Tato Potato
Aww I love how caring Cal is being towards Ethan! It is so sweet! :)
Me too haha!:)
Teeloganroryflan
This is really good honey x
Thanks!:)
rachbob
Ahh such a good chapter, I can't wait to see what's next :) x
Thankyou!:)
CBloom2
Awww my favourite type of Cal ! My keyboard updated on my phone and it's rubbish which is why half my review disappeared last time - but rest assured I loved it!
Ah okay:) x
roxygoth
Ah. Brotherly fluff. Loved it! Roxy
Thanks!:)
ETWentHome
I like how Cal cares so much about Ethan, I can never get enough of that!
Same haha:) Sorry to hear you're taking a break from everything. I doubt you're reading this but you can always talk to me on my tumblr if you need anything (lithanbee25x)
Curious Rebel
I love this story. It's so sweet and well written. I like you too. You know what they say,
'You can peer into a writer's soul, heart and mind just by looking at their work' and I can tell you, I really like your writing style.
I especially loved the scene in chapter 7 when Cal is comforting Ethan and remembering what they were like when they were little. Really sweet. Keep up the great work!
- Cale xx
Thank you so much! :) xx
I'm busybusybusy &&& sorrysorrysorry it's taken so long!:)
8.
"39.7," Cal winced, tucking the blanket back over Ethan as he settled back down into the sofa.
"I feel like a child," said Ethan hoarsely, brown eyes following Cal as he placed the thermometer on to the coffee table.
"Mmmm, a petulant one too. Actually, you sound more like a chain smoker if I'm honest, although it's probably not your fault in the circumstances," Cal remarked, and Ethan scoffed.
"No- Cal… it's not that bad is it?" he questioned, a touch of insecurity evident in his words.
"I'm just teasing you Nibbles, but it probably would be better if you refrained from sobbing over my shoulder, save your voice, y'know."
Ethan turned pink, and Cal almost felt bad for bringing it up.
The younger immediately turned away though; taken over by a violent fit of coughing. He buried himself in in cushions, too exhausted to do anything but wrap his arms around his stomach as his back arched, not even bothering to cover his coughing at this point.
Cal sighed, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, I'm sorry Ethan, don't die on me," he murmured more to himself than to the younger brother, and made his way into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for Ethan.
"Maybe you should head to bed, you're shivering, Eth," Cal said caringly, plopping himself down on the sofa and handing Ethan his water.
"No, it's fine, Cal," the younger replied, sipping at his drink. "Besides, this is only the second day I've been ill, going to bed and wallowing in my own misery now would be a bit… pathetic" he croaked, voice worse off than before.
Cal smirked, "I don't see how you manage to always lose your voice, you don't talk nearly enough for that to happen."
"Mmmm," Ethan hummed, swallowing another gulp of water, "I'd like an explanation too, once you've worked your 'medical magic' and figured it out," he retorted sarcastically, coughing into his elbow again.
"But really, you should stop talking; it's not doing your throat any favours." Cal continued. Both men were way too stubborn for their own good, a trait they had inherited from their father.
"Oh, but how would I cope without being able to engage in this delightful conversation with you?" Ethan shook his head, "I'm fine."
"Yeh whatever, you're a right sarcastic grump when you're ill, by the way. Also, I can see you sweating and shaking from all the way over the other side of this giant sofa, as well, so you're not fooling anyone Nibbles."
"Shut up," Ethan huffed, sneezing a small double into his hand.
"Oh bless you, dear brother,"
They continued like that for a while, - albeit regularly interrupted by Ethan's coughing and sneezing – until the younger eventually fell asleep in Cal's lap, blanket still wrapped around his frame.
Cal sighed contently. If you excluded Ethan's stuffy breathing, the only sound that could be heard in the room was the faint engine noises of cars passing by outside and, despite having a reputation for not being alone in bed too regularly; Cal had always appreciated the quiet times at night where he could be alone with his thoughts.
When they were younger, the two brothers had had a window seat in their shared bedroom, and it was always Cal's favourite place as a child. He smiled fondly at the memories of gazing out into the starry sky, a one-year-old Ethan curled up on his chest – similar to how he was now, in fact.
Just lying there with Ethan curled up in his lap made him wonder how he even considered leaving the little innocent blonde 14-year-old on his own, let alone actually doing it. But maybe it was a good thing, Cal contemplated with himself. Ethan wasn't so little now, and his hair wasn't so light, and he'd definitely didn't walk around with the same innocence and naivety radiating off of him anymore. So perhaps if Cal hadn't of left, Ethan wouldn't have learnt how to manage without Cal, or how to take care of others as well.
He could sit here for days though, just thinking about everything he'd messed up. But thinking about it wasn't going to fix anything. Pointing out the possible good outcomes, that wouldn't magically make all his wrongs right, Cal decided.
His thoughts were interrupted by his stomach making its hunger known and, even though he was starving, Cal was reluctant to move and disturb Ethan's sleep.
Instead he grabbed his phone and came to the conclusion that he could just play about with that until he was tired enough to get some sleep too.
Ethan woke up the next morning feeling utterly terrible; his head was stuffy and pounding, his chest hurt and felt tight and congested and his throat was burning so much Ethan doubted any voice would come out if he tried to speak.
He let out a low whine of discomfort, before rolling over to discover he was still lay with his head on a sleeping Cal's chest.
Ethan sniffed, fidgeting around under the blanket. He knew Cal was a heavy sleeper, and the small ounce of logic left in his foggy brain told Ethan it wouldn't be fair to wake him, but the majority of him felt so ill and agitated that he couldn't care less, and so he continued to shuffle around on the sofa. He took in a sharp breath and started coughing. He dramatized it a bit because hopefully, he might stand a chance at waking Cal that way. It seemed like a good idea. After all, Cal had performed plenty of worse acts over the years and besides, Ethan really didn't think he wouldn't get away with the excuse of being grumpy due to his illness.
That is, it seemed like a good idea until he actually starting choking, and then he really did need to wake Cal because no way was Ethan going to make it to an inhaler in his state.
"C-Cal…" Ethan wheezed through his coughing, weakly slapping Cal's face in a pathetic attempt to rouse him from sleep.
"Mmmm, what Ethan? Shut up," Cal mumbled sleepily, on autopilot. Ethan had always gotten ill very frequently as a child, and because the two had shared a room, Cal was used to getting up in the night because Ethan had climbed into his bed or something, seeking comfort. This was pretty much his go-to line by now.
Ethan wanted to protest against Cal brushing him off, he really did, but his chest was tight and it was becoming increasingly harder to breathe.
He tried to slow his breathing, swallowing his coughs so that he could actually get a sentence out. "Cal, wake up," he breathed, frantically shaking his older brother's shoulder.
Finally, Cal stirred, rubbing his eyes as the light invaded his vision. Becoming more alert to his surroundings, Cal's eyes immediately fell on his brother, and his previous sleeping state was practically forgotten.
"Okay… Hang on a sec, Eth," he said gently, voice still thick with sleep. Ethan started coughing again, and Cal promptly fetched his inhaler from the coffee table, where he'd placed it just as a precaution.
He handed Ethan the inhaler and the younger brother, despite his shaking hands, seemed to administer the medicine with ease. Taking some deep breaths to steady himself, Ethan leant some of his weight on to Cal, too tired despite his restful sleep.
Cal brushed Ethan's hair from his forehead, feeling how hot and clammy the skin there was. "Alright, Nibbles, you're burning up. We need to get some more Ibuprofen in you… On second thoughts, I don't think a shower would go amiss either, and you're still in your scrubs." Cal sighed, muttering to himself rather than to the semi-conscious Ethan who was currently flopped over with his head on his brother's shoulder.
"Ethan, come on," he said more sternly, pushing Ethan into a more constructive sitting position.
"No Cal, I'm really dizzy," Ethan protested, pale face scrunched up and eyes squeezed shut in discomfort.
"I know, Eth," Cal attempted to reassure his brother, whilst placing two fingers to his neck to find that his heart was in fact racing. "Yeh, you're probably due another beta-blocker," he muttered. Cal frowned in sympathy for his brother, he knew that he must be feeling horrible. "Come on, little brother, the shower is awaiting you."
Ethan moaned, "I don' wanna move…" he slurred.
Cal chuckled. "Well you're having a shower whether you like it or not Nibbles!" He wrapped an arm around Ethan's waist, hauling him up from the sofa.
"Wow, Cal- No, no, no!" Ethan protested immediately, protectively holding a hand to his stomach. He closed his eyes, dizzily swaying into Cal's arms, legs weak and shaky.
"Sorry, Eth…" Cal sighed, taking Ethan's shoulders and slowly guiding him to the bathroom. "Hopefully a shower will help you feel better, yeh?"
"No, Cal. I can hardly sit up, you can't possibly expect me to stand up and have a shower… And you're definitely not going in there with me!"
"I'll run you a bath, then." Cal stated, sitting Ethan down on the toilet seat so he could keep an eye on him.
Ethan closed his eyes, digging his eyebrows into his thighs and resting his head in his hands. Cal noticed he was breathing quite heavily, but nevertheless he decided to keep focused on his current task; running the bath.
"Right, that's done." Cal announced a few minutes later, twisting the taps off and brushing his hands dry on a towel. "How about you get yourself in, Nibbles, and I'll go and get some medicine for you?"
"Yes, okay." Ethan breathed, carefully standing up so he didn't jostle his dizzy head.
"Alright?" Cal asked caringly, steadying the younger.
"Yes, I'll be fine Cal," he nodded.
Sorry this chapter is kind of all over the place, but I've been writing it over the course of a month as I just haven't had the time with school work! So annoying ahh! XD