Chapter Text
Red silently blinked on the analog clock which sat on the young doctor's bedside table. Although it wasn't extremely clear, he was still able to make out the time, 2:00 AM, also known as way-too-early-to-be-getting-up-especially-two-days-after-a-rough-case o'clock. But, Spencer's body begged to differ. He looked over, surprised to not find his body entangled with his boyfriend's. On any other night, he would've rolled over and buried his face into Liam's chest and tried to wait out or sleep off his sharp headache, but right now, he deemed it a little too hot for cuddles. Maybe he was coming down with something?
Instead, Spencer sat up, his two-sizes-too-large Journey shirt falling to cover his midriff. The floorboards creaked beneath the soft fabric of his bunny slippers as he took a few steps into the dark room before pausing. Fingers pressed to his temples and eyes squeezed shut as the world spun around him, even the slight sense of dizziness making him feel sick to his stomach. A small sigh escaped the man as he stumbled over to the bathroom. Spencer's tired eyes glared back at him through the reflection of the mirror as his hands gripped at the counter, now supporting most of his weight. Cafe coloured bags drooped under his chocolate eyes and little spots of acne littered his face. He felt like shit, and, in his opinion, looked like it, too.
Then it hit him. Spencer groaned as his shoulders slumped forwards and head fell back, a painful expression painted on his face. It was that wonderful time of the month. How long had it been? A year, maybe?
Yes, the physical side effects of his period weren’t great, but the thing that bothered him the most was the gender dysphoria that came with it. Most of the time, he was at peace with his body- top surgery had provided him with a flatter and rather seamless chest, and testosterone had helped to make the rest of his appearance more ideal, and slowed his menstrual cycle, stopping it completely after about a year. But, it was these times that dysphoria hit him the hardest, as it was labeled a “feminine” sort of thing by society.
He took a moment to accept the fact that both his mind and body would be in agony for the next little while, then reminded himself that it would only be for a week, at most, as he dropped onto his knees and began searching through the cabinet beneath the sink for a pad, just to get him through the night.
Moments later, he shuffled out of the bathroom and quietly crawled back into bed, cuddling up to Liam and soon drifting off to sleep again.
Spencer's wake-up call was the eight o'clock sunlight that flooded the room. He let out a small yawn, not bothering to open his eyes as he nestled into the flesh in front of him.
"'Morning, baby boy," the younger man cooed while combing his fingers through the agent's locks. Liam had woken up about half an hour ago, and he didn't mind waiting for his boyfriend to wake. It wasn't unusual for Spencer to sleep in later than him, which gave him time to read or relax, or even cook breakfast on the rare occasion that their limbs weren't tangled together.
There was no way that Liam could've known it, but that nickname was exactly what Spencer needed right now.
"Baby boy..?" He repeated, muttering it back to his boyfriend as if it were a question.
Liam nodded, looking down to meet the other's gaze, who had momentarily lifted his face from his side. "Mmhm. You're my baby boy. Did you forget that?" He teased with a chuckle.
To his question, Spencer simply nuzzled against his side again and whispered, "I love you so much." His arms snaked around his boyfriend's chest, wrapping him in a tight hug. A soft smile pulled at his lips as he returned the embrace.
“I love you too.” He wasn’t sure why the nickname had made him so happy, but he was glad that it did.
After a few moments of clinging on to Liam as if he were a lifeline, he let out a small whimper, which earned a concerned look from him. Spencer laid there for a moment, hoping for the pain of his cramp to subside so he wouldn’t have to move. This wasn’t the case for him, which was rather unfortunate considering that all he wanted to do right now was stay snuggled up with his boyfriend. The rustling of sheets overtook the quiet of the room as both of the men moved; Spencer rolling over- and almost off the bed- with his legs hugged to his chest, Liam scooting to sit up against the headboard.
“Are you alright?” He asked, watching his boyfriend with a quirked eyebrow. The weak nod that he gave was considerably unconvincing, as this movement was followed by him rolling a little closer to Liam, his face buried in the sheets and backside raised while he tried to find the perfect spot. The child's pose was, so far, the most comfortable position he’d found. “Sure about that?” Liam questioned, prying a little further.
“Cramps,” Spencer muttered in return, slowly shifting his hips over to one side and sighing with the relief it provided his lower back.
He nodded in understanding, his expression slightly less concerned. A hum left Liam’s lips as he checked the time: 8:30. “What if you called in sick today?” Liam suggested while extending an arm to gently rub his lover’s back. Just for good measure, he added, “I don’t have to go in until later,” knowing that could be persuasion enough to get him to stay.
“But-” he began to protest, but was interrupted by Liam.
“We both know Aaron would send you home in a heartbeat. I mean, take a look at yourself, sweetheart.”
Spencer nodded weakly once again, knowing that he’d probably end up staying home either way. He took a shallow breath as his hands spread out just a little further in front of him, then relaxed, happy that he’d solved the unpleasant aching. “Babe?” He was tempted to turn his head as he asked for his boyfriend’s attention, but knew better than to move.
“Hm?”
“Do you think you could pass me my phone?”
Liam couldn’t help but snicker as he reached for his phone. “Comfortable?” he asked, setting it down just near his hand so he wouldn’t need to move to call his boss.
“Very.”
One short and mainly muffled phone call later, the day was theirs. He had to admit, he felt a little bad about taking a sick day for something normal, but Spencer reasoned with himself: it wasn’t normal for him. Not anymore, at least
Seeing that he was content in the position he’d found, Liam sat up and stretched. “I think I’m gonna make myself a cup of tea. Want anything while I’m up?” he offered. When Spencer shook his head, burrowing his face back into the blankets at the same time, the younger brunet stood up and left, retrieving a mug of sweet, milky chai and, despite his answer, a cool cup of water for his boyfriend. When Liam returned, he was met with the sight of Spencer sprawled out across the bed, giving a small groan of pain mixed with a hint of frustration as he came to terms with the fact that he’d lost the one decent position he’d had.
“You could’ve just asked me to move,” he joked, which received a somewhat dull glare from him, informing Li that he was no longer in the cuddly, fluffy, and joking-around sort of mode. “So, lose the spot?” He sat down on the side of the bed as he wondered this, the glass of water being left on the bedside table where it was soon to be neglected.
“I literally just breathed wrong,” he mumbled as he lifted his arms above him, then let them fall back onto the bed with a slightly dramatic sigh. His tone was drenched with exasperation and irritation, clearly sick of this already.
Liam quickly scanned the taller man over. Between the flushed face and apparently very sensitive stomach pains, he didn’t seem well at all. “Maybe you should go to the doctor’s.” The suggestion wasn’t Liam’s favourite to make, as he was far more than aware of both of their dislike of going to the doctor’s office, especially when it wasn’t necessary. It definitely wasn’t Spencer’s favourite to hear either and put him in an awkward spot for a moment.
“No,” he replied, just a little too quickly. “I-... I’m fine.”
Li gave a bit of a sad smile with a hesitant nod while extending a hand to rest on Spencer’s thigh. As much as he would’ve loved the contact minutes ago, he wasn’t rather fond of it right now but was too lazy to do anything about it. He tried again with a different suggestion. “How about a nice, warm bath then? And I can make something to eat after.”
“Shower?” Spencer negotiated. As much as he enjoyed a good old bath, he wanted to spend the least amount of time possible with his bare body. Liam gave him a concerned look, but smiled nonetheless.
"Whatever floats your boat." It wasn't often that Spencer turned down baths, but when he did, there was definitely something up with him. "What do you want for breakfast? Pancakes?"
He found himself torn between his lack of appetite and cravings for chocolate. "With chocolate chips?" He asked, mind already made up. Chocolate always won.
Liam chuckled and smiled, "with all the chocolate chips you want."