Jiang Cheng always felt that he was not very good at comforting or caring for people.

Perhaps it was because his adoptive parents showed their care in unique ways, like making demands or expressing gentle, rational hopes.

For some reason, whether it was this or the genes he inherited from Li Baoguo, he was not very skilled at "caring for others." Even with Pan Zhi, whom he was so close with that they were like brothers, when Pan Zhi got sick or injured in the past, Jiang Cheng had not shown much care or concern. His attempts at comforting were always awkward, and Pan Zhi had said several times, "You're better off not asking, if someone didn't know better they'd think we had some sordid history."

But after meeting Gu Fei, many things were different.

He cared for and worried about someone to this degree, sincerely and earnestly, without awkwardness or forced manners...

This was the power of love, tsk tsk.

Jiang Cheng glanced down at the sleeping Gu Fei leaning against him, and kissed the top of his head.

Gu Fei's hair was quite stiff, and kissing his buzzcut pricked Jiang Cheng's lips, but after one kiss he went back for another, and would have playfully nibbled if he wasn't afraid of waking Gu Fei.

Gu Fei was the first person who made him worry to the point of trembling. Sick Gu Fei lacked his usual formidable steel factory aura, and the way he obediently leaned against Jiang Cheng with closed eyes made him look like a wronged cat.

A somewhat damp cat.

If Pan Zhi was this sweaty, Jiang Cheng wouldn't just avoid hugging him, he'd avoid getting close enough to get punched.

...Of course, Pan Zhi was his brother, not his lover.

Oh right, lover.

Jiang Cheng quietly tutted, so cheesily romantic, calling him a lover.

His tut was too quiet, and Gu Fei shifted his head with a weak murmur.

"What's up?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"Shouldn't I take medicine?" Gu Fei mumbled.

"Ah right!" Jiang Cheng suddenly remembered he hadn't given Gu Fei his medicine, and hurriedly reached out for it.

But the medicine was on the coffee table, out of his reach. He'd have to let go of Gu Fei to get it, and Gu Fei was currently leaning on him. If Jiang Cheng moved away, sick kitty Gu Fei would have to hold himself up...really, he just didn't want to let go.

After hesitating about a second, Jiang Cheng stretched out his foot and used his toes to pinch and pull over the paper package with two fever reducer pills from the coffee table.

"Ugh, fuck," Gu Fei said weakly, turning his head away. "I don't want it anymore."

"So picky," Jiang Cheng picked up the package with his foot. "The pills are wrapped up, it's not like my foot stepped in dog shit..."

"Ah..." Gu Fei sighed. "Are you gonna use your foot to get the cup too?"

"Damn." Jiang Cheng looked at the cup, which was farther away than the pills. He stared blankly for a long time before once again extending his foot.

"Wake up, Brother Cheng," Gu Fei said.  

Jiang Cheng didn't speak, just hooked the edge of the coffee table with his toes, sharply yanked it toward himself, grabbed the now nearby table and pulled it right next to the sofa.

"Here, take your medicine," he picked up the cup and put a pill in Gu Fei's mouth.

"Lazy top student," Gu Fei said around the straw as he drank some water and swallowed the pill.

"I'm not lazy," Jiang Cheng said. "I just don't want to let go."

Insisting on not letting go, Jiang Cheng used his foot to get the thermometer, a piece of candy, and the TV remote.

Finally, when Gu Fei wanted more water but his cup was empty, Jiang Cheng sighed. The water kettle was on the table by the TV, he'd have to detach his left leg and reattach his right leg to reach it.

"Sit up yourself," Jiang Cheng pushed the coffee table away with his foot. "I'll pour you some water."

"I think I'll take a shower and go lie down in bed," Gu Fei said.

"Shower?" Jiang Cheng looked at him. "You have a fever, what do you need a shower for? Just take one after the fever breaks."

"I can't survive without showering," Gu Fei said. "All sweaty."

Jiang Cheng didn't have much experience caring for sick people, and Gu Fei's fever wasn't caused by a cold, so he really didn't understand what precautions to take. He was confused between sweating out the fever, which was the only folk remedy he knew, and Gu Fei's claim that he couldn't survive without showering.

"When it comes to living I'm the top student," Gu Fei said, "and you're the failing student."

Jiang Cheng felt Gu Fei's words made a lot of sense, so he didn't try to stop him further and let Gu Fei take a shower.

"Don't bundle me up anymore either, I'm not feeling cold now," Gu Fei said after his shower, sprawling comfortably in bed with his eyes closed. "Just hold me."

"Okay," Jiang Cheng brought him a towel blanket.

Then he sprinted into the bathroom for a quick shower before sprinting back to the bedroom and taking Gu Fei's temperature again.

"38 degrees," he said, turning off the lights and lying down to embrace Gu Fei. "I think it's going down now?"

"Mm," Gu Fei murmured agreement. "If it was still high I'd feel cold."

"Oh," Jiang Cheng sighed. "I was just thinking, I'm going away to school soon, if you get sick when I'm not around to take care of you, what will you do... Actually my caretaking probably just causes more trouble anyway, right?"

"How could that be trouble," Gu Fei laughed softly. "If you weren't here today when I had this fever, I'd have just poured myself a glass of water and slept it off until it went away.

"No," Jiang Cheng thought about it. "You won't get sick again, this fever was also because of me."

"I'll say this one last time," Gu Fei patted his hand. "If you say something like that again, I'll..."

"You'll what?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"I'll...think about it first, I haven't decided," Gu Fei laughed. "I just don't like you talking like that."

"Okay, I won't say it again," Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.

Neither of them spoke again, but Jiang Cheng knew Gu Fei wasn't asleep yet, he could tell from his breathing that Gu Fei was still awake.

This silence was different from their usual comfortable silences, and without asking Jiang Cheng knew it was because of what he had just said about going away to school.

The two of them had never discussed this issue, the only time it came up was when Jiang Cheng had vaguely mentioned their "future" together to Gu Fei.

They were about to be separated, a fact they had both been avoiding and never talked about. They hadn't even discussed which schools Jiang Cheng wanted to go to.

Jiang Cheng had always felt that even if they were apart, it wouldn't be a big deal since they could still call and video chat... But as their day of separation drew nearer and excuses like "need to concentrate on studying" could no longer be used, he finally realized how much he dreaded that day.

Gu Fei fell asleep, his breathing gradually slowing. Jiang Cheng took out his phone and set a vibrating alarm.

He guessed he would have a hard time waking up early after finally relaxing, but he had to get up early to prepare breakfast for Gu Fei.

After so long of waking up to food ready for him, even if Gu Fei wasn't sick, he wanted Gu Fei to experience this pig-like life too.

"Good night," he whispered in Gu Fei's ear and kissed the tip.

It was a chaotic night.

Jiang Cheng, who hadn't dreamed in a long time, seemed to have at least forty episodes' worth of dreams that night, though when his phone alarm woke him he could only recall fragments.

The fragments were almost all exams - once forgetting his pen, once his eraser turning to wood and being useless, once tearing his answer sheet...

He hadn't felt anxious until now, apparently saving it all up for this.

He looked at the still sleeping Gu Fei beside him.

Great, he carefully sat up. Gu Fei was sprawled on the pillow, sleeping deeply. With the fever taking so much out of him, if he wanted to sleep all day there was no reason to wake him.

Jiang Cheng dragged a chair over to sit on it backwards, leaning on the backrest to look at Gu Fei.

With no need to fill his brain thinking about studying when he opened his eyes, this kind of leisurely, free time was simply incredible.

He could stay here and stare at Gu Fei all day.

Gu Fei's face was quite nice to look at, even half buried in a pillow he was still attractive. Especially now, with his eyes closed, relaxed yet a little weary...

Recalling Gu Fei's hoarse, slightly petulant "hug me" last night, Jiang Cheng instantly wanted to pounce on him.

Sexy.

Extremely sexy.

"Wanna do it?" Gu Fei suddenly spoke.

Jiang Cheng jumped in fright, bouncing on the chair and nearly flipping over onto the floor.

Gu Fei still had his eyes closed, hadn't changed position at all.

Jiang Cheng wondered if he was too thirsty and was hearing things. He stared at Gu Fei for a few moments before quietly calling out, "Gu Fei?"

"I asked if you want to do it," Gu Fei opened one eye, mouth quirking. "You've been sitting there staring for at least twenty minutes, right?"

"F*ck?" Jiang Cheng stood up. "You were awake the whole time?"

"Your phone has some power," Gu Fei propped himself up on his elbows hugging a pillow, rubbing his eyes. "It shook me awake right away."

Jiang Cheng stared speechlessly for a moment, not because he had still woken Gu Fei despite being careful, but because...Gu Fei's current pose.

Lying on his front with his upper body propped up, from his back to his waist to his ass, every line and curve was tempting.

He walked to the bedside staring at Gu Fei's waist, and to keep from seeming too thirsty he forcibly cleared his mind and asked, "Why pretend to sleep if you were awake?"

"I wasn't pretending, just a little worn out so I didn't want to move, resting my eyes a bit," Gu Fei said, turning his head to look at him.

The single word "worn out" instantly brought Jiang Cheng back to reality. Gu Fei's fever hadn't completely gone down yet, and after being ill all night he was exhausted now.

Jiang Cheng, you can't have impure thoughts about a sick person.