The Biggest Glitch
Cain awoke with a smile on his face. His eyes were still clamped shut when he turned over and sighed softly. He outstretched his arm to cage himself around Glitch, but it just flopped down to the mattress. Almost immediately, he forced his eyes open. He kicked the duvet off of him and he sat up. Glitch's side of the bed had been tousled, like he had been tossing and turning all night.
" Glitch?" Cain called out, uncertainly. " You out there? Glitch! Gl-"
Glitch appeared by the door. He looked dreadful. He hung his head with his black, straggly locks covering his face. His black jewelled eyes grew small. The whites were red and looked sore and swollen. His pale complexion was paler than usual. It was clear that he hadn't had a good night's sleep in several days. That was certainly the oddest thing. Glitch was notorious for being dead to the world, and kicking Cain in the back during the night. Smiling somewhat miserably, he grasped the doorframe and leant his body against it.
" You OK? You look terrible!"
Glitch nodded and shuffled over to the bed to sit down. " I must have a bug or something," he decided.
Cain raised his yellow eyebrows in concern. Something was definitely wrong. Glitch was rarely sick. The blue-eyed cowboy scooted his backside along the mattress to sit next to his lover to comfort him. As the good and protective man he was, he wrapped his tree trunk arms around him. Gently, he kissed him on the forehead. Glitch closed his eyes as he cherished this beautiful moment between them. After his uneventful night, he felt so drained, crabby and irritable. He just wanted Cain to take it all away.
" I want you to get back in bed and rest some more. You look exhausted!" Cain ordered.
Whenever he was being forceful like this, Glitch couldn't help but quiver with excitement. It was one of many idiosyncrasies that made him fall in love. " Oh, Cain! I must be delirious if I heard you say that!" He placed a hand to his forehead and pretended to swoon.
" Shuddup. I care about you," Cain snapped. He didn't like to admit that he cared, but he loved Glitch so much.
Glitch smiled as he lay back in bed. He made himself comfortable and let out a sigh. He didn't realise how tired he really was. Lovingly, Cain pulled the duvet up over him. A grateful grin stretched across Glitch's mouth. Cain placed a hand on his lover's right cheek. Softly, he kissed the left; whatever Glitch had, he didn't care about catching. It wasn't long until Glitch's heavy eyes began to droop. He was asleep in no time at all. Cain sat there for quite some time, just watching. Just watching Glitch sleep made him feel like there was something in his life worth protecting. Adora was dead and buried, DG had reconnected with her past, Raw was becoming more confident each day and his son, Jeb, was off in the wide world, fending for himself. When Glitch moaned in his sleep and wiggled, he decided to let him rest alone.
He picked up his trousers that had been chucked across the room the day before and put them on. He slipped into the en suite bathroom to retrieve his shirt and hat. Giving Glitch one more sympathetic smile, he dashed out of the bedroom. He ran down the hallway, tipping his hat to passing servants, and galloped down two flights of stairs. He approached the dining room, where he would eat breakfast with Queen DG and Raw. Both their faces lit up and wide grins spread across them.
" Morning, Cain," DG greeted, her bright blue eyes sparkling powerfully. She looked different, now that she was queen. Maybe it was that ponytail she had styled her hair in. Maybe it was that she wore clothes fit for royalty. Maybe it was because she matured, mentally, and was showing in her appearance. Whatever it was, Cain couldn't put his finger on it.
Cain beamed and proceeded to hug her. " Good morning. How're you doing, Raw?" he added, giving Raw a manly nod.
" Where's Glitch?" DG asked. She stood on her toes to look over Cain's broad shoulder to see if her old family friend was there.
Cain's cheeks puffed out as he sighed in concern. " He's not well."
DG's ice blue orbs widened. She glared at Raw, the concern aflame in her eyes. They knew something that Cain didn't. Unlike Cain, she had suspicions whether Glitch was ill or not. More than once she had spotted him rushing to the bathroom. Countless times she had heard the sound of him retching and vomiting echoing in the castle hallways. Worried, she had discussed it with Raw, who, unlucky for Glitch, gave her the best advice. This was the perfect time to tell him about their discoveries.
" He wasn't well yesterday either," she told him.
" Or day before," the kind old lion added quietly.
" He hasn't been well for about a week," DG continued, hesitantly. " I'm kinda worried about him." Then she had a very special request for Raw. " Can you find out what's wrong with him?" Raw smiled shyly but nodded vigorously.