When I woke up on that morning it wasn't due to the sound of my alarm. I sat straight up, wondering what had happened and was quick to realise I had forgotten to put it back on the previous night. I ran my fingers through my hair lazily, glancing aside to catch sight of a still soundly asleep Vaati. There was no way I'd leave him on his own, so when I called his father and he asked me if he should pick him up and bring him back to the hospital so that I could go to the university, I fervently rejected his offer. I wouldn't be sending him back there anytime soon, especially knowing that it'd make him unhappy. I told his dad that I'd skip classes for a few, wanting to spend all that was left of Vaat's time with him. I wasn't a bad student anyway; in fact, I found it quite easy to work on my own and would catch up to the others in no time. I later agreed with Vaati's dad that he'd come pick him up on Wednesday when he'd take the day off to be with his son. He was the head of a very influential company, which made it near impossible for him to take much more than a day off, no matter how much it pained him.
Next to me, Vaati shifted, pulling me out of my daydreaming. He had a pained expression on his face, and when I reached to touch his face I was shocked by how cold he was. I covered him with some more blankets and prepared some tea for when he'd wake up. I was still in the kitchen when I heard him cough, and I immediately rushed to my room to see what was happening. Vaati was sitting, hunched over his legs, and was coughing violently, a hand in front of his mouth and the other clenched onto his chest. I felt like my heart wanted to beat right out of my chest, and I could suddenly hear my own blood running. I sat besides him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
When the coughing finally stopped, he turned his head towards me, and I caught a flash of fear in his ruby eyes.
Vaati was scared.
I felt like the bed underneath me had just vanished and all I would do was fall into the empty.
I was suddenly lightheaded faced to the gravity of the situation, but I didn't let go off of Vaati. I held him closer and tighter. When he was completely propped up against me, he relaxed and his breathing slowed and became even again. I was slightly relieved, but it was insignificant compared to the anxiety that had settled deep within. "Link," he said quietly, sounding extremely calm. "I can't stand anymore." I held my breath for a few seconds; feeling like an entire building had crashed on me. "It's okay." I whispered, trying a smile even though he could not see me. "I'm here to help you. Just tell me what you need." He nodded slightly, but remained silent for a while. I didn't bother to move or leave him alone, keeping my arms around his thin frame in an attempt to share my warmth with him. He then decided to break the silence. "I'd like a shower… you can just drop me in there, I'll sort the rest out myself." I shook my head, not pleased by the idea of letting him out of my sight. "Okay… but just, don't close the door, alright?" I could guess he rolled his eyes. "Yes, mom!" I smiled and carried him to the shower. "You sure you can undress by yourself?" He gave me a teasing look, like the old times. "You want a piece of this, huh? Well you can't! Now shoo, I need some alone time." I raised my hands to the air and walked out of the bathroom, leaving the door cracked open behind me. I remained close by the entire time, paying attention to the sounds I heard. I would seriously flip out if something happened to him, and I couldn't refrain myself from pacing around until I heard him call. I stepped in again, looking around quickly to see if anything was off. It seemed ha had done a good job, because he was wrapped in one of the cupboard's towels, barely even standing with the help of the sink. I quickly reaped him off the ground into my arms again. "Are you crazy? I thought you said you couldn't stand!" He shrugged. "Maybe I am crazy. Now lend me some of your clothes, I'm freezing here." I shook my head and carried him to my bedroom, picking out my warmest clothes for him to wear before being shoo'd out again. This time I wasn't so nervous, because we talked about some random things while he dressed and I stood leaning against the door. Once he was done, I came back in again and sat at the end of the bed, in front of him. "What do you feel like doing?" He looked down, tarnished. "There is not much I can do now. I'm sorry… I though that if I came out of the hospital we would be able to do stuff together, like we used to… but I'm useless. You know, maybe it would be better if I went back to the ho-" I cut him off by putting both my hands on his shoulders. "Don't you even think it. You are my best friend. Do you think I like the idea of you locked up alone in that room? I don't so drop it." He gave me a surprised look, and then smiled gently. "I'd have done the same for you." I smiled and ruffled his hair. "I know."
I knew for a fact that if our positions were reversed, the first place I'd want to be at would be Vaati's side. He would have cheered me up, and his constant presence by my side made him the most important person in my life at the moment. A person I was going to lose. A pang of pain shot through my heart, but it didn't let it show. I had to find a way to distract him somehow. "Hey… You remember that time when we were dead drunk, you grabbed my computer and put on a movie?" He squinted his eyes, trying to recall. I didn't leave him any time to answer. "I've still got it." The look on his face as he realised, wide-eyed, what I was talking about, was absolutely priceless. "You have to be kidding me…" I started laughing as I left the room to fetch the DVD and my computer. When I came back in he was shaking his head slowly. "Oh my God… Today is the day we die…" I chuckled and dropped down besides him, waving the box in front of his eyes. "Here, chosen by the Grand Vaati Himself… 'Desire for Velocity'!" We couldn't help but laugh again, as the title alone was ridiculous and absurd. It obviously was a Need for Speed rip off, with really bad acting and casting, shitty special effects and horrendous filming skills. We watched it to the end, laughing all along. I couldn't have been serious watching that even if my life had been on the line. During the film we shifted into a more comfortable position, and Vaati ended up propped up against me once again, the soft sugary smell his hair gave off surrounding me. As the credits rolled, I took notice of him congratulating random names in the crew, and chuckled. "I wonder if you'd have done a better job though…" He scoffed over zealously. "Of course I would have! I am the next Steven Spielberg." I hummed. "Well I am the next Queen of England." He nodded, turning his head slightly to the side. "Why yes, her dresses would suit you nicely indeed." He sneered. "You're just jealous," I said with pretend sass. His head dropped. "You got me."
The rest of the day was pretty calm, we had some soup at midday and Vaati emptied half his bowl, I carried him to the living room so that we could play some games and later in the evening I settled him for a nap. He was restless though, and it wasn't long before he called me back in the bedroom.
"Hey, Link, I don't mean to be a bitch but… could you just, lie with me? I-I'm sorry, I'm just freezing." I shrugged. "Yeah no problem, don't sweat it." I took off my shoes and joined him under the covers, relishing into the cosy though cold feeling. Vaat scooted over until he was all pressed against me, his body cold and shivering. "Link… is it, uh… weird? I mean, to be like this…" I gaped for a second, scrutinising his face. "What do you mean?" He glanced to the side. "That two guys should be in bed all pressed up against one another like this. Don't you feel awkward?" I smiled. "I would've, normally. But you're my best bud. And also, on the verge of freezing to death." We both laughed softly, though I was busier thinking about what he had just said. I didn't feel uncomfortable at all by his side; I was rather pleased in fact. I couldn't have explained why if someone had asked me, maybe I just missed human contact after living alone for so long? The last time I had had someone living with me had been over a year ago, with my last girlfriend Zelda. Things had ended rather badly, but Vaati had been there for me when I broke down. That made me cuddle him up even more, though the word "cuddle" alone was enough to bring a blush upon my cheeks.
Soon we were both dozing off peacefully, unaware that Tuesday was going to be rough on the both of us.
