Guardian Angel (original fiction, M/M)

[Juto]

To the sounds of my family's content snoring, I hereby present to you...

Part 7 - ... NOT!!

This is a sequel to "Motherly affection...". I hope you enjoy. Please drop me a line if you like it (and if you didn't, feel free to let me know). 

The angel was on his knees beside the bed, his chin rested on his hand on the matress, his face close enough to his ward's that he could feel the boy's warm breath on his skin. 

His hand was gently caressing the air an inch from his ward's face, trying in vain to wipe the tears away from his cheeks.

Zach was curled up in bed, facing the open door, waiting for his mother to come and nurse him. Tears had trickled slowly down his cheeks for the past couple of minutes. He was clearly in pain, but if it was physical or emotional, Elias could not tell. 

The angel turned his head and glared at the door. There was no sign of the mother, no rustling of tea-making coming form the kitchen and no sound of soft footsteps on the stairs. She was not coming. He turned his gaze back to his ward as he heard his breath hitch. 

He barely had time to stuff a couple of fresh tissues into his ward's waiting hand before Zach released a sore-sounding and exhausted triple. 

"Hn'NGKTCH! Hh'GKT! Hh... Ha'HNGCH!"

Zach stared quizzically at the tissues in his hand for a second, but sighed and closed his eyes, clutching the tissues tight. Elias moved his face closer to Zach's, his forehead almost, ALMOST touching his ward's.

My poor, poor Zachariah. You deserve so much more than this. I am here for you. I will ALWAYS be here for you.

With determination plain in his face, fuelled by his ward's cloudy, rainy, puppy dog eyes, the angel stood and swept silently out the open door and down the stairs in search of Zach's mother. He found her all right. On the sofa, fast asleep. Her one hand dangling off the side of the sofa holding an unlit cigarette, the other hand on her chest, clutching a... What was that? Packet of something. Elias reached out and carefully took the packet from her loosened grasp. 

P-a-r-a-c-e-t-a-m-o-l-s. Paracetamols. Huh I wonder what...? He quickly scanned the inscription on the packet, sighing in relief. He had found a cure for his ward's fever. Huh, if only these had been available in the 1940's. He made a mental note to always, ALWAYS keep these in stock. Just like tissues. 

His face turned serious again as he heard a few desperate and muffled sneezes coming from Zach's room. He glanced back at the sleeping mother. Zach had wanted her comfort, NEEDED her comfort. He would get it...

... But not before he had taught his ward's undeserving mother a lesson. He blew dramatically on his finger, igniting the soft glow. He looked the sleeping addict over, a wicked gleam in his eyes. What should he do? Make her gain 40 pounds? Turn her hair blue? Make her grow a beard?

"Hn'HNGXT! Hh... Hh'KXT'ch"

 The sound of Zach's sneezes brough the angel out of his malicious train of thought. 

He sighed in surrender and blew out the glow in his finger. He took a step back from the sofa, pointing 2 fingers at his own eyes and then pointing directly at the mother. 

"I'm watching you, crackpot!!" 

He turned his face into a grimace as he got a startled snore in reply. 

........................................................................................................

Zach opened his one eye sleepily as he heard his door creak as it closed. 

"Hh....mu-um? Hn'HNGTCH! Is that you?"

But he was alone in his room. He glanced around and noticed a glass of water and a couple of pills on his nightstand. There was a note too. 

Sorry, I didn't want to disturb you. I'll have the tea ready for you when you wake. 

Feel better, my darling Zachariah. 

-mum. 

Zach blinked in surprise. This did not look at all like his mothers usual scribbles, and it had been a LONG time since she had called him anything but 'Ziggy'. He had always hated that nickname. His parents had started calling him that when they had noticed how sick he always got. They believed the resemblance to 'Sicky' was simply a joke too good to miss. 

Nevertheless, the gesture made him feel a tiny bit better, he took the pills and laid back down, his eyes already closing in exhausted surrender. 

Zach was standing at the foot of hushabye mountain as he felt a soothing cool cloth being gently dapped against his steamy forehead and a low whisper, deep and rich as 80%. Cocoa chocolate whisper against he ear. 

"Sleep well my Zachariah". 

Zach murmured contently and turned his head sleepily towards the whisper. He wouldn't mind another taste of that delicious chocolate. 

 

[Arty]

Awwwww poor thing...;.;

[Akahana]

So, I feel so torn with these parents. Even though they aren't very good parents, they aren't abusive and obviously mean no harm to their son. It's just that they are so stuck in their own addictions and problems that they don't know how to properly care for him. So as much as I hate the situation, I can't say I hate the parents as individuals. They're just people who have made lots of mistakes and now don't know how to get out of them.

Poor Zach, I wish he didn't have to be so affected by his parent's misfortunes...

What I'm waiting for is for Zach to figure out what's going on, what does an angel do when they are discovered? Also can angel's sneeze? I hope so, love this story!!

I have a few more scenarios planned in which Elias is still invisible, but trust me, they will meet!

Hmm... Not sure Elias can sneeze, but if the need to discover it is strong enough, I can probably whip something up at some point. I make no promises though. I kinda like the idea of the ever-strong guardian, but I can possibly be persuaded.

I have a hay fever/allergy planned for Zachariah at some point, maybe we discover something Angels are allergic to? Again, I make no promises.

But I really do appreciate you liking my story :-) thank you.

I have a double feature planned for tonight, so don't go away ;-)

I wasn't really thinking and allergy or illness, I was thinking more just, something tickling his nose. Or maybe, sometime after they meet Zach could get curious about it and they experiment or something.

Even if you don't do that this is a very interesting story and I am excited to see where it goes <3

[Juto]

So, I feel so torn with these parents. Even though they aren't very good parents, they aren't abusive and obviously mean no harm to their son. It's just that they are so stuck in their own addictions and problems that they don't know how to properly care for him. So as much as I hate the situation, I can't say I hate the parents as individuals. They're just people who have made lots of mistakes and now don't know how to get out of them.

Poor Zach, I wish he didn't have to be so affected by his parent's misfortunes...

What I'm waiting for is for Zach to figure out what's going on, what does an angel do when they are discovered? Also can angel's sneeze? I hope so, love this story!!

I have a few more scenarios planned in which Elias is still invisible, but trust me, they will meet!

Hmm... Not sure Elias can sneeze, but if the need to discover it is strong enough, I can probably whip something up at some point. I make no promises though. I kinda like the idea of the ever-strong guardian, but I can possibly be persuaded.

I have a hay fever/allergy planned for Zachariah at some point, maybe we discover something Angels are allergic to? Again, I make no promises.

But I really do appreciate you liking my story :-) thank you.

I have a double feature planned for tonight, so don't go away ;-)

I wasn't really thinking and allergy or illness, I was thinking more just, something tickling his nose. Or maybe, sometime after they meet Zach could get curious about it and they experiment or something.

Even if you don't do that this is a very interesting story and I am excited to see where it goes <3

It's true what you say about Zach's parents. They are not abusive in any way, merely neglectfull. Zach doesn't hate them, but he hates being left to himself. Especially when he is sick. He doesn't particularly love them either, because he knows that loving them is a one-way street and he will only end up hurting himself more.

Nevertheless, he is happy when they pay him even the slightest bit of attention.

Elias hates them though, to a certain extent, but only because he can see how their choices affect Zach. Zachariah is his ONLY focal point and everything and everyone that upsets him earns the wrath of the angel :-)

I think a curious Zach, tickling his guardian's nose is a very intriguing scenario. I'll take a note of it.

[Juto]

Here's a new little story I had time for this morning.

Comments are always appreciated. :-D

Thank you.

Part 8 - School

Elias regarded his ward with warm affection as Zach devoured his breakfast, hungry as a bear, reaching for a second portion before he had even finished chewing. He washed it down with a giant mug of coffee, grimacing childishly, waving his hand in amusement in front of his mouth as he swallowed the burning liquid. 

"Hot hot hot hot hot".

Elias smiled at his ward's obvious joy. Zach had been in perfect health for 3 weeks straight now. Which, as far as Elias knew, was a big achievement, both on his and Zach's part. He loved seeing his ward so happy and joyful. He did not mind sick and sneezy Zachariah, far from it. But this was something else. Elias spent the first half of the day getting lost in the bright gleam of Zach's deep and cloudy eyes, the way his mouth could turn from a tight line into the most dazzling smile in a second and the way his carefree laughter turned to harmonious silver bells in his guardian's ears. Elias could no longer deny it. He was completely and utterly smitten with his ward. Curses!!

They walked side by side, towards the auditorium for the final lecture of the day, their fingers mere inches from intertwining. Elias was painfully aware of the tiny gap that refrained him from his ward's touch, Zach was blissfully oblivious. 

Wow, another day and no sneezing?! Garçon, champagne s'il vous plait! 

"Hi'chew!".

The angel stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth popping open in astonishment. That sneeze had NOT come from Zach. It had been girly and squeaky and he noted to his great dismay, uncovered. The looked around the full auditorium for the source of the sneezing, hoping to discover the germ-spreader before his walking bundle of immune deficiency did something stupid and... Pffffff.... KISSED HER! 

Elias narrowed his eyes, searching. There! Sitting at the row in the farthest corner of the room was a sniffling girl, her nose pink, her eyes puffy, her brow sweaty and not a single damn disinfectant in sight!! Shit! This girl was a death trap for his boy who, despite his current good health had the world's weakest immune system! Well, maybe he was in the top 10... At least!

He looked towards Zach, his mission clear. Keep ward away from girl! But Zach was gone. Elias panicked. He scanned the room agitatedly for his ward only to realise to his great horror that Zach was a single footstep away from the only empty seat in the room, his hand outstretched in a greeting gesture toward the sick girl in the chair beside his. 

NOOOOOOOO!

Elias broke into a sprint faster than the speed of light, his mind working on hyper speed. Time seemed to slow as the angel's speed increased. He snatched a banana from the first table he passed, tossing the sweet smelling fruit, keeping the peel in one hand as he produced a disinfectant spray from his pocket with his other hand. He had learned firsthand to ALWAYS BE PREPARED! The angel had moved from the door of the classroom to the farthest corner in 0.2 seconds. He swiftly arranged the banana peel under Zach's foot, sending him a silent apology. 

Forgive me Zachariah. No time to complain about crappy cliches. 

He angel crouched down behind his ward, spreading his big fluffy wings out on the floor to soften Zach's meeting with the cold stone. As his ward slipped on the banana peel, staggering backwards, arms waving wildly, the angel had a full nanosecond to spray every available surface of the table, the chair and the girl's computer with his disinfectant spray. Even the girl received a few sprays to her hands and face. Elias regretted this immediately as he realised that the spray would probably ignite a tickle in her over sensitive nose. No noticed her nostrils flaring, he was right. 

Shit, change of plans.

He grabbed hold of one of Zach's waving arms and secured it to the girls chair. As Zach completed his back-first journey towards the angelwing on the floor his arm pulled the sick girl's chair to the side, allowing her to realease her sneezes away form Zach and their joined table. 

Her sneezes erupted the second Zach hit the floor with a surprised and pained "OUCH!"

"Hi-chew! Ii-chi! Hi-ICHO! Oh hey, are you okay?

Zach smiled warmly at her from his place on the floor. 

"Bless you. Yeah, I'm fine. This floor is surprisingly soft".

Elias rolled his eyes and tried to calm himself down after his time slowing stunt. He watched his ward get up off the floor and sit down next to the girl. She smiled at Zach, but did not offer him her hand to shake. 

"Sorry, best not to. I have a re-he-ally ba-ha-ad... Hi-chew! Ugh! Cold."

Elias frowned as he felt the girl's sneeze spray on the wing that he had swiftly placed between the two mortals to shield Zach from the germ missiles that she was launching. 

Eww. Please note that these feathers are reserved for Zachariah, and Zachariah alone. 

"Bless you. That's too bad. Here, have one on me, I'm always loaded." Zach pulled a packet of tissues from his pockets and handed it to the girl. 

"Thank you". She pulled one out and blew her nose. She pulled another and started dapping her moist eyes and cheeks before pulling a third to blow her nose again. 

Elias's face fell and he felt his own pockets, counting his tissue stock. He sighed deeply, hoping it would be enough. 

"Hi-chew! Ih-ihco!" Snf! Sorry, I've been sneezy all day."

Huh, maybe not. Elias drew a large intake of breath, bracing himself for the class. If this battle did not earn him an employee of the month medal, nothing would. 

Elias sat opposite his ward at the dinner table that night, weary after an afternoon of constantly having to interrupt the sending and receiving of germs from the sick girl to Zachariah. He cursed silently at his ward's low barrier for personal protection, praying that his efforts had not been in vain. 

"Hn'HNGKXT! He'NGCH! Hh'NGX'ch!"

The guardian stiffened, regarding Zachariah, searching for the source of his sneezes, pleading silently...

Zach sniffled. The wet sound of the congestion in his nose revealed that the sneeze had not been caused by the pepper on his food, the dust in the air or the steam from his casserole.

Elias buried his face in his hands as he let out an involuntary muffled whimper. 

He was out of tissues, he was out of disinfectant and he was out of luck. 

..........................................................................................................................

Dunk dunk dunk... 

The dinner table shook slightly with each dunk. Zach looked perplexed at the table as he concentrated on the strange noise. 

...Dunk dunk dunk...

If he had to venture a guess he would say the sound resembled that of something heavy and round being continuously knocked down onto table top. 

Edited September 6, 2017 by Juto

[Akahana]

Oh, poor Elias, he tried so hard XD

[Arty]

Damn.....

[monochrome]

These are so adorable!! I'm captivated ^^

[Juto]

Thank you so much for your comments. Th keep me in high spirit :-)

Sorry, this one is nowhere near Drabble-length, in fact i don't think any of my "drabbles" are. Feel free to complain and I'll try to shorten them.

This one? Because I could not wait for the "reveal" to get a bit of M/M caretaking. I hope you like it.

Part 9 - Envy

"Just le-he-ft...here... Hn'NGTCH! S'cuse me. The house with the blue door".

"Bless you. Here?"

"Yes, thank you. Hh'NGXT! Huh, excuse me."

"Bless you."

"Thanks".

The car came to a stop in front of Zach's house. Simon, the driver, was one of Zach's new class mates. A transfer student. He had shared a desk with Zach during one of their lectures and had noticed how Zach had sneezed and sniffled his way through their last period. Zach had gratefully accepted as Simon had offered to give him a ride home.

"Thanks again Simon. That was really kind of you. Hi'HNCH,ch! S'cuse me. Bye!"

Zach turned away and ran up the stairs to his front door.

"Bless you. Sure man. Any time. I'll just walk you in. Make sure you don't pass out in the hall or anything."

"Uhm okay."

They walked in together, Zach feeling slightly awkward as he felt Simon's hand on his lower back, supporting him. But he chose to say nothing, afraid to embarrass his class mate. 

Once in the hall, Zach felt the tickle return to his sensitive nasal passage and he grabbed a tissue from his endless pocket supply and balled it against his nose. Just before the tickle erupted, Zach felt Simon's other arm tighten around his waist and rest on his abdomen. 

"Hh'NGXT! Hn'HKXT! Sorry, that came out of nowhere. Excuse me." He leaned forward to blow his nose in the tissue that had magically unballed and dried itself in his hand.

As he blew, he felt Simon release his grip around his waist and move to stand in front of him. Zach finished and straightened up, meeting Simon's intense gaze.

"Bless you, poor thing." To Zach's great embarrassment, his class mate lifted his lips and brushed them gently against his forehead. "Hmm. I think your running a fever. Go to bed mister, I'll bring you a steaming cup of tea."

Zach sighed, looking perplexed as he ransacked his brain for a polite way to decline. 

"Really, Simon. I'm fine. I'm just gonna go lie down. My parents will be home soon anyway." He lied. This was a regular day, which meant his dad would hang out after work in his regular bar with his regular drunks and his mother would be in her regular god-knows-where, sniffing her regular god-knows-what. Zach was on his own... As usual. Unless he counted his imaginary chocolate-voiced caretaker. Hmm. Zach found to his amusement that he greatly preferred the company of his own imagination over Simon's. 

"Nonsense" came the plain response form the older boy. "Bed! Now! I'll bring you tea". 

Frankly, Zach was too exhausted and dizzy to argue. He dragged his feet up the stairs and collapsed on his bed. He glanced around his room, searching for some kind of sign of his crazy imagination. He closed his eyes and sighed. It couldn't hurt to ask. 

"Could you make him go away? Please?" He listened. Hoping his imagination could wrap up a solution. Fast! He could hear Simon coming up the stairs. 

"Here we are, nice and hot. Oh, and the tea is finished too." He smiled charmingly at his own joke as his eyes searched Zach's face. "Oh, dear me, you look absolutely miserable."

As if to agree with him, Zach felt a sudden vicious tickle in his nostril, threatening to erupt in a second. He quickly brought his... Empty?...Hand to pinch his nose as he wondered why his imagination had suddenly failed him.

"'Hn'HNGXT'ch! Snf! Ugh, sorry, that was messy." He sniffled, wincing slightly at the sound of the wet congestion. 

"Bless you, poor thing. Here, let me help you." Simon grabbed a fresh tissue from the nearest box and cupped his hand around Zach's nose. "Blow". 

Zach tensed, embarrassment blushing his face scarlet. He absolutely refused to blow his nose in his class mate's hand. 

Luckily, at that exact moment, Simon's phone vibrated in his pocket. And he removed the tissue from Zach's face as he answered the call.

"Simon. Oh, hi. Really? Huh. I wasn't aware that I... No no of course, I understand. What? Right now? Okay, I'm on my way." He hung up the phone, meeting Zach's still stunned gaze as he seemed to contemplate the conversation. "So, apparently, I'm due in a meeting?! Something to do with parking my car in a very wrong place?! Huh. I guess I must have missed the sign." He smiled. Zach tried to force a smile out of his highly tensed facial muscles, his cheeks still uncomfortably flushed. Simon seemed to take it as a sign of discomfort. 

"Aww, you poor thing. I'll come back and check on you tomorrow after school." Simon lifted his head, pursing his lips as he moved forward. Zach tensed again, bracing himself for the presumably inevitable touch of Simon's lips to his forehead. 

Mere inches from impact, Simon's phone vibrated again. He sighed, reaching for it. 

"Simon. Oh really? Does it? How can it possibly... No, not yet. What? Shit! Can they do that? I'll be there in 2 minutes." He hung up and leapt of the bed. 

"So, apparently the meeting is every day for a week or until I have 'learned my lesson' whatever that means. And if I'm not there in 2 minutes, the school will file a police report. Can they do that?"

Zach shrugged, trying his best to hide his smile. "Thanks anyway. Guess I'll see you around then."

"Yeah, see you, feel better." And he was gone. Zach waited until he could hear the front door close before leaning back against his pillows and let out a sigh of relief. 

...............................................................................................,,..................

The angel sneaked back into his ward's bedroom, just as Simon was leaving. The guardian, driven almost wild with jealousy at seeing this immaterial human caress and speak to his ward in such an affectionate manner, when the guardian himself had to abstain from it, had to bite back the urge to kick his competition down the stairs. He settled for waving a threatening, and very invisible, fist in front of the boy's face, receiving absolutely no response whatsoever. Still, it felt satisfying. 

He found his ward on the bed, sitting upright, even more flushed than he had been 10 minutes ago. Had his fever gone up? Or had something else occurred that the angel had not been there to witness. Elias watched in bemused astonishment as his ward seemed to begin some sort of meditation exercise in his fevered state. Zach closed his eyes tight, sighed deeply and opened them again, glancing expectantly around his room. 

What in the name of...?

His ward repeated the exercise, adding more confusion to his guardian's expression. 

Zach sighed, apparently giving up whatever he was doing. But then his eyes lit up. He placed both hands in his lap and uttered in fake surprise " I have to sneeze" revealing that he had never taken a drama lesson in his life, before he brought his hand up to cup his nose, frowning deeply just as it reached his face. 

Elias shook his head in quizzical amusement. What the hell was going on? He, probably better than anyone, could tell when his ward was about to sneeze, and he was most definitely not. 

He watched in distressed confusion as Zach sighed deeply, giving up on his quest. 

His poor, sick and still very flushed ward hunched his shoulders and addressed his empty room. 

"So... What? No magically appearing tissues? No paracetamols on my nightstand? No hushed words of comfort smothered in dark chocolate?"

Zach clicked his tongue, turning his head from side to side in a mocking gesture.

"Huh, you're really loosing your touch, Master Universe. Or maybe I've turned sane again. Arrrgh, sanity, thou art a bitch!"

The deeply rooted envy the guardian had felt over the course of the past hour seemed to evaporate completely at his ward's words. Elias's dead heart swelled up as he reached the conclusion: his ward had missed his absence. How could he bring a smile back into those deep and cloudy eyes. 

The answer presented itself as his ward suddenly tilted his head back, his breathing irregular, his hand reaching out, hoping. 

Elias swiftly grabbed a box of tissues, placing one in Zach's outstretched hand before he drew tissue after tissue, faster than a speeding bullet, letting the light, fluffy squares gently flow down upon his sneezing ward.

"Hn'NGXT! Hi'HKT! Hh.. Ha'HNGXT'ch!

Zach emerged from underneath his mountain of tissues, eyes bright, nose pink and with the biggest and most gorgeous smile on his face. 

"Now that's more like it". 

He kept a satisfied smirk on his face as he leaned back in a casual position, arms behind his head, most of his body still covered in tissues.

"Keep up the good work. I'll just be here, sick, as usual!"

The angel smiled at his self-satisfied ward. 

Always my Zachariah, always!

Edited September 6, 2017 by Juto

[Akahana]

God, could these two be more cuuuuuute??

[Juto]

New drabble... If I can even call it that.

Enjoy. Comments are always appreciated :-)

Part 10 - Flu

Elias found himself sitting at his ward's computer for the first time, amazed at the technological advance since his own time. He clicked on the small "G" icon and the search engine appeared on the screen. He had seen how Zach had used this for homework research, but now, Elias needed it for Zach.

The angel glanced over his shoulder. 

His ward was fast asleep, spread eagled on his bed, a layer of glistening sweat visible on his face and bare chest. His mouth was open as an overly congested nasal passage prevented him from breathing through his nose. His breathing sounded exhausted and raspy. 

The guardian turned back to the screen and typed in Zach's symptoms in the hope of getting a clear answer. 

Fever

Coughing

Sneezing

Muscle cramps

Vomiting 

Elias shuddered as he recalled how his ward had bolted for the bathroom in the middle of the night. To his great comfort,  the "G" had offered a diagnosis along with a list of possible remedies. 

He knelt beside his ward's sleeping body and gently wiped the sweat off of his face with a few strokes of his feathery wings. 

Not to worry Zachariah, I'm on it! Do you prefer chest rub with mint or lemon? 

He smiled at his ward, willing him to answer his mental question. The angel fought back a chuckle as his sleeping ward pulled his duvet up to cover his mouth and nose, before releasing a few soft sneezes into the fabric. 

"Ha-schoo! He-I-shoo! Eh-schoo!"

The duvet remained on the lower part of Zach's face, the boy still fast asleep. 

His guardian marvelled at the fact that his ward could sneeze in his sleep, let alone be a polite sneezer. Carefully, he lifted his hand to pull back the duvet, once again granting him access to his ward's face. 

That's better. No hiding from me.  

He brought his lips to his ward's cheek and with the softest whisper uttered a "bless you, my Zachariah."

His ward offered a low mumble in response. 

Hmm.. Mint it is.

........................................................................................................................................

Zach's eyes fluttered, opening slowly, squinting at the low afternoon light in his room. How long had he been asleep? His mind drifted back to his bathroom adventures last night and how sore his body had felt afterwards. He groaned at the unpleasant memory.

He sniffled, testing the expected congestion but found his nose wholy unclogged and very responsive to the sudden intake of cool, fresh air. He turned his head to the side as he felt a fresh tissue appear in his hand.

"Ohh... Wha... Ha...Hh'GNKXT'ch! Mint? Whe...he....where the hell... He... Hi'NGTCH! Oh sod it! Ng!HNGXT!"

As he calmed his breath from the sneezing fit he looked curiously around his room searching for the source of the minty smell. It took him several minutes to deduce that HE was the source.

So, I perspire mint now? My God, the report on my mental health will surely clear out the remaining rainforest! 

He sniffled softy again, letting out a soft "Hn'nxt'ch" before he blew the newly settled congestion into his tissue, crumbled it and threw it on the floor. He drew a large intake of breath through his mouth and expected a coughing fit from the effort, but his chest had loosened during his sleep. He brought his hand up to feel his chest, processing the sticky and cool feeling to it.

Had he vapo-rubbed his chest in his sleep? Highly unlikely, but it WOULD explain the minty smell. The minty smell that once again had created a teasing tickle in his nose. Zach closed his eyes and let his breath hitch, holding out his hand, ready to receive a new tissue. He was not disappointed. 

"Hh... This is seriously... He... He'NGTCH! The weir-he-dest.. Hi'NKTX! Thing... He.... Hhh..." Zach hitched helplessly as the last sneeze had got caught in the most sensitive part of his nose. He closed his eyes and turned his face upwards trying to coax out the sneeze. As the building tickle became almost unbearable Zach felt something light and fluffy stroke the outside of his flaring nostril. That did the trick! 

"Ha'AHNGXT'CHO! Ugh, jeez!"

The force of the sneeze threw Zach's body into an almost sitting position, causing his already sore abdomen to spasm uncomfortably. He groaned, and gently laid back down on his matress, curling up like a baby. He pulled his duvet close, pressing the warm fabric against his sore muscles. 

Ahhh, the warmth spread quickly to his muscles, releasing the clenching tension. He hugged his duvet tighter, grateful for the added heat to his covers. 

He mumbled a sleepy "thank you" as he clung to his duvet, allowing his mind to imagine the nursing comfort of the heat-deliverer. 

.............................................................................................................................................

His guardian smiled and buried his nose in his ward's curly hair. His arm was tucked securely around Zach's waist, a mere inch above the younger man's skin, and his hand was buried firmly in the duvet where his glowing finger released enough heat to make his sick ward sigh in delight. 

No need to thank me, my dear Zachariah. I'm your guardian. That's how I roll. 

[Lonewolf]

Omg I love this, please continue!!!

[Juto]

Omg I love this, please continue!!!

There's a follow up to this one...

[Arty]

Ohhhhhh this is pushing some major love buttons for me!!!!! Hnnnnnnghhhhh. I love this

[Juto]

Thank you so much for your comments.

Here's the follow up to flu.

Sorry about the puke reference. I won't describe it, I swear! :-)

Part 11 - Flu day 2

Zach groaned in pained discomfort as he pulled his head out of the toilet. He was on his second day of the flu from hell and had already knelt at the great porcelain alter 4 times today. What could possibly be left in his stomach? Nothing! So STOP VOMITTING! He let out a small, involuntary whimper as his muscles convulsed after having worked hard to make his sorry excuse for a lunch reappear.

He reached for the glass of clear cold water on the sink. After his first 2 worship pilgrimages, he had wondered how a fresh glass of the coolest, most tasty water had waited for him on the sink. Now, he couldn't give a rats ass, but he was grateful. He raised the glass in a toast, eyes turned towards the ceiling. 

"Cheers Master Universe."

He rinsed his mouth and swallowed a mouthful of fresh water before he got up slowly, begging his head to stop spinning and walzed back to his bed in a slightly drunken fashion. He almost made it to his door when a sudden vicious tickle in his nose caused him to stagger uncertainly. He wavered his left hand in the air, hoping to grasp on to something to support him as his upper body was thrown forward in a series of harsh sneezes directly into a fresh tissue in his right hand that he could have sworn had not been there a second ago. 

"Hi'KTCHI! Ah'NGTCH! Hh'NGX! He... Hhhh... Oh for God's sake... Hhh... Hh'HNGXT'ch! Whoa"!

The force of the last sneeze has almost knocked him over. Thank the gods his left hand had found support when he had needed it the most. He raised his eyes to his left hand and his mouth popped open in astonishment. His hand had found support in MID AIR! Clinging on to NOTHING! He tried to clench his fist, the air was solid in his palm. WHAT THE FUCK!? Zach continued to stare at the scene in horror until he was forced to close his eyes as a new tickle crept teasingly down his nasal passage to bloom at the tip of his nose. Zach brought the tissue back up to his nose, briefly wondering how it could possibly still be completely dry after his last fit.

Ahhhh Master Universe, you sneaky bastard. Stop playing tricks on my mind. I may possibly...  go... in... sane.

His train of thought was abruptly became inconsistent.

"Hn'GTX! Hh'NGHKT!"

 As he sneezed he felt his body move and his head spin uncomfortably. When he opened his eyes again, fearing the same mid-air-support-freakshow he gasped audibly in surprise. Apparently, his body had moved of its own accord, his left hand now gripping the wall for support as he faced the bathroom door. 

Seriously? I practice ballet pirouettes when I sneeze? 

He groaned, rubbing his damp forehead. 

I belong in a freaking mental institution. 

He felt a sudden dizziness sweep over him. He staggered, his legs refused to support his weight and he sank to the floor. Huh, the floor was not as hard as he had expected it to be. It felt soft, almost fluffy. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his head. When he opened them again, he was in his bed, tucked in, a fresh glass of water and a dose of his flu meds on his nightstand. 

He smiled, sighed contently and turned to lay on his side, his leg curled around his duvet. 

"Just so we're clear Master Universe..." he murmured, his eyes closed. "I know you are just some twisted imagination that my fried brain has invented to cope with this current state of misery..." He paused, sighing deeply. He opened his eyes to stare at the empty air in his room. "But please... Don't leave me." He closed his eyes and let a single drop of moisture trickle down his cheek.

.........................................................................................................................

His guardian regarded him with sadness and affection from his place on Zach's bed. The curve of the angel's body followed Zach's, leaving only an inch of space between them. When he was sure his ward was asleep the angel lifted his wing above his head and used a single white feather to wipe the tear from his ward's face. 

I won't Zachariah, I promise! 

Elias lifted his face and brushed a feather light kiss to his ward's cheek where there had been a tear a moment ago. And in a voice, soft as clouds he whispered:

"Sleep well, my Zachariah". 

[toastytoast]

oh my god oh my gOD THIS IS TOO CUTE

[Arty]

;-; *sniffs*

My heartstrings. .

[Juto]

Ohhhhhh this is pushing some major love buttons for me!!!!! Hnnnnnnghhhhh. I love this

Wow thank you. What exactly? I'll try to fit more of that into the stories :-)

[Juto]

oh my god oh my gOD THIS IS TOO CUTE

Thank you so much. I'm thrilled that you like it. More to come, I promise.

[Juto]

Here's a new one. Hope you enjoy. Comments are always appreciated :-) (translation: please let me know if you like it (or not))

Part 12 - Stay! Good boy!

Zach groggily opened his eyes. It only took him a moment to assess his current condition: Sore throat, a splitting headache and a minor, throbbing pain in his sinuses.

Diagnosis: cold... Again!

Current mental state: complete DENIAL!

It had been only a week since he had gotten rid of his previous cold. He felt fine... Sort of. He could easily manage a day of school... Hopefully. It would all be fine... Right? Right! He simply refused to be sick. If he didn't think it or feel it, he wasn't!

A sudden tickle in his nose threatened to betray his confidence though. Sneeze acknowledgement DENIED! Zach quickly threw his covers over his head, hiding himself from... Uhh... Nothing? As he let out a few completely stifled sneezes. 

"H'x! H'x! H'x"

 

He pulled the covers back off of his head and arranged his face in an innocent manner. 

Sneezing? Who, me? No no no! That wasn't sneezing, I was merely testing the... Uhh... Freshness of the the covers, yeah. Ugh, they need a wash. Okay, school here I come.

Zach ate his breakfast bagel carefully, refusing to wince as his throat ached miserably every time he swallowed. He brought his morning coffee to his lips only to put it down again as he felt the familiar prickle in his nostril. He placed a finger under his nose, pressing slightly in attempt to deny the sneeze access. 

I do not need to sneeze! I am not sick! 

The tickle slowly abated and Zach testingly removed his finger. He sniffled once, refusing to acknowledge the presence of congestion in his nasal passage. He was NOT SICK!

His nose disagreed, reigniting the tickle so fast that Zach did not have time to cover his mouth. As his eyes fluttered shut he became vaguely aware of a tissue being held gently against the lower part of his face, catching his sneezes for him.

"Ha'XKT'cho! Hn'GKT'cho! Ha'IHH'scho!" I am not sick! It was the steam! I am NOT SICK!

When he opened his eyes again there was no tissue in sight. He ran the back of his hand under his nose, expecting to feel the wet and escaped congestion, but his nose was dry. 

He shook his head, to clear out the images of invisible tissues coming to his aid.

Diagnosis: sneezy (NOT COLD!)

Mental state: minor hallucinations ( NOT from a fever. Who gets a fever without being sick? No one! Ergo, not feverish!)

He sighed, his body felt heavy and his shoulders curled inwards. Maybe he should just stay home, give in. His head was still throbbing painfully, and he was on the verge of confessing to a slight fever. 

NO! Not sick! school!

Determined, he left the kitchen, still slightly perplexed from the tissue experience when something odd happened to his feet. With each step, his feet became heavier and heavier. Before he had even reached the hall he was pulling at his knees with his hands, dragging his concrete feet after him. Halfway through the hall, still out of reach of the front door, he gave up. His feet were simply too heavy for him to lift. His entire body felt wasted. Maybe he should just stay home?

NO! This is NOT a sign, I am NOT sick. I am NOT... Hhh.. Sick!

"Hn'NGXT!" And that did NOT just happen!

Zach groaned and pulled his curly hair in frustration. His imagination was simply playing tricks on his mind. That was what it was. It was always worse when he was at home than when he was at school. If he could... Only... Reach... The... Door.

He stretched his arm as much as he could, the tips of his finger touched the door handle. Just a few inches more. With one final stretch of his body, Zach's hand caught on to the door handle, unluckily, at that same moment the heavy feeling of concrete abated from his feet and he tumbled towards the front door, yelping in surprise as the door handle broke off and let the boy fall to the floor. 

"Arh, come ON!" He rolled on to his back, his head against the wall under the giant hall way mirror. He was panting and his head spun uncomfortably. He raised the broken door handle to examine it before he threw it against the wall in anger. It bounced back off of the wall, hitting the giant mirror right above his head.

"Ohh, SHIT!" Zach rolled on to his side and covered his head with his arms as a million pieces af glass came crushing down towards him. He raised his head and sat up slowly, taking in the scene. 

Not a single piece of glass had landed on him, they were all scattered around him and he found himself in a completely glass free zone in an oddly rectangular, but pointy shape. He stood up and examined the broken glass on the floor more closely. Some of the smalle pieces had seemed to fall in a connecting pattern. He squinted his eyes and gasped in surprise. The glass fragments on the floor spelled out 2 words:

"Please stay"

Zach rubbed his eyes and shook his head before he looked again. When he did, the letters were gone and the pile of glass was simply that. Zach shook his head again and smiled. Clearly, the universe or his fevered imagination was desperate to keep him indoors. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, seriously assessing his condition. 

He really did feel unwell. The morning exercise of simply trying to make it out his front door had drained whatever little energy had been left in him. But he wanted to go to school. He wanted to be healthy and not be this pathetic sick kid all the time. 

He chuckled in defeat as his nose seemed to make the decision for him. 

He leaned his head back, locking his eyes on a source of light to lure the building tickle into eruption. His breathing became irregular. He felt a soft squeeze around his hand and quickly brought his newly acquired tissue up to his nose. 

"Hn'NGXT! Hn'GKT'ch! Hh'HN'cho!"

He opened his eyes and gently dapped the tissue against his sore nostrils, smiling tiredly as he did so. 

Condition: sneezy (possibly(!) from a cold)

Realisation: defeat! 

"Are those knickers twisting again Master Universe? Fine, I'll stay! Not that I have not enjoyed this little epic power battle determined to quench my free will, but next time, please just text me, or whatever. Less... Messy." 

He gestured at the broken glass, only to realise that there was no broken glass. The mirror hung on its usual spot on the wall. Riiiiight! 

Mental state: possible fever hallucinations.

Mission: Paracetamols and bed! No school today. Reassessment in 24 hours. 

.............................................................................................................................................

Good boy, Zachariah.

The guardian's eyes followed his ward's sluggish footsteps as they left the hall and headed back upstairs in bed. It wasn't the first time Elias's wished he could hear what Zach was thinking. Clearly there had been some kind of internal struggle going on in his mind. Elias closed his eyes and pictured a scenario in which he could sit Zach down, kiss his fevered forehead, draw soothing circles on his back as he sneezed, bless him, kiss him again and audibly plead with him to stay home when he was sick. 

The angel sighed. Someday! Someday or he would go insane! He yearned for Zach in a way he couldn't explain. Guarding him wasn't enough anymore, he wanted Zach to know he was always with him, that he wasn't alone anymore. 

He sighed. Raphael would kill him! So what, he was already dead. How bad could it be?

Someday!

He plucked a stray piece of glass from his feathery wing and re-attached it to the corner of the hall way mirror with a glowing finger. He had not meant for Zach to smash the mirror, but it had served its purpose. He had hoped that Zach's sneezing and exhausted body (enhanced slightly by the angel's glowing finger) would be enough proof of his illness, but no. 

Not my strong Zachariah. Not my perfect and loveable bundle of frailty. 

He hurried up the stairs, zooming silently past his ward, to arrange pillows, water, paracetamols and cool cloths before his sick ward came through the door. 

[monochrome]

This is so beautiful ahhh QvQ

"Just so we're clear Master Universe..." he murmured, his eyes closed. "I know you are just some twisted imagination that my fried brain has invented to cope with this current state of misery..." He paused, sighing deeply. He opened his eyes to stare at the empty air in his room. "But please... Don't leave me." He closed his eyes and let a single drop of moisture trickle down his cheek.

Not a single piece of glass had landed on him, they were all scattered around him and he found himself in a completely glass free zone in an oddly rectangular, but pointy shape. He stood up and examined the broken glass on the floor more closely. Some of the smalle pieces had seemed to fall in a connecting pattern. He squinted his eyes and gasped in surprise. The glass fragments on the floor spelled out 2 words:

"Please stay"

Perfection <3

I really hope they get a chance to meet soon xD

[Juto]

This is so beautiful ahhh QvQ

"Just so we're clear Master Universe..." he murmured, his eyes closed. "I know you are just some twisted imagination that my fried brain has invented to cope with this current state of misery..." He paused, sighing deeply. He opened his eyes to stare at the empty air in his room. "But please... Don't leave me." He closed his eyes and let a single drop of moisture trickle down his cheek.

Not a single piece of glass had landed on him, they were all scattered around him and he found himself in a completely glass free zone in an oddly rectangular, but pointy shape. He stood up and examined the broken glass on the floor more closely. Some of the smalle pieces had seemed to fall in a connecting pattern. He squinted his eyes and gasped in surprise. The glass fragments on the floor spelled out 2 words:

"Please stay"

Perfection <3

I really hope they get a chance to meet soon xD

They will meet. Have no fear :-) I do have more scenarios planned before the meeting though.

Edited June 16, 2015 by Juto07ab

[Arty]

......the hurt and comfort....the love....the every. ..

[Juto]

Hi, so new Drabble. A silly, little thing this, but some backstory to Zachariah's parents. I felt like I owed it to them. They weren't always neglectfull.

Anyhow, here you have it. More to come, I promise.

Part 13 - Wakey wakey

Elias sat in one of the armchairs in the living room, watching Zach's parents keeping busy with their regular morning routines of falling asleep in the shower and staring blankly at their coffee for 15 minutes before heading to work in their zombie state of hungoverness. He shook his head disapprovingly. How could someone so neglectfull and unloving create something so wonderful and loveable? He couldn't possibly fathom. His mind quickly wondered if perhaps Zach was adopted? But he cast the thought aside as his eyes fell upon a picture on one of the shelves in the living room. 

The picture was a snapshot of a Christmas Eve family moment. Two smiling adults sat shoulder to shoulder in front of a highly decorated tree. The woman had green eyes and a crown of bouncy chestnut curls, the exact colour and texture as Zach's. The man looked happy, his misty blue eyes, the colour of dark rain clouds sparkled with joy. Both adults had their arms wrapped around a small kid sitting between them. A boy, about 6 years old with rainy-cloud eyes and soft chestnut curls and with the biggest and happiest smile on his face as he held a newly unwrapped firetruck in his hands. If was the perfect nuclear family photo. 

Elias looked more closely at the date stamp in the corner of the picture. It was 14 years old. 

On a different shelf in the living room the angel found a photo of the same scenario but dated one year later. He found another and another, his frown deepening as he noticed with dread the increasingly distant and careless looks of the parents and the decreasing joy in the little boy's smile. The angel found 9 pictures in total, spanning from Zachariah as a baby until he looked about 11. A couple were missing, according to the date stamps the family hadn't taken the customary annual photo 2 years in a row when Zach had been about 3 and 4 years old. Odd. 

In most of the pictures, young Zachariah was dressed slightly warmer than his parents and his guardian noticed with growing dismay that in most of the pictures, the smiling boy had a slightly pink nose, flushed cheeks and a packet of tissues close by. When Zachariah had been 5 his skin looked pale and his cheeks slightly hollow. Elias couldn't help but wonder about the missing photoes that preceded that one. What had happened to him? 

His poor poor ward. Growing up as a sickly boy could not have been easy. The angel found himself wondering if that was the reason for Zach's obvious lack of close friends.

Elias swallowed against a forming lump in his throat as he looked at the newest picture. Is was christmas, made evident by a small plastic tree in the middle of the room, but the scenery had changed. A scrawny looking boy sat in a hospital bed, his face pale and sweaty and his eyes sunken and dull. He was hooked up to several monitors, but Elias had no idea what they were. Zach's parents stood on either side of the bed, his farther resembled the man Elias had seen in the kitchen earlier, eyes small and sunken, body slouched and worn. The mother who had been beautiful in earlier pictures now had a waxy look to her pale face and starved cheeks. 

The guardian marvelled once again at his ward's inner strength. His Zachariah had witnessed this deterioration and neglect of his parents and had managed to somehow pick himself up and move forward without them. The angel felt an affectionate pride towards his ward. 

My brave, strong and absolutely lovable ward. 

He glanced at his watch. His ward, who was now running late. He normally granted Zach privacy as the younger man got up, showered and got dressed. He had heard his alarm clock go off about 25 minutes ago, but there was still no sign of Zach. Going into his room, Elias found a sleeping Zach still huddled in his duvet, snoring softly. The angel crouched down next to the bed, fearing a sudden illness had overtaken his ward.

Elias brushed the back of his hand gently against Zach's forehead, testing for fever, but found none. He then gently laid his ear to Zach's chest, listening for congestion in the lungs, but he seemed to be breathing just fine. The guardian concluded that his ward had succumbed to a simple case of laziness. He smiled and put his lips close to Zach's ear. 

"Wakey wakey, Zachariah. Time for school."

But Zach merely snored softly in reply. The angel's smile grew wicked as he carefully plucked a long, snow white and very fluffy feather from his left wing. 

........................................................................................................................................

Zach was floating, weightless and carefree in the nothingness between sleep and awake. He was vaguely aware that he had switched off his alarm clock when it rang, but that had been mere seconds ago. He rubbed the back of his hand absentmindedly against his nose. He was numb. He was limbless. He ran a finger back and forth under his nose. He felt nothing. Except for this persistent itch in his nose. The tickle was just beyond his reach, unquenchable and relentless.

The tickle intensified suddenly pulling Zach abruptly from his floating state of being and served him up, fully awake, as a hitching mess.

He drew one last hitchy breath before his head snapped forward, pulling him up into a sitting position with the force of the irritated, ticklish sneezes that escaped his nose.

"Hn'NGXT! Hi'HKT! Hh.. Ha'HNGXT'ch! Hh...hhh... He'NGKT'ch! Hn'HNGT! Ugh, shit!

Hi'GKX'ch! Hhh...Hh'GNXT! Ha'NGX'cho! Whoa!

He flopped back on to his matress trying to catch his breath. His hand was balling a couple of tissues against his nose and mouth. He turned his head to the side as he blew his nose. His eyes caught sight of the alarm clock. 

"Shit! I'm up! I'm up!"

Edited September 7, 2017 by Juto

[Arty]

XD dawww