Care

(Justin's POV)

Whenever the two of you are separated, you rely on your mutual friends to keep you updated on him and the latest update is that he is not doing so well. The press photos show a shyly smiling man who is perhaps just a little tired. But you can see things in him that no one else can. You bide your time and keep watch.

It's a rare moment indeed when the both of you are in the same city, hell even the same country. A quick call and the two of you find yourself a few feet from each other and in the privacy of a hotel room.

"Missed you," you breathe into the soft, warm skin of his neck and you hear a similar whisper in your ear.

Pulling away, you give him a look-over, noting that, yes, he was way too skinny and trying to disguise it with loose and baggy clothes. The lines of weariness are etched in the corners of his mouth and his eyes.

He knows what you're going to say before you have to.

"Don't start. Come on. I do take care of myself."

You know your eyes show your worry and so you just keep your mouth shut. You just look into his eyes and run your hands through his curls and then start pulling his clothes from his body.

He lets you, looking at you with anticipation, licking his pink lips which have a smile playing on them. You just smirk and push him towards the bathroom.

"Go. Take a bath," you say, pushing him in and closing the door behind him and his protests. The moment you hear the protests die, you know he had seen the bathtub. You then move to the bed and pick up the room service menu from the side-table. Tonight, you are going to take care of your boy and make sure that when he leaves you, its with some extra pounds and a lighter heart.

Room service arrives 20 minutes after you finish placing your order. You tip the waiter and pull in the trolley the rest of the way. Your skim the loaded trays, then finally pick up a plate of penne pasta loaded with vegetables, a can of soda and a fork and head towards the silent bathroom. As expected, you see him in the bath, his head against the porcelain edge and his bent knee peeping out from the sea of bubbles. A wet curl, adorably sticks to his cheek.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist it," you say as you take a seat on the floor near his head.

He just smiles, his eyes still closed. His nose twitch when the aroma of the warm food reaches him and only then do his eyes open.

You load the fork with pasta and vegetable and bring it to his mouth.
"Eat."

He obediently opens for the mouthful and begins to chew. He tries to make you direct the next forkful to your own mouth but you tell him you ate before he arrived. After that, his eyes never leave yours between mouthfuls of food and intermittent sips of soda, until the plate is empty.

You place the plate beside you and get up to get a terry cloth robe for him.
"Come on. You're turning into a prune."

He stands up in the tub, water dripping off his body and running down in enticing rivulets. You admire the view for a while until he shivers. He then allows you to towel him down and slip the robe onto his body. As he ties the ties himself, you pick up the plate and empty soda can back into the room.

You place the plate and the can on the service tray and pick up a smaller plate and a smaller fork. You turn to see him sit on the bed and look at you expectantly.

"Move up," you order and walk towards him.

When he has settled against the headboard, you move to straddle his thighs without sitting on him. You make him hold the plate as you fluff the pillow and make sure they are comfortable for him to lie on. You take back the plate and push him against the pillow.

"What kind is it?" he asks, eying the piece of cake.

"Oreos Cheesecake."

"You really plan to fatten me up, huh?"

"Shut up and eat."

"If I shut up...,"

You push a small piece of cake into his mouth before he said anything. He just giggles and chews. Again, you fall into the pattern of feeding him and watching him. You make him finish the big slice of cake by himself and refuse even a small bite.

By the time he is done, you can see sleep pulling at the corner of his eyes. You get off him and put the plate on the side-table. You pull the top sheet free and cover him up to his waist. You then bring the plate to the tray and push the trolley out of room. Closing room door, you head to your duffel bag and pull out your pajama pants. As you strip, you can feel his sleepy eyes on you. Dressed for bed, you climb onto the bed and lie down beside him. He immediately wraps himself around you, his leg securing itself around your hip and his head snuggling into the crook between your shoulder and neck.

"Sleep," you whisper, kissing him on his temple.

He smiles and hums before he closes his eyes and takes a deep whiff of your neck. You bring one arm around his shoulders and the other around his lower back, and lock him place. You too take a deep whiff of his hair before you close your eyes and drift after him into slumber.

~end~