Guardian Angel (original fiction, M/M)

[Hedgehog]

Awww, that's cute how Elias tries to keep Zach in a safe distance to not infect him. Really heart-wrenching (and somehow I like that he does nothing to feel better. I'm gruesome, I know... )

[SpamKey]

Well you've just been on a flipping roll in the heartbreak department today haven't you Juto? *attempts to smile through tears* Dammit Elias, he doesn't hate you! He loves you, just let him cuddle you!!!!

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

Elias bundled himself up in the armchair that was the only piece of furniture in his…. Fort? Yeah, “fort of contamination”.

Oh my dear sweet graceless angel

Zach knew if their roles had been reversed, Elias would have done everything he could to make Zachariah more comfortable. But even sick, Elias still maintained his guardianship, making it extremely difficult for Zachariah to be allowed to reciprocate in any way.

Poor Zach he wants to help and can't.

And he deserved every single second of it.

Nonononono Zach you don't, you really don't!! Yes you got mad but but... JUTO FIX THIS NOW!!

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

Steaming honeybrew in hand, Zach stood before the nonexistent gates to the fort. He fought to keep his expression blank, to not let his worry and his guilt show as his guardian's nose was once again buried deep in a tissue.

“Heh-ESChoo! Hhe… Eh’tsxhuh! Snf! Ugh!”

“Bless you. Is there a secret code word to this thing?” He asked nudging the gate-looking stack of books with his foot. “Open sesame?”

“No Zachariah, the main point is thad you stay on that side.”

Silly angel needs to take a biology class. His fort isn't going to keep any of his germs in or, I expect, Zach out.

He could easily walk over the book fort and wrap his arms around his sick angel, but he didn't.

Ugh! Just do it!

These two are almost as confused as Theo and CJ. Almost, Theo and CJ take the cake. Ha! See what I did there?

[Juto]

........

........

........

*crawls into Grave and stays there eating her sorrows for these two away*

*knock knock*... Ready for cutesy makeup?

*lip quivers dangerously*

*tears threaten to overflow*

*begins over the top SOBBING!!!!!*

No, but seriously, this was adorable! And so sad! But so sweet! And hhnnnggg....I WANT TO HUG THEM BOTH!

Hehe Awww give it to me, dear, I'll pass it on

Awww, that's cute how Elias tries to keep Zach in a safe distance to not infect him. Really heart-wrenching (and somehow I like that he does nothing to feel better. I'm gruesome, I know... )

Hehe nah, poor angel only has eyes for his ward's wellbeing, which only seems to intensify his own suffering *sigh* foolish angel

Well you've just been on a flipping roll in the heartbreak department today haven't you Juto? *attempts to smile through tears* Dammit Elias, he doesn't hate you! He loves you, just let him cuddle you!!!!

As you wish

JUTO FIX THIS NOW!!

Okay, okay! Don't go all scolding fessor on me

These two are almost as confused as Theo and CJ. Almost, Theo and CJ take the cake. Ha! See what I did there?

Haha I seem to have a thing for confusion and miscommunications...?!

Haha yeah, Zalias's 3 tier secret/anger-issue fruit cake is nothing compared to the Teddycus 10 tier, double cream, miscommunication creation... Cherry on top the Marie Antoinette way

Hehe you guys are awesome! Thank you for all the lovely comments... Let's get some fluff going...

[Juto]

Happy Friday to all... Have some fluff on me.

Points if you spot the Erasure-line thank you Kaze

Part 64 - The siege

Elias let out a shaky breath. He had successfully managed to fight down another cough. He assumed Zachariah was asleep despite the absence of his signature light snore and his occasional mumbles, and he feared his ward would only be more upset with him if his coughing and sneezing woke him up. He winced as he recalled Zach's outburst at him yesterday. He had never imagined that those beautiful, rain filled, cloudy eyes could hold bolts of lightening. He had never seen Zach so angry, never heard such anger and resentment in his voice. He knew he had screwed up, he knew he deserved every second of his misery. He pressed the back of his hand against his nose to prevent the eruption of the pending sneeze. It relieved the irritation, but only shortly. The tickle grew stronger and Elias could do nothing but pinch his nostrils shut between his thumb and forefinger to prevent the sound of the sneezes from waking Zachariah.

“H’mpch! Hn’xt! Hh… Snf! Hh… Hm’pnx!”

The sneezes caused his head to spin uncomfortably and he painfully bit back the urge to cough. He felt truly miserable. He hated himself for screwing up, hated himself for being the focus of his ward’s anger, and he absolutely hated being a burden instead of the guardian he was contractually assigned to be. HE was supposed to offer the comfort, the worry, the blesses and the honeybrew, NOT Zachariah. Yet HE was the one who had once again succumbed to this depleting state of being. As if he somehow needed confirmation, his nose was about to prove him right.

“Hn’gxt!..ch! Heh… Hep’nxt! Hhh… He’mptxch!..uhh!”

He couldn't hold back the tiny moan that escaped him after the sneezes had effectively robbed him of every last drop of energy. He felt the slow trickle of a single tear down his hot cheek as he lay curled up in his armchair like a disgusting and miserable bundle of yuk!

“ARGH! That's ENOUGH!”

Elias raised his head to see his ward forcefully throw his duvet off the bed and practically stomp towards him.

Elias, fearing his outburst had woken Zachariah, prepared a million different apologies to offer his fuming ward. Zach reached the stack of books he had build around him as a feeble attempt to keep Zachariah from entering his contamination zone, and forcefully kicked them aside. He reached out his hand for Elias who shot him a perplexed look.

“I swear on your boss, Elias, if you don't get up this minute and join me in our bed where I can hold you and cuddle you and nurse you and remove just a tiny bit of your misery, I will climb into this armchair with you and lick your entire face, so that we can both be sick and miserable, not to mention sore from being stupid enough to spend the night in a bloody chair! Your choice!”

Elias was momentarily stunned by Zach's words. He had expected Zachariah to be angry with HIM, not angry at his choice of bed. Had Zachariah really forgiven him for his irresponsibility?

Looking closer, he noticed the red circles around Zach's eyes and the red trails of dried tears down his cheeks. It was obvious Zachariah had been crying, but Elias was at a loss as to why. HE was the one who had everything to be sorry for. Could his ward really, truly have forgiven him? Why else would he be reaching out to him like this?

He hung his head, feeling unworthy of such luck. He let out a small huff of air and shook his head slightly. “I don't deserve your pity. I don't deserve your care… And I don't deserve you!” He raised his head slightly, only to find that Zachariah had dropped to his knees in front of him, his cloudy eyes moist with affection. Elias closed his eyes and continued, it was easier to say what he had to say without looking straight into the most mesmerising orbs that seemed to look through to his very soul.

He sniffled and let out a tiny cough, hoping to remove some of the congestion from his voice. “I risked everything because I was too proud to admit how bad I felt. I can't bear do think what would have happened if you hadn’t interrupted the ambulance team when you did.” Elias felt he had so much more to apologise for but everything seemed to be mushily tangled together in his head and he was having a hard time sorting. Before he could figure out what more to say he felt Zach's hands on his knees, rubbing soothing circles.

“Angel…”

“I'm not worthy of such a title, Zachariah!”

“Angel!” The voice was insistent enough to make Elias look up and meet Zach's eyes. “I am so, so sorry. I should never have shouted at you. You risked your health, your reputation and probably your job helping me to get Simon off my back and I've done a bad job at repaying you since.” Zach sighed deeply and blinked a few times before continuing.

“I just got so scared. I honestly wouldn't know what to do if someone took you away from me.”

Elias sniffled back some of the wetness that threatened to creep out of his nose to match the tiny droplet on his cheeks, but the sniffling ignited the fought back tickle and Elias tilted his head back as his hands searched frantically for an unused tissue.

“Here” Zach mumbled as he placed a few tissues on Elias’s nose. Elias gratefully pressed the tissue more firmly against his inflamed and flaring organ, fighting the tickle long enough to give his ward a gentle nudge out of his sieged fort. His watery eyes detected a hint of a smile on Zach’s face before they closed involuntarily, allowing the sneeze to erupt.

“He’tschuh! Snf! Uhh!”

“Bless you.” Elias almost leapt with joy. The blessing was earnest and heartfelt, not the same cold and unfeeling ones from yesterday. His ward had truly forgiven him.

Zach moved closer and spread his arms, preparing to hug Elias and help him over to the bed but Elias recoiled, holding up his own hands to stop Zachariah from coming closer.

“Don't come closer, please, Zachariah. I do NOT want you do catch this.” To his great surprise, Zach stopped and pulled a small bottle of sanitiser out of his back pocket. He held Elias’s puzzled gaze as he carefully removed the soaked tissues from his hand before squirting a generous amount of the sanitiser into his cupped hand. In slow and controlled movements he rubbed the gel into Elias’s hands and arms, before squirting out more gel to apply to his own hands and arms. His eyes never darted away and a small smile was playing on his lips.

“Did you really think I would dare to approach you without at least one bottle of sanitiser?”

Elias shook his head, still surprised.

“You do realise that this won't make the slightest, blindest bit of difference since all the fake kissing we have done the past week has probably already given me that cold.”

A small, guilty looking nod… And a faint blush as Elias mentally recalled his top 3 moments of his entire life from the last week alone. Top 3? Who was he kidding? Top 25 at least.

“So you agree this is completely pointless?” Zach couldn't hold back smiling anymore.

A small and slightly embarrassed nod was all the angel managed.

“But the overprotective guardian in you can't handle the situation otherwise, can it?”

A small, shy smile and a small shake “no”

“I thought so.” Zach put away the gel, taking a firm grasp on Elias’s clean and germ free hands as he slowly pulled his angel upright. “You will always be my guardian angel, sick or not sick! And I will respect your decisions… Mostly” he quickly added, shooting the armchair a distasteful glance. “But you can't possibly know how much it pains me to see you like this, because then you wouldn't have stayed in your stupid chair in your stupid fort when you could have been warm and comfortable in our bed, wrapped in my arms. So please.”

He gently tugged on Elias’s arms and the guardian followed him hesitantly. His dead heart was still doing tiny joyful skips at Zach's declaration of “our bed”. He let his ward ease him down under the covers and nestle his head comfortably on his shoulder with Zachariah's arms wrapped securely around him.

Elias sunk into the warm embrace, but pulled back almost immediately as he felt the relentless tickle return to his nose. He didn't get very far as Zach's arms tightened their grip around him. “No, Zachariah, I need to… Hh… snee…hheh…”

He was too weak and too caught up in fighting off the sneeze to prevent Zachariah from pulling him closer, tucking his tortured pre-sneeze face against his chest. Elias felt the softness of Zach's shirt nuzzle his face as his quivering nose was winning the battle.

“He’tschoo! Snf! Heh… Eh’tischieww! Snf! Ugh, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for being so gross.” He made good use of the tissues Zach handed him, blowing his nose wetly before reaching for the sanitiser in the bed side table.

“Bless you. Don't worry about it, angel.” Elias felt Zach's nose nuzzle his hair as his head came back up to rest on Zach's shoulder. “ I if thought you were gross, I would have let you get out of the bed. As it happens though, I don't want you anywhere but right here.”

Despite the worry that he might infect Zachariah, Elias simply could not muster enough energy to fight the warm embrace that held him in place. He closed his eyes as Zach's cool hand rested on top of his hit forehead and the angel cracked a small smile hearing his ward tut scoldingly at his lingering fever.

“Angel?” The worry in Zach's tone caused pain in Elias’s chest, but he could not force his eyes to open.

“Mm?”

“Please forgive me?” The request was followed by a tiny whimper sounding from Zach's chest just beneath Elias’s ear and a wet sniffle.

With his last remaining energy Elias curled an arm around his Zachariah's waist to rest at his lower back, pressing his ward impossibly closer to him as he mumbled something resembling a drunken version of “only if you forgive me”.

The angel’s head bounced lightly to the motion of Zach's soundless giggle.

“Rest, my angel.”

Ahh…. This was infinitely better than the armchair. The soft moan that escaped the guardian when Zachariah hugged him tighter and pressed his lips against his forehead was one of pure pleasure.

It wasn't long before Zach's steady heartbeat and the soft, barytone humming of the hymn Elias had taught him lulled him into sleep, his “fort of contamination” completely forgotten.

[Arty]

*runs at you with full speed as a zombie* I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Our bed!" Yes!!! Poor sick angel.....he's really sick..

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

“I swear on your boss, Elias, if you don't get up this minute and join me in our bed where I can hold you and cuddle you and nurse you and remove just a tiny bit of your misery, I will climb into this armchair with you and lick your entire face, so that we can both be sick and miserable, not to mention sore from being stupid enough to spend the night in a bloody chair! Your choice!”

This actually made me laugh out loud, Zach definitely has a way of putting things.

Awww my angel

Found the Erasure line, love the use of it

[SpamKey]

And now all is right with the world! Awh, this part was so sweet, poor Elias can finally get the cuddling and caretaking he deserves! Wondrous as always, Juto, and fluffy and cute as promised!

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

Ahh…. This was infinitely better than the armchair.

YES! I think we can all agree this up date is infinitely better!

when you could have been warm and comfortable in our bed, wrapped in my arms

Aww...I'm with Elias; that was so sweet.

I don't about any Erasure lyric. The song running through my mind is Patsy Cline's Back in Baby's Arms. *Wanders off to make more popcorn humming, "How I missed those lovin' arms..."*

[Melody]

I am so in love with this little shift in power oh my god! Elias is just too cute and it was about TIME FOR THEM TO MAKE UP! As always your writing is so flawless Juto! This is definitely one of my all time favourite stories on the forum!

Edited February 6, 2016 by Melody

[Juto]

*runs at you with full speed as a zombie* I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Our bed!" Yes!!! Poor sick angel.....he's really sick..

Hehehe I've been waiting for that declaration myself it really is though!

“I swear on your boss, Elias, if you don't get up this minute and join me in our bed where I can hold you and cuddle you and nurse you and remove just a tiny bit of your misery, I will climb into this armchair with you and lick your entire face, so that we can both be sick and miserable, not to mention sore from being stupid enough to spend the night in a bloody chair! Your choice!”

This actually made me laugh out loud, Zach definitely has a way of putting things.

Awww my angel

Found the Erasure line, love the use of it

Hehe I love Zach's humour, even when he's angry.

Thank you for 'save me darling' I'll treasure it

And now all is right with the world! Awh, this part was so sweet, poor Elias can finally get the cuddling and caretaking he deserves! Wondrous as always, Juto, and fluffy and cute as promised!

Hahah when it comes to the Duchess of Fluff, enough is never enough! (It even rimes) so let's have some more...

Ahh…. This was infinitely better than the armchair.

YES! I think we can all agree this up date is infinitely better!

when you could have been warm and comfortable in our bed, wrapped in my arms

Aww...I'm with Elias; that was so sweet.

I don't about any Erasure lyric. The song running through my mind is Patsy Cline's Back in Baby's Arms. *Wanders off to make more popcorn humming, "How I missed those lovin' arms..."*

The Erasure line was when Zach said "this won't make the slightest, blindest bit of difference" it's from "save me darling"

I am so in love with this little shift in power oh my god! Elias is just too cute and it was about TIME FOR THEM TO MAKE UP! As always your writing is so flawless Juto! This is definitely one of my all time favourite stories on the forum!

Aww thank you. *BLF* hehe I like to give Zachariah the upper hand every once in a while, plus, whiny Elias is simply to adorable to skip over lightly

[Juto]

Oki, so this next part contains a few loooooooooooooong overdue requests by SpamKey *cough* Princess of Periphrasis *cough* and Rachiella *cough* Queen of Fluff *cough*... Sorry it took so long I hope you like it...

Part 65 - Award

Zachariah rolled his eyes as he tried to keep his patience. Nursing an angel was hard work. Nursing a SICK angel was even harder, and nursing a sick angel who didn't believe he was in need of any type of nursing was downright near impossible.

“For the last time, Elias! Open. Your. Mouth.” He held the thermometer at the ready. Gently nudging Elias’s tightly pressed lips.

The obviously still cold-ridden and sniffling angel finally relaxed his facial muscles and heaved a sigh.

“Zachariah.” He whined stubbornly, dragging out the last syllable in the name. “Please. I don't need all this nursing attention.”

“Elias.” His ward mockingly mimicked his whiny voice, making Elias pout sulkily, his wet and red-rimmed eyes heavy with exhaustion and lingering fever. “You do, so suck it up! If our roles were reversed-“

“But I’M the guardian, not the patient!”

Zachariah merely shook his head the way a parent to a stubborn child would. He bit back a giggle. His pouty and feverish angel was being impossibly stubborn, and so very, very endearing with his childlike appearance and that stubborn finger rubbing the underside of his cherry coloured nose.

“And I promise, you will go back to your ever-strong self in a few days, but for now, please.” He held out the thermometer and Elias reluctantly let it slide between his lips and under his tongue.

“Disch ischn’t nescheschawy, Zschachawiah,” Zach smiled at the way the thermometer blurred out his angel’s already congested voice. Oh boy! Heart-skip-alert.

“Stop whining, Elias.” The scolding came with a smile. “A few days in bed won't hurt you. Remember what you said to me last-… Elias?”

The angel’s face had gone blank and his eyes were turned towards the ceiling. As Zach watched Elias took a short intake of breath, then another, his head tilting further back with each, his eyes fluttering shut.

Zach giggled. “Feeling sneezy?” Elias merely held up a pausing finger as he tried to get his hitching breaths under control long enough for the thermometer to beep. He fought… And lost.

“H’aschiew!” The thermometer flew out of his mouth and landed on the floor with a soft “clink”

“See?” He said, running a finger under his nose as he blushed beyond the feverish tint. “The heavens agree with me, this isn't necessary.”

Zach made a face at him, bent to pick up the thermometer, ran it under the tap and placed it back in the angel’s mouth before he had time to argue. “Stop being so stubborn! And stop sneezing! I need to take your temperature.”

“Schowwy.” Elias smiled through his pout, thermometer sticking out of his mouth. “But why isch disch nescheschawy? It'sch not like you can give me fever reduscher anyway?”

Zach sent him a knowing look. “You of all people should know that a fever needs to be monitored.”

Elias sniffled, suddenly finding the woolly socks on his feet worthy of a second and more lingering glance. At long last, the thermometer beeped. Elias snatched it out before Zach could get near it. He kept the frown from his face as he read his temperature off the small screen before he quickly brought it under the tap to rinse it.

“Hey!” Zach objected. “What did it say?”

Elias shrugged indifferently, placing the thermometer back in the cupboard. “Wasn't high.”

“Elias!” Zach stood, arms crossed, about to lecture his angelical friend. “What did it say?”

The angel sighed dramatically. “99.5”

“Don't you dare lie to me, angel.”

Elias scowled at Zach's lecturing finger. “Fine! 100.2!”

“Elias!” Zach insistently held his ground still not convinced.

A miserable groan. “Alright! 101”

“Point. What.?” Zach was loosing his patience.

The angel hunched his shoulders and gave Zach a miserable look. “Point six.” He diverted his eyes, too ashamed to look his ward in the eye.

Zach softened at the sight of his sniffling and blushing angel. “It's not your fault Elias, you can't help it if you're sick. I don't blame you one bit. Come here.” Zach reached his arms out, ready to help Elias stand and support him back to bed. But Elias waved him away with a slack hand as he tilted his head back and to the side.

“He’tshuh! Hheh… Hechiew!” He groaned softly and blew his nose in the tissues Zach was handing him. “Please don't get too close, Zachariah. I would hate myself if you caught this.” Zachariah took a small step back, hovering nervously, arms at the ready as Elias got unsteadily to his feel.

“Why don't you wobble back to bed and I'll warm up some honeybrew for you?” He tried to keep worry out of his voice at the sight of his weakened guardian, but the stern edge in his concerned words still shone through. “I'm sorry, Elias, I didn't mean it like that.” He took a deep breath and looked his angel in the eyes. “Please get yourself safely back into bed and I'll be up in a few minutes.” He raised his eyebrows expectantly and received a small, exhausted yet hesitant nod in agreement.

~ ~ ~

Thermos of warm honeybrew in hand and a box of herbal cold relief Zachariah made his way back up the stairs. Upon entering his room he first glanced at the armchair in the corner where his sick guardian had spent a couple of nights during their argument about the state of his health. Zach was happy to find it empty, that meant Elias had to be in his…

He turned towards the bed, expecting to see Elias huddled under blankets. But the bed was empty.

Zach frowned and took a few steps back to check the hallway. Nothing.

“Elias?” Down the hall he could see the bathroom lights were switched off, so obviously he was no longer there. There was no answer. Unconsciously, Zach's head turned towards the ceiling, almost expecting to see a message from Elias’s boss about having to bring him home. But there was nothing. Zach started to worry. He put the thermos and the medicine on the bed and went to search for his sick angel.

~ ~ ~

10 minutes later he stood back in his room running his hands through his hair. He had searched the house, and there was no sign of Elias. He went back downstairs to check every room again.

“H’aschiew!”

Zach spun around. The sneeze had sounded muffled, yet close by. “Elias?” Could his guardian suddenly have become invisible again? Zach counted the graceless days on his fingers. No! It had only been 9 days. Tomorrow was his last day of visibility. Zach had kept track, wanting to soak up as much visible Elias as he possibly could. Besides, if his last graceless period was any indication, his illness would disappear the instant he was re-granted grace, and the sneezing along with it.

“Hhe.. Eh’schuh!-uhh! Snf!”

Zach looked at the floor. The sound had come from below him. Anger welled up in him as he realised Elias must have been stupid enough to escape to the basement, even defying a steep round stairwell to do so. He stomped noisily to the door in the kitchen leading to the basement.

“Please tell me not hiding down there?” He called down the stairs, shaking his head in disbelief as a pathetic sniffle forestalled the actual reply.

“I'm fine Zachariah. Just stay up there, I don't want you to catch this!”

Zach rolled his eyes dramatically, both pleased that Elias was still with him and still visible and very very displeased by his choice of hiding spot.

“You can not be serious about this, Elias.”

“Really Zachariah I'm fine. It's quite… Pleasant down here in fact. Please just stay up there.” The little pause in the angel’s sentence did not go unnoticed. Zach shook his head, completely ignoring his guardian’s request and started walking down the steep round stairwell.

“Okay now I KNOW you're delirious. Seriously Elias, with your fever you should definitely be up in-“ He came to an abrupt both vocal and physical holt. Five steps from the basement floor he could see his angel. His heart clenched.

Elias had positioned himself against the concrete wall, visibly shivering despite Zach's quilt draped around his shoulders. His cheeks were flushed with fever, his eyes exhausted, his entire appearance spent in ways Zach couldn't possibly describe. The way he had pulled his knees up to his chest and was hugging them in a poor attempt to keep his shivers at bay made Zach jump the last five steps and hurry to his side.

“Ahh angel.” Elias weakly held up his arms to prevent Zachariah from touching him but the ward merely nudged them aside, crouched down and took his guardian's hot face in his hands. For a brief second, Zach started to lean in, wanting nothing more than to comfort his sick angel with a kiss but thought the better of it in the last second, pulling back to see Elias’s stunned expression.

By the look of it, a kiss, even a comforting and tender one, would not have been welcomed.

Zach opted for leaning his head against Elias’s hearing the angel’s whimpered protest.

“You do realise that you've already spent last night in my arms?” Elias hesitantly nodded against him. “How did that feel compared to this charming sanctuary of neglect and...” Zach sniffled once and wiggled his nose. “Mould?”

Elias groaned, pulling back from him. “I shouldn't, Zachariah. I'd never forgive myself if I got you sick. I'll be re-granted grace again tomorrow at midnight, until then…” He gave Zach a feeble shove away from him, but Zach persisted, cupping both hands on Elias’s burning cheeks. He pulled all the scolding he could possible muster into the look he gave his angel.

“Elias Luca Fitzwilliam! If you think I'm going to let you wallow in guilt and self-loathing down here for any longer than it takes to haul your angelical butt back to bed, you couldn't be more wrong.”

Seizing his arms, Zach stood and pulled Elias to his feet, supporting his weight as the dizzy angel recovered his footing. The muffled protests were drowned in dizzy spells and Zach kept a firm grasp around his friend’s chest as he helped him, one unsteady step at the time, climb the steep round stairwell.

~ ~ ~

Back up in their bed, Zach found himself rolling his eyes once more at his guardian.

“You can't possibly be comfortable like that!” Zachariah scowled questioningly at his curled up angel whose head was nestled next to Zach's hip, face turned as far away from Zach as possible. Zachariah had kindly requested and had been granted permission, to stroke Elias’s back, provided that he made good use of a sanitiser afterwards.

“I'm as fine as can be expected, Zachariah. You're still fortunate enough to have escaped this and by getting too close to you I would be tempting fate. I'm staying right here.”

“Elias?”

“Hmm?”

“…”

“What is it?”

“Wait… for… it.”

“Wait for what?”

“…”

“Zachariah…?”

“… Hhh…”

“Oh no!”

“Hhn… Ha’Atschtju!”

Elias raised his head, his eyes pleadingly asking the question he feared the answer to. He whimpered dejectedly before he spoke his thought. “Did I get you sick?” The smile that spread across Zach's face was endearing, beautiful, albeit… With a slight likeness to that of a crazy person.

“You must certainly did!”

Elias lowered his head in shameful defeat. The award for worst possible guardian in the entire universe was once again presented to him. He buried his head in his hands and let out a distressed groan.

Zachariah scooted down and gently kissed his hair, removing his hands from in front of his face.

“Don't be like that, angel, it was inevitable, and now, at least, you won't have to worry.”

Elias raised his head and met Zach's eyes. The angel scrutinised his ward's face. There was no trace of redness, no squinting of the brow to indicate soreness of congestion, no feverish glaze in his eyes. Could it be that Zach had merely succumbed to a random sneeze? Maybe if Elias was lucky, his ward wasn't really-…?

Before he could finish his mental expression of hope, Zachariah abruptly turned his head to the side and brought up his elbow to loosely cover his mouth.

“H’atschjuh! Atschoo! Snf!”

.. But this was Zachariah, after all! Foolish hope!

Curses!

~ ~ ~

“I feel fi-hhh-fine… Ah’tschuh! Snf! Excuse me.” Zach wiggled the edge of his nose with a couple of fingers, Elias was surprised not to hear the squelching sound of shifting congestion.

“Your nose disagrees. Now open up.”

Zach opened his mouth with an eye roll allowing Elias to nudge the thermometer in place under his tongue.

While waiting for the thermometer to beep Elias kept his hands busy searching Zach's face for signs of congestion, frowning as he didn't find any. “Huh, maybe you're actually not-“ he cut himself short as he noticed Zach's facial expression. The ward had scrunched up his face, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers, but it didn't help the small hitches in his breath.

Elias quickly placed his forefinger under Zach's nose, hoping it would help his ward keep the itch in place until the thermometer beeped. Zach hitched once, and then again, wiping a few irritated tears from his eyes but the itch seemed to abate and Zach let out a relieved sigh. Elias removed his finger with a content smile and continued his search for symptoms.

“Uhh, thanksch. I schould have thought of that earlier when you-“ he stopped abruptly, hitching once and…

“Ah’tschju!”

The thermometer dropped to the floor and Zach blushed, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand.

“I'm so sorry, that one really snug up on me.”

Elias smiled at Zach's adorable embarrassment. “Bless you.” Elias picked up the thermometer and rinsed it before putting it back in his mouth. He sat down on the edge of the bathtub next to Zach and brought his arm up to nuzzle his neck. The smitten angel did his best not to physically melt on the spot as a still blushing Zach leaned into his shoulder and muttered a barely audible “mm feelsch nische” while his teeth were still holding the thermometer in place.

“Hmm, you don't feel feverish.” Elias twisted on the edge of the bathtub to look Zach in the eyes.

“Be truthful now, how do you feel?” As if on cue, the thermometer beeped and Elias removed it sighing contently at his ward's lack of a fever.

“I'm fine, angel.” He flashed him a true Zachariahn smile. “Tired from a long and frankly quite exhausting week.” Elias could hardly disagree with that. “But apart from that, I feel fine.”

Elias smiled back suddenly remembering something very particular about tomorrow. He hadn't given a thought to it since becoming graceless, but seeing that he was still visible and clearly on the mend. Hmm, and Zachariah didn't seem to have caught his cold, maybe, just maybe, it would actually be possible…?

“Zachariah, you, uhm,” Elias hoped his insecurity wasn't showing. “You don't have any plans tomorrow after school, do you?”

“No, why?”

“No reason.”

“…?”

TBC…

[Nervous-Bean]

EEEEEEE that little bit about the thermometer and his voice killed my insides!!!!!

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

Seriously for me right now Elias is rivaling Fessor in who is FRAKING CUTER when sick. I can't take it. As much as I adore sick!Elias I'm glad it's only once in a while since I'd be a puddle of goo on the floor if it were all the time.

[Arty]

That cliff hanger!!! *explodes in a pile of bones* but those angel sneezes. Whew boy!!

Edited February 10, 2016 by Artygirl22

[Coffee Chicken Barista]

AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, got that out of the way....YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL! AND WONDERFUL!

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

I have to agree with the above comments. That was a charming up date. The thermometer bits were my favorite; really, really cute. Zach as caregiver was adorable. I can't wait to read the next one!

[SpamKey]

AHHH YOU DID THE THING YOU DID THE THING!!!!! Awh Juto this might've been my favorite part yet! Elias hiding in the basement so adorable!!! And mildly heartbreaking but STILL SO ADORABLE!!!!

[Juto]

On 10/2/2016 at 9:28 PM, GeniusArtStuff said:

EEEEEEE that little bit about the thermometer and his voice killed my insides!!!!!

hehehe im glad you liked it. i found it quite adorable myself.

On 10/2/2016 at 10:00 PM, kaze wo hiku said:

Seriously for me right now Elias is rivaling Fessor in who is FRAKING CUTER when sick. I can't take it. As much as I adore sick!Elias I'm glad it's only once in a while since I'd be a puddle of goo on the floor if it were all the time.

wow!! that's a huuuuuuuuuuge compliment thank you!! BLF

On 10/2/2016 at 0:44 AM, Artygirl22 said:

That cliff hanger!!! *explodes in a pile of bones* but those angel sneezes. Whew boy!!

hehe cliffhanger? Really? Well, lets see what he's up to...

On 11/2/2016 at 11:23 AM, Rachiella44 said:

AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, got that out of the way....YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS WAS SO BEAUTIFUL! AND WONDERFUL!

Dawwwwwww I'm so glad you liked it!!

On 11/2/2016 at 1:28 PM, Seeking Clarity + Wisdom said:

I have to agree with the above comments. That was a charming up date. The thermometer bits were my favorite; really, really cute. Zach as caregiver was adorable. I can't wait to read the next one!

Aww thanks. I really like caregiver Zach... Hmm... maybe i should bring him back...?

On 11/2/2016 at 5:18 PM, SpamKey said:

AHHH YOU DID THE THING YOU DID THE THING!!!!! Awh Juto this might've been my favorite part yet! Elias hiding in the basement so adorable!!! And mildly heartbreaking but STILL SO ADORABLE!!!!

hehehe i did do the thing!! I'm glad you liked it

[Juto]

Here's the next part Approved by royalty and everything.

 

As always, I adore comments thank you all so much for reading

 

Here's hoping the new forum update won't screw with the formatting. *cringes internally at old posts with ruined formatting and line spacing*

 

Part 66  – Preparations

 

Elias placed his hands on the table in front of Zachariah as the ward took another casual bite of his morning bagel. Luckily, Zach had showed no sign other than a few sneezes of having caught Elias’s cold and was therefor (after a small debate) approved for school.

 

“One more time, Zachariah.” Zach rolled his eyes but finished chewing and focused on Elias. The angel demanded deep concentration evident by the widening of his eyes. Zach suppressed a giggle. “If they ask “oh, whatever happened to that deliciously good looking boyfriend of yours? Is he okay?”,” Zach laughed at Elias’s mocking imitation of a concerned school girl. “You will say...?” Elias trailed off, raising his voice to a question as he gestured for Zach to answer.

 

Zach merely shrugged, still smiling. “I'll probably go, “who? Oh that graceless stalker who’s been following me around? Hmm… Yeah, that idiot got what was coming to him”.” The smile was replaced by a displeased frown.

 

Elias looked down and started fidgeting with his hands on the table, sniffling softly. “I did say I was sorry.”

 

“You did, and you're still sick, so I won't be mad at you. But promise me you'll take care of yourself today?” Zach pleaded with his angel. “Stay in bed, keep warm and drink plenty of fluids. For me. Please.”

 

Elias looked at him, rubbing a finger under his nose. “You would make a fine nurse, Zachariah.”

 

Zach smiled, got up and brushed his lips to the angel’s forehead, feeling the warm remnants of a small fever. He pulled back with a sigh and looked at Elias. “I learned from the best.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

The farewell hug by the front door had them both lingering in each other's arms until Elias finally pulled away, rubbing the back of his hand against his nose.

 

“See you after school. Text me at lunch?”

 

“You bet.” Zach smiled, wiggling his own nose from side to side.

 

The second the door was closed behind Zach, Elias brought his wrist up to press against his nose.

 

“He’mptcheww!... H’etschieww! Snf! Hh… Eschew!”

 

Ahh what a relief. He had been holding them in all morning not to worry Zachariah. He was feeling better though. His fever was almost gone, and standing up didn't make him dizzy anymore. Perfect! He drummed his fingers against each other in excitement. He had some important stuff to arrange before tonight, and now that Zachariah was in school he would be able to keep it all a secret and enjoy the look on his ward’s face when he figured it out.

 

The angel sighed happily. One year. The first of many.

 

~ ~ ~

 

“Ah'tschjuh! T’chjuh! Ah’tschoo!... Ugh!”

 

On the other side of the door Zach straightened and rubbed his nose, recovering from his own small fit. Thank god he had been able to hold them in or Elias would probably have thrown a tantrum of angelical standard. Zach sniffled and rubbed his eyes. Much to his dismay he was beginning to feel the settling of congestion and the throbbing headache that normally foreshadowed a fever but he shook it off. He was fine and he was going to school.

 

Once he arrived at school Zach was immensely glad that he and Elias had prepared answers and explanations over breakfast. He decided to stick to the ones they had agreed one, leaving out tales of graceless stalkers.

 

“Yes, my boyfriend is fine.”

 

“No, it wasn't serious he was “just” dehydrated.”

 

“No, he’s not a teacher at the school… Anymore.”

 

“What!? No, of course he’s not made up.”

 

“Yes, I'm pretty sure he's gay.”

 

“Oh, God, YES!”

 

Shocked, Zach clasped his hands over his mouth and stared accusingly at the older boy next to him. “Simon!” He scolded!

Zach’s mind had run on autopilot since being attacked with questions as soon as he entered the school grounds, so when Simon had asked if Elias was a good kisser his response had been just as auto generated as the rest, albeit with a little more truth behind it.

 

His friend started laughing, holding up his hands in defence. “Sorry, Zach, I couldn’t help it.”

 

Zach side-eyed him and shoved him playfully. “Don't even…”

 

Simon laughed again, shoving back before his face turned serious. “Honestly Zach, is he okay?”

 

Zach started to nod but had to duck sideways as his nose suddenly acted up.

 

“Ahh… Ah’tschjuh! Hh… Ahh’tchuh!”

 

Simon eyed him suspiciously. “Are YOU okay?”

 

Zach sniffled and ran a finger under his nose. “I'm fine.” He cleared his throat against the sudden rawness he felt. Dammit! Elias would guilt-trip to no end now. He glanced back up at Simon.

 

His friend raised his eyebrows, giving Zach an unsure look. Clearly the older boy wasn't fooled. “He's gonna hate himself for getting you sick isn't he?” He raised his hand as if to run it through Zach’s hair, but seemed to change course and instead fished a small packet out of his bag.

 

Zach rested his head in his hands on his table, eyeing the two painkillers Simon pushed towards him. He let out a groan, gratefully accepting the medical cover-up. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

“L-last… Hh… One…Hh… Ah’tschoo!-uhh!”

 

Zach blew his nose, stuffed the tissue in his pocket and took a deep breath before entering his front door. Truthfully, after a long day of stifling his sneezes during class he was looking forward to an evening curled up in Elias’s arms feeling pathetic but happy. However, that scenario deleted itself as Zach came through the door and saw Elias waiting for him. His jaw dropped.

 

His guardian was standing in the hallway looking like a model in dark jeans, a deep purple shirt and a black vest. His unruly hair was combed, a look Zach had never seen before, but still arranged in a stylish, messy fashion and the only signs that he had spent the last few days in bed was his still flushed cheeks and slightly reddened nose.

 

Zach drew his eyebrows together in surprise doing his best to deny the increased flutter in his heart rhythm. “Elias? What is… What… Huh?”

The angel merely smiled at his ward’s perplexed questions and walked closer. He brought his hand up, sliding Zach's bag off his shoulder and started to remove his coat.

 

“We still have time. If you want, you can take a quick shower before we leave.” His smile widened, eyes shining bright with excitement.

 

“Wha- leave? Where are we going?” Zach let his guardian slide the coat off his shoulders and hang it neatly in the hall closet.

 

“You’ll see.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

Fresh out of the shower, his hair still in thick towel dried curls Zach watched his model of an angel lounge on the bed as he did the buttons up on his black shirt with red stitching.

 

“You still won't tell me where we're going?” He looked at Elias’s reflection in the mirror

 

Elias smirked. “That would ruin the surprise wouldn't it?”

 

Zach started to roll his eyes, doing the last button up, but had to turn his head to the side as the persistent tickle that had been bugging him all day suddenly flared up again. He felt the gentle pressure of tissues being placed in his hand and he brought them up to cover his nose.

 

“H’atschuh! Snf! Hh… H’atschjuh!” Dammit!

 

Elias’s arms wrapped him from behind, one hand resting on his forehead.

 

“Are you still feeling okay?” Zach refrained from rolling his eyes at his overprotective guardian. “Did you fall ill during school?” Elias slowly ran his hand through Zach's wet hair, a seemingly comforting gesture to the observant lurker, but Zach knew perfectly well his guardian was looking for any kinds of hidden tension that could point towards congestion. He held his breath hoping the paracetamols Simon had given him in school had worked.

 

“Elias, I feel fine.” He smiled, resisting the urge to sniffle, knowing even the slightest congested sound would probably ruin whatever exciting plans Elias had for them. To his great joy Elias seemed to drop the matter and return his focus to their engagement.

 

“Bless you then, hurry up. Reservation’s at 6.”

 

Reservations? What?

 

“Elias, where are we going?” Zach demanded with a smile folding his arms across his chest.

 

“The Professor’s Study.” Came the beaming answer as the guardian held out his coat for him.

 

TBC…

[Hedgehog]

Aw, it was inevitable, I guess... Poor Zach... And poor Elias as well as he will hate himself (as Simon already guessed).

[SpamKey]

You already know my thoughts on this full well  But allow me to reiterate just how perfect I find this! Poor Zach is trying so hard

[Arty]

Awww. Poor thing....oh Zach, Elias is gonna find out. 

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

I do remember this but I don't remember

 

"The Professor’s Study.” Came the beaming answer as the guardian held out his coat for him."

 

HEHE!!

 

Ah well Elias isn't going to be happy but he should expect it.