"Hmmph." When Leo woke, the stiffness of his muscles aches with every move. He slowly blinked his eyes open and had to remind himself of where he is. Suddenly aware of the silence, he shoots up, ignoring the aches and pain in search for his caretaker. "Fiat?"
A head pops out from the couch and Leo relaxes. "You're up. You okay?"
Fiat stands and makes his way over. The entire time, Leo just sits there and watches him approach him and bring a hand up to his forehead. "My body aches, but why are you laying on the couch?"
"I'll grab you a pain reliever," Fiat mumbles and walks away. The lack of emotion in his voice makes Leo frown. He can vaguely remember the worried voice Fiat had for him earlier. Now he is back to his stoic self. "Here. I'll reheat the soup and some bread for you to take with it."
"Thank you," Leo mumbles. He is so use to being the one to take care of Fiat, even though those times were when they were younger. Unlike their parents promised, they never had time to visit each other and the flight prices soared year after year. Then as they grow older and have busier lives, the idea of it just faded.
Not long after, Leo is presented with his meal and he quietly eats while Fiat sits at the edge of the bed. Leo would glance back at him between bites and found him staring at him all throughout his meal.
"Are you not going to eat?" Leo questions. Since this morning, he has not seen him eat.
"Just focus on eating yourself..." Fiat says in a soft voice as he finally averts his gaze. Leo complies in silence and remains watching the other.
A knock at the door grabs their attention. Fiat checks the clock before standing to get the door. It makes Leo frown unconsciously, especially when a shady man appears at the other side. Leo sits up a little straighter and tries to listen in, but they keep their voices hushed with vague words. Fiat clears his throat and moves to turn around, so Leo lowers his eyes to make it seem like he was not trying to eavesdrop. From the corner of his eye he can see Fiat digging through his cabinet and pulling out a box. Carefully, Leo keeps his focus on Fiat as he returns to the door and hands the box over. They talk a bit more before the guy leaves.
"I know you want to ask, but don't," Fiat instructs as he grabs something from his fridge. Leo's lower lip juts out. When Fiat turns back around to see it, he sighs. "Vague story and short - it regards something I need to make sure I have funds for."
"What-"
"If you're feeling better, I should take you back to your place. I have a shift tonight, so I wouldn't be able to help you anyway," Fiat cuts him off for the nth time and it makes him frustrated. Leo is getting tired of it, but at least he is able to see Fiat. "Are you done eating?"
"Yeah..." Leo mumbles looking down at his plate. Fiat takes it from him and he stands. "Can I freshen up before we go?"
Fiat glances at the clock and nods. Leo drags himself across the small studio and enters the matching quaint bathroom. When he steps back out he finds a well dressed young man lining his eyes with a dark pencil.
"I always wanted to ask, why do you wear makeup?" He walks up behind Fiat and looks at him through his reflection.
"It looks good," Fiat shrugs. He then turns his head side to side to check his appearance and nods approvingly.
"It makes you look intense and intimidating. Is that what looking good is?" Leo tilts his own head as he leans down to hover over Fiat's shoulder.
"Does it not?" Fiat turns his head and Leo's eyes widen at the slightest as their noses brush against each other. Leo suddenly feels frozen under Fiat's gaze and keeps his mouth shut. "Well, Leo? Can you say that this does not look enticing and good on me?"
Leo gulps as he sees the smirk rise on Fiat's lips. For a moment he is under his spell as Fiat's eyes lower from his to his lips. Just for a moment. Then he realizes that this is the same look Fiat gives to his customers and he backs away feeing hurt. Fiat would never actually look at him that way. "Whatever. Let's go. I need a bath when I get home."
"We'll take my bike again. I'll drive," Fiat sighs as he stands, unbothered. Leo just follows after him and hops onto the back of the bike. His hands slowly grip onto Fiat's jacket. "Don't be shy, Leo. I'd do less harm than if you were to fall off."
"Shut it," Leo grumbles and firmly wraps his arms around the small frame. Along the drive, Leo could not help but smile as he felt their bodies close. Even under the helmet and the city smog, he could smell Fiat's cologne. His body still felt weak, but being so close to him gave him strength to hold on and remember this moment. Once they arrive, Leo stumbles a bit as he hops off and Fiat briefly looks at him with concern. "I think I just have a travel bug. I'll be fine. Travel safely and have a good day at work. Thank you for taking care of me."
"Mmm. Take care," is all that is said before the engine of the bike roars and the exhaust puffs behind the departing bike. Leo shuts his eyes as the world spins and sighs as he drags himself to his place. He winced at the sight of boxes left outside of his home and curses at himself as he recalls that today was the day a lot of his furniture was arriving.
Gathering strength and pushing away his fatigue, Leo moves everything inside and makes note to send the delivery company and the front desk person a nice gift basket for his lack of responsibility. By the time his home is organized Leo collapses onto his bed covered in sweat.
The worst case scenario for the travel bug that is hitting him. Practically bedridden the next couple of days and then a full force of work on Monday, Leo is now battling time. He sleeps all the way up to his alarm and is in the office by the time the clock hits 1 in the afternoon. Working until long after the HongKong Stock Market opens which is past midnight. An inevitable cycle of his profession. The small light at the end of the road are the benefits and the promised early retirement if he continues to read the stocks correctly and gain more money than lost.
Tan must have spoken well of him before he started that Monday as there were the number of visitors to his desk for consultations. Happy to be trusted, but he has his own clients and accounts to manage that time seemed to grow shorter and shorter. By the end of the week, his health has never had a chance to fully recover and the refreshing look he had when he arrived was long gone.
Leo is sliding into the back of the cab, just before the sun peaks over the hills on Saturday morning. Last night was the last of the week's market and it closed on a good note, but required far more studying for the following week's trend to come.
"You work night shifts or something?" The taxi man questions much to Leo's dislike. All he wanted was a quiet ride home.
"Something like that. You?" While he did not want the conversation, he refuses to cut the conversation short as the man seemed kind.
"Early morning. You're my first customer of the day," he responds brightly.
"Ah, does the time you work make a difference?" Leo questions. He can enjoy driving, but driving first thing in the morning, let alone for strangers was not something he enjoyed doing.
"Early morning you get night shift workers like yourself, the walk of shame fellas and the before dawn employees like myself. An interesting bunch, but usually safer one than those at night." The comparison made sense as night walkers were those who are often described as degenerates, or those who lack order or often against societal approvals. "The time during the day has the least amount of customers, but you often get stuck in traffic so you actually make just as much as the early morning shift. Just depends on how you wish to spend your time."
"I definitely don't miss the traffic here," Leo sighs looking out the window. His comment earns him questions about his time abroad and he politely answers and shares a bit about himself as they reach his side of the city.
"You live quite far from work, but these buildings are new and beautiful. Shame that the other side does not want to let go to be upgraded," the taxi man comments.
"I'll eventually get a car for myself. I have odd hours of work, so I don't have to worry about traffic as much. This area isn't so bad. My friend lives around here, so that's why I chose this spot. When I was little we lived in another district far from the main city, so here I think I get a bit of both," Leo scans to pay and thanks the driver. "Thank you. May you get plenty of customers and a safe drive."
"Thank you, boy," the taxi man nods to him and Leo trudges up the elevator and forces himself to at least stand under the shower before collapsing onto his bed, feeling and smelling fresh. Saturday is his only full day off and he plans to sleep in for as long as he can.
It seems his body absolutely needed the sleep because he slept through the entirety of Saturday and was teetering between consciousness Sunday morning. If it was not for his protesting stomach, Leo would have probably slept until he needed to appear at work.
His throat is hoarse and dry when he tries to yawn and he winced at the discomfort and soreness of his muscles. A hearty cough leaves his chest and he groans.
"Damn," he mutters and throws his arm over his burning eyes. He was able to suppress his illness throughout the week as he dove into work head on, but the moment he has a moment to relax, it hit him full force.
Having lived by himself for a good few years Leo believes he has a good idea on how to take care of himself. So with that being said, Leo hauls himself out of bed and goes for a quick rinse before changing into workout clothes. He stops by a porridge shop nearby and has his breakfast before walking back up to his building's gym to at least jog on the treadmill to sweat out the toxins.
Some people would think he is crazy, but the fastest results for him is clearing his body of the toxins early on. At least that's what he tells himself and what has worked in the past. After a good half hour of jogging, Leo presses the emergency stop and bends over on the machine. He struggles to breathe and steps off the machine in attempt to land on a nearby bench, but collapses on the floor.
"Oi! Are you okay? You look terrible!"
"What are you doing working out? Are you crazy?"
Leo would have laughed at the types of comments made by the bystanders, but he is too weak to even process their words.
"What floor are you on? Should we call for an ambulance or something? Do you have an emergency number for us to call? Sir? Sir?"
Leo passes out and barely notices the faces hovering over him. He does not know how long he was out, but when his eyes open, he finds himself in his room. His body is still sore and his throat is not feeling any better. He tries to sit up and a towel drops from his forehead. "How did I get home...?"
"Oh! You're up! Hi!" A bright young girl peaks into his room with a smile. Leo's brows furrow at the sight of a stranger in his home. "I have some medicine you have to take, but also here is some soup for you to eat with it. I assume you aren't allergic to this since it is in your home. I hope you don't mind, I went through your stuff to find some of these things."
"Who are you?" Leo leans back against his headboard with caution as the girl comes closer. She places the tray onto his side table and slaps her forehead.
"Stupid. Sorry, I'm Nam. I was one of the people who saw you faint at the gym downstairs. I asked the front desk for your room number and managed to get us in with your finger.." Leo stares at her afraid and she must have noticed how crazy she sounded as she quickly tries to explain herself. "I work as a bedside nurse! No malicious or creepy intentions. Honest! Just wanted to make sure you were well taken cared of without the excessiveness of calling an ambulance for a fever caused by over-exhaustion and probably lack of nutrients."
"Khun Nam, you said?" Leo smiles and it makes the girl relieved as she smiles back brightly and nods. "Thank you, but did you carry me up by yourself? I don't judge because you're a female, but I am twice your size..."
"Oh! My boyfriend helped. He lives with me and was working out as well, but he had gone to work. He is also a nurse. We take different shifts for the sake of our sanity, but every once in a while we see each other at work and have similar days off, so it's not that bad." Leo starts to realize that this girl loves to overshare, but has a great aura about her and personality that makes her a great nurse to have. "We tried to call your emergency contact set on your phone, but it went to voicemail immediately, so we figured they were busy. Maybe send them a message in case they worry. You'll have to stay home for a few days to rest, so make sure to settle work or any appointments. Don't want you fainting somewhere dangerous or even getting other people sick in the process."
"Right.." Leo looks at her with amusement. Her personality reminds him of the bubbly boy of his past and it makes him miss him. His reminiscing thoughts are interrupted as he processes what she had said. "Wait, did you just say I have to stay home? I can't do that. I have to go to work in a few hours. There are accounts relying on me-"
"Sorry, Phi. I'm only assuming you're a Phi because of how your home is designed. Also, the choice of economic magazines you have on your coffee table and bathroom seems like an elder person's preference," She winced at the presumptuous comment she made and again realizes she is making unfiltered comments. "Uh, I'm just going to stop there. Yes, you will have to eat healthy and hearty these next few days on schedule and to ensure rest, you have to stay home. Nurse's rules. Now eat so you can have your medicine. I'm sure you have a splitting headache and want some peace and quiet."
"Where's my phone?" Leo looks around and Nam hands him his device while gesturing to the food and medicine before walking out. Before she could fully disappear, Leo calls out to her. "Hey, Khun Nam. Thank you. You can go home to rest. I'm sure you are already exhausted with the work you normally have. I promise to stay home and have my meals."
"Mmm... I'll wait until you finish this meal and then head out. I'll also leave my number in case," she nods with a smile. "Oh, before I forget. Welcome to the building! Let's get along!"
"Thank you. Let's get along," Leo smiles and she walks out, shutting the door behind her. Leo shuts his eyes for a moment, truly feeling the splitting headache and sighs. He glances at the bowl of soup and his phone before discarding the phone and satiating his ill feeling with food. Messages can wait - or so he thought. His phone rings at an alarming volume and he winced as he answers it immediately to stop it from ringing. "Hello?"
"Better have a good reason to have called me 5 times in a row, Leo. I had a rough shift at the bar last night," A rough voice greets him and for a moment Leo just smiles before realizing that Fiat is probably exhausted, but at least he called, right?
"Sorry. I had you set up as my emergency contact-"
"Was there an emergency? Are you okay?" Fiat's alarmed voice makes Leo beam despite the weird circumstance.
"Yeah, I'm okay. The people who were with me at my building's gym were just worried. I must have been more sick than I thought. I just fainted for a moment, but I'm fine-"
"I'll be over in a bit." Leo stares at his phone as he hears three beeps, indicating that Fiat had hung up the call.
"Cute," Leo smirks. "I knew you couldn't have changed much."
Leo proceeds to eat his food with a smile and happily takes his medicine afterwards. As he is boosted with a bunch of energy, Leo takes the tray of his dish out, startling the young girl sitting at his couch.
"What are you doing out of bed!? You should hardly have enough energy to do this. You just took your medicine!" Her confusion and shock is evident as she quickly ushers Leo to sit down and grabs the tray from him and brings it to his kitchen sink to wash. "Sit or else I'm going to stay here like a leech!"
"Do you do this to all of your neighbors?" Leo stands, ignoring her threat and pushes her away from the sink and finishes up. "I appreciate the help, but I've lived alone long enough to handle this much."
"Says the man who thought it was a good idea to work out with a fever of 38.6°C. Unbelievable, really. What did you think would happen?" Nam follows Leo like a puppy and crosses her arms when he finally settles onto the couch. "You're the stubborn kind aren't you?"
"I've just got a job, similar to you, where other people's livelihoods depend on. So, in turn, my time is not my own," Leo sighs as he pick up the magazine she was skimming through and raises a brow. "Do you understand this?"
"Stock trend studies, right? Comparing the 2000, 2010 and 2020 trends right?" Nam's brows knit with deep thought. "The cosmetic and software companies will boom soon won't they?"
"Incredible. Do you play?" Leo leans against the arm of the couch and rubs his chin. Nam is now seen in a different light. She throws her head back in laughter and shakes her head as she plops down beside him.
"Gosh, no. My boyfriend and I may make a good amount of money, but we are planning to build a forever home from the ground up. We also don't have time to follow these kinds of things as often as we should, nor want to trust a large amount of our income to a stranger and practically have it liquidated. The story of the recessions and people unable to take their money back already frightens me enough," she shivers at the thought. It makes Leo laugh this time around.
"You know that even works with the money you have the bank. Don't tell me you keep all of your money in the physical form," Leo raises a brow before coughing and Nam is quick to grab him a bottle of water from his fridge. "Thanks."
"Of course I know that and of course it's not. The unknown and the crazy possibilities of losing more than I can handle is much worse than the possibility of multiplying it," Nam points out.
"Understandable. Even I am hesitant to play with my own money, yet I gamble other people's," Leo sighs and leans his head back. Nam reaches over and he flinched at the cold touch of her fingers.
"Sorry, should have warned you. You took your medicine right? Your temperature doesn't seem to be reducing," Nam mumbles. "I'll get you a cold towel to lay on your forehead. Don't move okay. We don't want you collapsing anywhere. I'm not super strong to get you back up."
"Mmm." Leo obliges this time and shuts his eyes as he lays his head back against the couch.
"Cold coming in," Nam's voice is soft and Leo flinches at the cold touch of the damp towel. "Let's just leave this here for a while, okay? I know I said I'd leave, but I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone. As much as you claim to be able to handle it, you're proving me otherwise."
"Don't make me laugh," Leo coughs with a painful smile. "I promise, nothing mentally or physically draining. You can go enjoy your day off or do anything you needed to do. If it means anything, my emergency contact will be arriving shortly per the call I just had."
"Ooo. Special someone? Your girlfriend? Boyfriend? Will they be jealous if they find me here?" Nam begins to sound excited and Leo groans and coughs as he laughs.
"Best friend. I've known him since we were little. He seems pretty annoyed with my existence since I've gotten back though, so I don't know if that would be an emotion he would feel," Leo sighs.
"Well, if he is rushing here after learning you have a fever then, he must not be that annoyed with you. Maybe he just has trouble expressing himself," Nam reasons and Leo lets out another sigh. She chuckles and pats his shoulder when the doorbell rings. "Did you call the front desk to let him up?"
"I made sure to leave his name when I moved in. Never want him to really have trouble coming over. Just never got to setting up his fingerprint or give him the code," Leo mumbles ready to remove the towel when Nam stops him.
"You stay. I'll let him in as I leave. I have a feeling this isn't as simple as childhood best friends," Nam says and Leo feels himself flush. If he was not already warm and red from his fever, he definitely is now. He hears the door open. "Hi-"
"Who the hell are you? Where's Leo?"
"Leo, so that's his name.. He's inside resting-"
The towel is yanked off Leo's forehead and he opens his eyes to see Fiat's face looming over him. Anger.
"Hi-"
"You seem to be in perfectly good hands. Why did you have me come all the way here!" Fiat blurts out.
"I'm actually leaving. He really should have that towel on, or you can change it out. His fever wasn't going down. I have to buy groceries for tonight's dinner anyway. My boyfriend requested Pad Ka Prao. Bye, P'Leo. Get well soon. It was nice to meet you both. My number is at the table if you have an emergency!" Nam waves and shuts the door. Leo smiles seeing her rushed speech and expression due to the cold stare coming from the new arriver.
Leo's eyes trail up to find Fiat deep in thought. "Her and her boyfriend are nurses. They helped me up from the gym and brought me to my bed. She took care of me until now. Her name is Nam-"
"I didn't ask," Fiat huffs. He takes the towel he threw off Leo's forehead, glances at him and then back to the towel. Tentatively, he reaches out and lays his hand onto Leo's forehead. Leo offers it willingly and smiles at the frown etched onto the other's face. "How can you be smiling with a high fever? Your body must be begging for rest."
"I'm just happy your here," Leo replies in a daze. For a moment Fiat freezes before rolling his eyes as he pulls his hand back. "It's just a travel-"
"A travel bug does not last this long. You probably didn't even get proper rest since I dropped you off. Your furnitures and belongings seemed to have arrived," Fiat grumbles as he stalks off and disappears. Leo tries to follow him with his gaze, but is immediately hit with a spinning room. His eyes are shut tight as if it would relieve him. "You can be even more stubborn than I am."
Leo's eyes shoot open as he feels a soft hand cup his. Fiat hovers closer than before and it stuns the both of them as they lock eyes. Slowly, Leo's eyes admire the large almond eyes of the man in front of him - free of liner - and trail down his nose and cheeks, before lingering at his pink lips. He gulps.
"Once your fever goes down you should lay back in bed." The towel is laid wider than before as it covers his eyes as well, blocking his sight. A shaky breath hits his face and he gulps once more. "I'll look for something to play music or do you prefer the television or a movie?"
The warmth radiating of Fiat's close proximity disappears and footsteps indicate him walking away. Leo frowns. He wants to hold him. "You can do whatever you want. Just stay close by."
The television turns on and is put to a low volume. Leo tries to listen for the other and smiles when he feels the couch dip on the other side. He wishes he was closer. He knows he can easily adjust the towel or even slide closer himself, but he's afraid. He's afraid that any extra movement and Fiat will disappear. For now, the sound of the soft laughter and comments coming from the other's mouth is enough. He has missed hearing it. He misses the times when they were kids and they spent hours in front of the television watching whatever their parents allowed them.
There is also the fact that when one is sick, the other was soon after because of how much they spend time together despite their parents' attempt to separate them. While Leo hopes for Fiat to not get sick, if he does, Leo would guiltily love it. Can you blame him?
**
ʕ•ᴥ•ʔฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
thoughts??
Can we take a moment and recognize that Fiat was not even questioning why he is the emergency contact or even fazed by it?
Leo is sick and Fiat is a total tsundere
Fiat has a cold and stoic demeanor as he takes care of Leo and makes sure he is fed and takes his medicine.
Leo is smitten and the tension that these two keep having is making me pull my hair out.
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Surprisingly enough, this book is having slightly longer chapters than the last LeoFiat book. While that one averaged around 3.2k words, this chapter alone is 4.4k words. The previous chapters were around the same as well. For those who can compare? Is it noticeable? Are these chapters too long?
LMK, so I know how to arrange the following chapters.
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It's my birthday ♡'･ᴗ･'♡
I feel old and unaccomplished *sigh*
I hope all of you feel content and happy. Sending all my love to you and I wish for you all to be safe, healthy, and prosperous.
xxdctuan