. What was wrong? As far as Bruce knew the only thing on Matt's bicep was his Mark. Was he trying to get a look at it for some reason? Sensing Matt's growing panic with his inability to get his own body to cooperate with his wishes, Bruce took over, cradling and supporting with his right arm and gently rolling up the sleeve of Matt's t-shirt with the other. Matt stilled as his Mark came into view, six bands of white twisted and twining together on his arm and his trembling hand came up to trace over the sensitive skin of it.
"Matt? Matt can you look at me?" Bruce cajoled and murky brown eyes turned up to him. Bruce grunted and settled his hand on Matt's forehead. Shit. The smaller man was hot again. Not as bad as before but still warmer than he'd been an hour ago. Another fever dream maybe. "Alright Matt, back to bed with you." He ordered. Matt clung though and Bruce sighed before smiling gently and settling them both into the bed. He pulled one of the blankets over them and started stroking Matt's back, taking the cool cloth that Spoole brought them and setting it on Matt's forehead, ignoring the dampness that spread into his shoulder.
Do you want to talk about it?" He asked and only received silence in return. Thinking that Matt had already drifted back off to sleep he settled himself comfortably, not expecting Matt's roughened voice to speak.
"There was a...there was a house. And you guys were inside. And I tried to get to you but the doors were locked and...there was fire. so much fire and you were screaming and I tried and tried but I couldn't get in. And then,,,and then my arm hurt and...my Mark was black. And...and..." His breath hitched on another sob and Bruce pulled him close, murmuring comforting words and stroking the matted hair on his head. That dream on its own would be enough to drive anyone who'd found their Fated to tears but for someone like Matt, addled and whittled down by fever and exhaustion it would be a thousand times worse. Keeping his little lover close to him, he cast a sad glance at the others, who'd gathered in the door and had heard Matt's description of his nightmare.
One by one, disregarding the fact that the bed was unclean and Adam and James were both hardly dressed, they piled into the bed and settled close, pressing in so Matt could feel their presence. And between one blink and the next they were all asleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When Matt finally woke up and was aware of the world around him, he almost wished he hadn't. Everything was so sore and he could feel the shaky weakness in his limbs. He noted blearily that he was surround on all sides, his Fated lovers pressing close to him and that he was leaning heavily on Bruce. He carefully raised his head, doing his best not to wake the larger man, but it was to no avail. Bruce snorted and blinked his eyes open, delight and relief racing through him as he came face to face with the muzzy eyes of his newest Fated. "Hey Matt." He crooned and Matt allowed himself a tiny smile as the others began to wake up around him, elated to see the smaller man awake and feeling better.
Bruce and Joel and Lawrence filled him in on what happened and what was going to happen now, and Matt didn't even bother to protest the week's worth of res that was headed his way. Right now he was pretty sure that even trying to stand up to walk to the bathroom to shower would result with him face down on the floor and shaking himself to pieces. His Fated seemed to sense that and Bruce scooped him up, ignoring the brief startled squawk the action pulled from him, before carting him to get showered and clean while Joel headed downstairs to heat the broth back up and bring more pedialyte.
It would take time, they knew, to get their lovers well again. Matt and Adam needed food and love and care and just plain time. But they'd be there, every step of the way, ready with a soft touch or a kind word when their exhaustion and weakness swamped them even after five days of rest and they returned to the office. They were there with favorite foods and drinks and a firm word when they veered towards too much coffee and not enough sleep. They were never going to let this happen again, never going to let them get so sick if they could help it.
And Matt and Adam? Well, they were okay with that. After all, who were they to say no to five very loving, doting, brilliant lovers.