The sound of your apartment door closing behind you is soft, but it’s still enough to stir the lump of blankets curled up on your couch.

Keeho peeks out from the burrito of fluff he’s built for himself, eyes bleary, nose slightly red, his voice raspy as he greets you.

“You’re home,” he croaks, and even now, there’s a small smile tugging at his lips. “I missed you like crazy, even if I’ve just been lying here like a wet rag.”

You step over a couple of crumpled tissue balls and place the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter. There’s honey, ginger, oranges, the holy trinity of your “feel better or else” remedy. You make your way over to him, sitting on the edge of the couch as he looks up at you with half-lidded eyes.

“I’m fine, really,” he says, muffled by the blanket. “Just… maybe… don’t let me move for like 12 hours.”

You press the back of your hand to his forehead.

Warm.

Too warm.

He leans into your touch like a reflex. He’s needy when he’s sick, he won’t admit it, but the way his fingers subtly catch your sleeve gives him away.

You brush a strand of hair from his forehead, and he exhales, eyes fluttering shut. “You always know what to do,” he mumbles, voice so soft it’s barely there. “Like some kind of magic or something.”

You bring him tea, his favorite, just the right amount of honey, and he holds the mug in both hands like it’s the most precious thing in the world. You catch him glancing at you over the rim, studying you like you’re the only thing keeping him grounded.

And even through the fog of illness, he finds a way to smile.

“I don’t like being this quiet,” he says suddenly. “Feels wrong not making noise, not talking your ear off. But being here with you… even silence feels good.”

You curl up next to him, tucking his blanket more securely around his shoulders.

He murmurs, half-asleep now, “When I feel like this, I always wonder how I got lucky enough to end up with someone like you.”

He doesn’t need a reply. You just stay there with him, his breathing slowing, his fingers brushing yours, your apartment warm and quiet.