This weeks update ^_^ nothing special to report.
Cristof had been more at peace then he had been in months. Sure, he missed Ezra while he was at work but at least his home was interesting. He entertained himself easily and had the practice of being bored while at the hospital.
He did as Ezra told him too and stayed away from the doors and window's, even with all of them being covered anyway. It had become a habit for him to listen to his little brother since he was protective over him to start with. All of his hopes for a peaceful day were ruined though when the pounding on the door signified visitors and he snapped down to the floor instantly as if that would hide him. He was too afraid to peek out the window, but then he already knew it was about him.
Of course the hospital would know he was gone already.
Satisfied that Ezra wasn't home they left, but he was sure that wasn't the last they'd hear from them. The rest of the day Cristof spent in Ezra's room, sitting on his bed patiently. He'd ended up curled up there for a few hours and didn't even bother to move when he heard the door open and shut.
"Cris?" Ezra called for him, his voice edged on worry.
"I'm here." Cristof said, voice raised.
Ezra was quiet until he made it to the bedroom where he sighed with relief. "Good."
"They came." he muttered, laying across Ezra's bed still.
"I figured, they came to my work." Ezra toed off his shoes before climbing on the bed to sit next to him. "I'm just glad you're still here, gonna assume they didn't see you since they came to find me."
"Wondrous." Cristof sighed, dark circles under his eyes. "I would have liked to see his face when he was told I was missing."
"It's gonna be fine, you don't look so hot though. How're you feeling?" Ezra asked his brother softly.
"Horrible. But I expected horrible. You can't stop some things cold turkey and expect to be fine afterwards." he muttered. "But I'm used to it. They were mean like that to make me used to it."
"What do you mean? They'd suddenly stop giving you meds at the hospital?" Ezra asked.
"Uh huh." he nodded, closing his eyes. "Not supposed to cause it's cruel and mean and messing with your insides but yeah. Lots of times."
Ezra closed his eyes, reaching out to rest his hand on his brother's shoulder, "We'll get you better, okay?"
"It'll get better. Can't get worse, not really. Ezra doesn't need to worry. They came to see Ezra?" he asked, looking back up at his brother
"I'll worry all I want Cris." Ezra grinned lightly, "And yes they did. And I told them most of the truth. Told them you did come by, in the middle of the night but you were gone when I woke up. They asked why I didn't take you back right then and I told them they were fucking crazy and that it was the middle of the night. They bought it, least if any of my neighbors saw you it'll just seem like they didn't catch you leaving you know? They were mad I didn't call the cops but I told them I had nothing to go off and figured the hospital would report it, think they bought that. Seemed to."
"Yes, they would." Cristof said after a moment of thought. "Silly men reporting for silly doctors. Probably not real cops but cops hired for more distasteful things. Like dragging me back for experiments. They won't get paid near what the doctors would but money is money. I would leave though if it would keep Ezra safe. Not an unbelievable lie."
"Well you better not, I'd have to go looking for you and I'd loose my job cuz I would be looking for you instead of working and it would be bad. So stick around, okay?" Ezra mused, easily able to keep up with his brothers speech patterns.
"Hm. You make it so difficult." Cristof said with a short laugh.
"I know, that's what little brothers are for." Ezra chuckled, "Have you eaten any?"
"Food is bad." Cristof sighed. "I will cherish its memory fondly."
"I know you have a problem eating a lot but we can start small, like when you get the stomach flu you know? Start with like soup or something and build up to regular food. You gotta eat though." Ezra tried.
"Eating ends badly." Cristof muttered, looking childlike for the moment. "But I will if Ezra wants."
"We'll start small, find something you can eat. You cant live on nothing," Ezra said softly.
"If Ezra wants. I trust Ezra." Cristof said, taking his time pushing himself up. "They'll come back."
"Forget them." Ezra shook his head, "You stay, you don't look so good. I'll bring you something."
Cristof pouted "I'm not a baby."
"Damn right you're not but you're ill and I don't know how I'd get you medical attention if you over exerted yourself and collapsed on me without you getting turned back over to that hospital. So sit tight." Ezra gave him a look.
Cristof scrunched up his face and nodded. "Okay Ezra. Should I move back to the couch?"
"You can take the bed. More comfortable anyway." Ezra shook his head, standing finally,
"Being a difficult Ezra." Cristof said softly. "Are you sure?"
"Yep I'm sure. You rest and I will stop worrying so much, how's that?" Ezra smiled lightly.
Cristof laughed softly and swayed for a moment as he leaned back against the headboard. "Okay."
"And the TV works if you wanna watch it" Ezra pointed out before disappearing through the doorway and starting down the hall.
"TV is weird." Cristof muttered to himself, laying back in the bed. He didn't want to eat and would only try to make Ezra feel better. He was used to being deceived, if he could still call it then since he normally knew when someone was up to no good. He never had those feelings around his brother, even when they were younger. Ezra had always been his protector. He sang to himself quietly as he had become accustomed, the words barely a whisper.
Ezra returned a while later with a tray containing a few things but soup was one of them as promised. "Still prefer daydreaming, huh?" Ezra looked to his brother who generally hadn't moved.
"I like to daydream. It keeps you alive," he said vaguely.
"No TV? I figured they just didn't let you watch it." Ezra mused, setting the tray on the bed.
"They don't. Not in the room I stayed in." he shook his head, looking over the food and faking interest.
"I know it looks like crap and probably tastes like crap but maybe it'll stay down. If not, that's what the bowl's for." Ezra watched his brother, "Baby steps. Did you want a book then? What would you like to do?"
"Ezra doesn't have to perform for me. I can manage. Living in solitude helps you to do that." he chuckled. "But Ezra has so much here for me to look at. And colors. I've almost forgotten so many colors in my time away."
Ezra stared at him; "I'm not performing Cris. I want to make you comfortable. I live alone too and I'm usually bored to death."
"I'm sorry Ezra." Cristof muttered. "I don't seem to be very good company. I'm trying to hold it together for little brother but normal is harder then it used to be. I'm happy to see Ezra and that's enough. I'm comfortable enough."
"Don't hold it together. You want to babble, babble; I'll tell you when I need to understand something. You want to act the way you feel, do that, I'd much rather not have to guess at it anyway." Ezra sighed, sitting back on the bed, "I've never had a really hard time understanding you one way or another but I'd rather you be honest with me."
"I'm always honest with Ezra. I don't lie to Ezra. Only the expressions of it change. Lots of expressions. Lots of babbling, but I'm selfish with it. It's annoying when other people talk and talk and talk to me." Cristof sighed heavily, stirring the soup.
"What about me? Is it annoying when I keep talking to you?" Ezra asked.
Cristof shook his head. "No. Not Ezra. I like talking to Ezra. Others. Others who want my life story and don't care. Doctors. Nurses. But not Adia. And the specialist that's they bring to see me. People who want me to talk and when I don't they talk more. I don't like that."
Ezra smiled, "Adia's that nurse you mentioned? Well you won't have to see any more annoying nurses or specialists. In a few months everyone will give up and forget."
"Doesn't that just sound lovely." Cristof chuckled. "Indeed." he paused as if remembering something. "What color does Ezra like best? Have I asked you?"
"I donno, if you asked me or what color I like. I donno, black maybe," Ezra chuckled, "or maybe red, I donno."
"Black is not a color and red and so...red." Cristof made a near frustrated sound. "But okay."
"Are you complaining about my answer? Don't complain about my answer. They're my favorite colors" Ezra chuckled.
"Black is a shade not a color and red is so so so red. Bleh. Why do the important like red?" he shook his head.
"The important? That what the kids are calling it today?" Ezra mused.
"My important." he shrugged. "I could care less about others important."
"Yay important." Ezra grinned.
"Adia likes red too. Why red?" he almost whined.
"Red is the color of my favorite blanket and club," Ezra shrugged, "and my car. So there's my logic."
Cristof stared at him for a long moment, blinking every few seconds. "Oooh. Okay. Fine then."
"Sure Adia has her reasons. Or maybe it just gives her warm and fuzzies. My favorite color is really whatever color I'm wearing that day" Ezra tugged his shirt.
"Now that makes much more sense. I like color." Cristof said, taking a bite of the soup and stopping. He paused. "I'm sorry Ezra. You didn't eat."
"I ate lunch. I'll eat later." Ezra shrugged.
"Promise?" Cristof asked, looking overwhelmingly concerned.
"Promise." Ezra gave him a solute.
"Good." Cristof said happily, before leaning back against the headboard looking tired
"So how much did you sleep?"
"I dunno." he said honestly, eyeing the soup. "I wake up a lot when I sleep."
"Okay, if you wanna stop eating you can. I'd rather you stop than throw it all up anyway." Ezra commented, watching his brother
"Ezra is nice to me." he sighed softly. "I'm afraid to eat, and sleep. Can't go outside, can't stay in here forever. I've dug myself into a mighty nice hole I think. That was never a bit in my plans. Wider thinking, that's what I need. Yeah."
"Few months and everyone will forget. But till then, yes you gotta lay low. I'll find you somewhere else where you can at least go outside but you'll still have to mainly stay indoors. As for eating and sleeping, that'll improve quick I think. I'll take care of you Cris, you know that." Ezra said, "Just gonna take some time to work."
"If Ezra says so then it's true." Cristof nodded. "I hope they do forget about me. I'd like them to forget, however impossible. I don't want to get better just to be shipped back again."
"You won't." Ezra laid back against the pillows.
"Did you dream I wouldn't?" Cristof frowned a little.
"I haven't dreamed anything so I take that as a good sign. I imagine you going back would be something I'd be warned about." Ezra shrugged. "Wait, that's a lie, I did dream about something. People talking, I can never remember what about though so I don't think it's important yet."
"Always important." Cristof said in what would have been a scolding tone had he not been smiling. "The images get clear and soon the voices will too. Perhaps the future is undecided. You know, I wish the future would discuss with me what happens before it decides on it's own without my input."
"It discusses with no one, it doesn't like us that much." Ezra chuckled.
Cristof pouted. "How mean. I can embrace a destiny as good as anyone but would some consideration to my feelings hurt?"
"No, No it wouldn't." Ezra smiled.
"Thank you. They should give that job to Ezra. Future and destiny giver. Ezra would talk with me about it then, right?" Cristof smiled, rubbing his hand across his face tiredly. "I wish someone would. I know most don't think I'm capable but I like to make decisions."
"Most don't think you're capable? You've been hanging out with the wrong people," Ezra turned his head to look at his brother, "Why don't you sleep?"
"I don't like sleeping." Cristof muttered, staring at the sheets. "And did Ezra know that doctor's train themselves to talk special around the patients family members? At least mine do."
"What does that have to do with sleeping?"
Cristof sighed, still keeping his eyes in the same spot. "It's all the same."
"No it's not." Ezra argued.
"Yes it is. They are all things I don't like." Cristof said, stressing the words.
"But how does one effect the other?"
"They bother me." Cristof said, moving the tray with his fingers shaking. "I don't like them."
"That's not a cause and effect scenario." Ezra sat up and grabbed the tray, moving it to the floor before looking to his brother, "Why don't you like sleeping?"
"Sleeping isn't safe." Cristof whispered softly, holding his fingers to his lips as if it were a secret. "You sleep when you have to and that's all. I wake up every other hour. I can't help it any more."
"You're safe here Cristof." Ezra said softly.
"Safe from Ezra because Ezra is good. Others are not good and they will be back." Cristof said softly.
"I will keep them from you Cris." Ezra promised, "Don't you trust that?"
Cristof almost looked panicked for a moment before he sighed shakily and curled up, facing his brother. "I trust Ezra, and Ezra will try but I won't let them learn about you what they know about me."
"Difference between me and you, I'd rather be in jail for killin a man." Ezra mused, reaching out to touch Cristof's head, "And I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe too."
"I don't want Ezra in jail. I don't want Ezra in danger. I always bring Ezra my troubles. Ever since we were little." Cristof said softly. "I can't help it."
"Because all we got is each other." Ezra mused.
"That's not an excuse!" Cristof said louder. "I bring nothing good to Ezra." he continued, looking dejected.
"Sure you do. You remind me of the only good bit of my childhood." Ezra raised an eyebrow, "Try to imagine how hellish it woulda been for me if I didn't have you to make it fun and take their attention off of me? If they didn't need me to translate when you didn't feel like talking to them I'da been in some boarding school."
"So they shipped me away instead." Cristof muttered. He tilted his head back and made a face. "That didn't come out right."
"They shipped you off eventually. I'd have been gone by the time I could speak." Ezra shook his head, "Our parents are pricks. You bring the happy, that's plenty. I don't think you know how much the world's missing that."
"I don't understand a lot of things," Cristof muttered, scooting closer to his brother and closing his eyes. "You promise they won't come today?"
"They already came today. They're not coming back." Ezra nodded to himself.
"Okay." Cristof muttered, rubbing his eyes with the back of his wrists. "My head hurts again."
"Only thing I could give you would be Tylenol or aspirin but I don't know what you were on or how it would react so I don't think I can." Ezra smoothed his hand over his brother's hair.
"It's okay Ezra." Cristof muttered, keeping his eyes shut. "I know that. I know that."
"Gonna get you through this someway though," Ezra sighed, "Try to sleep."
Cristof nodded slowly, stifling a yawn. "Kay Ezra. Kay. I'll make this up to Ezra later."
"If you think it's necessary," Ezra watched his brother for a few minutes longer, making sure he was asleep before getting up to take the tray to the kitchen and clean it off.
Thanks for reading! Please review!
Again, I'll be the first to point out that my spelling and grammar tend to suck, but in this particular case, a lot of it is just because Cris talks funny, and at times, it's rubs off on Ezra.
Sadistprincess- Cristof is brilliant! It's just sorta wrapped up in a little but of an unstable blanket, you know? Most just don't think he's capable of doing something like escaping but really, he just loves to be outside of the box. Ezra relates to him best. I kinda see them looking rather similar in appearance and bone structure but Ezra would be more…bigger in the shoulders…healthier looking, where Cris is just a scrawny little thing. Lol, but I love that everyone can sort of picture their own characters. I think it makes them closer to the characters themselves.
Chibi Cherry Blossoms- thank you very much! It is one of my favorite scenes. I like Cris and Ezra together. They have that brotherly bonding thing down. I'm glad to hear that you can get a good understanding of them. You'll find that Cristof talks to much and sometimes gives away pieces of the plot. ^_^