Guardian Angel (original fiction, M/M)

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

This was so sweet. Elias gave the best presents and I love how supportive he was of Zachariah's travel plans, with caveats of course! Up date when you can! We'll be here waiting!

[Juto]

This was so sweet. Elias gave the best presents and I love how supportive he was of Zachariah's travel plans, with caveats of course! Up date when you can! We'll be here waiting!

Hehe With caveats of course!! As is so Elias!! I'm glad you're still enjoying these. Your support is much appreciated! Thank you!

[Juto]

As promised, here is the direct continuation of "Birthday"! It's a silly little thing! Please forgive a grown-ups attempt to sound hip and urban

Thanks again to all you amazing readers out there. I truly hope you are still enjoying the stories! Feedback is always appreciated!

And a special thank you to all you lovely forum members who DO comment! My heart grows an inch with each comment and it fuels my creativity. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!!! I hope you enjoy !

Part 41 - Phone

“Iiihhhh… And what do you call these cute little faces?”

Zach reluctantly tore his eyes away from the screen just as Luke Skywalker’s biological parent was about to reveal himself. He couldn't help it though, Elias’s obvious, childlike joy aimed at the new gadget in his hands was endearing.

“Those would be smileys, or emoticons for a broader definition.”

“And I can use these in stead of words to confer an emotion or a gesture?”

Zach heaved an amused sigh, both amazed at his guardian's obvious enthusiasm regarding Zach's old phone that was now his and slightly bothered at having to explain all the features of a simple mobile phone to an absolute newbie from World War Two. “Y-yeah… Hhh…”. He turned his head slightly to the side, away from Elias as the tickle resumed its minor assault on his nose.

“Hmp’schew! Snf! Excuse me.”

Zach sat back up, composing himself and reached for a tissue as he wondered why Elias hadn't blessed him. Not that Zach would ever demand a blessing, but it was so unlike Elias not to provide one. The minutes stretched on and Zach was once again absorbed in the movie. Then…

“Oh, come on! This thing doesn't have a ‘bless you’-face-thingy?”

Zach could not prevent the amused laugh that escaped him. All this time, looking for a damn smiley! What a nerd!

“There are so many… What did you call them? E-mo-ti-cons? Emoticons on here… Like when would I ever use this? Or this? Or even this? And for the love of the Gods, when would I ever use this? And if I ever see this I don't know what I would do, and if I ever had to use this my life would officially be over too. But how can there not be a ’bless you’-thingy? Can I use this in a supportive and affectionate gesture when you sneeze ?”

Zach had received the emoticons by text as Elias had typed them in and had to bury his face in his hands, unable to hide his obvious amusement no longer. “Whatever Elias! Or you could just say it, or not, whatever's fine!”

“Zachariah!” Elias’s voice was stern, scoldingly dragging out the pronunciation of his name , but nonetheless dripping with barely concealed amusement, obviously reacting to Zach's own poorly contained giggles. “I will ALWAYS bless you! No matter how challenging you make it for me!”

A smug expression flickered across Zach's face as the word “challenging” took hold of his thoughts.

“You want a challenge, old man? I'll give you a challenge!” He picked up his phone, typed in as many publicly-approved acronyms as he could remember and sent it to Elias.

~WTF dewd? This is AGWOT! GAFYK & LIT. I'm LMAO! YSAN! I NSTLC, ASAMOF, ASAP, PLZ. WIU, I'm YY4U AIH. ADBB.

XO Zachariah.

P.S. SCNR. TNTL.~

“Wha-… What is this? What does it mean, Zachariah?”

“You figure it out, newbie! I'm gonna follow Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford in their fight against the empire.” He gave his nose a quick but ineffective rub as he felt the cold remnants teasing his nasal passages again. The tickle grew too quickly, not even allowing him time to locate the tissue box before his hands went up to pinch his nose. Why did he even worry? Of course a tissue was already being held there.

“He’mtschju! Hh…H’atschju! Snf! Thank you.”

Zach's own hands took over the tissues just as his phone beeped.

~~

Zach smiled again, shaking his head from side to side in amusement. He felt Elias shift at his side, taking his phone out of his hands and put it on the table.

“Nah, it's not nearly as satisfactory as this!” A second later. Zach was engulfed in the warm embrace of his guardian, a few fingers playing with the curls at his neck while warm lips were brushed against his temple. “Bless you Zachariah. Fine I'll GAFYK & LIT!”

Both boys chuckled as Elias pulled Zach against him, leaning back on the sofa to resume the movie adding a little TLC for good measure, as requested.

~~~

After having properly tucked his ward into bed that night, Elias took his place beside him, curled up against Zachariah, letting his own body heat keep Zach's more-present-than-absent night time shivers at bay. One glance across Zach's body, towards the window made Elias’s eyes lock on his own. Piercing sapphires to blazing greys as his picture starred back at him from its place on Zach’s night stand. The angel clicked his tongue, sending his still self a smirk as he gestured towards Zachariah's sleeping form.

“You watch him from that side, I'll watch him from here. This kid needs a 24/7 surveillance!” The soldier just stared back at him, eyes alert and and watchful.

“Roger that. At ease, soldier.” He saluted the soldier before he nestled himself behind Zachariah, wrapping one arm protectively (affectionately was really the word here, but sure, Elias, let's go with ‘protectively’) around Zach's waist, allowing himself to feel his ward’s deep breaths from underneath the duvet. He reached in his back pocket, pulling out a note that he had received from Raphael a few days after he had made his initial request for a Zachariahn back up plan.

“Your request is at your disposal as soon as you need it. You are absolutely right. A backup plan is necessary in this case. Let us hope that Zachariah’s parents can safely manoeuvre the illegal path without getting caught or involve Zachariah in their dealings for one more year. As soon as Zachariah turns 18 he is within his own legal right, until then, the item in question is in your name. Did he suspect anything when you gave him the keychain?

Keep up the good work, Elias.

-Raphael, Patron God of health and protection.”

Elias nodded satisfied at the note. The backup plan was in motion, no matter how foolish Zachariah’s parents acted or how dangerous their dealings were, his beloved Zachariah would be safe! The guardian relaxed, mesmerised by the slow and hypnotic breathing of the young man in his arms and he allowed himself a rare moment of worry-free happiness.

----—------------------------

Author’s note:

If anyone like me have also applied for a room at the local senior centre when it comes to IT and consequently web language, here's the translation. If any of you streetwise readers caught it, Kudos!!

“What the fuck, dude? This is a glorified waste if time. Get away from your keyboard and let it go. I am laughing my ass off. You are such a nerd. I need some tender loving care as a matter of fact, as soon as possible, please. Wrap it up, I'm too wise for you as it happens. All done bye bye.

Hugs and kisses, Zachariah.

Post scripture. Sorry, I could not resist. Trying not to laugh.”

All hail the mighty netlingo.com at http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php

[Arty]

Oh good this zombie needed that translation. If you hear zombie squealing....

it's So Not ME.

Edited August 23, 2015 by Artygirl22

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

This old lady needed a translation too. LOL, that was a funny one. I loved all the emoticons and Elias is right. Where is the "bless you" emoticon? It would be the perfect thing to have when a friend sneezes in class or church or some such place and you can't easily bless them. Who's in charge of emoticon design?

Can't wait to find out about the back up plan.

[Juto]

Oh good this zombie needed that translation. If you hear zombie squealing....

it's So Not ME.

Hahahaha I LOVE zombie arty!! (It took me like an hour to write that stupid thing I should just stay at the retirement home!).

This old lady needed a translation too. LOL, that was a funny one. I loved all the emoticons and Elias is right. Where is the "bless you" emoticon? It would be the perfect thing to have when a friend sneezes in class or church or some such place and you can't easily bless them. Who's in charge of emoticon design?

Can't wait to find out about the back up plan.

Hahaha sad thing is though, it's right here as : blessyou : but I didn't want to change the drabble, haha, so here's to pretending

Uhh.... It might be a while with that backup plan! I'm just planting seeds

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

Well, that emoticon is not on my phone, so... your drabble still makes perfect sense to me.

[Juto]

Well, that emoticon is not on my phone, so... your drabble still makes perfect sense to me.

YAY!!! So... Uhh... Forget what I said...

*inserts Madagascan penguins* " you didn't see anything"!

[Juto]

Hello again all you amazing people who click in to read my fluffy weirdness :-D

I have a new little part for you. It is a two part story again, and here's the first one.

Thank you thank you thank you to all of you who leave me a comment. I love to read what you think. To all you other readers, thanks for tuning in, I hope you're enjoying my boy and his guardian.

I would like to dedicate this 2 part to the amazingly talented Artygirl whose skill and love of art inspired this drabble. Thanks hon, you're a gem!!

Enough talk... Here it is... Part 2 will be up some time tomorrow (I think - I hope). Enjoy!

Part 42 - Art

Zach’s phone beeped and he glanced at the screen.

~What did professor Art-is-my-life say to you?~

Zach shot a glance at his friends sitting with him at the lunch table at school. No one was looking at him so he typed a quick answer back to his invisible guardian.

~Too much absence. Extra assignment this afternoon or I fail his class. Assignment waiting for me in the art gallery after school.~

Zach shuddered. He hated art class. He'd only signed up in the hopes that learning art would help him understand the romantic period and its literature better. but he had no such luck. He couldn't draw to safe his life and he always seemed to get more paint smeared on his clothes than on the canvas! But he couldn't deny that he had been off sick too much this semester and this was the penalty. He sighed. This assignment could not have come at a more inconvenient time. He felt like he hadn't had a good night’s sleep in days, his body was exhausted and his muscles sore, not to mention, his nose had been bothering him most of the day. He rubbed at it lightly with the back of his hand, hoping to quench the luring tickle. He failed miserably and reached for a tissue in his pocket, sending a mental ‘thank you’ to his guardian who put it there before he turned his head away from the table.

“Hm’Ptsch! Hn’gkt!”

His phone beeped again as he wiped his nose. He discarded the crumpled tissue on the table and picked up his phone again.

~Bless you. Want me to go home and get started on dinner so you can eat early and go to bed? Your parents won't be home until tomorrow, anyway. You do look really tired. Think you might be coming down with something?~

Zach considered that possibility. It was by no means unlikely, but he absolutely refused to acknowledge it.

~Just tired. Don't worry about dinner, toast is fine.~

~Zachariah, you need more nutrition than what simple wheat toast can provide. IF you are coming down with something you need to stock up on vitamins. I'll go home and start dinner and then I'll come for you. Okay?~

Fine, Zach thought to himself as he typed an appropriate response. Elias, the eternal mother hen! He pressed send.

~*thumbs up*~

~~~

The rest of the day Elias kept a close watch. Zach seemed to slouch more and more in his seat through the rest of his classes. He had been rather restless in his sleep the last couple of days and the angel had been beating himself up about the possible cause, coming up empty. But now, seeing his ward occasionally let out tiny muffled coughs and fidgeting with the bridge of his nose, Elias suspected a brewing cold, maybe even something worse. As much as he hated to leave Zach on his own during the art torture, he wanted to prepare a pre-illness-Zacharian-feast to give his ward a fighting chance against the lurking army of bacteria threatening his weakened immune system.

Towards the end of the final class of the day, Zach was sitting in the back of the classroom, alone at the table. Elias crouched down and dared a comforting hug from behind, growing slightly worried as Zach leaned his head back to rest against him. Despite his worry, Elias still relished the fact that Zachariah never shied away from his touches, quite the contrary in fact. He turned his full attention to Zach's face as the younger man brought a hand up to pinch his nose, letting out an almost silent and rather exhausted groan. Elias smiled in sympathy, knowing full well that his ward’s attempt to hold back the sneeze would fail. He also knew how much Zach hated sneezing in public, especially if he was interrupting someone and bringing attention to himself. Elias pulled out a fresh tissue and glanced around, making sure no one’s attention was turned towards his ward as he curled it around Zach's nostrils beneath his fingers.

He moved his mouth closer to Zachariah's ear and whispered with a smile. “I'm giving you full permission to stifle Zachariah.” Hoping that his ward could hear the irony in his “permission”, adding in sympathy for good measure: “I know how much you hate this.”

Zach let out a small huff of air as his lips turned up into a smile beneath the tissue. One almost silent catch of this breath. Then another. Then…

“Hm’mpt!” One quick expel of excess air before another “Hm’mpt! Snf!” Zach glanced nervously up at his teacher, but the old professor continued his monologue about ancient runes, uninterrupted.

“Bless you. Need another tissue?” He added as Zach sniffled again, this time sounding more liquid. “Sure you're okay?” A small nod of Zach's head as the younger man tended to his runny nose. “I could stay with you if you prefer?” A small shake of curls.

“Fine, I'll just stay like this for the rest of the class, letting all my angelical art skills immigrate to your body.” A smile, and not just any smile, a genuine Zachariahn smile. The kind of smile that could resurrect and melt a dead heart. Zach picked up his note pad and held it in a way to let Elias see what he penned.

~Much appreciated.~

Elias tightened his hug, placing a glowing finger gently on Zach's stomach as he felt a slight tremor run through his ward.

“Hey, are you cold?”

Zach put pen to paper in his lap again.

~Just a shiver. Fine!~

Despite his words, Zach took hold of Elias’s hand and brought it to his chest, indicating a different place in need of warmth. Elias brought his other hand with already glowing, warm fingertips through the back of Zach's chair to rest at his lower back. He didn't say anything, but he felt the warm fire spread to his own body as Zach closed his eyes and let out a small appreciative sigh.

Elias frowned in worry. His poor ward looked like he could easily fall asleep right in his chair.

The class ended and Elias had to gently poke Zachariah before the ward realised it was over and started collecting his books and notes and stuffing them clumsily into his bag.

Looking at his ward with concern, Elias took his phone and send a quick text to Zach.

~You are dead on your feet. Art, dinner, then straight to bed, mister!~

Zach glanced at his own phone, nodding his head in response as he finished gathering his things. Elias gently squeezed his shoulders and brushed Zach's curly crown with his lips before his ward set off towards the art gallery and the angel set off home.

~

Once at the house, Elias sat to work, double checking that Zach's top shelf in his closet –the Guardian’s secret stock – was filled to the brim with tissues, cold meds, cough drops, mint rub and decongestant spray. He chopped vegetables and chicken and mixed them with herbs and flour in a pot, making enough chicken broth to last a few days in the fridge, in case Zach's throat got sore.

Then, he gathered all of Zach's favourite I'm-sick-and-miserable clothes and threw them in the washer. Lastly, he swiftly dusted and vacuumed the house, not wanting to let an excess of dust be a nuisance to Zach's sinuses.

With his angelic speed, the whole process of pre-illness-prep had taken him less than 30 minutes.

He grabbed a warm sweater for Zachariah's walk home before he left the house to collect his tired and art-hating ward.

-TBC

Edited September 6, 2017 by Juto

[Arty]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee.... *zombie blush* thanks for the, shout out.

[Juto]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee.... *zombie blush* thanks for the, shout out.

[Juto]

Here's part 2, titled "Van Gogh".

I know absolutely nothing about painting, but I did a paper on Van Gogh once, but if I get any terms or techniques wrong, please don't hate me!

I hope you like it.

Part 43 - Van Gogh

The school grounds were completely deserted, the parking lot empty, the canteen, the halls and the classrooms he passed, all silent except from the cleaning crew that had set to work after the students had left. The angel agilely moved between cleaners, brooms and bins and made his way towards the art gallery at the lower level.

As he got within hearing distance of the gallery, he could make out the distinct sound of muffled sneezes. He sped up and made it to the door in less than a second, his eyes widening as he rushed towards a hunched over Zachariah sneezing helplessly into his sleeve.

"Hngkt! Hh...Hmptsch! Ha... Hatischo! Ohh Hh...Hmptschju!"

The guardians hand flew to his wards forehead as the other hand fished up a travel pack of tissues, opened it, took one out and gently nudged it between Zach's nose and his sleeve in between sneezes.

Zach felt warm, but Elias couldn't determine whether it was a fever warmth or a exercise warmth. Zach did look like he had been sneezing quite a lot already. Elias settled himself against Zachariah, supporting his upper body with his arms as he cooed soft blessings in his ear while the younger man finished his fit with 3 ticklish sounding and strong sneezes.

"Haa... Haatscju! Snf! Epschu! HhHatishju!! Ugh! I HATE art, I HATE painting and I HA-HATE Hh.. Haischoo! Snf! Those stupid flowers!"

Flowers? Elias examined Zach's painting for the first time, seeing the unfinished mass of yellow and brown and green. He had to give it to Zach's art teacher; the kid was absolute rubbish! What Zachariah had managed to paint on the canvas, a toddler could have painted with his hands.

Elias peeked around the stand as he still supported a sniffling and by now extremely worn out artist-not-to-be! In the centre of the room on a small oval table stood a vase holding 3 large and perfectly blooming sunflowers and a small note.

Mr. Benedict,

As your assignment, please paint these in the style of Van Gogh as described in your Journey of the Arts book, chapter 9 and leave the finished painting on my desk.

Anger on his ward's behalf welled up in the guardian. He turned his attention back to the slightly panting and dizzy ward beside him.

"This is simply preposterous! Your teacher knows you're allergic and yet he gives you this assignment?! I'm going to write to the school board. Have you been in here the entire time I've been gone?"

Zach drew a large intake of breath to calm himself down after his fit and Elias heard the distinct sound of a wheeze in Zach's exhale. That pretty much answered his question! His ward had been in the room long enough for his allergies to cause a tightening of his airways.

He released Zach, testing his ward could support himself before he got up to remove the offending flowers and open the windows. As he moved closer to the vase, he noticed something odd. The flowerss pedals and leaves didn't reflect the light in the room the way flowers normally would. Elias reached out a grabbed a stem, quickly blowing the flowerss cover. He turned back towards Zach who was still sitting, sniffling and quietly stifling a few sneezes into his tissue. Elias tried to hide his amusement as he confronted Zachariah.

"So these flowers have been igniting your allergies? He took one of the flowers from the vase and moved back towards Zach who eyed the floating flora suspiciously before reburying his face in the tissue."

"Hmptschu! Y-yes! Haischu!"

"And you don't feel just a little bit sick? No fever? No cough? No nothing?"

"J-hust... Hh... Just allergies Hnngtch!"

"Towards these PLASTIC sunflowers?"

Elias was close enough now to reach his arm out and boop Zach's nose with the plastic flower, adding the sound himself for good measure. Zach looked stunned, surprised and then guilt crossed his features and clouded his eyes. Elias suspected that Zach had felt the brewing of something non-allergic all day, but he was clearly in a denying mood. The guardian returned the flower to the vase and wrapped his arm around Zach's shoulder. "Come on sneezy boy, let's get you home. I've prepared a special Zachariahn feast, just for you."

"No wait!" Zach stood his ground, feet firmly planted on the floor. "I have to finish this or I will fail this class."

Elias eyed the painting, making a quick decision. "You're right, let's finish it then."

"B-but I What... you?"

"I'll do the tutoring, you'll do the painting, with my help."

Elias quickly readied a new canvas and squirted out the necessary colours on the palette before he pulled Zach against him in front of the soon-to-be-painting-in-the-style-of-Van-Gogh.

"Hold the palette like this. That's right, and the brush like this."

Elias took a firm hold of Zach's hand holding the brush, guiding it down to mix the light and dark yellow colours and bringing it back up to the canvas.

"Now, for his sunflower pantings, Van Gogh used a thick layer of paint and a thin brush. Don't use the same brush strokes as you would if you were painting your room, think of it as applying brush-shaped dots. Like this." Elias guided Zach's hand, turning the brush to apply colour using the flat side against the canvas. Elias marvelled at Zach's astounded expression as their carefully applied dots started to portrait the flowers in the vase in front of them.

Elias noticed how Zach's body grew suddenly tense and his breathing became shallow. He tried to hold back a smile as he pulled a tissue from his pocket, ready to assist his soon-to-be-paint-smeared-unless-action-was-taken-ward.

"The trick is Zachariah Elias said as he twisted his ward's body away from the canvas, bringing the tissue up to cup Zach's nose and mouth whilst Zach own hands were still full of palette and brush. Not to sneeze and paint at the same time."

"Ahhahitschoo! Heh... Heichoo!"

"Bless you. One more?"

Zach nodded through the tissue, eyes still closed, head slightly inclined, frozen in ticklish anticipation.

"Ha Haischu! Snf! Sorry. Thanks. I'm done now. Snf! Damn plastic flowers!" He managed with a tired smile, his nose a darker shade of pink than it had been moments before.

"Bless you, silly!" Elias chuckled. Moving on.

Dots turned to pedals and pedals turned to flowers and slowly, dot by dot, the shape of three large and exquisitely coloured sunflowers appeared on the canvas to the sounds of the guardian's educational tutoring.

"Through his colours, Van Gogh expressed the phases of life from the brightest yellow bloom to the darkened and dead brown. In a simple sunflower, Van Gogh could visualise the spectra of life itself and provide his audience with his own interpretation of how all living things are tied together.

Van Gogh's paintings of sunflowers have altered mankind's perspective of art and life. These paintings captivate the mind and can leave you astounded in their simplistic beauty. The flowing wilted steams and the burst of lovely yellow draws ones attention around the painting, without disrupting the balance of the piece.

These paintings are often duplicated but never reach the pure power of Van Gogh's." Elias lowered Zach's hand with the brush and the boys took a collective step back to admire their collaborative piece of art. "Though I have to admit, we've made an excellent attempt! If that won't make you pass your art class, Zachariah, I don't know what will."

"Hemptschu! Heichoo! Snf! Ha Hangtsch!"

"Bless you. And that's my cue to get you home."

The angels post-painting smile of success was replaced by worried frown as Zach drew a heavy breath, wheezing slightly as he let the air back out. Elias had concluded that the wheezing was not caused by an allergic reaction to the plastic flowers, so evidently, something else had taken accommodations in Zach's lungs and airways. Elias silently prayed that that something could be fought off with sleep and vitamins, but knowing Zach, that was highly unlikely!

"Here, I brought this for you." Elias held out the sweater and Zach shuffled closer, wearily dragging his feet. Zach raised his arms above his head, allowing Elias to pull the thick sweater down upon him.

"Elias?"

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you tell me you could paint?"

"I, well I suppose it never really came up."

"Do you still paint?"

"Uhm, sometimes, at night." Elias was immensely glad that his invisibility was hiding the growing blush in his cheeks. Yes, he still painted, and like Van Gogh, he kept re-painting the same thing over and over, changing the composition slightly every time. Elias closed his eyes as his mind went through the collection of drawings he kept hidden in the back of his notebook in Zach's room: happy rainclouded eyes, tired rainclouded eyes, mischievous rainclouded eyes, curious rainclouded eyes, smiling rainclouded eyes The collection was varied and practically endless.

"Can I see?"

Elias tensed, unsure of how his art would be perceived by his ward, the original owner of the portraited objects. Luckily, he never got to answer. Zach's eyes glazed over and his breath started hitching, making him sway slightly where he stood. The angel pressed a fresh tissue into Zach's hands before he pulled his dizzy ward into a hug, steadying him as he sneezed into the tissue against his guardian's shoulder.

"Hmptschu! Hngktch! Hampschu! HeHh..hengsch!"

This time, Zachariah's sneezes were followed by a thick and hollow cough. Elias grimaced at the sound, trailing his hand soothingly up and down Zach's spine.

The angel pulled back slightly and brushed Zach's hair away from his increasingly fever warm forehead as his ward tended to his nose. The objects of fascination that had rekindled then angels love of painting peeked up at him, and Elias mentally took note of every blue and grey nuances in the most mesmerising eyes he had ever beheld.

"Bless you, my little artist. Let's go home. Your feast awaits." He planted a soft kiss on his ward's forehead before he took his hand and guided him out the art gallery.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Juto07ab

[Arty]

I want a a guardian angel like that!!!! ;.; *zombie stare*

[Juto]

Hey Readers....

The amazingly talented Artygirl22 (who in fact ISN'T a zombie - I know, shocker ;-P) has found it in her heart to grace my boy and his guardian with her skills!!

Find her amazing drawing of Elias and Zachariah here

http://www.sneezefetishforum.org/index.php?showtopic=63416&hl=

Thanks again Arty!! You deserve all the praise in the world!!

[Arty]

Don't listen to her I'm totally a zombie. XD

[Juto]

Don't listen to her I'm totally a zombie. XD

And the best in all the lands

[Juto]

Hi readers,

Here's the first of a little 2 part inspired by the wonderful drawing of my boy and his guardian by the amazingly talented Zombie!! If you haven't already seen it, find the link in one of the posts above and go shover her with praises please! I think she deserves it!!

Thank you so much to all you readers out there who share my love of these two boys and a special thank you to all who take the time to post a comment! I love to hear what readers think and wether or not you're still enjoying my drabbles... Not that I plan to stop them coming any time soon (hopefully)... So, on with the fluffy caretaking.

Part 44 - Watching over you…

Sitting still in the dimly lit and silent art gallery, supported by his guardian had been tolerable for Zach's exhausted body and throbbing sinuses, but now, on the walk home, he was shivering harder than ever despite the thick sweater that Elias had brought for him. Every ray of sunshine made him squint his eyes and added more pain to his already aching head, every bypassing conversation was a buzz in his ears and the breeze made his head swim as it twirled around him.

He felt a firm tug on his clothing as he pitched forward with his 5th set of sneezes since they'd left the school.

“Hn’gkt’cho! Snf! He…he’ichoo!”

The sneezes left him increasingly light headed and now he sourly regretted not forcing his sandwich down at lunch. If it hadn't been for Elias’s firm hold around his waist and shoulders, he wasn't sure he'd be able to remain vertical. He drew a deep breath to steady himself, wincing slightly at the quiet whistle that accompanied the exhale.

“Bless you. Here, lean more on me, that's it.” Zach felt more of his weight being shifted to rest against his angel's invisible body and he fought hard to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground and his head from spinning out of control. “I'd carry you if I could, Zachariah, but with all these people around us I dare not risk it. We're almost there. Just hang on a few minutes more, I know you can do it.”

Zach tried to keep the pace but he lost more and more control of his own body movements as black spot started to dance in his peripheral vision. He had to stop as his nose twitched again and he felt Elias’s arms keeping him upright as he sneezed again

“Ah…ah’tchju! Snf! He’ischju! Ha’schiew! Snf!

Zach coughed away the aftermath of the fit, letting the hollow and painful barks tear at his lungs and throat. He lifted his head and swayed slightly. The black spots were back and seemed to have multiplied during his sneezes. His head was throbbing harder than ever and seemed to have gained weight in the course of the last few minutes. He squinted his eyes against the low autumn sun, focusing on one thing not too far away; his front door. He sighed in relief. It wouldn't be long now before he could lie down wrapped in a warm and loving embrace and rest his heavy head against his friends shoulder. Maybe he would feel a brush of warm lips against his brow, maybe the soft caress of cool fingers on his neck. Maybe Elias would even give him one of his divine massages that relieved tension better than any painkiller. That would be heaven! He could easily feel the gentle touch of his guardian's soft fingers against his warm skin… The brushes… The strokes… The touch!

“Zachariah!” Elias shook his shoulder forcefully and his eyes flew open. Shit! He must have closed them involuntarily. They were almost there now. 10 more steps, 5 more steps, 3… 2… 1….! The last thing he heard was Elias inserting the key and turning the lock before Zach leaned against the opening door, every fibre in his body giving in to the fatigue and he lost consciousness.

~~~

Zach's mind awoke before the rest of his body did. He didn't dare try to move a muscle, afraid of the ache that would surely set in as soon as he did. Slowly, his senses were coming back to him and he could hear muffled voices close by. He strained his ear the best he could without moving and focused on the deep melodic voice he knew so well. Even in a room with hundreds of people talking, he was sure he could pick it out in a heartbeat.

“It all just h-happened… S-So fast, I…. I-I should have never l-let him….” The voice trailed off and the small hiccoughs that Zach had heard in between Elias’s words seemed to claim dominance over his angel's voice. It took a few moments for Zach to realise that the small hiccoughs were the sound of Elias’s almost silent sobs.

“Calm yourself Elias, the boy is fine.” Zach vaguely recalled hearing the other voice before, but he couldn't remember where. “He over exhausted himself. You did the right thing. He's home now, in his bed, the medicine already flowing through his system. With plenty of rest, fluids and some of that special angelical care you've reserved just for him, he will be well again before you know it.”

Zach felt a bubbly, scratchy feeling in his chest and throat, signalling an upcoming need to cough. He fought it, not wanting to disturb his already upset guardian. He strained his ear again, slowing his breath to keep from coughing as he heard Elias speak again.

“I know, I know. I just… I worry! Zachariah means the world to me and I… I-I got scared. If anything were to happen to him, Izra’il, I don't think I could ever live with myself. You know how much I lo-“

Zach’s lungs took this moment to clench uncomfortably, making him fight for an intake of breath before curling in on himself, coughing harshly into his own chest. The pain was excruciating and Zach couldn't hold back a slight whimper as the coughs forced themselves out, shredding his lungs and airway as they went. He felt Elias pull his arms up, dragging his body up into a sitting position and arranging himself behind him so Zach could lean back against him.

The coughing fit finally let up but Zach still didn't feel like he could hold on to enough air. He panted, gasping for air, imagining the fluid that took up a part of his lungs, denying him the vital oxygen. He was drowning, betrayed and sentenced by his own body. Panic rose up in him, making him pant even harder in his fight for oxygen.

Elias seized a hold of his arms, hugging Zachariah safely in his own and his angel’s embrace.

“Calm down, Zachariah. You ARE breathing, I promise you!”

Zach begged his body to stop trying to catch his breath so he could actually breathe, but his instincts fought his logic. He was still panting, still drowning, still fighting. He felt something wet hit his head, once, twice, three times, like tiny, liquid droplets falling on his hair and slowly crawling down to his scalp. Elias’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke softly again, stroking Zach's arms in attempt to calm him down.

“Calm down, Zachariah, please. You're fine, my darling, you're fine. Come, breathe with me. Inhale.”

Zach felt Elias’s chest expand behind him and he willed his own body to copy. A slow and somewhat shaky intake of breath made it past his lips.

“Hold it for 3 heartbeats.”

Elias’s finger drummed against his chest 3 times to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

“And exhale slowly.”

Zach exhaled as slowly as he could, tuning out the high pitched wheeze in his exhale and fighting the urge to cough again as he once more felt the fluid in his lungs.

“One more time, Zachariah, breathe with me.”

A few more droplets hit Zach's head as he repeated the breathing process. He didn't dare ask about it, guessing that Elias felt less controlled and composed than he sounded. His guess was confirmed as he heard a soft sniffle from his guardian. The thought of his friend being worried enough to cry tore painfully at Zach's chest. It was his fault! He was the one who was always sick, who always needed help and who was always on the receiving end. He was the one who caused anxiety and worry and he hated himself for it.

After another repetition Zach’s nose started twitching ticklishly. Zach panicked, instantly dreading a new round of coughs pulling him under.

“Hey hey, it's okay. I'm here. You're gonna be fine, Zachariah, I promise.”

Zach nodded feebly before he turned his head to the side.

“Hichoo! Ah…ah’tju!”

As expected, a harsh cough followed in its wake, but this time, Elias was supporting him, urging him to follow his steady breathing as soon as the coughs allowed it.

Elias murmured a blessing along with whispered words of comfort that Zach couldn't quite make out. His mind was already slipping again, dragging him down into an unpleasant nothingness

…………

Elias peeked up at his mentor before he re arranged his sleeping ward in the pillows, keeping him upright at much as possible to ease his breathing. He gently brushed Zach's hair out of his eyes, feeling his forehead with his wrist while his other hand brushed half-dried tears away from his own face.

“I can't bear to see him like this, Izra’il! Are you sure there's nothing else I can do for him?”

Izra’il placed a hand on his student’s shoulder, squeezing affectionately while they both gazed at the sleeping ward who's breath sounded so congested it was a wonder he could breathe at all.

“He'll be fine Elias.” The mentor held out a purple vial to Elias. “A dose of this every 4 hours for the next 2 days. He will have a naturally high fever as his weakened immune system tries to fight off the disease. Keep an eye on it and don't let it get too high. Just make him as comfortable as you can and contact me if he gets worse.” He squeezed his student’s shoulder again.

When Elias turned his head to thank him, the mentor had already disappeared.

“Mmm….Elias?”

The guardian’s head snapped back around at the sound of his ward’s voice.

“What is it Zachariah? What do you need?”

“Mmm…m’sorry.”

“Oh no no no! Don't be my sweet ward. None of this is your fault!”

A small whine escaped Zach as he drew a short intake of breath. “Hurts, Elias!”

Fresh tears trickled down the angel’s face as he fought to keep his voice steady to comfort his sick ward. “I know, darling Zachariah, I know! The medicine should kick in soon. Just relax. Listen to my voice and try to keep your breathing steady. I'll be right here all night.”

A small smile lifted Zach's lips. “Mmm… Watching over me?”

The guardian bend down and placed a soft kiss on Zach's brow, making the younger man murmur contentedly as he drifted off to sleep once again.

“Watching over you, Zachariah. Always!”

The angel got up and went to the closet to retrieve his notebook to update his notes on Zach's latest illness. As he opened it, a single piece of paper flew out. Elias caught it in mid-air and examined the drawing he had done a few nights ago. A pair of innocent and slightly mischievous rainclouded eyes, framed in a cascade of chestnut curls peeked up at him from the paper. An idea formed in his head and he picked up his pen.

I'm always watching over you, Zachariah!

-TBC!

[Arty]

*climbs outta of the grave*

This here is great!!! Thank for writing a chapter based on my drawing. That's never happened.

*crawls back into the grave*

[Juto]

*climbs outta of the grave*

This here is great!!! Thank for writing a chapter based on my drawing. That's never happened.

*crawls back into the grave*

Thank YOU for providing the inspiration. *whistles innocently* feel free to uhh... Inspire some more should you ever be in the mood to put pen to paper again

If not, just sit back and enjoy. Thank you for your endless support! It means the world to me Arty!!

[Juto]

*climbs outta of the grave*

This here is great!!! Thank for writing a chapter based on my drawing. That's never happened.

*crawls back into the grave*

Thank YOU for providing the inspiration. *whistles innocently* feel free to uhh... Inspire some more should you ever be in the mood to put pen to paper again

If not, just sit back and enjoy. Thank you for your endless support! It means the world to me Arty!!

Btw, sorry in advance!

Elias is totally about to steal your thunder, claiming your art as his own! Sorry... I'll reprimand him accordingly!!

[Arty]

*climbs outta of the grave*

This here is great!!! Thank for writing a chapter based on my drawing. That's never happened.

*crawls back into the grave*

Thank YOU for providing the inspiration. *whistles innocently* feel free to uhh... Inspire some more should you ever be in the mood to put pen to paper again

If not, just sit back and enjoy. Thank you for your endless support! It means the world to me Arty!!

Btw, sorry in advance!

Elias is totally about to steal your thunder, claiming your art as his own! Sorry... I'll reprimand him accordingly!!

Nah...it's cool

[Subtly Clashing Wishes]

Oh my! I had so much to catch up on. I love that Elias allowed Zachariah his bit of denial. Allergic to plastic flowers, indeed. Poor kid. I bet the soup Elias made tastes heavenly. (Yeah, I had to go there.) Poor Elias he tries so hard to keep Zachariah healthy, but it seems like a losing battle most days. Keep writing these two are too sweet.

[Juto]

Oh my! I had so much to catch up on. I love that Elias allowed Zachariah his bit of denial. Allergic to plastic flowers, indeed. Poor kid. I bet the soup Elias made tastes heavenly. (Yeah, I had to go there.) Poor Elias he tries so hard to keep Zachariah healthy, but it seems like a losing battle most days. Keep writing these two are too sweet.

Awww thanks. I will!

I think he KNOWS it's a loosing battle so he just provides whatever comfort he can for the most part! But he will always be the knight in shining armour standing between his ward and an army of bacteria! Well, at least he tries!

I'm glad you're still enjoying these. I hope you like this next one.

[Juto]

TA-DA...

PART 2

Soooo, okay, my imagination demanded a “fight” and some cutesy make-up and comfort. But knowing Elias, he could never even…. Ever!... E!V!E!R!! So this is how it turned out. I hope you like it. Sorry about the possible sweetness overload! Mama needed her fluff!

Thanks again to Artygirl who inspired this!

Sorry about the language…he's an angel, not a saint!

Part 45 - … Always!

Zach held his ground, despite that fact that he could tell Elias was fed up with his counter arguments. His guardian simply didn't get it. Yes, he was still sick, yes, he was probably contagious as hell and yes, it would definitely be better for his well being to stay home in bed, resting, sleeping, being nursed, and frankly, he wouldn't mind one bit. BUT HE FUCKING HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL! And he had spent the last 20 minutes unsuccessfully attempting to explain that to his overprotective angel.

“You can't be fucking serious Zachariah! Just look at yourself. You're ashen, you can hardly stand upright for more than a few seconds, and you-“

“Hi-chew! A’thju! Snf! Hmpf’ch! Snf!”

“… And that! I won't even fucking offer you a blessing, ‘cause you don't seem to give a shit anyway! For the last time Zach! STAY HOME!”

Zach was slightly taken aback. He had never heard Elias curse this much before and it was the first time the angel hadn't used his full first name. For some reason he couldn't quite explain, that little… thing…cut deeper than anything Elias had said to him so far. He drew as deep a breath as his rattling lungs allowed him to, as he geared up for the same counter argument he had been sporting for the past 20 minutes.

“Elias! I have 3 tests today! 3 quite important tests! If I miss these, I cannot graduate next year! As long as I can fucking think and write and stay awake, I'm going! End of discussion! You are my guardian and I value your advice, I really do, but right now, you're wrong!”

He kept a stern gaze in the direction of his angel's voice and was uncomfortably surprised when Elias started laughing. It wasn't his usual carefree and contagious laugh, this one had a slightly menacing (almost evil?) undercurrent. Zach took an involuntary step back, loosing his composed confidence.

“Elias, wha-?” He was abruptly cut off as the menacing laughter rose in pitch.

“I really shouldn't be surprised Zach, after all, you're used to being sick all the time and still putting up with school. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure why they'd assign any guardian to you in the first place. So many people around the globe deserve a guardian more than you. You seem to manage your life fine on your own, Ziggy. Oh yes, I see why your parents chose that nickname. It IS awfully fitting!”

Zach suddenly felt like he had been punched hard in the gut. Words he had never in his wildest dreams expected to hear from his friend now came tumbling towards him, hurting him, making him want to curl up and cry. Before he could even construct a sentence in his head to deal with the hurt and betrayal of Elias’s words, his nose acted up again, igniting a tickle so fast that Zach didn't even had time to reach for a tissue.

“Ai’schju! Snf! Hi-chew! Hh… Ha’schiew! Snf! Snf!”

Zach sniffled deeply in the aftermath, using his sleeve to clean up the mess his nose had made as a quick scan of the room revealed a no-tissues-in-sight-situation.

“My Gods!” Zach had never heard such a disgusted tone in his friends voice. “You really are pathetic! And since you're not gonna listen to my advice, I really don't see the point of this… Guardianship! I'm resigning! Effective immediately! Have a nice life, Ziggy!”

Zach felt a rush of air brush against him a mere second before his bedroom door slammed hard. He sat completely still, shocked to his core, listening… There was the slam of the front door. He was alone. Elias has left him.

A feeble hope made him reach out his hand for the door, leaning forward beyond the limits of the bed. He tumbled to the floor with his eyes still glued to the door. The initial shock wore off and tears started streaming down from his eyes.

“Come back! Please! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Come back!” His voice was nothing more than a whisper. His mind prayed to all the Gods whose names he could remember, begging them to bring his guardian back to him.

……………….

Elias had been down in the kitchen when he heard the bump of something hitting the floor coming from Zachariah's room. He strained his ear for any other sound, but none came. The angel shrugged and got back to his task of putting together a tray of tea, meds and soup, deducing that his feverish ward probably just knocked over his glass of water.

Mere steps from entering his wards bedroom, Elias heard a whispered and slightly panicked, high pitched version of Zach's voice and he hurried inside.

Zachariah was on the floor, tangled up in his duvet and several blankets, screaming soundlessly for Elias to come back to him, telling him that he was sorry. The guardian crouched down and untangled the mess of limbs and blankets before cradling his crying and still sleeping ward against his chest, murmuring softly and stroking his back to wake him up. It was of no use.

Elias had to shake Zach's shoulders for several seconds before his sick ward was pulled from his fever dream. Zach's eyes flew open at the final shake of his shoulders and Elias let out a tiny gasp as they immediately locked on his own invisible eyes.

“It was just a dream Zachariah, you're fine. You're fine.”

Zach's red rimed eyes teared up again as the relief of realisation hit him. He curled himself around Elias’s frame and started sobbing into his shoulder.

“I-I'm s-s-sor-r-ry Snf! I’m s-s-so so Snf! Sorry. P-please do-don't Snf! Don't leave! Snf! Please!”

Elias had to pinch himself hard to stop from joining Zachariah in his sobbing state. It tore at his heart to think that Zachariah actually believed that he could possibly leave him. It had been a fever dream, of course, but still!

“I will never leave you Zachariah! You have my word! Was that what the dream was about? Me leaving?”

Zach nodded feebly against him, still sobbing helplessly. “Y-you Snf! We're s-s-so mad. Shouting a-and Snf! Laughing at m-m-me! Snf! C-called me Z-Ziggy, said that I-I-I Snf! Didn't deserve y-you!”

Zach’s breathing came in shorter puffs and he buried his face deeper into Elias shoulder, his voice rising an octave as he continued sobbing. “I-I'm s-s-sorry. I'm s-s-so so s-sorry. Snf! I know I-I'm always s-sick Snf! B-but p-please d-don't l-leave me!”

“Oh no no no no Zachariah. I would never! You being sick is the reason I'm here in the first place, how could I possibly be mad at you for that?” He picked up a blanket and wrapped it around Zach's shoulders as the ward shivered in his arms, keeping his warm and glowing fingers on Zach's back to provide him with the necessary warmth. “And you are always my ‘Zachariah’, possibly with a ‘sweet’ or ‘darling’ squeezed in front, but only because you are so dear to me. Or we would discard your name in favour of ‘cutie’ simply because of your mesmerising eyes, adorable, little button nose, and that beautiful smile.” Elias smiled as his words had the desired effect. Zach's sobs had ceased and the ward managed to produce a small smile between his constant sniffles.

“I'm not Snf! ‘Cute’!”

“That is NOT true. I’ll prove it to you. Here, I made you this while you were sleeping. You asked to see my art and, well, this is it.” Elias reached up on the night stand where the drawing he had done for Zach while the ward was sleeping had been waiting for him. The guardian had drawn himself half hidden in cloudy fog, with a slightly smug and knowing expression on his face whilst gazing down upon his Zachariah. “See? Look how cute you look. The way you always peek up at me through that exquisite mass of hair with your gorgeous, raincloudy eyes. Trust me, you are the epitome of ‘cute’!”

“Elias? Snf!”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you paint my nose red?”

The angel held back a chuckle. “In truth, I believe I owe a great deal of my happiness and our friendship to your adorable, little red nose. Without it, I'm not even sure I would be here right now.” He placed a gentle kiss on his wards temple as Zachariah contemplated his artistic choice.

“Don't ever be sorry for being sick, sweet Zachariah. Keeping you healthy and happy is obviously my main concern, but without your red nose and the accompanied sneezes and coughs and the night time fever chills, we probably wouldn't cuddle as much...” Elias squeezed the ward in his arms and tickled Zach's collarbone with his nose producing a smile from the younger man as he sniffled away the last memory of the nightmare. “… And you wouldn't be my Zachariah.”

At his words, Zachariah shifted slightly in his arms, nestling his head under Elias’s chin and held out his hand as his breath started hitching. Elias complied knowingly, stuffing a couple of tissues into his hand with a muttered “bless you.”

“Ah… Ahtschju! Thank y-you. Hmpt’schu! Snf! I love it Elias. Thank you.”

“You are most welcome Zachariah. Back to bed now, please. All this crying and sitting on the cold floor is not helping your immune system.”

Zach crawled clumsily out of his arms and back into his bed, letting Elias arrange the blankets and his duvet around him before the angel presented him with another dose of the purple medicine. Elias eased under the covers next to Zach, pulling the hot boy against him, wrapped in his arms and wings.

“I'm staying right here, my little fever mess. Watching over you.”

He felt Zach nod against his chest as the patient drifted of to sleep. “Mmm… Always watching.”

[Arty]

*shoots outta the grave comically*

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Zombie arty approves.