Clingy When Sick

Xu Yi’s body was stiff as he lay in Lu Xingyan’s arms.

Though Lu Xingyan’s consciousness was hazy, he wasn’t asleep.

This only made Xu Yi feel more uncomfortable.

Whenever he tried to move, the other would hold him tighter, like a child clutching a beloved toy, afraid someone would snatch it away.

“I’m not leaving. Loosen up a bit.” Xu Yi was already a little warm, and Lu Xingyan’s feverish body temperature was even higher—he couldn’t take it anymore.

Having apparently heard him, Lu Xingyan loosened his grip by a tiny bit.

A very tiny bit.

Realizing that as long as Lu Xingyan stayed awake, he couldn’t leave, Xu Yi mimicked the way they coaxed children on TV, slipping his arm around Lu Xingyan’s waist and gently patting his back.

“Sing me a song, okay?”

Lu Xingyan kept his eyes closed. His voice was hoarse from the cold, making it even more magnetic.

Xu Yi had always been weak against good looks. A handsome guy in his arms, whining at him—he felt his own face burning as if he had a fever, too.

After thinking for a moment, he chose a soft lullaby and hummed it quietly, his hand patting Lu Xingyan’s back in time with the melody.

Soon, Lu Xingyan’s furrowed brow slowly relaxed, his eyes seemed to soften, and his breathing gradually steadied.

By the time Xu Yi finished the last line, his voice had faded to barely a breath.

Only after confirming the other was asleep did Xu Yi climb out of bed with extreme care.

He tapped the edge of Li Yuan’s bed. The other, apparently awake and on his phone, immediately poked his head out. “What’s up?”

“Do you have any fever medicine? He seems to have a fever.” Xu Yi spoke uncomfortably.

“Who has a fever?” Li Yuan was still groggy.

With two layers of curtains and Xu Yi’s low voice, he had no idea what was going on.

“Lu Xingyan.” Xu Yi’s words were mumbled, oddly hard to say.

“Ah, Brother Yan caught a cold? Hang on.” Li Yuan lowered his voice too, quietly climbed down, and pulled open a cabinet to rummage.

They usually didn’t get sick; the medicine from the start of the semester was somewhere, but they didn’t know where.

“I’ll get some hot water first.” Xu Yi picked up the kettle and left.

When he returned, Li Yuan had already found the medicine.

He handed it to Xu Yi, then grabbed his own clothes. “I’ll get us lunch. Send me what you want, and get some millet porridge for Brother Yan.”

Xu Yi paused before answering, “Okay.”

He felt it was his fault—he had stolen the blanket last night, and Lu Xingyan had caught cold. Also, yesterday in the air-conditioned supermarket, Lu Xingyan had given him his jacket. He’d been sneezing before bed, too.

That’s why Xu Yi was so eager to take care of him.

He hadn’t expected Li Yuan to be so unafraid of trouble, either.

Hmph, Lu Xingyan sure had good interpersonal skills.

Xu Yi looked for Lu Xingyan’s water cup, but the only thing was a large sports bottle with a wide lid—not very convenient for taking medicine while sick.

After a moment’s thought, he grabbed his own cup instead; the smaller opening made it harder to spill.

But… fever medicine should be taken after eating, right?

He put the medicine down and decided to take a quick shower first.

He had felt uncomfortably hot all night.

By the time he finished washing, timing it just right, Li Yuan was back with the food.

Xu Yi didn’t blow-dry his hair, afraid of waking the sleeper. He simply toweled it until it no longer dripped, then climbed up with a small tray table.

He set up the tray and had Li Yuan hand him the food and medicine.

Then he shook Lu Xingyan awake.

He didn’t know if the guy had morning anger.

If he dared to snap at him, Xu Yi would just leave him be.

But Lu Xingyan, slowly opening his eyes after a few shakes, just looked at him blankly, looking oddly obedient.

Xu Yi stared at his rare dazed expression. Without thinking, his hand moved faster than his brain and patted the other’s cheek.

“Get up and eat.”

That move… felt too insulting.

But it was hot.

Xu Yi felt his own body heating up and quickly withdrew his hand before he could react.

“Okay.” Lu Xingyan suddenly grabbed Xu Yi’s wrist and rubbed his cheek against his palm.

It was like… a well-trained dog.

Xu Yi was thunderstruck by his own thought. He didn’t recall having a taste for that kind of kink.

It was definitely Lu Xingyan’s fault.

Lu Xingyan’s eyes drooped. He pushed himself up weakly, then slumped back against the headboard.

Xu Yi adjusted the tray’s position so Lu Xingyan could eat comfortably.

Lu Xingyan said nothing, just obediently picked up the spoon. Then he frowned. “I can’t get my strength up. Can’t lift my hand.”

Xu Yi hesitated. “…Hang in there?”

Lu Xingyan’s movements stiffened, as if grinding his teeth.

Then, as if thinking of something, he turned his head and looked at Xu Yi innocently. “Can you feed me? Swallowing is already exhausting.”

“Alright.” Xu Yi didn’t overthink it.

After all, in TV dramas, sick people often need to be fed medicine. It should be normal.

Xu Yi hadn’t been sick in a long time. Most of the time, no one took care of him. He blew on the food gently before feeding it to Lu Xingyan, just like on TV.

“Ah—” Xu Yi coaxed gently, as if soothing a child.

Lu Xingyan opened his mouth and gulped it down.

Though his body was suffering, his spirit was immensely satisfied.

Xu Yi actually had little patience, but he found the experience of feeding someone novel, so he took his time feeding the other until he was full.

After Lu Xingyan recovered a bit, Xu Yi handed him the medicine.

Lu Xingyan looked at the cup in his hand, paused, and said, “Don’t want to infect you.”

“I have another cup.” Xu Yi leaned against the wall, waiting for Lu Xingyan to finish his medicine before going down.

After taking the medicine, Lu Xingyan lay back down.

Xu Yi covered him with the blanket.

Lu Xingyan looked at Xu Yi, seeming to have regained some energy. “Sorry I can’t help you spread out your sheet.”

Xu Yi glanced outside. “It’s okay. It rained today, so it’s not dry yet.”

“Then how about continuing to sleep with me?”

Xu Yi froze and looked at Lu Xingyan’s expression. He didn’t seem to be joking.

Uncomfortable, he said, “You’re this clingy when you’re sick?”

“Yep.” Lu Xingyan admitted openly, a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Unable to face that look, Xu Yi turned and climbed down. “I’ll eat first.”

He didn’t outright refuse.

After all, sleeping in Lu Xingyan’s arms, though cramped… was oddly reassuring.

Maybe that’s why later he would be so afraid of loneliness, always having many online lovers, making sure someone was always with him.

Xu Yi finished his meal, rested a while, and felt awkward about going up to disturb the other.

He just sat downstairs, dull, playing on his phone for a bit.

On his alt account, a new WeChat message came in.

Starfall: “Baby, I have a fever. I really want my wife to hold me qvq”

Xu Yi: …

So he hadn’t slept; he had the energy to message his alt.

Xu Yi: “Have you taken medicine?”

Starfall: “My roommate fed me. I want to call and hear my wife’s voice.”

Xu Yi glanced at the closed curtains, then at Li Yuan, who was gaming and completely oblivious to the outside world. He grabbed his phone and left the dorm.

On a holiday, the dorm was mostly empty. It was afternoon—people were either out playing, at home, or gaming in their rooms.

He called Lu Xingyan from the hallway.

The moment it connected, coughing came from the other end.

“Baby, I feel so awful.” Lu Xingyan’s deliberately whining voice sounded in his ear.

For some reason, Xu Yi felt a little upset.

When Lu Xingyan was in bed, whining at him as a roommate—was he just using him as a substitute for his girlfriend?

Even asking to be held to sleep. It was all emotional substitution.

Noticing Xu Yi’s silence, Lu Xingyan added, “I want to hear my baby’s voice. Can you coax me to sleep?”

“Okay.” Even though he was uncomfortable, Xu Yi held back, considering the other was ill.

He used his female voice to hum a different lullaby for Lu Xingyan, to avoid suspicion.

When he finished, Lu Xingyan said, “Good afternoon. I’m going to sleep now.”

“Okay. Good afternoon.”

“If only… I could hear your real voice.”

Just as Xu Yi hung up, Lu Xingyan whispered this.

Xu Yi had already lowered his phone. He wasn’t wearing earphones, so he didn’t hear it.

When he returned to the dorm, just as he sat down, he saw Lu Xingyan poke out his messy head.

“Why aren’t you up yet?”

Xu Yi was holding in anger, so his tone wasn’t good. He looked at Lu Xingyan. “Why do you have to have me stay with you?”

Lu Xingyan answered honestly, almost without thinking. “I don’t know why, but sleeping with you feels really comfortable.”

Xu Yi pressed his lips together.

Did that mean he had a physical attraction to him?

Was it the liking between friends, or…

Then what was the identity of his alt supposed to mean?

Xu Yi was annoyed.

He was even tempted to come clean outright and ask if Lu Xingyan liked men.

Forget it. Why was he overthinking this?

Xu Yi just didn’t like being a stand-in. It wasn’t like he had actually fallen for Lu Xingyan.

He was just a horndog.

Anyway, sleeping together made both of them happy. Why not?

After waiting eagerly, Lu Xingyan finally saw Xu Yi come up.

He lay down in front of him, not very gently.

And even turned his back, seemingly displeased.

With a fever, Lu Xingyan’s mind wasn’t working fast. He just instinctively pressed close.

The earlier deduction had made Xu Yi very uncomfortable.

But Lu Xingyan, probably burning up, grew bolder, wrapping his arm around Xu Yi’s waist.

“You smell so good.” The other sighed in enjoyment.

Saying ambiguous things without awareness.

Clearly, he only saw him as a good friend.

Xu Yi’s body tensed. Spurred by those words, he blurted out, “You’re not thinking of me as your girlfriend, are you?”

“No.” Lu Xingyan answered quickly.

Xu Yi pursed his lips. He didn’t believe it.

“Do you like men?”

The moment he said it, Xu Yi regretted it.

Lu Xingyan was the one with the fever, not him. He must be crazy to ask such a weird question.

Lu Xingyan must think it’s disgusting.

Lying in bed with a gay guy.

Lu Xingyan hugged him tighter.

“Anyway, I really like you.”