Kevin looked at his alarm clock and turned it off before it had even started to beep. 

6.30- he didn’t need to be at work for a few hours yet. 

He turned back towards the finally sleeping figure beside him; Jason had tossed and turned all night, finally drifting off to sleep somewhere between three and four in the morning.

He slowly and quietly got out of bed so as not to disturb him. 

Jason’s sleep had been fractured since falling ill; he seemed unable to get comfortable and when he did finally fall asleep it was never for more than a few hours.  He had even offered to go sleep on the couch when he realized that he was also keeping Kevin awake- a suggestion that was promptly shot down. 

Once up, Kevin crossed the room, entered the bathroom and turned the shower on.  He was glad to be getting out of the apartment but was not looking forward to the mountain of paperwork he knew would be waiting for him back at his office; he also wasn’t to keen on leaving Jason alone, especially as he didn’t seem to be getting any better. 

Then again, perhaps spending the day on his own, asleep, might make him feel a bit better.

Jason had a slight frown on his face, Kevin noticed, when he went to retrieve his suit out of his cupboard.  Perhaps he had subconsciously noticed Kevin had got up. 

Or perhaps he was dreaming about that huge killer bunny again. 

Kevin got changed in the front room and made himself a cup of coffee, he was still early for work so instead of making toast he to go to the café near the office and grab a bacon sandwich- though anything that wasn’t vegetable soup would do just fine.

“Hey.”

Kevin spun around; he hadn’t heard Jason get up. 

“Hey,” he walked over to Jason, kissed him good morning and wrapped his arms around him.  Jason always looked adorable first thing on a morning, his hair was fluffy and sticking up, and it usually took him a good twenty minutes and a cup of coffee before he was anywhere near functional.

However, this illness was having a diminishing effect on his appearance: he had large black bags under his eyes, and his skin was a dull, sallow color.  Normally he would stand up straight and proud, now he was slouched, defeated, the constant ache too tiring to fight.

“How are you feeling?”

“Groggy.”

Jason sighed and rested his head against Kevin’s, Kevin ran his hands up and down his back, trying to gently rub away some of the pain.

“You should go back to sleep.  You know where the pain killers are, don’t you?” He felt Jason nod in response. 

“Let’s get you back to bed before I go.”

He let Kevin lead him back to bed and wrap him up in the quilt. 

“I’ll try not to be too late; do you want me to bring you anything back?”

Jason shook his head,  “Ok, I’ll see you later.”

He gave a Jason a kiss on the cheek and left.

***

Kevin rang him from his office every hour and a half or so; checking he was okay, that he was drinking plenty of fluids and had taken the painkillers on time. 

The fourth phone call came with an addition. 

“Hey, Jason, How’re you feeling?”

“Pretty much the same as last time you called.”

“Have you taken any more pain killers?

“Yes.”

“Are drinking plenty of fluids?”

“Yes.”

“Are you-“

“Yes Kevin,” Kevin could almost see him rolling his eyes.

“You didn’t let me finish.”

“You were going to ask, “Are you trying to get some more sleep?”  The answer to which is yes.”

“Am I annoying you?”

Jason’s voice softened, “No.  You have no idea how much I appreciate you checking up on me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Were you just checking up on me, or was there something else?”

 “Actually there was something else,” Jason heard him sigh down the phone. 

“I’m sorry but I’m going to have to work late.  One of the partners has gotten sick and so we’ve got to pick up some of her work.  I have to go into a meeting at six and I can’t see it ending any earlier than eight.”

“That’s okay, I understand.  Robert said he would come by later; he’s going to drop some more clothes and stuff off for me.”

“Great.”

He heard Kevin cheer up noticeably at the idea that at least he wouldn’t be spending all day on his own.

“I’m going to have to go.  I’ll see you when I get home tonight.”

“Ok, see you later.”

At three-thirty there was a knock at the apartment door.  He glanced at the clock-Robert had said he wouldn’t get there until after five, which meant he’d be there some time around six.

He got up from the sofa, almost knocking over the pile of discarded books and magazines he hadn’t been able to concentrate on.  He turned the TV off as he passed, being that he hadn’t really been paying attention anyway. 

He opened the door and for the second time in a week Jason came face-to-face with his boyfriend’s mother and younger sister. 

“Nora, Rebecca.  What are you doing here?”

“Robert happened to mention you like carrot and coriander soup so I brought some ingredients.”

“Really?” Jason glanced at Rebecca, her smirk-like grin confirming his suspicions:  Robert hadn’t divulged that information freely. 

He moved aside as Nora and Rebecca entered the apartment, “Nora, you really don’t have to do this.”

“But I want to.  You go relax and watch some TV with Rebecca; you look as if you haven’t slept in a week.”

Perhaps Kevin hadn’t been joking when he told him he looked like a panda on a diet. 

“Thanks Nora,” Jason returned to the front room and huddled up under his cover. 

Two hours and a bowl of soup later he was still there. 

Nora had gone shopping, appalled at the lack of food in the kitchen - “Ice-cream is not proper food, Jason”- and was busy restocking the cupboards.  He now heard the sounds of chopping- surely she wasn’t making MORE soup!

Rebecca was on the chair opposite the TV curled up like a cat, watching some soap and repeatedly glancing across at Jason as if she was afraid he might try to jump out of the window or something.

“Are you sure you don’t want to watch something else?”

How many times had he sat through this conversation now? Four? Five? “Rebecca, I promise I don’t mind what you watch, there’s nothing on that I want to watch so just watch your show.”

Rebecca’s “Are you sure?” was interrupted by somebody knocking at the door.  She jumped up to answer it before Jason had a chance to move. 

He suspected that Nora had instructed her to make sure he rested.  Every time he had attempted to get up for a drink or to go pick up another unreadable book she insisted that she get it for him.

He noticed Rebecca’s posture stiffen as soon as she opened the door. 

“Hi Kitty, Robert,” her voice was hesitant and quiet and sweeter than sugar. 

He heard Kitty respond, immediately on the defensive, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here with your mom.  She’s doing her thing and wanted me to come and keep Jason company.  Is that okay?” she sounded hesitant and defensive at the same time.

“Fine.  Robert and I just came to see Jason because we want to know how he’s doing.”

Jason closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  He really did not want to have to listen to one of the Walker family arguments; he had yet to witness a major one first hand but Kevin and Robert had told him enough about them.

He was thrilled when Robert immediately came to his rescue. 

“Why don’t you two go talk to Nora in the kitchen so I can talk to Jason for a minute?” he said gesturing towards the kitchen with a duffle that had been slung over his shoulder.

They had barely spoken since Jason had told him that he was going out with Kevin, he and his brother.  Jason was fairly certain the last full conversation they’d had was along the lines of, “Jason you do know he’s a moron?” and “You just don’t like the fact that he’s the only non-McCallister who will tell you when you’re being a prick.”

Jason shuffled himself into a sitting position to better inspect the bag Robert had brought with him.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’ve had better days.  When did you tell Nora I like carrot and coriander soup?”

“This morning; she asked when Kitty went to pick some stuff up from the house.  Is that what she’s doing here?”

“Yeah.  Doesn’t waste much time does she?”

Robert laughed.

“So what did you bring?”

He handed Jason the bag, “Some t-shirts, pants, that stupid t-shirt you wear for bed – “

“We’ve been through this: Monty Python isn’t stupid.  Life of Brian is – “

“A classic, yes I know.  I also brought you some books, DVD’s and,” Jason watched as Robert reached into the bottom of the bag, “I also found this in your cupboard.”

He finished speaking and waved an old tatty blue rabbit around with a triumphant grin on his face.  Jason looked over to the kitchen and then dropped his voice to a barley audible whisper.

“I can’t believe you brought that,” he hissed, checking again that nobody could see Robert waving the rabbit in front of his face.

“I can’t believe you still have Lollypop.”

“Popsicle,” Jason growled while snatching the rabbit out of Robert's hands. 

Clutching it to his chest he looked just like a kid again and it took all of Robert’s self-restraint to not laugh.  His self-restraint didn’t extend to his grin, however, which was quickly spreading across his face.

“You better not tell anybody about this.”

“Afraid it might effect your reputation?  Well-respected Methodist minister still has Teddy Bear.”

“I mean it, I’ll…”

“What? You’ll set your teddy bear onto me?”

Jason glared,  “No.”

Then he gave his brother a wide grin- Robert recognized the look of triumph on his brother’s face. 

“No I won’t set my rabbit onto you.  But I will tell Kevin that you take a pair of Kitty’s pajamas with you when you’re away from home.  I’m sure the Walkers would love to hear that, you know how quickly news travels between them.”

Robert blanched, “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

Robert knew when he was beaten and raised his hands in surrender. 

“I’ll put this stuff on the bed.  Where do you want Popsicle?  Shall I put him back in the bag or do you want him out here?”

Jason glanced first at Robert then back at the rabbit.  Finally he sighed and handed him to Robert.

“Put him in the bag.”

“You going to tell Kevin about him?”

“He already knows- he found him the last time he stopped at my apartment, looking for a spare shirt.”

Jason took great delight in the embarrassed look that flittered across Robert’s face.  They never had been, and never would be, as open as the Walkers were.  As far as the McCallister brothers were concerned there were some things they would rather not know about.

He could hear raised voices coming from the kitchen: it sounded like Kitty and Rebecca were arguing again.  He sighed and turned the TV back on, glancing over his shoulder as Robert went into the kitchen to try and restore some order.

Whatever he said must have worked because Kitty and Rebecca managed not to snap at each other for the rest of the night; Jason thought he did see a couple of dark glances exchanged between the pair but at least they were holding their tongues. 

They all looked up at another knock on the door, Robert pushed himself up off the arm of the chair he was sitting on and answered it.

Chapter 4 here