Alex & Elliot

[castiel_angel]

I realize that I am notoriously the queen of not finishing stories, but I honestly believe this is part because I don’t truly love what I’m writing some of the time. Giving it some thought, I decided I’d take another crack at it, this time hoping to actually finish. Now that I have some free time on my hands I thought I’d take some time to contribute a story of my own : ) 

without further ado, allow me to introduce our characters:

Alexander Lawson (Alex): A 5’10 high schooler, 18, with a headstrong personality and obsession with all things soccer. He has dark brown hair that tends to fall in his hazel-green eyes. More often then not you’ll find him pushing himself to the limit, which does not always work in his favor.

Elliot Chase: Also a member of the soccer team, though far less committed, Elliot tends to fall on the shyer side of the spectrum. Standing at approximately 5’7 + 3/4 (yes the additional bit matters), Elliot, 18, sports caramel blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a face dotted with freckles. Though rather quiet he is not afraid to put in his two cents, especially when it regards his friends.

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X  part 1

Elliot sat in 8th period math with his cheek resting in his hand. His math teacher, Mr. Casey, has a tendency to drone on to the point where every word he spoke sounded like gibberish in Elliot’s ears.
To be completely honest, Elliot wasn’t quite sure when graphing functions would be necessary in the real world. As far as he was concerned, as long as he could add 2 + 2 he’d be set. Elliot’s blue eyes glanced to the clock before closing.

25 more minutes. Elliot slumped farther into his seat, beginning to daydream about the soccer match he had against Blue Ridge High that Friday.

Elliot was sprinting down the field, wiping the sweat out of his eyes. He ran to the outfield, the only thing in his mind was his cleats tearing through the turf with each stride and the movement of the ball. Running for the assist, Elliot got the ball from his teammate, maneuvering it around the defense. The clock was ticking down from the final 10 seconds. Elliot pushed past another defender, preparing to take a shot into the goal. The bench began to count down the final few seconds. Elliot kicked them ball with every ounce of strength he had left. It sailed through the air with great speed, centimeters away from the net ———

“Mr. Chase.”

Elliot held his breath. It was up to him: they either won or lost the game———

“Ahem. Mr. Chase.” Mr. Casey repeated a bit louder, a shred of anger visible in his biting tone.

Elliot’s eyes fluttered open in shock. He quickly straightened up, his cheeks burning crimson.

”Yes, Mr. Casey?” He muttered among the quiet laughter from some of his class mates.

”Since my class is apparently so very interesting to you, come up to the board and finish this problem.”

Elliot swallowed nervously as he got up to walk to to board, thankfully there was a knock at the classroom door.

”Sit down for now, Mr. Chase,” Mr. Casey said, irritated. Elliot watched as Alex Lawson walked into the classroom, a note between his fingers. He slipped the note to Mr. Casey, scanning the classroom for a seat. 

”Please, Mr. Lawson, feel free to take a seat before next week,” Mr. Casey said, the same bitter tone laced in his words.

Elliot signaled for Alex to come over, pointing to the empty seat next to him.

“Where the hell were you?” Elliot whispered to Alex.

”I had to see the athletic trainer,” Alex said with a shrug. Honest to God, it was a mystery to Elliot why Alex was so invested in soccer instead of school. Sure, this class sucked, but at the end of the day his report card would reflect what he did in his desk and not on the field.

”You saved me from having to answer a question on the board,” Elliot whispered, sticking his tongue out at Mr. Casey when he wasn’t looking.

”See? I’m good for something,” Alex said with a smirk.

Elliot and Alex went way back. They played on the junior soccer league as kids, and went to the same middle school. The duo complimented each other in more ways than they’d like to admit: Alex always had the right words when Elliot was at a loss for them. Elliot always saw things broadly when Alex was too headstrong. It just always worked like that. The ying to the yang, the cookies to the milk, the Watson to the Holmes—yeah you get the picture.

Elliot had resumed his earlier position of dozing off, head lolled to the side and eyes shut closed. 

“h—h’essh!” “huh’etsshh!” 

Elliot’s eyes blinked back open. was that.....Alex?

“h’ntshh!” 

Elliot watched as Alex held a fist up to his face, trying his hardest to quiet his outburst.

”Bless you,” Elliot offered, his eyes doing a once-over of his friend. He seemed okay enough, aside from a slight pink tinge to his nose. Elliot decided it best to refrain from saying anything, though he would make sure to keep an eye on him.

Alex nodded his head in thanks, twisting the cap open from his water bottle. Elliot could have sworn Alex winced as he swallowed the water, but it could have just been his imagination.

”For homework tonight I’d like everyone to complete pages 147-148 and the extra practice problems on page 152 seeing as my class is so very interesting,” Mr. Casey said, the last statement directed towards Elliot. 

Elliot groaned. He already had to do an english essay and a history report. At this rate he’d be up all night, not that this would be the first time he was bent over his bedroom desk until 2:30 in the morning.

“h’etschh!”  

“Bless you,” Elliot said again, packing up his backpack.

He was beginning to grow suspicious of his friend, but perhaps he was overthinking it. It wasn’t totally unlike Alex to sneeze randomly, but still....there was something about the way he moved...the way he spoke. It just wasn’t Alex. Still though, Elliot knew not to get on Alex’s case.

”thank you,” Alex said with a slight cough punctuating his words.

Okay...Elliot thought, Alex was definitely not acting like normal.

”So, uh, are you ready for the scrimmage after school?” Elliot asked as the pair walked down the hallway.

”hmm...wha?—oh, the scrimmage. I couldn’t be more ready,” Alex said with a smile. He brought a hand up to his nose, rubbing it gingerly.

”I left my cleats in my locker,” Elliot lied.

”Oh, well I guess I’ll catch up with you in the locker room,” Alex said with another light cough, walking off.

Truthfully, Elliot hated lying, especially to his best friend, but he needed to get something from his locker without Alex being there to object. 

Elliot swiftly turned the combination on his locker, swinging it open. His eyes scanned the cluttered upper shelf until he found what he was searching for.

”Eureka,” he said, slipping a few tissues from a crumbled up package into his pocket. As long as he knew Alex he knew him to be stubborn, especially when admitting he was sick. His outmost denial meant that he never had anything on hand to take care of himself because he was “fine.” 

Yeah, Elliot heard that one enough times.

Weaving his way back down the hallway Elliot made a b-line for the locker room. He dropped his bags on the ground and pried his uncomfortable school uniform off.

Coach Hudson, or “Jim” as the team jokingly referred to him as, had a zero-tolerance policy for being late to practice, especially on a scrimmage day.

Elliot dug through his duffel bag, panic washing over him when he couldn’t find a pair of socks. He could not be late. He already sat on the bench enough, and did not need to give Coach Hudson another reason to keep him there any longer.

”Hey, um, Alex? Do you by any chance have an extra pair of socks?” Elliot asked hopefully.

”Let me check.” Alex rummaged through the contents of the bag, Elliot noticing his nose scrunch as his eyes fluttered closed.

”h-here you go,” Elliot said, fishing out a pair of socks, “h’etshh! h’etsh’EW!”

Alex turned away from Elliot, whipping his sleeve against his nose in the aftermath. 

”Bless you,” Elliot said.

”h-hold o-on I’m n-huh—not finish—h’ETSH’EWW! h’TSCH’eww! h—hn’itshh! h’EYISHH’EWW! God. Sorry about that.”

It was apparent Alex had given up trying to suppress his sneezes, and it had not gone unnoticed by Elliot. When in public Alex almost never sneezed normally, not unless....he was getting sick.

”Are you okay?” Elliot asked, knowing full well Alex would deny getting sick. It was basically pointless asking; if Alex was on his death bed he would still say he was fine, but still, Elliot felt guilty not inquiring. 

”I’m fine, El. Don’t get yourself all tangled up,” Alex said with a smile that would almost be convincing if he wasn’t wiping his nose every two seconds.

Elliot grabbed one of the tissues he stuffed in his pocket earlier.

”Seems like you might be needing this?” Elliot stated more than asked, handing the white square to his friend. Alex accepted the blonde’s gift, quickly swiping at his nose before shoving the tissue into his pocket. 

Elliot couldn’t help but roll his eyes has he laced up his shoes. Alex trotted off to the field ahead of him, stifling a barely audible “h’nshh!” Into his fist as he walked onto the field.

I’m on to you, Alexander Lawrence, Elliot thought. I’m on to you. 
 

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That’s all for part one! Let me know what you think and any ideas for the rest of the story! 💗

Edited May 30, 2020 by Reader

[Plant]

This is so cute! Maybe add some contagion?

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

Absolutely adorable! I love the sneeze spelling's you did!

[castiel_angel]

On 5/30/2020 at 12:01 AM, Plant said:

This is so cute! Maybe add some contagion?

@Plant thank you so much! As for the contagion, well, you’ll just have to wait in see what I have in store 😉

23 hours ago, Pyrus_Fangmon said:

Absolutely adorable! I love the sneeze spelling's you did!

@Pyrus_Fangmon so sweet! I’m glad you like the spellings ☺️ It’s something I’m always experimenting around with, so this has definitely reassured me!

———————————————————————————————————————————————
 

X part 2

 

The two boys made their way out onto the field, picking up the pace as they saw their coach tapping his whiteboard impatiently. If there was one thing to know on the team, it was to be on time. 

”Come on boys, I need to go over a few plays before you warm up,” Coach Hudson called out to the team. 

Despite having a strict time policy, Coach Hudson was like every boy on team’s second father. He cared about each and every player, on and off the field. If you were struggling with something he urged us to talk to him about it. If we needed a dollar or two extra to afford a gallon of gas or a bite to eat, Coach was there.

“So, as you’ve all probably noticed, we are missing one of our key players, Kyle,” Coach Hudson said to the huddle of players.

”This means that I expect the rest of you to step up and fill the spot, especially you Alex,” Coach continued.

Alex nodded his head in understanding. He knew that this was his chance to prove himself as a player. 

”Now, I realize that this is just a scrimmage, but I need each and every one of you to be ready to play as if this were the championship game of the season. If you all don’t practice at this level intensity now then we won’t be ready when we head to districts after winter break.” 

Elliot and Alex both knew that winter break was fast approaching. Christmas had already come and went and the tell tale frosty presence of January was filling the air. Thankfully, the team was able to practice and play in an indoor facility, an amenity everyone was grateful for.

“h’tsshh!” Elliot glanced at his friend. Alex looked for lack of better speaking terrible. He could see the tiredness wash over Alex like the tide of the ocean, pulling him in with every second that passed. 

Coach Hudson pulled out his board and marker, roughly sketching out a play on the board. 

”Alex, I’m having you start in the center. You’ll pass the ball off and penetrate down the middle, drawing the defense towards the edge of the field. We’ll have the ball passed back to you and bam! We scored.”

Alex felt the persistent itch return with a vengeance. He lightly rubbed the underside of his nose to avoid the tickle, but it was no use. 

“h’eshht! h’etshh! h’eshh’ew!” Alex suppressed the outburst the best he could, but it was getting harder as the itch in his nose was hardly relieved. 

Elliot frowned in disapproval. He really didn’t think Alex was well enough to play, but he knew his friend enough to know that not playing was not an option. 

”So, Alex, can I count on you to carry out this play?” Coach Hudson asked.

”Oh, um,” Alex quickly cleared his throat, “yes sir.”

”I knew I could count on you,” Coach Hudson said, clapping Alex on the back.

The team exited the locker room, grabbing balls to warm up before the scrimmage. Elliot watched as Alex stumbled to catch a pass, stifling a sneeze in his fist. Elliot wished Alex would put his own needs before playing, but Alex’s mind seemed to be set on soccer and soccer only.

“Elliot, can I talk with you for a second?” Coach Hudson asked. Elliot’s heart began to race. Did he do something wrong? Was he in some sort of trouble? What if he was about to get kicked off  the—“

“Elliot, I’ve decided since you’ve really improved during our recent practices that I’d allow you to start in today’s scrimmage,” Coach Hudson said.

Elliot’s heart raced faster. Him? Start? Elliot was used to being a second or third pick, but staring a match? 

”Coach, are you sure you want.....me?” Elliot asked, just to verify that the coach had the right person.

”I’m positive. Unless you have some secret twin you’ve never told me about,” Coach Hudson joked.

”No, just me,” Elliot said shyly, a blush spreading on his cheeks. 

”You need to stop underestimating yourself, Elliot. Your a fine player; have a little faith in yourself and relax.”

Elliot took a deep breath and nodded. Sure, he could do it....right?

Elliot returned to the field, still in shock. He was going to start a game on the field and not on the bench.

”What was that about?” Alex asked, jogging over. 

”Coach wanted me to—“ Elliot stopped, watching as Alex’s breath began to hitch.

”Why’d—hih—you s-stop?” Alex asked, breathily.

”Go ahead. Sneeze,” Elliot said with an amused look on his face.

”I’m not gonna sn—h’etsshh! h’tshh’EWW! h—huh’ETSHH’ieww!”

“Told ya so,” Elliot chirped with a satisfied grin.

”Whatever,” Alex said, wiping his nose against his sleeve.

”So, as I was saying, Coach asked me to start,” Elliot said, averting his eyes to the ground.

Alex’s face lit up, a smile spreading on his expression.

”That’s awesome! Why aren’t you excited about it?” Alex asked his friend.

“I’m just not sure I’m ready—I mean—what if I mess up! Or—“

Alex placed a reassuring hand on Elliot’s shoulder.

”Calm down, El. You’ll do fine. I know it,” Alex said with a smile.

Elliot looked up into Alex’s shining green eyes and returned the smile. 

”And if I don’t—“ Elliot countered.

”Then I’ll—h’tsh’IEWW! Sorry. Then I’ll have you back,” Alex said.

“Promise?”

”I—huh—I promise—h’sshh! h’tshht!”

“Bless you,” Elliot said.

”Thanks.”

Alex never understood why Elliot believed he was not worthy of starting. He had this big mental block that got in the way of him understanding he was a good player. Elliot was one of those people that cared about everyone but themself. Alex had seen the way Elliot glanced nervously at him, concern flooding his eyes. Alex felt guilty, but he could and would not give in.

“h’tshhh!” Ugh.

Alex was getting tired of this sneezing thing. It just got in the way of what he needed to focus on, which was playing to win. 

Alex remembered the words his father had told him earlier that year:

”If you ever plan on getting anywhere in life you need to be a warrior. Warriors don’t give in to struggle, they power through. If you want to succeed to need to push yourself.”

Alex had no choice but to be a warrior. He would not let a few sneezes get in the way of his goal. Alex needed to impress his dad, to make him proud. If he didn’t do that then he had no purpose.

”Alex, are you sure you’re okay?” Elliot asked once more, glancing up at him with those bright blue concerned eyes.

Be a warrior, Alex. Deny. Deny. Deny.

“I’m perfectly fine,” he lied.

In truth he felt terrible, but he couldn’t give up his fight. Not now. Not ever.

Coach Hudson blew his whistle to signal the start of the scrimmage. 

Alex hustled to his spot on the field, Elliot to his.

It was their ball. Alex ran to his spot in center field, penetrating down the middle just as Coach had said.

Alex felt a tickle prick in his nose. This was not the time for a distraction. Alex brought a finger up to his nose, doing his best to quell the itch. He continued to run, but the itch persisted even stronger.

“h—huh—h” he needed to cut it out. He had a game to play, a goal to score. 

The itch burned stronger, but Alex opened his mouth to call for the ball. Instead of words though he was thrusted forward suddenly, the tickle overwhelming him. 

“h’tshh! h’shh! ‘etsh! ‘etsshh! h—huh—h’tshhht!” Alex was panting by the end of his fit, his head aching from having to suppress his sneezes.

In the midst of Alex sneezing the ball sailed past him, Alex missing the pass to the goal. The other team had gotten the ball, and Alex was mentally punching himself.

Alex hustled back on defense, groaning as the itch once again returned to his nose just as quick as it left. 

His breath hitched urgently, but he did his best to hold composure. That was easier said than done, Alex struggling to keep his eyes from tearing up as he held back the itch.

”h—huh—hih—“ Control, Alex, control. He closed his eyes and scrubbed a hand over his face. When he reopened his eyes they caught a glint off the bright light, setting his nose over the edge.

”h’tsshh! h’shh’EWW!” 

The defense pushed past Alex and scored a goal, setting the team behind. Alex wanted to scream at himself. He was the reason his team was losing, all because he couldn’t gain control of himself.

Elliot watched from across the field as a frustrated Alex was called out of the game, seated on the bench next to Coach Hudson. 

”Alex, I don’t know what’s going on out there,” Coach said to the boy.

Alex was ashamed. He should not be sitting there on the bench because he didn’t know how to control himself. 

”I’m sorry, Coach. I don’t know what’s going on with me,” Alex stammered, running a stressed hand through his dark brown hair. 

“Your a good kid, Alex, and a great member of the team. Go out there and show me the player I know you are,” Coach Hudson said, giving Alex a pat on the back. 

”I won’t let you down, sir,” Alex said, his head bobbing with a silent double as he walked back onto the field. 

Alex knew he needed to get a grip, fast.

“h’tshh’EWW!”

The only problem was that.

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Let me know how you liked part 2 😉 Feel free to share any suggestions or ideas you have!

Edited May 31, 2020 by castiel_angel

[2SHY222]

I'm speechless this is so good 🥰. Yes please more 😊

[Pyrus_Fangmon]

We man! The only person that notices Alex isn't feeling well is Elliot. Shame on that Coach! But hopefully he'll notice soon and not be so harsh, or not and Elliot steps up? Who knows!

Still loving this story!

[riverevanss]

I think its fantastic, I really liked it. 

[castiel_angel]

@2SHY222 — too sweet ☺️ def more to come!

@Pyrus_Fangmon — I think Coach will come around 😉 

@Bencutio — this really made me smile 💗 I’m so glad you liked!

Sorry for the pause in updates 🙈 More is to come in the future for sure and I’ll do my best to try and keep on track with updates. 

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X part 3

 

The rest of the scrimmage went more or less terrible. Alex went back in the game, much to Elliot’s disapproval. Alex was starting to slow down, mentally and physically, and it was really starting to show.

The team had ended up winning, but it wasn’t an easy one. They were behind for most of the game, only catching up in the last quarter.

”Hey, Alex, are you sure you’re okay? Your not looking to hot—“

”I’m fine, Elliot. It’s nothing so just get off my back,” Alex responded sharply, resting his heavy head in his hands. 

”Sorry for snapping, its not you—it’s just—I’m playing the worst I have all season, and I don’t know what’s wrong with me!” Alex’s voice broke on the last part of his sentence, and Elliot could feel his friend’s aggravation.

Elliot bit his tongue. He thought it was pretty obvious that Alex needed rest, but saying something wouldn’t result in anything good. 

“Alex, just take a deep breath and calm down,” Elliot instructed, resting a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder. 

”Elliot, can you m-huh-move—hih—“

“Alex, it’s fine. I’m not going anywhere until you take some deep breaths.”

”huh—I really—hiihh—think you wanna move—“

”Relax, Alex. It’s not like I’m a stranger or something,” Elliot said, not understanding why Alex wanted him to leave so badly.

”h’tshh! h—h’itssh! h’sshh!”

”Oh. Bless you,” Elliot said, now understanding Alex’s behavior. The boy in question held up a finger, indicating that he wasn’t done.

”h’tshh! ‘tshhh! ‘itshh! h—h’itsh’EWW!” Alex rubbed his nose against his sleeve in the aftermath, cheeks burning a bright pink hue.

”I’m so sorry! I—I tried to get you to move, but—“

Elliot began to laugh.

”Wait why are you laughing?” Alex asked, confused.

”You sneeze like a kitten. It’s adorable,” Elliot said, still giggling at his friend. Alex’s deep blush intensified. 

”Shall we head to the locker room?” Elliot offered.

”Yeah, I need to grab a sweatshirt. It’s freezing out here,” Alex said, thankful for a shift in conversation.

“So, are you ready to admit your sick?” Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow toward his friend.

”What makes you think that I’m sick?” Alex asked, crossing his arms.

”Um, I don’t know...how about the fact that you look like you might fall over any second now.” 

”I’m perfectly fine. You worry yourself way too much, El— h’shh’EWW!” Alex sniffed thickly, coughing in his fist. 

”Ah, yes. The epitome of fine,” Elliot said with a smirk.

Alex frowned as he slipped off his shoes. He felt horrible, but that shouldn’t be Elliot’s problem to deal with. He needed to toughen up. Fast.

”Can you pass me my sweats?” Elliot asked. Come to think about it, the weather was bitterly cold. Elliot shivered, goosebumps appearing on his arms. If he was this cold, Alex must be freezing.

Elliot was zippering up his sports bag when Coach Hudson approached him.

”Hey, kid. Just wanted to let you know you played a nice game today.” Elliot stared at his coach for a good second before responding. 

”Um—thank you, sir,” Elliot said.

”Elliot, how many years is it gonna take for you to stop calling me ‘sir’! It makes me sound like an old man!”

”Right...sorry. Thanks Coach H,” Elliot corrected himself. 

”Hey, have you seen Alex? I’d really like to talk to him,” Coach Hudson asked the boy.

”Last time I saw him he was over by the water fountain,” Elliot said. 

“Great, thank you. Nice job on the field!” Coach Hudson called back.

“Oh, wait. Coach H? Could you just tell Alex to meet with me in the front of the school? I’m giving him a ride home,” Elliot said.

”Sure thing, kid.” 

———————————

“Hey, Alex, could we talk for a sec?” Coach Hudson asked.

”Yeah, sure, Coach,” Alex said.

Alex felt his stomach twist in a nervous knot. He knew this was no doubt about his playing, or lack there of. The coach came over next to Alex and sat next to him on the locker room bench.

“Alex, I want you to know that I believe your a very talented player. I’ve seen what you can do on the field, and I know how important this sport is to you.”

”Coach, I’m really sorry for my playing today—I don’t know what’s gotten in to me—“

The coach stared thoughtfully at the player in front of him. For how talented he was he sure doubted himself a lot. 

”Calm down, kiddo. You don’t need to apologize for today. Everyone has off-games. It happens. I don’t expect to see you at tomorrow’s practice though.”

”W-what? Why? Is there something I did wrong?”

”Alex, your sick. You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of the team.”

”Coach, I’m seriously fine. I promise I’ll go home tomorrow if I’m too sick to practice! I swear!”

”I guess that’s alright. Just take it slow, kiddo. We don’t need you too worn down to play in the state tournament.”

”I’ll be fine, Coach. I always am—h’shhh! tshhh! h’etshh’EWW!” 

”Bless. Just please take care of yourself. Don’t need ‘ya on your death bed,” Coach Hudson said, patting Alex on the back. 

———————————

“What’d coach say to you?” Elliot asked as Alex came out of the school building.

”Just said that it’s fine to have an off-day. Also told me I need to take care of myself.”

”So your sick,” Elliot prompted.

”Fine. I’m sick. Are you happy now?”

”Very,” Elliot said with a smile, “hop in the car and I’ll crank the heat.”

“Thank God! It’s like -2 degrees out here,” Alex said with a shiver, hopping in the car.

The drive home was a quiet one. Alex had fallen asleep with his head resting against the car door and Elliot had turned the radio off in effort to let his friend rest. He watched the road ahead of him as tiny snowflakes began to fall from the sky. They danced gracefully in the frosty winter air, dotting the windshield in a sea of white speckles. 

Deep down Elliot was hoping for a snowstorm so that Alex would be forced to stay home and take care of himself. Sure, that meant unsafe roads, icy walkways, and no soccer, but if it meant Alex was home resting then so be it.

Elliot pulled into Alex’s driveway, which was lit up by the soft glow of the home’s front lights. He turned to look at Alex, who was still passed out against the cool glass of the car. Elliot hated to have to wake him up, but Alex needed to sleep in a warm bed and Elliot needed to get home before dinner.

”Alex,” Elliot said softly, gently shaking Alex’s shoulder.“Alex!”

Alex blinked his eyes open with a yawn. 

”El?” he said tiredly, “m I home?”

”Yeah. Sorry to wake you, but I’m sure you’d rather be inside than out here.”

”h’tshhh! ‘etshhh! h—h’ssh’eww!” 

“Bless you,” Elliot said.

”Thags,” Alex replied tiredly with a congested sniff.

”See you tomorrow at school I guess,” Elliot said, even though he prayed that he wouldn’t see Alex at school and he would instead be at home resting. Elliot loved the kid, but God! When would he listen?

”Thanks for the ride,” Alex said, as he pulled his bag out of the car. 

”No problem. If you need anything just let me know,” Elliot said. He watched as Alex walked up his front walk, pausing to cough in his fist. Once Elliot was sure Alex was in the house safely he pulled out, heading to his own house. 

Elliot flipped on his car radio, listening in as the weather forecast came on.

”It looks like tomorrow might bring frigid temperatures and heavy snow. Combined with wind chill we may be looking at the first snow day of the year.”

Elliot breathed a sigh of relief. Alex would be forced to stay home. Maybe he would go over and spend the day with him, to you know...keep an eye on him. 

God, Elliot knew deep down that he couldn’t spend a day without Alex. Just his name alone sent butterflies soaring in his stomach. Elliot couldn’t let Alex know though. What if he didn’t feel the same way?

Elliot went down a rabbit hole of thoughts until he found himself pulling into his own driveway. 

Back to reality, Elliot told himself, back to reality.

Edited June 23, 2020 by castiel_angel

[bingochamp7]

I’m hooked on this story. Alex’s cold denial and sneezes are so cute that I wouldn’t mind spending the day with him.

Edited June 23, 2020 by bingochamp7

[2SHY222]

Oh what I would give to see Elliot taking care of sick in denial Alex 😱🥰

[castiel_angel]

On 6/23/2020 at 2:01 AM, bingochamp7 said:

I’m hooked on this story. Alex’s cold denial and sneezes are so cute that I wouldn’t mind spending the day with him.

I wouldn’t mind spending the day with him either 😉 I’m so glad you’re enjoying the story!

8 hours ago, 2SHY222 said:

Oh what I would give to see Elliot taking care of sick in denial Alex 😱🥰

I think I can grant that wish ☺️
 

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X part 4

 

As soon as Alex had gotten home after practice he went straight to bed, dinner and homework forgotten amongst the strong pull of desire that a cozy bed and blankets created. The next time Alex opened his eyes it was to light streaming through his blinds, creating a striped effect on his bedroom carpet. 

Upon opening his eyes Alex noted three things immediately. One, his head felt like someone was pounding the inside of his skull with a hammer. Two, he was absolutely starving. Third, his nose itches like hell.

”h’itshh! h—h’ksshh! hih’kshh’IEWW!”

Well that solved problem number three. Alex grabbed a tissue out of a box sitting on his desk, giving a weak blow before tossing it aside. He felt terrible. No scratch that he felt absolutely full-heartedly awful. He didn’t ever remember feeling this bad in forever. His body ached, his head was splitting, he could barely swallow, and his nose was rubbed raw from all the sneezing.

God, Alex did not want to go to school today. Every fiber of his being was telling him to crawl back into the mountain of blankets on his bed, but he couldn’t. He already screwed up the soccer scrimmage yesterday and had to prove himself. He couldn’t possibly let the team down. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. 
 

Alex grabbed his phone off the charger and flipped through his notifications. 3 missed calls from Elliot, 1 missed call from his mother, and an alert from some game that he had one quest to complete to reach level 4. He decided to call Elliot first. The line ringed a few times before a familiar voice picked up.

”Hello?” 

”Hi El,” Alex said, breaking off to cough.

”You sound terrible,” Elliot remarked.

”I’m really not that sick—h’tshh! huh’ktshh!” Alex yanked the phone away from his face, trying to silence the outbursts.

”Not sick my ass! Bless you by the way.” So he heard. Alex made a mental note to be more careful.

”Really, it’s not that big of a deal,” Alex said, already feeling his nose begin to betray him once more.

”If you say so—“

“h’tshhh! h—h’kshht! ‘etshh! ‘tshh! huh’itsh’EW!” 

On the other line Elliot heard the first sneeze, but then it went quiet. Elliot knew there was more where the first one came from.

”Bless you.”

“Wait, how did you k—“

”Really Alex, did you think muting your phone would work?” Dang. Busted again.

”I hope you prepared for the science exam today,” Elliot said. Truthfully there was no science exam, but Elliot had a notion that Alex was too tired to study last evening. Further proving that he was very much so sick.

”Wha—there’s a science exam?!” Alex’s stomach dropped. He must have totally forgotten! Surely he was going to fail, and then his grade would drop, and his report card would suck, and he would never make it to college, and—“

”I’m just kidding, Alex. Look outside. There’s no school today.”

Alex peered out the frosty window. Sure enough the grass and road were covered in white sparkling snow, his car alone having about a foot of the white powdery crystals piled on top. 

”Not funny, El.”

”Mind if I swing by later? Things are looking pretty boring at my place.”

“Sure,” Alex replied. With Elliot over Alex would have to work extra hard to hide his illness. He couldn’t decline though; that would be a red flag of being sick, which he totally was not. (He was, and it was starting to catch up on him.)

Alex exchanged a goodbye before hanging up. He decided to go downstairs and grab a bite to eat.

On the way down the stairs he listened to a voicemail from his mom. She was apparently snowed in at her office and would probably not make it home until very late that night. Great. Now Alex would be left alone until Elliot came. 

”h’tsshh!—h—huh— h’KSHH’IEW!” That was new. Alex was used to his small, kitten-like (as Elliot liked to put it) sneezes, but the last one ripped through his throat with a force he’d never experienced before.

As Alex pushed his dark brown hair out of his eyes, his fingers grazed his skin. He was met with heat. He knew he had a fever, but he didn’t want to bother with medicine. That made him tired, and added with his already fatigued state he’d be passed out in minutes. 

“h’tshh!” God, this had to stop. Alex grabbed another tissue, surprised when he reached the end of the box. He added the balled up white square to the growing pile next to him. He was going to clean up, but that honestly sounded like someone had asked him to run a marathon. 

For breakfast, Alex had made a piece of toast but pushed it aside upon finding that it was too hard to swallow. He wasn’t that hungry anyways. Well, maybe he was, but he didn’t have the energy to make anything.

It wasn’t long before he ended up asleep on the couch, surrounded by a sea of crumpled tissues. It was a pitiful sight for sure. 

When Elliot walked in the Lawson’s household he was met with silence. He quietly made his way to the living area, smiling when he saw Alex curled up on the couch. He wanted to chat, but he knew the sick boy needed rest. Elliot crept to the kitchen, making his friend a cup of hot chocolate. He knew Alex hated tea so this was the best bet to soothe his throat. 

Elliot had gotten a second glass out for himself, his body still shivering from being outside in the cold. As he waited for the cocoa to brew he cleaned up the mess of tissues, and laid a fleece blanket over Alex. Bringing the steaming cups of cocoa into the living room, he took a seat in a nearby chair. 

Elliot had resorted to switching between playing on his phone and dozing off until he was snapped out of his daze with an outburst from the couch.

”h’TSHH! huh’etshh! h’kshh’t!” 

“Bless you,” Elliot said, looking up at his friend.

”Oh God, Elliot. I didn’t know you came—I would’ve gotten up! I must’ve been horrible company,” Alex said, quickly jumping up from his nest of blankets. He must’ve jumped too quickly, because he had to grab onto the side of the couch to keep from falling over.

”Are you okay?” Elliot asked in a concerned voice.

”Peachy,” Alex replied.

”I made some hot cocoa if you’re interested,” Elliot offered, gesturing to the steaming mug sitting on the coffee table. Alex had to admit, the offer was pretty enticing. 

“Thanks,” Alex said, grabbing the mug. As soon as he picked it up though he had to set it down, twisting away from Elliot as he succumbed to the inevitable.

”h’ksh’IEW! h’tsshh! ‘etshh!”

“Bless you,” Elliot said. He noticed Alex wince in the aftermath, coughing silently into his fist.

“A refill on the hot cocoa?” Elliot inquired. Alex nodded, pulling a blanket over his shoulders.

Elliot took the empty glass to the kitchen, a smug grin on his face. He brewed the cocoa once again, but snuck in a splash of liquid Tylenol and a dose of NyQuil. Sure, it wasn’t his proudest moment, but there was no way Alex would take the medication on his own. 

Alex sipped on his new drink, a confused look crossing his features after a while.

”Did you do something different to this drink? I don’t know—it just sorta tastes funny,” Alex said, looking like a lost puppy. Elliot hated lying to his friend, but it was for the best.

”Same recipe as before. It’s probably because your nose is blocked up and you can’t taste well,” Elliot reasoned. 

”I guess...Wanna watch a movie?

”Sure. How about....Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?”

”Works for me,” Alex said, popping in the disc. The intro started, and both boys sat on the couch. Throughout the movie they ended up slowly inching closer.

As Elliot watched, he was getting an idea. He could pretend to be sick in order to get Alex to admit that he was sick. The idea sounded a bit....out there, but Elliot figured that Alex would be all over his case, worrying about him, which Elliot could then point out that he’s just as bad off. 

“h’tschh! ‘kshh’t!” 

“Bless you,” Elliot said automatically, still engaged in the film. He needed all the notes from Ferris in order to pull this off. 

Alex yawned, stretching out so that he was almost right against Elliot.

”Sorry, I don’t know what’s up with me—I’m suddenly really tired,” Alex said with a sniff. Elliot knew it was from the hot cocoa and meds cocktail he created, but he wasn’t about to say anything. 

Alex let out a few weak coughs before closing his eyes. After a few moments Elliot felt a dead weight on his shoulder; and indication that the sickie was out cold. It was for the best. Alex needed rest whether he wanted to admit it or not. 

It was about an hour when Alex woke up. He looked even worse then when he fell asleep if that was even possible. Elliot glanced at his friend worriedly. Beads of sweat were dotting his forehead, and Elliot had assumed he at least had a low grade fever.

Rummaging around the cabinets in Alex’s bathroom, Elliot finally found what he was searching for. A thermometer.

Running back down the wooden stairs, Elliot came to his friend. Alex was in a haze, staring ahead at nothing in particular. His dark hair was tousled and his hazel-green eyes were glassy. Alex didn’t even acknowledge when Elliot slid the thermometer under his tongue. Only when the small device beep did he look up in surprise.

”A thermom’er? El, I—h’ksh’EWW!—I don’ have a f’ver. ‘M perfectly healthy,” Alex slurred. His cheeks burned with fever, and he looked so, so sick. Elliot’s heart ached at the sight, wanting so bad to hug the boy and tell him things would be okay.

”Actually you have a 101.2 fever,” Elliot said. It wasn’t too high, but it also wasn’t low enough to shrug off.

”Alex, can I help you up to bed?” Elliot stated more than asked.

“Only if y’ stay,” Alex said with a pleading look. Elliot’s cheeks burned bright with embarrassment, but he couldn’t say no. 

Elliot helped Alex up the stairs with a supporting hand on his back. To be honest the boy looked like he might crumble any second. Once the two reached Alex’s bedroom  Elliot steered Alex to his bed. 

”Take this for me?” Elliot asked, holding up some more Tylenol. 

”h’tshh! That’s only for sick people,” Alex said with a pout.

”Please just drop the act, Alex! I know your sick, you know your sick, so just let me take care of you!” Elliot said a little bit louder than he intended to.

Alex winced at the raised voice, nodding his head in compliance. Without another word he took the medication.

“I’m perfectly fine, El,” Alex said softly. 

“Sorry for shouting, I’m just worried,” Elliot apologized.

Elliot looked at his friend thoughtfully. He needed to get Alex to admit he was sick, he just had to. Alex would never get better if he kept running himself wary, denying not feeling well. 

”Stay?” Alex asked.

Elliot came over and laid down next to Alex. It didn’t take long for the two to drift off for a bit, Elliot waking after a half hour. He carefully snuck a hand against Alex’s forehead, pleased to be met with no heat. The meds must have reduced his fever, much to Elliot’s relief.

Seeing as though Alex was at a safely coherent level, Elliot deemed it appropriate to bring project Ferris Bueller into action. He felt a bit mean to lie to a sick person, especially his sick friend, but this was for his own good. After all, Alex couldn’t get better until he was willing to help himself. 

Elliot would just fake sick a tiny bit. Just enough to convince Alex. Then Elliot would point out that Alex’s symptoms were far worse than his, further forcing him to finally admit he’s ill. A weird plan? Yes. Did it need to be done? Most definitely. 

All Elliot had to do now was wait for a Alex to wake up, then the denial could end. 

———————————————————————————————————————————————

hope everyone liked part 4!! 💕

Edited June 25, 2020 by castiel_angel

[Feo]

What a good idea of Elliot to fake sick! I'm ready for the next part!

[bingochamp7]

15 hours ago, castiel_angel said:

”h’tsshh!—h—huh— h’KSHH’IEW!” That was new. Alex was used to his small, kitten-like (as Elliot liked to put it) sneezes, but the last one ripped through his throat with a force he’d never experienced before.

I love it when normally dainty sneezers experience forceful sneezes due to a cold, especially ones that rip the throat.

Can’t wait to see how Elliot feigns sickness. Great job as always!

[monochrome]

These are such cute OCs!! I love them a lot omg. I really like Elliot's shyness/the fact that he doesn't recognize his own skills and Alex's unwavering confidence in him. Selfless characters are the cutest, and it's really cool to see him notice all the subtle signs of Alex's illness. He's really perceptive!

I really like Alex as well. His passion for soccer and his frustration with himself when he's not performing as well as usual are so real (even if they break my heart just a little).

On 6/22/2020 at 3:13 PM, castiel_angel said:

”Elliot, can you m-huh-move—hih—“

“Alex, it’s fine. I’m not going anywhere until you take some deep breaths.”

”huh—I really—hiihh—think you wanna move—“

”Relax, Alex. It’s not like I’m a stranger or something,” Elliot said, not understanding why Alex wanted him to leave so badly.

”h’tshh! h—h’itssh! h’sshh!”

”Oh. Bless you,” Elliot said, now understanding Alex’s behavior. The boy in question held up a finger, indicating that he wasn’t done.

This. Scene!!! ❤️ I really love how hard Alex tries to warn Elliot that he's about to sneeze, and how casual/nonchalant Elliot is bc it really doesn't bother him at all 😄 Such a sweet way to diffuse the situation

On 6/24/2020 at 9:14 PM, castiel_angel said:

”I’m really not that sick—h’tshh! huh’ktshh!” Alex yanked the phone away from his face, trying to silence the outbursts.

”Not sick my ass! Bless you by the way.” So he heard. Alex made a mental note to be more careful.

”Really, it’s not that big of a deal,” Alex said, already feeling his nose begin to betray him once more.

”If you say so—“

I really really love this too, with Alex trying to be subtle and mute the call when he sneezes and Elliot knowing what he's doing and calling him out on it. Their banter is so fun to read!

On 6/24/2020 at 9:14 PM, castiel_angel said:

”h’tsshh!—h—huh— h’KSHH’IEW!” That was new. Alex was used to his small, kitten-like (as Elliot liked to put it) sneezes, but the last one ripped through his throat with a force he’d never experienced before.

Illness progression is my favorite, and you write it really well! It's so cool to see Alex's sneezes get more intense throughout.

It's so clear that they're close bc they know each other so well (especially with Alex seeing Elliot's potential and Elliot knowing what Alex needs.) I'm really digging their friendship (and the denial, even when Alex knows for himself that he has a fever). I'm super intrigued as to how Elliot's going to go about acting out his plan 💕

Edited July 17, 2020 by monochrome

[RipleyToo]

I wonder if Elliot is going to catch that nasty bug? 😜

[castiel_angel]

 

On 6/25/2020 at 3:55 AM, Feo said:

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the plot! I’m trying my best ☺️

On 6/25/2020 at 4:07 PM, bingochamp7 said:

Can’t wait to see how Elliot feigns sickness. Great job as always!

I really like that headcanon! I’m so happy to see you like the story!

On 7/17/2020 at 5:21 AM, monochrome said:

These are such cute OCs!! I love them a lot omg. I really like Elliot's shyness/the fact that he doesn't recognize his own skills and Alex's unwavering confidence in him. Selfless characters are the cutest, and it's really cool to see him notice all the subtle signs of Alex's illness. He's really perceptive!

I really like Alex as well. His passion for soccer and his frustration with himself when he's not performing as well as usual are so real (even if they break my heart just a little).

This. Scene!!! ❤️ I really love how hard Alex tries to warn Elliot that he's about to sneeze, and how casual/nonchalant Elliot is bc it really doesn't bother him at all 😄 Such a sweet way to diffuse the situation

I really really love this too, with Alex trying to be subtle and mute the call when he sneezes and Elliot knowing what he's doing and calling him out on it. Their banter is so fun to read!

Illness progression is my favorite, and you write it really well! It's so cool to see Alex's sneezes get more intense throughout.

It's so clear that they're close bc they know each other so well (especially with Alex seeing Elliot's potential and Elliot knowing what Alex needs.) I'm really digging their friendship (and the denial, even when Alex knows for himself that he has a fever). I'm super intrigued as to how Elliot's going to go about acting out his plan 💕

This made me grin like a gigantic idiot for ten minutes! I’m at a loss for words 🥺 this was so sweet!

On 7/21/2020 at 10:01 PM, Puzzle said:

I wonder if Elliot is going to catch that nasty bug? 😜

Oh don’t you worry...I have a little plan up my sleeve 😈

~ 

Back for the next part! 💗 Thanks to everyone who’s read along so far! Hope everyone’s healthy and safe during these times! Well wishes to you all!

———————————————————————————————————————————————

 

X part 5

 

Elliot sat on the couch next to a fast asleep Alex and thought of his plan. He felt bad for tricking his friend, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and Elliot desperately wanted Alex to just admit defeat already.

Elliot eventually decided to make a little list of things he would do to pull off faking sick. He’d always been a list person, between forgetfulness and the satisfaction of checking off boxes.

Elliot tiptoed into Alex’s kitchen where he found a pad of sticky notes and a pen. He ripped off the top piece of paper and set the rest of it back where he found it. 

It had then occurred to Elliot that he didn’t know how to exactly fake sick. He hadn’t ever done it as a child, and ever since he joined soccer it wasn’t an option to miss school for no good reason. Eventually, it was decided that google was the answer. Scrolling through some website Elliot couldn’t help but laugh at some of the suggestions. No way in hell that he was going to make fake vomit. Absolutely, positively, no.

 Despite the previous suggestion, Elliot found a few ideas to add to his list. In a neat, scrolling hand writing Elliot wrote:

Faking Sick

-prop tissue in hand (for convincing reasons)

-blanket 

-cup of hot water

-flour

Elliot gathered his supplies. He took a blanket from Alex’s room and an extra sweater to put on over his long sleeve for good measure. Blanket, check.

Next for the water. Elliot decided to just make super hot tea so that the drink didn’t look out of place. According to google, this part was crucial. He would have to dip the thermometer into the drink and get it warm enough where a fever is believable, but not too high where Alex would think he needs medical attention. Drink, check.

Flour, flour, flour.....oh, there it is. Elliot found this step to be a little odd, but he supposed he shouldn’t make an assumption until he tested it out. The website had said that if you use a little bit of flour and lightly dusted it over your features it would give you a paler complexion. Elliot got a small bit of flour from the bag and spread it over his features carefully. He really hoped this would come off. Taking a peak in a hallway mirror, Elliot agreed that he did look considerably paler. Flour, check.

For material items that was it; the only thing he had to do now was act the part. Leaving the list in the kitchen Elliot took his supplies into the living area where Alex was still sleeping. 

Elliot slipped on the extra sweater over top of his shirt, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders. He was already sweating from the extra layers, but then again that might buy into the fever thing even more. Elliot also grabbed a tissue and balled it up to give the appearance of being used multiple times. 

Lastly, he needed some symptoms. Elliot read on the website that you should stick to breathing through the mouth to sound stuffed up. A few coughs and sneezes here and there would also aid in convincing.

It was show time. Elliot couldn’t help the feeling of guilt that sat like a heavy weight in his chest. He liked Alex...a lot. Elliot hated lying for anything. To be fair, this was not lying for self benefit. Simply to help a friend who doesn’t know how to slow down. 

Elliot was snapped out of his thoughts as Alex shifted awake.

”El?” A tired voice called out from the other end of the couch.

”Well it’s about time you got up,” Elliot said with a small smile. He decided that acting like nothing was wrong was the best approach. Low-key but effective.

”Must of stayed up too late last night,” Alex said with a shrug, hopping up from the couch. His grip on the couch as he waited for the dizziness to pass did not go unnoticed by Elliot. Up too late my left foot. 

”itshh’eww! h’tshh!”  

That reminded Elliot...was he supposed to....fake sneeze? The thought seemed strange, but would it be convincing? Elliot wasn’t too sure.

”I was thinking about going outside for a bit to kick the ball, you know...get the blood flowing,” Alex said to his friend.

“Alex,  you really shouldn’t be outside when you’re si—“

”What are you waiting for, El? The ball won’t kick itself,” Alex said, turning to the side to release a quick double. “h’tshh! h’etshh!”

”Bless you,” Elliot muttered, throwing his coat on. He needed to step up his game if he wanted to get Alex back on the coach resting where he belonged. 

The outside air hit like a wave of icy bliss, swallowing everything with a frosty swirl. There was a thick coat of white, powdery snow on every surface in sight. 

Elliot looked up in surprise as the soccer ball hit him square in the stomach. He flew back in response, hunched over and breathing heavily in attempt to regain composure.

”Hey, El, are you alright?” Alex asked with a concerned look. Elliot had seemed off to Alex for a bit now, but he was even more concerned that he missed a pass directly towards him. 

Elliot looked away from Alex’s concerned look, trying his best to extinguish the guilt creeping into his conscience. He needed to get the job done, fast.

”Alex I think that m-maybe we should he-head inside,” Elliot said, trying his best to sound cold, which given the circumstances wasn’t that difficult.

”Just a few more kicks, El. Come on!” 

Damn. His plan was so far a bust. He needed to ham it up—fast.

”Alex...led’s go dow,” Elliot said in the best congested voice he could muster, adding a few coughs at the end. 

Alex eyed his friend suspiciously. If he were getting sick Alex would kick himself in the shin ten times over. 

Elliot knew this was his chance. “h—huh—h’EKSSHH’EWW!” Even though it was acted, Elliot ended up bent over from the force. 

”Bless,” Alex said. His warm chocolate eyes grazed over his friend with a brief concern. How could he not have noticed that his friend was getting sick? 

“Alright, let’s go inside. You’re not looking too hot.” 

“Says the sickie,” Elliot muttered, wrapping his coat tighter around him in attempt to keep up his act. Truthfully it was pretty cold outside so this wasn’t an aspect hard to fake. 

”Elliot, let’s go before you get worse,” Alex suggested once more. Elliot wasn’t sure if he should instigate a bit more or just give in. The frosty bite in the air made him lean more towards the side of giving up and returning to the cozy warmth of the indoors.

”Fine. I’ll go inside if it makes you happy,” Elliot said with a exaggerated sigh.

As Elliot kicked off his shoes by the door he heard Alex succumbing to a small fit, barely getting a breath in before each release.

”h’tshh!  h-huh’exshh’uh! h’tshh! h’etSHH! h-h’exshh’EW!” 

”Jeez, bless you,” Elliot said, shrugging off his coat and scarf.

Alex nodded his head in thanks, flopping onto the couch with a content sigh.

”I’ll be right back, Alex. I’m going to quickly use the bathroom,” Elliot said before slinking off. He needed to put together another component of his plan.

In the bathroom, Elliot had brought in a small cup of flour. He carefully dipped a finger into the white powder, rubbing it into his cheeks. After a few more applications he had the appearance of paleness achieved. He also ran the tap, putting a bit of water in his hair to appear sweaty. Hopefully, if he pulled this off it would look like he was running a small fever. Lastly, he decided that adding in a few sneezes would sugar coat his plans. 

”h’EKSHH’EWW! h—huh’ESHH’EWW! huh—h—h’EKSHH’IEEW!”

Elliot hoped he was convincing. He flushed the toilet to make it seem like he actually went to the bathroom and ran the sink for a good minute before shutting it off. 

“God, it’s all my fault you’re sick!” Alex said with a sympathetic frown. 

Elliot faked a cough into a loose fist before reassuring his friend that it was nothing.

”You got pretty pale,” Alex remarked, examining his friend’s features.

”I’m fine,” Elliot replied. 

”let me go grab the thermometer,” Alex said, hopping up from his spot. Elliot felt horrible for making his obviously sick friend help to fix his fake illness. It was for his own good in the long run.

Elliot found that the best way to fake the symptoms was to really pretend as if the situation were real. For example, in order to fake a sneeze he thought of what he was allergic to: cats. He imagined them flicking their tail around and rubbing up against his legs, meowing as if to say ‘hello.’ Elliot also created a believable buildup, practicing as if he were gearing up for a real sneeze. Lastly, he tried to make the release similar to the real deal as well. He found his eyes squeezing shut and his waist bent over. 

Even when he’s actually ill, Elliot’s sneezes always were a bit of a lengthy production. Often people thought he was doing it on purpose for the dramatics. He truthfully couldn’t help it—he had been that way since he was little. Elliot had felt a little weird adding in his long build-ups to his act, but thankfully Alex hadn’t noticed.

Alex had returned with the thermometer in hand, and exasperated look on his face. He had been frantically hunting down the latter, which was easier said then done apparently.

”h’ETSSH’IEW!” Elliot snapped his head away from Alex bringing a haphazard hand up to cover the make believe explosion. He had noticed how significantly easier it had gotten to fake his symptoms the more he went along.

”Bless,” Alex said, shoving the thermometer between his lips before he could object.

”I’m going to go grab a blanket upstairs. It’s freaking freezing in this house,” Alex told his friend, “please try not to die while I’m gone.”

“Will do,” Elliot said, his words coming out more as a mumble around the thermometer in his mouth.

As Elliot heard Alex trudge up the stairs he took the thermometer out of his mouth and stuck it in the hot cup of tea and waited as the red bar climbed up the numbers like a ladder. Once it got to a reasonable but not overkill temperature he took it out and stuck it back under his tongue.

Alex had returned with the blanket, and tossed it on the sofa as he came to read the thermometer. 

”It l’huh—looks like you—hold on one sec—h’tshh! h’tshh’ieww!” Alex turned away from Elliot, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his sweatshirt in the aftermath. 

”Sorry. I was about to say it looks like you have a bit of a fever...101.2,” Alex finished.

”Alex, there’s no need to worry. I feel fine!” Elliot said, denying in a similar way as Alex had done before.

”Whatever you need to tell yourself I guess,” Alex said, wrapping his blanket around his shoulders. 

”h’EKSSH’EW!” 

“G’bless,” Alex said, taking a sip of some Gatorade he found in the back of his fridge. He really needed to go to the store, but his whole body ached and the thought of sleep seemed so enticing. Before sleep though Alex realized there was a persistent tickle in the back of his nose.

”h’tshh! huh’kshh! h’tshh’uh! h—h’shh!” 

”Bless you,” Elliot said, concern deepening. Alex did not sound well. At all.

Alex reached for the tissue box but soon realized there was none left. He got up and walked into the kitchen to snag the box from there. As he reached for the box a piece of paper lying on the counter caught his eye.

cup of hot water?

flour?

Then his eyes traveled up to the top heading. “Faking Sick.” Alex’s confusion slowly turned to anger as he crumpled up the thin paper into a ball, slamming it into the garbage. He gave the effort of taking care of his ‘sick’ friend while he still felt like shit and his was the thanks he got?

Why would Elliot lie to him? Alex felt a tear drip from the corner of his eye. He wasn’t sure if it was from anger, sickness, or tiredness; perhaps a mixture of all three, but this hurt more then it should. 

”Mind explaining what you’ve done?” Alex seethed.

”What did I do?” Elliot asked.

”You can drop the act already. I saw that damned note on the counter. Why the hell would you lie to me of all people, Elliot? Why?!”

”Alex, I can explain! I did it for a good reason, I swear!”

”I think I’ve heard enough from you,” Alex said, another tear rolling down his cheek.

”Don’t hate me, Alex! I only faked sick to show you how important it was to admit you need to admit you’re not feeling well!” Elliot said. His heart had broken at the reaction of his friend. He never meant to make him mad, only to show him how much he truly cared about him.

”Go. Just go,” Alex said, looking away from his friend. Elliot was hurt and broken. He hated to see Alex upset and to know he was the one who caused it. God, he wanted to kick himself. He just had to go and ruin things. 

Elliot picked up his stuff and left, not wanting to cause any more trouble. He knew Alex needed space, and as much as he wanted to go hug the boy he knew it was best to go. 

Alex slammed the door behind Elliot and flopped on the couch. “h’kshh’eww! h’tshh!” He curled up tighter in his blankets.

”Hey, Elliot could you hand me—“ oh, right. Alex got up and grabbed a tissue himself. He just laid there and cried. Cried because he felt horrible. Cried because Elliot was gone. Cried because he didn’t understand how his best friend could do this to him. Soon his eyelids grew heavy, and he drifted off into a restless sleep where he never really got comfy. 

Being lied to sucked, but being lonely was worse.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Hope everyone enjoyed part 5!  

 

 

 

[ID2006]

So so perfect

[RipleyToo]

Aahhhh I can’t wait until the next part! Can’t wait to see what else you’ll add 😈 

[castiel_angel]

X part 6
 

Alex woke up to a velvety darkness that swallowed up his surroundings into nothingness. His head felt like a bullet was ricocheting off of his skull, and his vision  was muddy like a camera that never focused.

His whole body ached in a way he hadn’t felt in a long while. It was like he was helpless, lying there like naive prey waiting to be gobbled up by the darkness.

Alex felt the familiar prickle intensify in the back of his nose. His breath caught as he inhaled sharply, using the little energy he had left to pitch forward with a wet-sounding double.

h’kTSHH’hh! h—heh—h’TSSHhh! 

He felt his nose drip in the aftermath, but was too tired to grab a tissue. Instead he lay here in a silence so intense that even the most introverted of people would shift with discomfort.

He felt his eyes grow heavy and his head loll to the side as he nodded off, succumbing to the ever-so inviting pull of sleep. After some amount of time his eyes snapped open to the sound of his phone ringing. He blindly felt around for it, his mind still foggy from being abruptly woken 

”h’llo?” He slurred, voice ridden with sleep. 

”Hey, honey. It’s mom, just thought I’d check in and see how your feeling.”

” ‘m fine.”

”Are you running a fever?” she asked.

”d’nt think so,” Alex said with a yawn. He knew for a fact he was burning up, but he didn’t want to give his mother one more thing to worry about on top of her busy shift at the hospital.

”Make sure you drink plenty of water and try and eat someth—“

”h’KTSHH’h! h’tsHH’eww! h—huh—h’pSSHh!”

“Bless you, Alley-bear,” Alex’s mother said with sympathy.

Alex blushed at the use of his childhood nickname coined by his mom. If one of his friends found out about that name he’d die of embarrassment.

”s’rry ‘bout that,” Alex mumbled, wiping his nose against his sleeve.

”As I was saying, try and eat something and take some meds. I’ll be home in an hour, try to rest up until then.”

”yeah, yeah,” Alex said, breaking off into a cough. After a minute or so his mother began to grow concerned. 

”Alex? You surviving over there?” 

“I’ll make it,” he said, still lightly choking on each shaky inhale. 
 
“Sorry, hun, I gotta go—they need me in the C-section center immediately. Feel better,” Alex’s mother called out before disconnecting the line.

Alex tossed his phone to the side resting his head in his hands. He felt terrible.

“h’KShh’tt! ‘tShh!”

Scratch that—he felt like death warmed over. He wasn’t very hungry, but to appease his mom he decided to get up and warm up a bit of leftover soup from the fridge. 

Getting up from the couch was easier said then done. Alex pushed himself up against the arm rest, pausing as he waited for his vision to focus. His legs were jello, wobbling and threatening to give out at any given second. 

He made his way to the kitchen, stumbling against the doorway. He grabbed onto it for support, waiting for the wave of dizziness to pass. 

As his vision refocused on the floor ahead of him he walked to rest of the way to the kitchen. He opened up a cabinet to grab a bowl to pour his soup into. He popped the filled dish into the microwave, setting the time to a minute thirty.

Alex felt the wave of dizziness return even stronger, washing over him and pulling him in like the tide. He was drowning in the ocean of darkness, struggling to keep his head above the murky water.

“h’KSShtt! huh—h’ETshh’eww!”

He wouldn’t allow himself to slip under. He could stay afloat—

“h’eKkshh!”

Another wave knocked him over, sending him struggling under the current.

The microwave beeped, signaling that his food was ready. Alex tripped forward as a reached to open the door. Pulling the door open he grabbed for the steaming bowl. Blackness began to fill his vision in splotches, his hearing waning out. 

Bowl in hand he felt his shaking legs give out underneath him, all senses escaping him. The predator had won, darkness pinning him to the floor as it flooded around him. 
——————————

Elliot knew he had to make it up to Alex. The hurt expression on his face as he skimmed the note broke Elliot’s heart into a thousand pieces. 

He wanted to show Alex that it was okay to admit to feeling weak; that it’s okay to let others help you. 

Elliot settled on buying Alex his favorite candy: soft caramel with the vanilla cream filling. Alex rarely says no to food, so Elliot saw this as his chance to get his best friend back. 

Much to Elliot’s disapproval he knew Alex would show up to school tomorrow to practice. They were learning new plays and there was no way in hell he was going to miss out.

———————————

“Alex? Alex?!? ALEX!”

His mother was knelt down by her son, cleaning up the broken glass and mopping up the spilled soup. 

”Alex,” she repeated once more, lightly shaking his shoulder to wake him,    

Someone was calling his name. They were so close yet so far.

Finally he managed to pry his eyes open.

”’m m’m? What’m I doin’ here?” Alex slurred feverishly.

”You passed out,” Alex’s mother explained kindly. She rested the back of her hand against his forehead.

”You’re burning up, Alex! Why didn’t you tell me!”

”didn’t wanna bother you—h’tshh! huh—hkshh!”

”Bless you,” Alex’s mom said, “Alex, you’re never a bother to me.”

“ ‘m so—h’TSshh!—sorry,” Alex apologized. 

”How does bed sound to you?” His mother asked with a knowing smile.

”best thing I heard all day,” Alex muttered, his eyes already closing.

He made his way to his bedroom, tiredly collapsing on the mattress. He broke off into a bought of coughing that lasted a little longer than it should have. 

He drugged himself up on cough medicine and NyQuil before passing out under the covers, snoring softly.

Sleep had finally won, and this time Alex was okay with losing his battle.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

this was considerably shorter than my usual posts, but I still hope you liked it! 💗 in the next part we’ll see what karma has in store for Elliot 😈 

Edited August 7, 2020 by castiel_angel

[RipleyToo]

Ooooooo can’t wait! 😁

[castiel_angel]

just realized now that I forgot to reply! 
 

On 7/24/2020 at 12:52 AM, ickydog2006 said:

So so perfect

tysm! This means a lot!

On 7/24/2020 at 6:27 PM, Puzzle said:

Aahhhh I can’t wait until the next part! Can’t wait to see what else you’ll add 😈 

Next time we’ll see what Mr. Elliot has coming for him 😈

[ID2006]

So excited for the boys getting back together

[2SHY222]

This was incredible 😱🥰

[Seeker]

Loving this! 

[castiel_angel]

I’m so sorry for such a delay! I was having a bit of trouble with my grandmother and the nursing home she had recently moved into because a few of the employees have been tested positive for Covid. I apologize for this long wait, I guess I just totally put this on the back burner and forgot about it!

On 8/7/2020 at 5:07 AM, Puzzle said:

Ooooooo can’t wait! 😁

definitely a lot of fun to come

On 8/7/2020 at 10:25 AM, ickydog2006 said:

So excited for the boys getting back together

so am I!

On 8/7/2020 at 11:09 PM, 2SHY222 said:

This was incredible 😱🥰

awe, you’re too sweet 🥺

On 8/8/2020 at 10:12 AM, Seeker said:

Loving this! 

tysm!! definitely more to come!!
 

———————————————————————————————————

X part 7

 

Alex awoke the next morning feeling equally as terrible as the day before; pounding head, aching body, congestion—the whole works. One plus side was that he didn’t feel to be on the verge of collapsing at any moment. 

His mom had made it very clear last night that he needed to stay in bed, no exceptions. Well, that is if you’re a rule follower. His mom was working a thirteen hour shift today so that would give him plenty of time to sneak off to school and be back in bed before she gets home.

Now, you may be wondering who in their right mind would try and sneak to school when their parents aren’t home. This question is a very valid one; one even Alex would question on any other given day of the school year. Today was different though. There was no way in hell Alex was going to sit around in his bedroom while his team was learning essential plays for their upcoming rivalry game. And the ticket to practice? One agonizing seven hour and twenty five minute day at Woodridge High. 

Alex pried himself from the comfort of his bed, shivering as his skin met with the cool air. He felt the all too familiar tickle of an impending sneeze, a feeling he was very much sick of. 

”h’ktsshh! h’SSHh! h—h’tshh’EWW!” 

“Bless me,” Alex muttered, turning on the shower faucet. The water rushed out and flooded over the ceramic tiles of the shower’s floor, trickling through each groove before sliding down the drain. 

Alex stepped in, relishing the feeling of the hot water against his cool and clammy skin. 

”h’KTsshh!”

The steam of the shower clouded the glass around him, making everything around him seem invisible. He figured he’d better get out, as he didn’t want to be late for school. 

Alex wrapped himself in a towel, shivering at the loss of heat. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror, cringing inwardly at the face who met his gaze. 

”You don’t do anything in halves do you, Alexander Lawson,” he said to himself. Alex went to his room to change into warmer clothes. 

“h’ITShh’eww! h’ktsshh! huh—h—“

The itch had subsided, allowing for Alex to slip on his soccer sweatshirt and sweatpants. 

“h’TSHh’ieww!”

damn being sick. He coughed a bit into his sleeve before sliding on his sneakers. 

Alex checked the time on his phone. 7:25. He had to hurry up. Jogging down the stairs he shoved his books into his backpack, zippering it up in a rush.

He shoved a charger and headphones into the front compartment along with an apple for later. He didn’t feel like he could stomach any breakfast, so instead he replaced his meal with a dose of DayQuil and a cough drop. Not the most nutritional, but it would get the job done.

 He haphazardly ran a comb through his tangled raven hair, hoping to make it look like he didn’t just roll out of bed with a cold from hell (which he did, but the rest of the world didn’t have to know that.)

He turned the ignition on in his car, cranking up the heat to full blast. The soft hum of the radio drifted through the air, harmonizing with the low rumble of the car engine. 

Alex only realized he was zoning out when a car horn blared angrily behind him. He snapped up, realizing that it had been a green light for a while. He pushed heavily on the ignition, not slowing down until the sight of the school came into view. 

He turned into a parking space, hopping out of the driver’s seat.

“h’tshhh! huh’eptshh! h—h’kshh’eww!“

If he ever hoped to get through today that definitely had to stop. Unfortunately, in the cat and mouse chase of fate, Alex was the mouse.

————————————

Elliot arrived into his first period honors biology class with two things:

1.) his bag of soft caramel creams for Alex to make up for being a total asshole

2.) a horrible headache

Elliot was beginning to believe that this was karma for hurting his friend, which he guesses he deserves. Elliot slumped at the first lab stool he saw, burying his head in his hands. The teacher rambled through lab groups for the morning but Elliot wasn’t really listening. He only looked up when he heard someone slide across from him

Of course it was Alex. Of course it was.

Alex looked fairly pissed off, refusing to make eye contact with Elliot. Elliot wasn’t expecting lollipops and rainbows, but he also wasn’t exactly expecting the full blown silence treatment. He felt butterflies swirl in his stomach, twirling about and threatening to take flight. He wanted Alex in the worst way, like a child who has spotted the cookie jar on the top shelf of the kitchen. 

It always seems to be that people desire things most when they’re told they can’t have them, and this was no exception for Elliot. Of course, as fate would have it,  this was the moment his nose began to act up. He tried to subside the tickle, but Elliot was realizing that this was a losing battle.

”h—hihh—h” 

his breath caught slightly, eyes fluttering shut as he succumbed to the inevitable.

”h’tsht! h’ngtt!” 

Elliot winced as his headache intensified, hoping that Alex didn’t notice his quick stifle. He rested his head back in his hands, not wanting to face the boy sitting across from him.

”Cut the BS, Elliot. I thought you were done pretending,” Alex said, shooting a glaring look in Elliot’s direction. Elliot flinched at the sudden break in silence from the deep voice sitting across from him.

He felt a stab in his chest. Faking? Is that really what Alex thought of him? He wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Not only did he feel like crap, but his best friend doesn’t believe him.

”h’ktsshh! h’kshht!”

If the cold shoulder wasn’t enough, this just piled on to the weight of guilt on Elliot’s conscience. He wanted to be mad; upset. He wanted to scream, cry, and sulk all at once but he couldn’t—he could only feel ashamed in himself for getting into this mess.

”Bless you,” Elliot offered quietly, refusing to make eye contact with the brown eyed boy. Alex just rolled his eyes in reply.

”Alright, everyone, your lab for today is going to be examining different blood swatches under the microscope. You have to correctly identify which samples are healthy and which are diseased. There will be a quiz tomorrow on this lab so I expect each and every one of you will be on your best work ethic for the fifty minutes we have today. You all may begin,” the bio teacher announced.

Elliot coughed quietly from behind closed lips, ocean blue eyes trailing up to look at Alex. Alex looked just as sick as the day Elliot was over at his house, and the feeling of guilt washed over him all over again.

Elliot cleared his throat before speaking.

”So, we better get started on the lab then,” he said softly.

”I’ll take slides A-C and you can do D-F,” Alex said coldly, refusing eye contact with the smaller boy. He grabbed slide A and placed it under the stage clips of the microscope.

Elliot began working himself, pausing to wipe his nose and the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He wanted so badly to be home with a fuzzy blanket and the sounds of the tv buzzing in the background. 

The thoughts of home had Elliot resting his cheek against his arm, his eyes closing and breath evening out. 

Alex noticed the boy across from him dozed off instead of working. Did he really think after the feat he pulled that he could just skip helping out with the lab to catch up on his stupid beauty sleep? Alex didn’t think so. 

Alex cleared his throat loudly, staring expectantly at Elliot. The sandy-haired subject in question jolted awake.

”wha—did I just—?”

”Just get to work. The clock is ticking,” Alex grumbled, returning to the work in front of him.

Elliot felt the familiar tickle return to his nose. He tried to ignore his hitching breath the best he could.

”h—hih—“ Elliot did not want to lose it in front of Alex again in fear of another snide comment.

His breath became more ragged and it got to the point where he couldn’t even focus on the sample in front of him.

“h—hihh--hnn—“

“h’ESSHh’ieww!” “h’tshh’EWW!”

Elliot snapped forward with each sneeze, sniffing in the aftermath. A few of the other people in the lab muttered “bless you’s” but Alex remained silent.

Alex was beginning to think that coming to school wasn’t the best idea. He really wanted to get to soccer but his head was swimming and his body ached. He figured he had a fever based on the sweat beading on his forehead.

He reached for his last slide and placed it under the microscope. 

“h’ktshht! h’ESH’eww! h—h’pshh’EW! ‘shh’eww!” Alex had turned to the side, coughing roughly in the aftermath. 

Elliot grew concerned when the coughing didn’t let up.

”um, Alex? Are you ok?” 

”Fine. None of your business anyways,” he replied sharply. 

Elliot frowned and returned to his work. 

When the bell rang to signal the end of the period the two boys had finished their assignment with two minutes to spare.

Alex had left immediately following the ring of the bell. Elliot had stayed behind to help the bio teacher clean up the lab since he had a free period afterwards.

“Thank you so much for helping, Elliot. This lab is always a disaster after class,” the teacher said with a kind smile.

”It’s my pleasure, Mrs. Fields. If you ever need a hand around here feel free to ask,” Elliot offered.

”Thanks, darling, but I couldn’t ask you to take your time to help me.”

”It would really be no trouble a—hih—h—at all—h’ESSHh’eww! h’TSHH’iew!

“Bless you, honey.”

”Thank you,” Elliot said, coughing lightly.

”Are you feeling alright, Elliot?” Mrs. Fields asked sympathetically.

”Fine,” Elliot replied, sweeping the floor carefully. 

”You know, you shouldn’t really be stuck here cleaning up when you’re sick.”

Elliot felt his cheeks burn hot from embarrassment. 

“I’m not si—h’KSHH’eww! tsshh’eww! sick.”

”Mr. Chase, you have a fever.”

“I’ll get by,” he said kindly.

Elliot decided to leave the caramel cremes in Alex’s locker. The candy was their peace offering for whenever either of them wanted to apologize for something they did. This time it was Elliot’s turn, and all he could think about was getting his friend back. 

”h’shh’EWW! Elliot sniffled as he popped open his chocolate-eyed friend’s locker, placing the candy inside.

Hopefully Alex would understand. It hurt to have to suffer alone, but it hurt even worse to know that your best friend saw you as a liar.

———————————————————————————————————

sorry for the big delay—I hope this made up for it 😘

Edited September 12, 2020 by castiel_angel