Josh was quite tall, perhaps a bit lanky. At 18, his boyish built hadn’t quite left him yet, long limbs and a thin torso. His blonde curls often fell into his face, covering his curious green eyes.

Currently, those eyes were glazed over with a fever and his sweaty curls were stuck to his forehead.He had woken up shivering, with an aching head and heavy limbs.

He knew that he should get out of bed and ready himself to go to school, being only months away from graduation, but he was so incredibly tired that even the thought of leaving his bed was exhausting.

He could hear his mother bustling in her room next door, probably packing her suitcase for another trip.

His mother was a busy woman, hopping from plane to plane to attend one business meeting after another.

When he heard her walking past his room, he took the opportunity and called out to her. "Can I stay home today?"

The footsteps stopped for a second before his door was opened and his mother peaked inside. "Are you not well, darling?", she asked, her forehead creasing in worry.

"Think I caught a bug or something", Josh responded and she came rushing to his bed, pressing a cold hand to his heated cheek.

"My poor love. I won’t be here for a while but I’ll try to arrange for someone to stay with you while I‘m gone, sweetheart."

That’s not exactly what he had wanted but he should have expected it. His mother didn’t like the thought of leaving him alone and despite his insistence that he’d be just fine, she’d rather spend a fortune on babysitters.

"Mum, it‘s fine. I can handle it", he tried again but she shook his head at the suggestion. "I know that you’re a big boy but you‘re ill, darling. I‘ll be right back."

His mother was out of his room like a whirlwind, always on the move, and Josh sighed.

It was quite embarrassing that even at 18, his mother didn‘t deem him old or mature enough to stay home alone for a few days, sick or not.

He had tried talking to her so many times, had made countless attempts to convince her to let him stay on his own, but without success.

She was back only moments later. "We’re in luck, love. Louis is available for a few days", his mother explained with a smile so big as if she was expecting Josh to be just as excited about that fact as she was.

Louis had watched Josh a few times over the last years when his mother had been out of the house. He was 20, studying to become a nurse , probably the reason his mother was so thrilled, and one of the prettiest men Josh had ever seen.

Louis was a few inches shorter than Josh, with fluffy brown hair, ocean blue eyes, long lashes and thin but oh so pink lips.

He had a small, upturned nose and sharp cheekbones, a bit of stubble covering the lower half of his face.

Louis was slim but plump in all the right places, a small waist accompanied by a nice ass and wide thighs.

Josh had a bit of a crush, though he’d never admit it out loud. If only they had met in a different way, he might’ve asked Louis out.

His mother’s voice was what interrupted his thoughts: "Louis will be here at 9, darling. Get well soon, yeah?" With a quick kiss to his forehead, his mother was out of his room and only a few moments later, he could hear the front door shut behind her.

He had another hour before Louis would arrive and he decided that except for sleeping, there wasn’t much he could do.

Some rest would do him good, maybe it would ease his pounding headache.

-

Josh was woken up by the creaking of the wood flooring of the hallway, just as tired as he had been before but at least his headache had improved, now just a muted pain behind his forehead.

There was a soft knock on his door before it opened and a familiar head of brown hair peaked inside. Josh sat up, leaning against the headboard.

"Hi." Louis kept his voice low. He knew how sensitive to sound Josh became whenever he had a headache and he didn’t want to make it worse.He was wearing a pair of loose jeans and some band tee. It was about two sizes too big, but somehow Louis still looked fantastic.

His soft hair was styled in an effortless quiff and his chin sported a little stubble, revealing the fact that he hadn’t shaved in a few days. It suited him.

"Hello", Josh replied quietly, all of a sudden feeling a bit disgusting in nothing but his day old underwear, hair soaked in sweat.

Taking the response as an invite to come inside, Louis entered the room, walking straight towards Josh’s bed.

"Your mum said you weren‘t well. How are you feeling?" There was genuine worry on his face. Louis was a compassionate person, one of his reasons for becoming a nurse, and Josh could feel his pity from a distance.

"I‘m fine, just a bit under the weather", he replied while Louis took a seat on the edge of his bed.

"You don’t look fine. You‘re quite flushed." Louis pressed the back of his hand to Josh‘s cheek, then his forehead. He almost moaned when Louis’ cool hand made contact with his hot skin, bringing a brief moment of relief.

"You’re burning up", Louis voiced his concern, gently brushing Josh’s wet curls out of his face and tucking them behind his ear.

"I’ll get the thermometer. Stay in bed, yeah?"He was out the door before Josh could reply and the boy let himself sink back into his pillows. Maybe having Louis there to take care of him wouldn’t be as bad as he had expected it to be. He enjoyed the older boy’s attention, appreciated the casual yet loving touch.

He didn’t have to wait too long for Louis’ return and Josh’s eyes widened when he came to his bedside with a glass thermometer instead of the digital one his mother usually used on him.

He hadn‘t even known that it was still in the bathroom cabinet, most likely hidden behind toiletries.

The stubby tip was entirely unpractical for an oral reading and Josh knew that the only way to use it was rectally. He was also certain that as a nurse, Louis was perfectly aware of that fact.

"I’m too old for that!", he complained, hiking up his blanket to his chest as if he could hide himself underneath.

The old glass thermometer hadn’t been used in years, not on him or on any other family member, and he wasn’t keen on changing that anytime soon. Josh wished his mother had just thrown that thing away.

Louis rolled his eyes and sat down on the mattress next to Josh.

"You’re not old enough for your mother to believe you can take care of yourself. What makes you think you’re too old to have your temperature taken rectally?"

"It’s… it’s for babies", Josh exclaimed, hoping he could somehow change Louis’ mind. He wasn’t very fond of the memories he had of the times his mother had still taken his temperature in his bum, embarrassment and tears very vivid in his mind.

"Regardless of age, rectal temperatures are the most accurate. You could be 30 and I’d still opt for a rectal thermometer", Louis was quick to respond and he set the thermometer and a tub of vaseline Josh hadn’t noticed down on the nightstand.

Josh wanted nothing more than to disappear into thin air. He was a gay man, sure, but somehow his attraction to Louis made the entire situation even worse.

"You can choose whether you‘d rather lay on my lap or stay in bed." None of those choices sounded good to Josh, and he played with his fingers, trying hard to think of an escape plan.

"I’m sure there’s an oral thermometer in the cabinet as well. This really isn’t necessary", Josh tried to talk his way out of his inevitable fate, starting to sweat from more than just his fever.

"I’ll decide what is necessary and what isn’t. Now make a decision or I’ll make it for you." Louis wasn’t quick to anger but it was obvious that he found Josh’s protests annoying.

He had probably had this exact conversation with patients before, had heard the same excuses and pleads over and over again. For him, this was routine. For Josh, it was highly uncomfortable.

"Honestly, my fever isn’t even that high. Can’t you just get me some painkillers and let me sleep?", Josh asked in a last attempt to secure his modesty, but it fell onto deaf ears.

In contrary, it seemed to be the last thing that was needed to make Louis snap.

"Enough, over my lap now."

-

First story! Feedback is very much appreciated