Kevin took a long swing of his water bottle, watching Nick through the reflections on the mirror. He frowned slightly, turning around. "You okay?"

Nick looked up and glanced over at the older man. He smiled tiredly, nodding as he did so. "Just tired."

Kevin raised one eyebrow. "You've been tired a lot lately."

Shrugging good naturally, Nick walked over to his own gym bag and got out his bottle of water. "That's nothing new."

"I'm dead on my feet too," Brian added as he sat down rather precariously on the floor, then let himself fall down on his back. "God, my feet hurt."

"My back hurts."

Kevin turned around to a complaining Howie and chuckled softly. "And here I thought I was getting old."

Howie glared at Kevin, then closed his eyes. "Even talking hurts."

"Bunch of wussies," Alex said as he looked at himself in the mirror. Hands on his shoulder, he went through the last piece of the routine one more time. "It's just dance practice."

"Fatima makes it look like boot camp," Howie said from the floor.

Nick chuckled slightly, placing the bottle on the floor and took in the deep breath. He could feel his neck burning and his head hurting a little more than two minutes ago, but he figured it was just tiredness. Exhaustion was creeping over him after three hours of practice.

"You sure you're okay?"

Nick's eyes moved to Kevin, then nodded. "Tired. That's all."

Kevin smiled somewhat reassured, but something in the back of his mind told him tiredness wasn't the issue. Nick's ears had a tinge of red in the tips, and he was sweating a lot more than usual after practice.

Taking another drink of his water, Kevin bit down the urge to go check on Nick. The boy was turning sixteen in a couple of months. He had to stop treating him like a baby.

*****

Kevin sang the words, easing out of the paragraph with familiarity, turning around to look at Nick as the blond started his part.

Nick started coughing, hand going over to his mouth, not even finishing the word.

Claudia seemed to lose what little patience she had at the moment, her head tilting to the side, waiting for Nick to be done.

Kevin frowned as he saw Nick's coughing fit and stood up in two seconds. He walked towards the blond, his hand on Nick's back.

It only took Nick a couple of seconds before he calmed down, his ears turning red in embarrassment, taking in a deep breath. "Sorry," Nick mumbled under his breath.

"You okay?"

Nick looked up at Kevin, shrugging awkwardly. "I'm fine."

Giving the young man a pointed look, Claudia raised on eyebrow in question.

Nick nodded, sitting up straight, his hands clutching the lyrics.

"Okay guys, from the top." Claudia turned to Kevin, dark eyes moving over to Kevin's seat on a silent order.

With a soft sigh, Kevin ran his fingers through Nick's hair one last time. He was about to turn around when he saw sweat on Nick's forehead, and Kevin's frown deepened. It was a very cold winter in the UK and even though there was a heating system, the temperature wasn't so high up. Kevin, dressed with a thick sweater and a long sleeve shirt underneath, didn't feel warm at all. Nick, with only a sweater and a winter breaker, had told Kevin he was hot back at the hotel. Still, snowflakes keep falling outside the windows.

Instinct had told him to accept Richard's offer and contact Lou about the group. Instinct made him call Brian. And it was instinct that made his hand moved to Nick's forehead, touching the warmth flesh. Kevin nearly gasped as he felt Nick's fevered forehead under his hand.

"Nick, you've got fever," Kevin said tersely, his hand moving to the blonde's neck and cheeks.

Nick shook his head. "I'm fine Kevin."

"No, you aren't." Kevin turned to Claudia. "Claud, I'm sorry, but Nick can't practice like this. He's sick."

"Kevin," Claudia said tiredly with a shake of her head, "we don't have time for this. You guys start tour in... what? A week? We gotta practice, we gotta--"

"Claudia he's sick! He can't possibly practice--"

"I can," Nick said, turning to Kevin with almost sleepy eyes, lethargy obvious in Nick's demeanor. "Lets just finish this Kevin, please. Okay? Then... then I'll go to a doctor if you really want, okay?"

Kevin bit down his lower lip. He wanted Nick to be checked by a doctor but at the same time knew they were in a tight schedule. Closing his eyes in anger, Kevin hated having to put business before health.

"Twenty more minutes Claud," he told the older woman severely. "We're leaving right after."

Claudia nodded, more than pleased with those twenty minutes. They only had thirty minutes left of practice anyhow. "Then lest begin already. From the top."

*****

"No, no Jane, don't worry. He's fine." Kevin let out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "It's just chickenpox. You know how it is."

Kevin could hear the guilt and pain in her voice and he hurried to reassure her. "There's not much you have done, you know that. I'm gonna stay with him."

Kevin nodded. "Yep. I must have been seven or eight. Brian didn't get it back then, Alex apparently didn't and as far as Howie remembers, neither did he."

Chuckling slightly, Kevin shrugged. He pushed the curtains opened just the slightly, looking outside. It was raining heavily and Kevin shuddered unconsciously. "It's not that bad. I can handle it. He should be better in a couple of weeks."

"Don't worry about it Jane, really. I talked with Lou and he knows he can't push it. The rest of the boys could get it and we'd have to be on quarantine and that doesn't cut it."

Kevin sighed softly, hating to lie to Jane. It had been awful having that conversation with Lou, but it was obvious Nick couldn't perform. Donna had understood and promised she'd talk with the executives and convince them it was for the group's safety.

"Oh, boy, that'd be awful." She sounded more than aggravated. "I still wish I could be there with Nicky."

"He's sleeping right now. I'll tell him you send kisses."

Jane chuckled. "That'll make him blush alright."

Kevin had to smile at the thought. Nick seemed to blush whenever Jane sent kisses or hugs. "I'm sure he will." He turned around, hearing stirring in the bed. "I better go. I wanna check out if his fever has gone down."

Jane nodded knowingly. "Tell him I love him, will you? And that I'll call tomorrow morning."

"Sure thing Jane. Take care."

Kevin smiled softly.

"I'll talk to you in a few. Bye."

Hanging up, Kevin turned around and made his way towards one of the twin beds in the room. He placed the phone back on the small table by the couch. Smiling at a sleepy Nick, Kevin sat by the blonde's side.

"Hey there."

Nick smiled tiredly, his eyes barely fluttering open. "Hey." He yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. "I'm so tired."

"I know," Kevin said lowly, not wanting Nick to wake up fully. "I thought you'd sleep all through the night."

Frowning slightly, Nick turned around and tried to look through the window, but the curtains were drawn. "What time is it?"

"A little after ten." Kevin said, his hand moving to Nick's forehead. He picked the damp washcloth in his hand, his palm against the moist flesh. "The fever has gone down a little."

He leaned over and got the small bowl with water and stood up, walking over to the bathroom. He got back moments later after changing the water.

"I called your mom a little while ago," Kevin said as he returned to the bed, reclaiming his seat by Nick's side.

Nick groaned and Kevin smiled softly. He could see the tips of Nick's ears pinking up. He was sure it wasn't the fever.

"What did she say?"

"She wishes she could be here with you," Kevin said absentmindedly as he damped the cloth once again and placed it over Nick's forehead.

"What is this for?" Nick said, eyes looking over his hairline and at the edge of the cloth.

"I have to keep your temperature down. It's not that high, but I don't want to take any chances."

Nick nodded slowly. He remembered his mom doing something like this when Leslie got a nasty case of the flue a couple of years ago.

"The guys left?"

Kevin smiled softly at the blond. He had told Nick the sum up of chickenpox a while ago, but the boy had been so tired that he was sure Nick didn't remember half of it.

"Yep. Brian it's going to stay in my room for a while." Kevin caressed Nick's forearm lovingly, green eyes gazing at the tired boy. "Are you hungry? I ordered something in case you woke up."

Shaking his head, Nick grimaced slightly. "I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure? You haven't had anything since lunch."

"No, thanks." Turning to his side, facing Kevin, Nick closed his eyes slowly. "I'm tired."

"I'm sure you are," Kevin whispered, his hand going to the boy's forehead to accommodate the washcloth so it wouldn't slide down. "Sleep. Don't worry about a thing."

"You'll stay?" Nick asked sleepily, eyes already closed and breathing evening into a pattern.

Kevin nodded, standing up from the bed to give Nick more room to accommodate him. He sat down on the other twin bed, leaning against the back of the same. "Yep. You just sleep."

And Nick nodded ever so slowly, eyes closed. Silence fell upon them and as seconds ticked by, Kevin could hear Nick falling asleep.

*****

"What are those?"

Kevin followed Nick's eye line onto the boy's chest, just below the crescent moon medallion, and sighed softly. "Pocks," Kevin said. They had been lucky. They had caught Nick's chickenpox just in time. It had been four days since practice and if they hadn't, it was highly probably that the rest of the boys could have gotten it.

Nick grimaced as he looked at it. "I don't like them."

Kevin chuckled softly, moving the soap over the tender skin.

"Turn around."

Nick did as told and Kevin could see more tiny red patches, barely the size of a pinhead, on Nick's back. He washed the flesh carefully, not wanting to irritate the skin.

Experience told Kevin that it'd take only a few hours before blisters fill with clear liquid. Then, it'd start to itch. Kevin sighed softly.

However, the corners of Kevin's lips twitched upwards in a soft smile as he thought about Nick's comfortableness with him. At fifteen, Kevin had been sure Nick wouldn't like Kevin to help with him his shower. Kevin had been ready to argue with Nick if it was needed; the blond was too weak to take a bath on his own and the fever hadn't gone down entirely. But luck had dealt her cards and Nick hadn't said anything against it.

"They'll itch, won't they?"

Kevin looked up from the spots and onto Nick's blue eyes, who was gazing at Kevin over his shoulder.

"Yep," Kevin said nodding. "They'll itch like hell."

"And I can't scratch."

"That's pretty much it."

Nick sighed. He hated not being able to see the guys. "How long will I have to be stuck here?"

"Am I that boring?"

Nick shook his head hastily. "You know it's not that."

Kevin chuckled softly at Nick's concern over what Kevin believed Nick thought about him. It was sweet. And Kevin liked the feeling of it. "It's okay. I'm just teasing," Kevin said with a small smile. "You should get better in about... three weeks."

"That long?" Nick said with a groan.

"It's either that or the boys will get it."

"How come you won't?"

Kevin dipped the sponge under the water, filling it with soap afterwards. "I got chickenpox when I was seven, so I'm immune."

"You sure you can't get it?"

His hand moved to Nick's hipbone, almost caressing the flesh with the soap. "I'm sure. There are a few cases when you get it twice, but I'll take my chances."

Tenderness sprawled all over his body and Nick felt touched by Kevin's love for him, not caring if he got sick, putting himself on the line for Nick. "Really?"

"Of course, or do you actually think I'd leave you alone?"

Gnawing his lip, Nick shook his head, droplets of water leaving his hair and falling onto Kevin's shirt. He looked at Kevin over his shoulder. "Nope. You can't. You love me."

Kevin chocked back a chuckle, patting Nick's nose with his soap-covered finger and leaving a trail of lather on the tip. "Of course I love you. Now turn around, I gotta finish bathing you."

With a nod, Nick complied.

*****

Nick grimaced, biting down his lower lip. "It itches."

Kevin sighed softly, rubbing the spots on Nick's arm with his palm, not stopping the itching entirely, but easing it somewhat. The rash, as expected, had spread to the face, scalp, hands and even feet. Nick was in constant discomfort, everything itching. The fluid had already turned yellow and the crust was starting to form on the rash.

And it was irritating Nick like hell.

"Kevin," Nick groaned, moving in his head, his face contorted in pain, "Kevin, it itches."

"I know, Nicky, I know." Kevin let out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair. He held Nick's hands in his, examining the fingernails. He had cut them short and scrubbed them with soap, water and alcohol as the doctor had told him too. It was mostly a precaution, and it helped nothing with the prickling.

Green eyes moved towards his small bag on the other bed, the calamine lotion inside. He had already applied it to the delicate skin, and he didn't want to do it once again so soon after.

"Kevin!"

Kevin groaned inwardly. He knew the irritation could last a good twenty days and he wondered how in the world he was going to make it through.

"Look," Kevin said, turning around and staring right into jumpy blue eyes. His hand moved to the blonde's chin, holding it in place as he locked eyes with Nick. "Lets make a deal. Every time you itch, you scratch me."

Nick frowned, tilting his head as he grimaced again, biting back the urge to scratch his face. "How is that supposed to help?"

Thinking about his answer for a moment, Kevin tried to remember what his mother had told him when she had suggested the same thing.

Kevin sighed softly, fingers going from Nick's chin towards the blond locks that seemed to call out to his fingers, to murmur in the darkness and demand attention, to beg to be touch and run through.

"Well," Kevin said slowly, his tone lowering, "I'll lend you my non-itching skin for a little while. Every time you itch, you scratch me. Exactly where you're itching Nick. In that exact same spot. Just..." Kevin's voice trailed off in the silence of the room, blue eyes captivating him, "pretend I'm you."

Nick frowned for a second, going through the words Kevin had just spoken, then nodded. "Okay." Nick grimaced suddenly, his face contorting in discomfort once again.

"It itches?"

Nick nodded, his eyes closed, his teeth hard on his lip.

"Okay then," Kevin said, turning slightly around as for Nick to have perfect reach of Kevin's torso. "Scratch away. Don't worry about me. Just scratch."

The younger boy didn't seem too convinced, but then the itching began once again and he figured there was nothing to lose. His hand moved to the base of Kevin's neck, scratching with all his might. After a second, he reduced the pressure, worried he might hurt Kevin, or leave a mark.

Kevin chuckled slightly, though pleased at the lessening of the nails on his skin. "Just scratch Nick. Don't worry about me. That's where it itches?"

Nick nodded, his eyes focused on the spot, his lips pressed tightly together but in concentration this time, the tip of his pink tongue cowering in between his lips. A moment later, Nick sighed softly in relief. Surprised out of his mind, Nick had to assent that it did work, at least to some extend.

Kevin tilted his head to the side to give Nick better access to his neck, biting the inside of his cheek as his own skin was starting to complain against the ministrations. He felt Nick's rhythm pausing, easing somewhat, and he sighed softly himself. "Better?"

With a slight nod, Nick paused all together a moment after. Blue eyes moved to the mirror spot of Nick's itching in Kevin's body. The flesh was bright red after the hard and rather thorough scratching.

Nick chuckled nervously. "Sorry."

Judging by the slight widening of Nick's eyes as they had fallen on Kevin's skin, the way his face had morphed into concern and embarrassment, Kevin was sure it wasn't pretty. He turned around, almost cracking his neck as he tried to see what had been done to his skin. But the spot was a tricky one, and all he could see of the base of his neck, where it met the shoulder, was a big red spot.

Nick grimaced once again. "Does it hurt?"

Kevin seemed to think about it for a second, his fingers hovering over the irritated flesh before touching it. He bit down his lower lip. Hurting wasn't the word. "No, not really. I'm fine." Kevin turned around and smiled at the blond, biting down the comment of sore. He would die before accepting that.

Smiling lovingly at the blond, Kevin shrugged naturally. "I told you not to worry about me, okay? Just scratch when it itches."

Reassure and more than relieved, Nick nodded. "Turn around," Nick said, closing his eyes forcefully before opening them just as he twitched left and right, apparently, the itching moving to his back.

Kevin chuckled softly, but did as asked and felt Nick's short fingernails against the middle of his back, scratching with all his might. Kevin laughed, making up from the groan of the sting felt, hot and deep, in his spine.

Nick's hand moved to Kevin's right arm, and this time Kevin gasped a little.

Nick's hand stilled in mid air. "Did I hurt you?"

Kevin paused for a moment before shaking his head. "No, nothing. Just... surprised me. Go on."

Nodding at the permission granted, Nick scratched, this time softer, and let out a long sigh of relief as the irritation seemed to lessen in his own skin.

Another spot seemed to come to life and start itching as both hands moved to Kevin's cheeks, then down his jaw. One hand moved to the chest, down his pectorals and just above the concave division of his chest and his torso. Slowly, fingers moved downwards and onto the hard muscles that defined Kevin's abs. His other hand met him there, scratching the tanned physique, moving to the sides and almost circling Kevin.

The older man chuckled as Nick's concentration peeked, blue eyes squinting just the slightest, lips pressed together.

"How long is it going to itch?" Nick asked in a hurry, one hand moving to Kevin's leg as the other one pushed further onto Kevin's back, almost reaching the other side. Nick's hand stilled by Kevin's back, then moved over to Kevin's own right hand, and scratched the sensitive on his wrist and Nick could almost feel Kevin's pulse under his fingers, touching the leather ligaments.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Kevin shifted to make himself more comfortable, scooting closer to the blond to give him better access to the non-itching flesh.

"Until the crust begins to peel off."

"And that's--?" Nick gasped, a sharp poke felt almost physically at his lower back. His left hand moved to the mirror spot on Kevin's body as he tilted his head, his other hand going upwards to Kevin's neck once again.

"Around three weeks."

"Oh, god," Nick groaned, eyes finding Kevin's green ones, and a smile as well. "It's going to be forever."

Kevin chuckled, then gasped, a sharp poke against his ribs and then a rather deep scratch on his neck that was sure going to leave mark. Forever indeed.

*****

"I hate this."

Kevin chuckled softly. "You can't force them."

Nick looked down at an almost falling crust on his arm. "But it's almost off."

"Almost doesn't count."

"Turn around."

Kevin did as told, and Nick scratched his side and a little of his back. "Thanks," Kevin said with a smile, already used to Nick's fingernails. No matter how short they were, Nick could scratch like a cat.

Or a jaguar.

Or a wolf.

Any wild animal actually. A Feline of any kind.

Yep. Kevin was already used to it. And so was his skin. Most of it was either red or blue or marked. It was like he was owned.

"Arg," Nick groaned, tilting his head and blowing at the crust.

"Nick," Kevin warned.

The blond groaned once again, closing his eyes and hanging his head back. When he opened them once again, he leaned over and blew away at the crust.

"It won't make it fall off."

"It's for my mental health, thank you very much."

Kevin chuckled, shaking his head and standing up towards the table.

Inconspicuously, Nick's fingers moved over the crust, almost touching the small skin that was starting to peel off.

"Leave it alone Nick."

The blond groaned and for a moment there, and not the first time since this whole thing had started, he wondered if Kevin didn't have eyes in the back of his head.

"I just know you," Kevin said with a small smile, looking at Nick over his shoulder.

Nick frowned. Apparently, not only eyes on the back of the head, but Kevin could also read minds.

With a bowl of hot soup, vapor emanating from it, Kevin walked back towards the bed and sat by Nick's side.

"Soup again?"

Kevin nodded with a small smile, already used to the complains, and immune to them. "Yep. If you really want to get better, then you have to eat healthy."

"But soup?"

Picking up the spoon, Kevin handed it to Nick with a pointed look. "Eat."

The blond only rolled his eyes. "Always soup. Why not stake?"

Kevin shook his head. "You had stew yesterday--"

"With lots of vegetables."

But Kevin continued without missing a beat. "-- and chicken the day before. Today it's soup."

With a small nod, Nick started eating his soup. It really wasn't that bad, he was even starting to get used to it, but that didn't mean he had to go down without a fight.

And Kevin knew Nick, concerning the food and Kevin's cooking, was all about bark but no bite.

*****

Nick turned to his right, his left arm reaching for Kevin's right side. Kevin leaned towards his left a little, giving Nick better access.

When the hand found the exact spot, Nick let out a long sigh of content.

"Thanks."

Kevin only smiled. "Sure kiddo."

Head on the pillow, blue eyes gazed over at green ones that were beginning to close in sleepiness. When the itching had began, they had taken to share the bed. It was a lot better than Nick standing up in the middle of the night just to scratch Kevin's nose.

"Kevin?"

The older man peered his eyes open just the slightest, enough as to gaze into Nick's blue eyes and a soft smile formed in his lips. "Yes?"

Nick seemed at a lost of words, biting down his lower lip slowly, going through the words in his mind. "I just... I know I wasn't..." He shrugged. "Well... I just wanted to say thanks."

Raising one eyebrow, Kevin titled his head to the side. "Why?"

"For all this. For staying with me. For putting up with me." Nick chuckled softly and shook his head. "For letting me scratch you."

Lips curved upwards in a small smile, and Kevin leaned over, placing a kiss on Nick's head. "It's okay," he murmured in the cloak of darkness in the small hotel room. "I liked it."

The blond nodded, scooting to his side and placing his head on Kevin's shoulder. He sighed softly, happily, blissful. "I liked it too. I liked spending this time with you."

Kevin smiled against Nick's hair, his cheek touching the blond locks. "I hope I wasn't too boring."

Chuckling, Nick shook his head. "Nope. You were... perfect."

Kevin heard Nick's small sigh, the sound making him smile. "You were too," Kevin whispered into the darkness, and Nick's breathing heralded sleep had been achieved.