Breaking Down Barriers

Chapter Eight - Harsh Winds

Ivan groaned, turning in his bed as sunlight fought to hit the back of his eyelids. Not on his watch. He shuffled closer to the wall, hugging his legs closer to his body.

It really felt like fall, now. The winds had become harsher and the trees were starting to shed their leaves, painting the streets with colorful leaves. As beautiful as it was, Ivan couldn't find it in himself to appreciate it; he was freezing, his shoulder shaking with irrepressable shivers.

I can't be sick, he thought glumly, his eyes still shut. I have so much work to do...

With a light cough, Ivan attempted to sit up. It took more effort than usual, but he managed it. He needed to get to the phone, but it was so far away...

This is what I get for fishing late at night, isn't it? Grunting, he gathered as much energy as he could so he could get to his feet. Once he was standing, he released a relieved breath. Alright, now all he needed to do was step towards the phone, that's it...

He dialed the Inn's number and waited for it to ring.

"Hello?" He recognized the feminine voice as Maya.

"Y'know, you're supposed to state the name of your business," Ivan said, his voice hoarser than he'd hoped.

"Shut up, Ivan." There was a pause. "Really, you sound awful. You wanna talk to Chase, right?"

"Yeah," Ivan croaked. He flinched at the state of his voice.

"You're lucky he came over for breakfast," she said. The receiver crackled as she put her hand over it. Despite the cover on the phone, he could hear her shout his best friend's name. Apparently it was too early for them to argue; Chase's voice greeted him within a minute.

"What's wrong? Apparently it sounds like you've been shouting all night and your voice is gone," Chase said. His words had their usual dry tone to it, but Ivan could also hear the concern underneath. He smiled.

"I think I'm sick-"

"Oh my Goddess, you do sound like that. Hold on, I'll be right over."

"Chase...!"

The other end crackled as Chase fumbled with the receiver. "Yeah? If you want soup or tea or something, I could bring you some of that, too."

"Could you-" Ivan took a moment to consider his next words. "Get Renee and Anissa? I'd get Craig and Bo, but I have a feeling the girls will be more willing to help me out." He paused to clear his throat. "Tell them that I'm sick and asking for a favor. And you, my friend, can have a look at my fridge and tell me if there's anything in there that'll help my throat."

On the other end, Chase hummed his consent. "Alright. I'll see you in a few."

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah. Stop talking, your voice is freaking me out."

"Goodbye, Chase," Ivan replied with a smile.

"Bye."

Ivan rolled around in bed as he waited for the help to come. He was confident that the girls would help him without too much reluctance. He helped their farms, after all, and they should know by now that he was pretty rich, considering the success of his own ranch.

There was frantic knocking at his front door.

"Come in!" Ivan called, his voice cracking.

"Goddess, Ivan, you sound like complete shit," Chase said as he came in. Ivan struggled to sit up and take a look at his best friend, but his face was obscured by a pile of pots and pans.

"I have a kitchen, too, you know," Ivan mumbled. If he tried to talk any louder, no sound would come out of his mouth.

"I know," Chase stated, settling his utensils in Ivan's kitchen, "But my stuff is much higher quality than yours."

With a sigh, Ivan collapsed onto his bed. He waved a hand in dismissal.

"Hi, Ivan."

Ivan immediately tried to sit up again when he heard a different voice come from the doorway.

"Oh yeah, I grabbed your boyfriend so you'd have more company besides myself," the cook called from the kitchen, "I know that I'm great, but having someone by your bedside is nice, too."

Gill smiled at Ivan and gave a little wave. Ivan grinned back and motioned him over.

"Pretty boy," Ivan rasped. He wrapped the blond in a hug as soon as he was in reach.

Gill tried to smile back, but concern wiped any sort of positive expression from his countenance. "You called Chase first," he said, sounding a little hurt. "I can take care of you too, you know."

"I know," Ivan responded, "But I didn't want to worry Elli, either. I was-" he stopped to cough into his sleeve, "I was gonna call you after, but the phone is so far away from my bed..."

"Yeah, you can thank me when I'm done," Chase said loudly from his position in the kitchen.

"Eavesdropper!" Ivan called back, voice cracking. He burst into a fit of coughs, doubling over his stomach. Gill put a hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles through his clothes.

"You're burning up," the blond said, carefully guding his boyfriend into an upright position. He put a hand on his forehead and Ivan's. "You really need to lie down. I know you live for your smark remarks, but you really need to settle down for once."

Wordlessly, Ivan nodded. He allowed Gill to lower him onto the mattress, his concerned blue eyes shining at him from only inches away. With a weary smile, he kissed Gill's cheek.

"Thanks, love," he croaked, "I think I will. Make sure the girls do their job, alright? Then they can... help themselves to whatever... Chase makes..." The rancher broke into a yawn, his weary eyes sliding shut. Even though his consciousness was starting to fade, he could still feel Gill kiss his temple. He nodded off with a smile on his face.

"So you're his boyfriend, huh?"

Chase leaned against the kitchen counter, giving Gill the evil eye. The blond in question glared back despite the rising blush on his face.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Gill retorted, leaning away from Ivan's bed to stare up at Chase.

"He's my best friend, you know," the cook replied, lowering his voice, "And although I'm sure you've known him longer, I just- you know, worry."

Gill was silent for a moment. He stared at his hands, all folded neatly in his lap. When he spoke, he didn't look up. "Did he- tell you about Duncan?"

Chase moved away from the kitchen to sit at the table. It was closer to Gill's spot by Ivan, but it allowed the pair to maintain a comfortable distance.

"No," he admitted, "but he did tell me he's had some bad experiences with love in the past. He can be pretty cold; people like that tend to have walls, and for good reasons, too."

Gill finally met Chase's eye. "Like you?"

"And you," Chase said with a smirk. "Though you're softer than either of us, I've heard."

"Yeah?" Gill tried to sound confident, but the flush in his cheeks betrayed his harsh tone. "Heard from who?"

Chase held up a hand and counted off his fingers, "From Maya, from her grandmother, from Elli... The cooking community is pretty tight, you know."

Defeated, Gill crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine. I guess I haven't been as deeply hurt as you have."

"You should be glad about that," Chase said, offering him a wry smile, "Although it probably made you more susceptible to the asshole's charms, I'm sure your warmth can help him with his problems. If it doesn't, I'm totally kicking your ass."

For a brief moment, Gill's eyes lit up with panic. "Y-You wouldn't-! I'm the mayor's son..!"

Chase burst out into laughter. "Come on, I was joking." Grinning, the cook stood up from the table and walked towards the door. "I'm gonna check on the girls. Make sure Ivan doesn't die, alright?"

"Of course," Gill replied quickly, straightening his back. "You can definitely count on me."

"Good." And with that, Chase exited the room.

It was a few hours after noon had hit when Ivan's fever finally started to fall. The rancher opened bleary, brown eyes and was graced with the sight of Gill's concerned face. He smiled and reached out to put a hand on the blond's shoulder.

"Pretty boy," he said, his voice quiet and creaky, "I'm so... happy to see you."

With a small smile, Gill put his hand atop of Ivan's. "Me too. How are you feeling?"

"Less cold," the rancher replied. He put his other hand on Gill's arm. "But I'm sure it'd be warmer if you were in bed with me."

Without any other warning, Ivan pulled on Gill's arm and into his bed. It was not a smooth landing: only Gill's torso landed on the bed. His legs knocked his chair back a few feet as they dangled off the side of the bed.

"Up we go," Ivan said with tired cheer as he put a hand on Gill's ass and hauled the rest of him onto his bed. "Make yourself comfortable so I can make myself comfortable on you."

Gill's face was bright red as he complied with Ivan's command. He gently nudged the ill farmer so that there was enough room for both bodies to lie on the bed together. Once Gill had slipped under the covers, Ivan wrapped his arms and legs around him. Just when Gill thought his blush couldn't get worse, he felt more blood rush to his face when he realized that Ivan was only wearing a pair of pajama bottoms.

Ivan hummed, content. "I'm sorry if you get sick, too, love."

Gill's throat worked as he tried to form the words to give a proper response. The first thing that came out of his mouth was a strangled, questioning groan, but he quickly swallowed the end of it before Ivan could laugh at him. "It- It's fine, really," he squeaked. Heat radiated from Ivan's naked chest and stomach, making it awfully warm despite the cold winds outside.

"Yeah," Ivan murmured, still smiling, "Not like you really want to get away." He interrupted his speech to yawn. "Besides, if you get sick, I get to nurse you back to health, too."

All Gill could do was nod and make noises of agreement. Ivan was inching closer by the second, his strong arms pulling in Gill closer to his bare chest.

"It's- rather warm under these covers," Gill stated, panic causing his tone to rise to an unnaturally high pitch.

"Come now, pretty boy, we went swimming last week, you've seen pretty much all there is to see," Ivan reasoned, opening his eyes a crack. His brown eyes were glazed with sleep and the remnants of his fever. "Same goes to you. Take off the vest, at least."

Acknowledging the truth in the rancher's words, Gill let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He nudged Ivan again to give himself a bit of elbow room in order to take off the vest. Ivan's hands followed Gills, taking care of the navy dress shirt underneath.

"H-Hey," came Gill's weak protest. Ivan's warm hands on his skin silenced the rest of that train of thought. Soon enough, both men were shirtless under Ivan's covers.

"Come here," Ivan said gently, pulling Gill in once again, "Let's take a nap."

"O-Okay," Gill agreed. In an instant, Ivan was fast asleep. The rancher's steady breathing eventually lulled Gill into a deep sleep, as well.

"Alright, boys, time to get up."

Ivan stirred, sluggishly moving his arms in hopes of reaching and covering his ears. "You're so fucking loud, Chase."

"Yeah, yeah, you need food in you. You've been asleep for forever."

The rancher flinched as Chase pulled the sheets from his body. Not all warmth was lost, though; he couldn't help but smile as Gill shivered and inched closer.

Chase pursed his lips. "Okay, why is he shirtless, too?"

"Why not?" Ivan aimed a sleepy smile at the cook before yawning. He could hear Chase grumble and walk back into the kitchen.

There wasn't enough room to stretch without fear of hitting Gill in the face. That was a problem. Ivan rolled onto his side and put his forehead to Gill's.

"Hey, pretty boy, it's time to wake up," he murmured. He felt Gill's eyelashes twitch against his cheek and smiled. "Come on, up and at 'em. Chase has food for us, and I can guarantee you that it'll be amazing."

Slowly, Gill's eyelids parted to reveal sleepy blue eyes. Ivan grinned at him and ran a hand through his blond hair.

"You're cute," Ivan stated with a goofy grin.

There were a few moments of silence as Gill stretched and yawned. He shivered and put his arms around himself, his eyes widening when he realized that he was shirtless. Cautious blue eyes stared at Ivan's amused brown ones.

"I'm- gonna get sick soon, aren't I," the blond said, wearing a small frown.

"Probably!" Ivan chirped in reply. He sat up and dragged Gill with him. When they were both sitting up, he reached over the blond's hip and grabbed his shirt. "Unless your immune system is really amazing or something. It'll have to be better than mine, and I can promise you that I eat well."

Gill grumbled in response, pulling on his shirt once Ivan offered it to him. "We'll have to wait and see, then, won't we?"

"We will," Ivan said, still grinning, "It's just too bad that I don't have a nurse's outfit. Maybe I could borrow one from Elli-"

"Food is ready and has been ready for hours," Chase called. Soon enough, he was standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips. "The girls left a while ago. Kinda awkward seeing you two in bed together, they said."

Ivan was across the room, looking for his own shirt. He stuck his head out from the top and frowned at his best friend. "Right. Traditional town, right?"

Chase shrugged. "As far as I know. I haven't been here long, you know that."

"It is," Gill piped up, staring at Ivan's rumpled bed sheets. "I... suppose that some villagers might not react positively to our relationship." He looked up at Ivan and gave him a hopeful half-smile. "B-But you're reviving the mother tree, they won't drive you out of town just because you're- we're- you know-"

"Homosexual, yeah." Ivan's tone was lower and harsher than normal. He pushed his arm through his sleeve with more force than necessary. "It's possible. But I'll try to help the mother tree before someone can do anything to stop me. I've only got two rainbows left."

"Th-That's good," Gill mumbled. He stretched and finally stood up, turning his gaze to Chase. "Are you really that good a cook?"

"Definitely better than Maya," the cook said with a smirk, "Maybe not quite as good as Yolanda, but I'm getting there."

Gill jumped as Ivan put his hands on his shoulders. "He's good. Trust me."

Blood started to make its way to Gill's cheeks as he nodded. "Alright."

Ivan gave his back a few pats before taking a seat at the table. "I'm starving! What've you got for me today, Chef Chase?"

The blond chef headed to the small row of kitchen utensils and grabbed a pan. He set it on the table and went back to retrieve some bowls and spoons.

"Shark fin stew," he said with a lop sided grin, "And some orange juice on the side. I would've made you dessert, but it's not good for your throat."

"Thanks, Chase, I really appreciate it," Ivan told him with a grin. Just as he finished speaking, he broke into a fit of coughs and both blonds rushed to rub his back.

When their hands met, Gill shot Chase a sharp glare. Immediately, the cook backed off and returned to his seat at the table.

"I suppose the change of weather weakened your immune system," Gill said, frowning, "Do you want to call in Elli? She was a nurse, after all."

Clearing his throat, Ivan leaned his weight against the table. "No, it's fine. Don't want her to worry." He looked up at Chase. "Lay some food on me, my good sir. And stop looking at me like that, I'm not going to cough up a hairball or anything."

Chase pursed his lips again before serving the food to both Gill and Ivan. "I ate with the girls. They did a pretty decent job taking care of your farm, by the way."

The rancher was already halfway through his bowl as Chase spoke. He lifted his head for a moment to squeeze in a response, "Did they want any specific form of payment?"

Chase shook his head. "No, they seemed pretty content with some food. Your fridge took a bit of a beating, though. Sorry about that."

Ivan shrugged and finished off his food. "That's fine. It's a pretty good price to pay, considering." As he chugged down his orange juice, he could feel Gill staring at him. "What?"

"That was... rather fast," the blond said, blinking his blue eyes, "I'm just surprised you didn't choke."

"Me neither," he replied with a grin. He coughed into his sleeve before holding his bowl out. "Seconds, please!"

In the next handful of moments, Ivan managed to finish the whole pot full of shark fin stew and half a jar of orange juice. Both Gill and Chase kept a careful eye on him to make sure he wouldn't choke on his own breath.

"Do you think you'll be alright tomorrow?" Gill asked as Chase put away the dishes.

Ivan stretched, pulling his arms over his head. "Hopefully. I should probably get to bed soon if I want to help the cause, though."

Gill hummed in agreement.

Wiping his hands on his apron, Chase moved to the doorway. With a hand on the doorknob, he offered the pair at the table a salute. "Well, I'm off. I have to catch my night shift. I put together a salad and popped it in your fridge if you ever feel hungry again. Don't go to the inn if you want food, alright? It's cold out and I don't want you getting worse."

"I know, I know, I'm not that stupid," Ivan responded with a wry grin. Chase lifted his eyebrows doubtfully and Ivan waved a dismissive hand. "Oh fuck off, you. Get to work."

Chase flipped him off as he left the room.

Gill raised a brow of his own. "That's a great way to treat your friend."

Ivan shrugged. "It's how we roll. More entertaining that way."

"If you say so." Gill pushed his lips together to form a straight line. Then he inched closer, reaching out to put a hand on the base of Ivan's neck. "You sound a lot better now."

The rancher gave him a soft smile, putting his own hand on the blond's thigh. "Thanks. Extra sleep and good food can really help a guy, you know."

"I'm not saying you don't sound like you swallowed thousands of needles, though." Gill returned the smile with a half smile half smirk combination. "But you do sound a lot better."

Rolling his eyes, Ivan moved out of Gill's grip. The blond followed him with his eyes as Ivan moved back to his bed. On the way, he pulled off his shirt and put it on the headboard.

"You gonna stay the night?" Ivan asked, hands by his sides. His voice was low, almost tender. "You know, make sure my temperature doesn't get too high or something. I could really use the extra warmth, too."

For a moment, Gill looked conflicted. He glanced at the window, then the phone. Ivan figured he was thinking about his father, about home.

"I think I will," the blond said, raising his eyes to look at Ivan's, "But only for the reasons you listed."

Ivan smirked and opened his arms. "Come at me, then."

Gill stood and tried his best not to run into Ivan's open arms. He held him tight, burying his face in Ivan's shoulder.

"You really worried me, you know," Gill said into his skin. "I've never seen you get sick."

Ivan chuckled softly. "Yeah, I'm surprised, too. I tried my best to defy nature's evils, you know?"

He could feel Gill pull his bottom lip into his mouth to chew on it. "Speaking of evils," Gill said after a moment, "You don't... really think the town will react that badly to us, will they? I mean, Elli's all for it, but that's because she's pretty much my sister and she just wants me to be happy... and, and Chase is your best friend, so..."

Ivan put just enough distance between them to put a finger to Gill's lips. "Shh. Don't worry about it. I mean, what's the worst the town can do?"

Gill opened his mouth to word his concerns, but was silenced by Ivan's lips against his. All words were forgotten in that quiet moment where all he knew was the sensation of Ivan's mouth pressing against his, warmth rushing throughout his whole body.

"We can talk about it in the morning, love," Ivan murmured, "Let's just go to bed, hmm?"

The blond couldn't find a reason to argue. He followed Ivan under the sheets.