Work Text:
Lex fumbles slightly with the bag of groceries and his laptop bag, struggling to get the key to his apartment separated from the bundle of other keys on his key ring. Muttering to himself with an annoyed expression, he manages to unlock his front door and kicks it in with his foot as he readjusts his hold on the brown paper bag.
Huffing as he walks into his apartment, dropping the bag onto the kitchen island with a loud thud. Placing his bag more gently onto the chair nearby, Lex looks around puzzled. The TV in the living room on a sports channel, it was part of an upgrade package Slade all but forced Lex to get, turned onto a low, barley audible volume.
Both pairs of Slade's typical shoes still resting on the shoe rack, Lex sees Slade's personal phone on one of the wireless chargers on an arm rests dividers on the couch. His work phone still just thrown onto the kitchen table, some notifications blinking the screen to life. A few work emails, two texts from two different coworkers, and a notification showing he has 5 missed calls(all from Lex mind you).
"Wilson? You here?" Lex calls out to the seemingly empty apartment, the only answers he gets are a few thuds coming from the bedroom, but more specifically the bathroom connected to the master bedroom. He's certain Slade is in the apartment, the only doubt in his mind coming from the fact that he hasn't yet seen the man yet.
Just as he's about to head into the bedroom looking for the male, the door opens, Slade walking out with a pair of boxers and a towel draped over his head as tries to dry his hair.
"There you are...Feel any better?" Slade stops just shy of running into Lex, somehow only now having realized he's here, not having heard Lex until now. Once Slade looks up to Lex, Lex sees just how shitty Slade looks now. Lex had forced Slade to stay home today because of how badly he sounded this morning. Slade woke up with a pounding headache and raspy voice, bad enough Lex just told Slade to call in sick.
"Jesus Wilson...you look worse than this morning" "Feel it too..." Letting out a round of deep coughs, Slade presses a hand to his chest as he finishes, letting out a pained grunt as he closes his eye. Lex presses the the back of his hand to Slade's forehead. "You've got a fever..." "Just the shower..." Slade lowly speaks out as he tries to brush Lex's hand off his forehead.
"It's not just from the shower, I can tell" "I took a hot shower...Had the chills..." "Which is a sign of having a fever..." Groaning in response as he feels another round of coughs coming on, Slade tires to hold it in yet fails, coughing hard into the bend of his elbow. Lex just pulls Slade by the arm, forcing him to sit on the couch.
Making his way back over to the bag on the counter, Lex pulls out a package of flu medicine and a few other things, placing them gently on the counter trying to limit the noise he's making. He glances over at Slade who's just quietly sitting on the couch, trying to focus his attention to the tv infront of him.
Slade's spacial awareness completely fucked, he again doesn't notice Lex until the smaller man is forcing a dose of medicine and a glass of water into his hands. Taking a quick swig of water, popping the pills in his mouth, then another sip of water to sandwich the pills, Slade takes them no questions asked. "Did you manage to eat anything today?" "Not hungry..." Rolling his eyes, Lex walks into the kitchen and puts on a pot of water before walking back out to the stubborn man.
"Are you not hungry or can you not keep anything down?" Shooting a glare up at Lex, Slade lays back against the couch more trying his best to get comfortable. " I tried to eat something early...Couldn't keep anything down..." His voice is gruff and low, and Lex can tell that it hurts just to speak by the way Slade groans and winces when he talks.
"What did you have?" "Made a pizza..." Lex rolls his eyes again and shakes his head, he knows exactly the ones Slade is referring to. The oven made, quick meal pizzas they have in the freezer that they snack on after long nights at the office or after Slade gets back from a mission, or any other late night where they need a quick, yet bad for you meal.
"That's one of the worst things you could've eaten..." Scoffing and shaking his head slightly, regretting it because of the headache, Slade looks up at Lex. "How?" "Slade it's got cheese, processed meat, and it's fatty as hell. Worst things you could eat with the flu are fatty foods, fast and processed foods, and diary! Plus the fever you've got should've told you 'NO DAIRY'! Jesus is this your first time with the flu?!"
Turning his head back to Slade, Lex is met with what can only be described as a pathetic expression. Slade's eyes look tired, he looks more pale than normal, his nose red and raw from all the sneezing and blowing his nose, and overall he just looks so exhausted. Deciding to stow the lecture for now, Lex gently pats Slade on the shoulder before heading back into the kitchen.
Slade can just barely make out a few noises but decides he's more interested in being comfortable than being nosy right now. After god knows how long, Slade only bothering to keep time by the commercial count and the game clock running down, Lex comes back into his line of sight.
"Here." Placing a bowl in Slade's hands before sitting down himself, Lex reaches forward and places another glass of water in front of Slade on the coffee table. "Drink and eat..." "I'm not..." "You're not hungry, but you need to eat. You don't feel thirsty, but you need to hydrate...It's like taking a painkiller after you get hurt, but before you're sore. Get ahead of the pain, best offense, good defense. That kinda thing"
Slade can't help but smile softly down at Lex as he uses the often overused sports analogy but likes that he tired. "Isn't that what you sports type...guys...say?" No verbal response, but Slade just nods softly. Sitting up a bit more and taking a few sips from the soup Lex made him, Slade gives a quiet sigh of relief and a content hum, already feeling the warm liquid helping ease the soreness of his throat.
"Good?" "Yeah...Thank you..." "No problem Slade, just rest alright?"
Nodding, Slade reaches over to hand Lex the remote who takes it with a quizzical look on his face. "Don't you wanna watch the game?" Shaking his head slowly, gesturing with the spoon in a circular motion, Slade quietly says "Rerun..." before reaching forward and taking the glass of water. Smiling, Lex flicks the tv to a movie channel where an old action comedy is just starting.
"This good?" As he's about to nod, Slade lurches forward with a coughing fit. Quickly placing the almost empty bowl on the table, nearly gagging from coughing so hard. He didn't even realize Lex left until he returns quickly handing Slade a small, blue plastic bin, similar to the red trashcan they have in the bathroom.
Coughing and gagging harder before spitting some mucus into the bin, Slade feels a soft hand rubbing circles into his back. Lifting his head slightly, Slade tries to choke out a weak apology. "S-sorry..."
"Hey, no apologizing. No need...You're fine...S'all good...Means the meds are working..." Smiling down at Slade, who gives a weak halfhearted chuckle, Lex moves to drape a blanket over Slade's shoulders. "Chills might come back..."
"Thanks..." Placing the bin down on the floor close to leg, Slade pulls the blanket around himself more. It smells like the laundry detergent they use, it smells fresh and Slade can't help but feel comforted by it.
"Aren't you worried you'll get sick too?" Slade asks while looking down at Lex who has moved closer to him, head resting on the taller mans shoulder. "Nah...I've got my flu shot already...Besides, even if I get sick, you'll just take care of me next...Yeah?"
Lex asks looking up at Slade who gives a slow nod, smiling down at him lovingly. "Yeah...yeah I will."
"Good." Leaning up to press a soft kiss to Slade's forehead, Lex returns the smile before settling back down, his head again resting on Slade's shoulder.
"Seriously Lex, thank you..."
"You're welcome Slade, now just get some rest..."
That's the last thing Slade properly remembers before he feels himself fading off to sleep. The smell of the clean blanket wrapped around him to fight off the chills, the low volume of the movie on the tv, and the comforting feeling of Lex pressed against him...