(A little cute)

He'd honestly never expected to hear those words from anyone again. After his previous relationships had ended one after the other, he hadn't been looking for someone to say such a thing to him.

"I love you..." He repeated slowly, tasting the words on his tongue as he stared down at Roh-Ahn in wonder as he settled into his arms.

A smile curved his lips at the idea of actually being able to call Roh-Ahn his boyfriend. It was a crazy idea, considering that he was only there for the exchange program, and the semester was already half over, but Austin couldn't think about anything else besides eagerly accepting his words.

He was just opening his mouth to reaffirm what he'd just said when a hard sneeze made him jerk his head to the side and cover his mouth with his arm.

Before he could even straighten back up, sniffling, Roh-Ahn was grasping the sides of his face with wide, worried eyes.

"I told you to dry off earlier." He said with a frown before hurrying to his feet and partially hopping to his room.

Austin shook his head, feeling a slight ache behind his eyes as he slowly got himself up off the floor. By the time he headed out of the kitchen to find Roh-Ahn, the young man was back with a bottle in his hand and his cane in the other.

"Here. Take one with some water and a few bites of food." He said as he shoved the bottle into his hand.

Austin eyed it, noting that it was something to help with general illness.

"I swear I'll be fine, Roh. I just sneezed." He said, sniffling again as he offered the bottle back.

He had a slight headache building and felt another sneeze itching at his nose, but it was nothing that sleep couldn't get rid of.

"I'll just go to bed and be good as new tomorrow." He said with a tired smile that Roh-Ahn didn't mirror.

Instead, he pushed the bottle back into his hand.

"Please? If you get sick, I'll have to stay far away from you, and I don't want to do that." He said quietly, looking down at their joined hands, the bottle pressed between them.

Realizing that him getting sick would hurt Roh-Ahn's already compromised system, Austin quickly took the bottle and shook out a pill, then walked over to the sink and got a glass of water to wash it down with.

He took it with a slight grimace, not being one who liked taking any kind of medicine. But if it will keep him safe... A small container was nudged against his free hand after he set the empty glass down, drawing Austin's eyes downward as he grasped it, setting the bottle of pills aside.

"I sneaked this into my cart the last time we went shopping. You were so distracted by the fried chicken in the cart of the lady in front of us that you didn't notice." Roh-Ahn said with a smile that turned his cheeks slightly red.

Opening the lid on the small plastic container, Austin couldn't help but grin after coughing a few more times into his arm.

"Oh?" He whispered as he saw the banana chips stacked in neat lines inside.

He often snacked on them while grading to keep himself from eating something bad, but had forgotten to get them during their last trip to the store.

"Thanks a lot." He said, as he started to lean over and give Roh-Ahn a kiss, but caught himself just in time.

The look on Roh-Ahn's face when he took a step away made Austin wish that he wasn't feeling worse by the second. He'd pull the guy into the tightest hug possible.

"I can't get you sick." He said, the tone of his voice proving just how upset he was.

It felt like he was stuck standing there with nothing important to do without the ability to touch Roh-Ahn. I don't know how I got this bad. He told himself as he looked down at the container of chips and began lifting them to his mouth, one at a time.

"It's already pretty late, so I'm going to get myself ready for bed." Roh-Ahn said as he turned, leaving the kitchen with a slight limp.

Automatically, Austin began following, but when Roh-Ahn shut the door to his room, Austin's feet came to a stop near the coffee table, confusion clouding his thoughts for a moment before he realized that they wouldn't be sleeping in the same room that night.

He was about to make himself go to his own room and start getting ready for bed when he noticed the shadow just beneath Roh-Ahn's door. He's leaning against it? Walking forward, Austin pursed his lips, clasping his hands behind his back to be sure that he didn't try to touch the handle.

"Good night, Roh. I love you." He eventually whispered as he leaned forward, pressing his lips to the worn wood before turning and heading toward his own room.

It took him very little time to change, get his teeth brushed, and hop into bed. Far less time than it normally did when Roh-Ahn shared his room. He did know that he had to sleep, though. It was already close to midnight.

Sighing into his pillow, Austin forced his eyes to close. Stop this cold before it starts. He told himself as he yawned. To his surprise, he did start to feel sleepy after a few moments, and even though he was restless and ended up hugging his spare pillow that Roh-Ahn always used, he managed to fall asleep after a little while.

"Uncle, he's sick but I want to be with him anyway." Roh-Ahn whined into the phone, feeling like a stupid teenager who didn't get what they wanted.

I want Austin. He grumbled in his head as he rolled over onto his belly on his bed.

"You need to be careful. You could end up in the hospital if you get a simple cold. Stay away from him, Roh-Ahn. If you need to, get a hotel for the time that he is sick, I will help pay for it." His uncle said.

He couldn't even think about doing such a thing. Leaving his new boyfriend alone right after they'd finally said the words to each other.

I love you. I love you. I love you. He repeated in his mind with a huge smile on his face as he rolled back over and stared up at the ceiling fan spinning slowly above him.

"I can tell that you're not listening, so please just be careful, alright? Call me if you start feeling unwell, I'll get to you no matter what." Wan-Nu said before disconnecting the call.

He knew that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep, even though the medication he had taken earlier was making him drowsy.

I'll just make sure that he has enough to eat tomorrow and call in a message in case he can't get to his classes. He decided, dialing the school and leaving a message, then sitting up and tossing his phone aside on his bed.

Pulling on the leg brace he'd taken off a bit ago, Roh-Ahn carefully got himself up. Not good. My leg isn't working quite right. He thought as he carefully limped over to his wheelchair. He was starting to hurt a bit, but thankfully the limb was just mostly numb for the time being.

"I can just make something simple that he can heat up." He told himself as he sat down, then headed to the kitchen.

To be extra careful, he grabbed a pair of sterile gloves he kept in the far drawer.

"There. Now I don't have to worry." He said with a smile as he carefully got himself up, using the counter to hold some of his weight as he moved about the small area.

"I'll just make some chicken... and maybe beef." He whispered, being quiet as he went through the fridge and got out different ingredients.

By the time he finally sat down on the stool he used while cooking, all of the burners were in use and the oven was baking a large dish.

It began smelling really good after a few minutes, making Roh-Ahn lick his lips before yawning.

Just stay awake a little longer.

The next thing he knew he was opening his eyes on another yawn. His face was pressed against something soft... and moving.

Austin?

"It's alright. I'm going to wash this blanket as soon as I get you in bed, Roh." He said quietly, making Roh-Ahn's heavy eyelids open just enough to see his blurry face.

Ah. He's wearing one of my surgical masks for when I'm not feeling well and have to be careful around sick people.

His hair looked like a total mess, too.

So cute.

"Don't give me that look, Roh, or I'll want to take you back to my room, and I can't do that." He said as he laid him down gently, then stood back up.

Roh-Ahn couldn't see his mouth beneath the light blue mask, but the look in his eyes warmed his heart.

"I'll finish taking care of all the food." He said, showing his hands, and that he had gloves on.

When Roh-Ahn just nodded and slowly sat up to start taking his brace off again, Austin put his hands behind his back to keep from helping.

"Get some rest, Roh, and thank you for making so many dishes. I'll eat some, but I better see you eating your fill, too." Austin teased before walking to the door and nudging it closed with his foot.

When he didn't hear Austin's footsteps right away, Roh-Ahn grinned and, after setting his brace aside and tossing his disposable gloves into the little trashcan he kept near his bed, he called out toward the door.

"Sleep well, love!"

A few moments of silence filled the air before he heard Austin's hesitant footsteps slowly walk away.

Get well soon, please. I want to be back in your arms.