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Chapter Text

The dark sky was gray and unchanging as rain poured down from the clouds onto the grass and pavement below. Everyone in Pontypandy was settled into their beds, sleeping soundly as they waited for a dry morning; after all, it was July now, and they were looking forward to some sun. In one particular bedroom, Tom Thomas lay asleep, bundled into warm blankets with his arms wrapped around his boyfriend, Ben Hooper. In such a state, Tom slept most peacefully, knowing that he and his loved one were both safe and well cared for.

Unfortunately, conflict always occurs when you least expect it.

Just as the clock ticked to 2:04 in the morning, Ben shifted, starting to wake up. His stomach made a low sound, like the grunt of a sleepy dog. Ooh, what was that? He thought. That didn't sound good. 

Soon, the chills hit him; icy tingles running down his back and through his shoulders. Then the nausea came in a wave, spreading from the pit of his stomach through his entire gut region and sapping energy from the rest of his body. Oooohhh... He shut his eyes tight and curled up a little tighter. Well, this isn't going to be a fun day, is it? Someone from the fire station would have to look after the Ocean Rescue Centre for today; there was no way Ben would be able to perform his duties as a coastguard feeling like this. He put his face down on the cool pillow, trying to ignore the world around him and just go back to sleep.

However, one might guess that being in such a state might come with messy consequences, and Ben quickly felt stomach acid building up in the pit of his throat. He squirmed free from Tom's grip and hauled himself out of bed in pursuit of the bathroom. Tom soon blinked his sleepy eyes open when he realised he could no longer feel Ben by his side. Just barely seeing a light from the hallway, he lifted his head to shout for him. "Ben?"

Tom could hear gagging and spluttering from the other room. His eyes shot open as he worriedly sat up straighter. "Ben?!"

"It's alright." Ben couldn't quite shout, but he still tried to be heard. "I'm just in the other room." After cleaning up the mess, he stumbled back into the hallway, looking pale and shaky.

Tom threw aside his soft orange blankets and got to Ben's side as soon as he could. "What's wrong, babe?" He put a hand to his cheek.

"I'm not feeling very well," mumbled Ben, pressing his hands against his belly. His face was flushed, and he was shaking a bit. "I'm going to sleep in the spare room."

"It's okay, babe." Tom pulled Ben close and rubbed his back. "You can come back to bed. I'm not upset with you."

"Tom..." Ben looked up at Tom, his green eyes drooping from drowsiness. "I really shouldn't. I think whatever I have is contagious."

"Oh. Yeah, yeah." Tom nodded. "That's alright." He led his boyfriend into the spare bedroom and tucked him in snugly. "There we go, is that good?"

"Mmhmm..." Ben settled into the blankets, quickly beginning to fall asleep.

"Do you need anything?" Tom asked. "Water? A cold cloth? Huh?"

"No, no..." Ben yawned. "I'm just going back to sleep."

"Alright." Tom patted Ben's shoulder. "You do that." He stayed by Ben's side until he was sure that he had fallen asleep, before returning to bed himself.

When the overcast sky began to brighten up from the morning light, Tom snorted as he rolled over in bed, from back to side with an arm out, and quickly woke up when he felt the other side of the bed empty. He was confused for a second, until he remembered what happened the previous night. He hauled himself out of bed and off to the spare room to check up on Ben.

Ben was still asleep, mumbling quiet nothings in his slumber. He looked so cozy, snuggled into the blankets; they were the nice white-and-gold ones with the crocus pattern that Bella Lasagne had given him as a housewarming gift. Tom put a hand to his forehead, feeling how feverish he was. "Ben? You alright?"

Ben shifted over to his back and opened his eyes. "Mm?" 

"You're really warm," said Tom, moving his hand down to Ben’s cheek.

"I know." Ben rubbed his eyes. "I'll have to call Penny and tell her I won't be in today." He began to cough, putting a hand over his chest.

"Awww..." Tom couldn't help fussing over his boyfriend. "Babe, I hate seeing you like this."

"I know, but I can't help it." Ben weakly gripped Tom's hand, squeezing an eye shut as he winced in pain. "I'll just have to tough it out."

"Are you okay?" Tom asked, starting to worry. "Do I need to take you to a doctor?"

"I don't think so," said Ben as he sat up. "I'm going to splash some cool water on my face and then go back to sleep." He stumbled out of bed and to the bathroom. However, before he could turn the sink on, he began to gag, and had to turn around towards the toilet to throw up.

Tom quickly came into the room when he heard the sound. "Ben?" 

Ben shakily pushed himself back up to his feet. He wobbled, and Tom caught him before he could lose his balance. "Sheesh, you can hardly stand up." He patted his back. 

Feeling too weak to do much else, Ben simply laid his head on Tom's shoulder. Tom tried to coax him into going with him. "Come on, I'm taking you to a doctor."

"You really don't need to do that," Ben tried to insist. "I can just go back to bed."

"Oh, no, no," said Tom. "There's something wrong here, and I am going to get you help." He lifted him up into his arms and carried him out to the Jeep, where he gently put him down in the back seat before entering the driver's seat in pursuit of a clinic. "Now hang onto something!"

At the walk-in non-emergency clinic at the end of Kynman Avenue, Tom burst in through the door, carrying Ben over his shoulder like a sack of flour. "Excuse me! Is there a doctor available?"

The receptionist looked up to see them, surprised by the loud entrance, then looked over her computer. "Dr. Moumin can be with you in a few minutes. Your name?"

"Thomas. ...Uh, Hooper." In his panic, Tom was all mixed up in the head. "Oh- I'm Thomas, he's Hooper."

"Noted." The receptionist opened up Dr. Saida Moumin's schedule to add a new appointment. "Dr. Moumin will be out as soon as she's finished with her morning preparations. In the meantime, take a seat."

Tom sat down on the comfy bench and let Ben lay his head down in his lap. Because it was so early in the morning, there was scarcely anyone there. As Ben lay woozily with his arms folded over his belly, Tom cradled his head, stroking his hair and whispering soft, reassuring things to him. "It'll be alright. I swear," said Tom, somewhat more to himself than to Ben. Ben looked up with a drained expression, but didn't say anything, just closed his eyes again.

As soon as the clock struck eight o'clock, Dr. Moumin, a Djiboutian woman in her mid-thirties with deep, dark eyes, a black hearing aid clipped into her left ear, a yellow jasper ring, and a kind smile, entered the waiting room. "Right, is Hooper here?"

"Right here." Ben raised a hand. He pushed himself upwards and off of the bench, and with Tom by his side, stumbled off into the examination room.

"So, what brings you here this morning?" Dr. Moumin asked as she directed Ben to lie down on a table.

"He's been throwing up, and he's running a fever something awful," explained Tom. "I was so worried about him, I had to get him to a clinic as fast as I could."

"Clearly," mused Dr. Moumin as she observed both of the men. Tom was still wearing what he slept in; an old tank top and boxers. She began a checkup by taking Ben's temperature.

"He's going to be okay, right?" Tom asked. "He's very important to me."

"I'll need to finish the checkup to judge that," said Dr. Moumin as she took out a tongue depressor. "Just have a seat. I'll tell you when we're done."

"Okay." Tom eased himself down into the nearby chair. "Okay, I'll...just sit here." He watched over Ben as Dr. Moumin took out her stethoscope.

"Right, sit up, please." Dr. Moumin put her stethoscope to Ben's back. "There we go. Take a deep breath."

Tom couldn't help but fidget in his seat; he just wanted to know what was wrong and how to fix it. Ben simply followed what Dr. Moumin asked of him. "Very good," she praised. "You can lie back down now; I just need to listen to your gastric activity."

Dr. Moumin directed Ben to lift up his shirt and pressed the bell of her stethoscope against his soft belly. "Mm..." She listened. "That doesn't sound good."

After finishing the checkup, Dr. Moumin came to a proper diagnosis. "Well, Thomas, Hooper, you have nothing to be concerned about. This seems to be a case of norovirus; it should be cleared up in at least a few days. You'll just have to get plenty of rest and keep hydrated. Now, do you need a doctor's note signed for an absence at work?" 

"Yes, I do." Ben sat up. "I'm the coastguard. They'll need to find a substitute to watch the Ocean Rescue Centre."

"Gotcha." Dr. Moumin wrote down and signed a note for Ben. "Here we are. Now, you're free to go. If something happens, don't be afraid to return for another checkup." 

"Thank you, ma'am. Come on, babe," said Tom, easing Ben up onto his shoulder. "Let's get you home."

"I recommend putting some trousers on when you get there," suggested Dr. Moumin with a wink and a sly smile.

At that point, Tom finally realized just what he had been wearing the whole time. "Right," he said, embarrassed. "I'll do that."

Back at the house, Tom tucked Ben snugly into bed, with a glass of water and a bin nearby. "There we go," he said softly. "You stay right here and rest. I'll be home in the evening." 

"You really didn't need to take me to a doctor," said Ben weakly, putting a hand on top of Tom's. "I would have been fine."

"You're probaby right, but I was really worried about you." Tom made little circles with his thumb in the palm of Ben's hand. "I just...I really can't stand seeing you upset, babe. I couldn't leave you at the house alone and not do anything." 

Ben smiled. "You're cute when you care."

Tom kissed Ben's forehead. "Right, I'll drop this doctor's note off and find someone to hold down the Ocean Rescue Centre for the day." He stroked Ben's hair until he fell asleep, then headed out for the day.

Before he could start his duties at the Mountain Rescue Centre, Tom had to visit the fire station to find a replacement coastguard for the day. He rode the Jeep up to the station entrance. "Oi! Anyone home?!"

"What?" Sam appeared from behind Jupiter. "What are you doing here?"

"Ben's going to be out of commission for a while; sick as a dog, the poor mite," explained Tom. "Someone's gotta hold down the Ocean Rescue Centre until he's back on his feet." He showed Sam the doctor's note. 

Hearing the voices from the first floor, Penny slid down the pole to investigate. "I'm a certified ocean rescuer and SCUBA diver. I could look after the Ocean Rescue Centre."

"Aw, great." Tom gave Penny a fist bump. "Thanks, Pen." The two then parted, as Penny hopped onto Mercury to head down to the Ocean Rescue Centre and Tom went to look for Station Officer Steele to deliver the doctor's note.

That evening, when Tom returned home after a long, tiring day, his first instinct was to collapse onto the couch with a hefty sigh of relief. He loved to squish his face down into the cushions; they always felt nice and cool. 

From upstairs, Ben, just waking up from a long sleep, could hear the sounds of Tom entering the house. He didn't have the energy to leave his bed, so he figured he would wait until Tom came to him. A decision that lasted about two minutes before Tom realized how quiet the house was and came up the stairs to see his boyfriend. "There you are," he cooed over him, "how are you feeling?"

Ben yawned. "I spent most of the day asleep..."

"That's good." Tom knelt down to ruffle Ben's tufty blond hair. "You're following the doctor's orders."

"Is the Ocean Rescue Centre dealt with?" Ben asked. "I've been worried about it."

"Penny's got things under control," said Tom. "She'll keep the place running until you're feeling better."

"Okay..." Ben rubbed his eyes. "That's good."

"Have you been drinking your water?" Tom asked, as he glanced at the glass, which was only half emptied. "Come on, you need the fluids." He had Ben sit up and sip the cool drink in tiny gulps. "There we go, down the hatch." Once Ben had finished off the glass, Tom pulled him in for a squeeze, nuzzling his cheek against his forehead. 

Ben smiled as Tom set him back down into bed. "I knew I landed a catch when we got together."

"Yeah, you sure did, didn'tcha?" Tom's eyes shifted up a bit; it seemed almost like a light bulb turned on above his head. "Hold on a second, I left something downstairs." He swiftly turned around and left the room, returning a moment later with a small cluster of blue forget-me-nots in his hand. "I picked you a flower on my way home. I know this kind is your favourite."

"Oh, you're so sweet." Ben rested his hands over his heart as Tom placed the cluster on the bedside table.

Tom patted Ben's shoulder. "You go back to sleep now, fishy."

Dinner was quiet and lonely that night. Tom wasn't in the mood to properly cook for just himself, so he simply put together a ham and cheese sandwich. As he put the last bite in his mouth, he heard a pained moan from upstairs. "Babe?" Tom called. "You alright?"

He didn't get a response. Concerned, Tom left the kitchen and climbed the stairs to the spare room. There, he found Ben sitting up on the edge of the bed, with his jaw clenched and head in his hands. "What's wrong?" Tom asked, placing a hand on Ben's back. "Does your head hurt?"

"Yeah..." Ben lifted his head and crossed his arms over his middle. "I thought I was going to be sick again." 

"Come on," soothed Tom, urging Ben to follow him. "Why don't we get you cleaned up a bit? That might help." 

"Alright..." Ben pushed himself upwards shakily. The weather had gotten hot and muggy as the day drew to a close, and he figured he had the energy for at least a short shower. 

Tom fetched a set of lighter clothing from the chest of drawers and some towels from the linen closet. "There we are," he said softly. "You go and wash up, then come downstairs when you're ready."

He patted his boyfriend on the back for encouragement, then as Ben left to shower, Tom went downstairs into the kitchen to get some medicine. In addition to a bottle of Pepsi-Bizmoth that he'd taken from the bathroom, he also prepared some chamomile tea, which he poured into a blue ceramic mug with a red crab with a speech bubble reading "I'm crabby without my coffee!" on it. 

After washing up with cool water, Ben bundled himself up in a fuzzy blue robe with a star pattern and eased himself down the stairs, careful not to jostle himself around too much. Tom turned when he heard the creak of the staircase. "It's alright, babe," he said softly, gesturing for him to join him on the couch. "Come down and have some medicine."

Ben stumbled across the living room and curled up on the couch next to Tom. Tom poured out a spoonful of Pepsi-Bizmoth, which Ben took with no issue. "There you go, good job," he said softly, before handing him the cup of tea. 

Ben took a ginger sip of the drink, and heaved a relieved sigh. "Thank you...I love you so much."

Tom kissed his boyfriend's forehead. "I love you too, babe."

Chapter Text

Blooper #1: Runaway Clock

Ben squirmed free from Tom's grip and hauled himself out of bed in pursuit of the bathroom, catching his ankle around a cord and pulling the radio clock out of the socket. 

"Cut!" The director, Miss Kedabory (hey that's me), called through a bullhorn. "Can we move that cord under the table? Otherwise this house is gonna start into a death trap real fast."

Blooper #2: Why Lights are Important

Tom stayed by Ben's side until he was sure that he had fallen asleep, before returning to bed himself. However, on the way back, he didn't turn the lights on and smacked right into the wall. "Ouch!"

Ben sat up in bed. "What'd you do?"

"Hit the damn wall," grumbled Tom. "I've walked through this hall a hundred times, how did I miss that?"

Blooper #3: Over-Emotional Boyfriend

"Awww..." Tom couldn't help fussing over his boyfriend. "Babe, I hate seeing you like this."

"I know, but I can't help it." Ben weakly gripped Tom's hand. "I'll just have to tough it out."

"Oh, no, babe!" Tom pulled Ben close, nuzzling his cheek against his forehead. "Don't talk like that, we want to help you!"

"Tom, it's only a story," soothed Ben. "It'll be fine."

"Sorry." Tom blushed. "It's just that you're so cute when you're sleepy."

Blooper #4: Damn Door

At the walk-in non-emergency clinic at the end of Kynman Avenue, Tom attempted to burst through the door, but the producers forgot to unlock it first, so instead he just slammed right into hard wood. "Oh, for the love of God!" Tom raged. "Why do I keep knocking into things?"

Blooper #5: Cutest Interruption Ever

As Ben lay woozily with his arms folded over his belly, Tom cradled his head, stroking his hair and whispering soft, reassuring things to him. Off camera, Lily, having wandered on set after filming "Fly High, Little Songbird", watched from behind the cameraman's legs.

"It'll be alright. I swear," said Tom, somewhat more to himself than to Ben. 

"You want Sharky?" Lily entered the shot with her plush toy in hand. 

"Aww..." The producers cooed. 

Tom snorted, dropping character. "Mate, we're filming, you gotta get outta here."

Blooper #6: Jumpy

"Right, sit up, please." Dr. Moumin helf up her stethoscope. "There we go. Take a deep breath."

Ben followed what Dr. Moumin asked of him, but couldn't help jumping when the stethoscope's bell touched his skin. "Sorry, that's cold."

"Most say that," chuckled Dr. Moumin.

Blooper #7: The Theme Tune Lied

Before he could start his duties at the Mountain Rescue Centre, Tom had to visit the fire station to find a replacement coastguard for the day. He rode the Jeep up to the station entrance. "Oi! Anyone home?!"

No answer. "Hello?" Tom called again.

Sam quickly slid down the pole. "What are you-?" He cut himself as he stumbled over his own boots. 

"Cut!" The director called.

"Sorry!" Sam huffed. "I missed my cue..."

Blooper #8: Wake Up!

A decision that lasted about two minutes before Tom realized how quiet the house was and came up the stairs to see his boyfriend. "There you are," he cooed over him, "how are you feeling?"

Ben didn't respond. "Ben?" Tom shook him a bit.

"Mm?" Ben shifted over from side to back. "Sorry, I fell asleep."

"You have to stay awake for this part, babe," reminded Tom. "That's your cue."

Blooper #9: Tea Bags with Minds of Their Own

In addition to a bottle of Pepsi-Bizmoth that he'd taken from the bathroom, Tom also prepared some chamomile tea. When he opened the cupboard to get the tea bags, the box fell over, sending the bags falling all over the counter. "Holy- friggin' runaway tea!" Tom cursed as he bent over to pick them up.