Thank you to Double_Trouble_36 for the story request!
Late nights. Some people were made for them whereas others were destined to be early birds. Neither was right nor wrong, it just depended on the person. For Dagur, he was always a night owl. He did his best work in the wee hours. For his sister, Heather, this was the exact opposite. That was why the fifteen-year-old was so surprised to find her awake at two a.m. Dagur had been in the process of doing Algebra homework while dangling upside down off his bed when he heard something. It sounded like frustrated grumbles and sneezing coming from the room across from his own. Flipping around, he got to his feet and peeked out the door. At the base of the other door, he could see light shining through. Curiously, the boy knocked.
"Come in, I guess," Heather said, audibly annoyed at the interruption.
"Well, isn't that a warm welcome?" Dagur said sarcastically, chuckling a little at the sight he found.
Heather was in the splits with several eighth grade textbooks spread out on the floor. Her brother snatched up the paper she was writing on and lifted it to his face.
"Hey!" the girl exclaimed.
She began reaching for it but lacked the necessary height while still not being on her feet. The brunette rose up and tried to grab it again. Dagur laughed in triumph and held the paper higher. Growing bored, the boy handed it back.
"You should try studying upside down. It's way easier."
"That doesn't work for me."
"You just haven't given it a real shot." Dagur's face lit up. "Ooh! Or you could do it while in a handstand!"
"That's still upside down."
"Yeah, but it's more of an exercise."
Heather sighed. "Thanks for the idea, but I'm okay."
"You're clearly not. Why are you still up?"
"I've got a bunch of tests next week and there's the competition next Friday too."
Dagur just stared at her. "I didn't ask about your schedule. I asked why you were still up."
Heather crossed her arms. "Because this is why I'm still up. I need to study, but I also need to get stronger so that I'll at least place second. If I don't make getting gold a good challenge, I'll never hear the end of it from Astrid."
The redhead made a face at her. "But that still doesn't make sense. These are History, Art History, and Math textbooks. You know all this. You're also great at gymnastics, so it won't help if you just tire yourself out."
"I'm not getting it."
"Because you're sleepy."
"No, because I just don't get it."
Dagur frowned at her, then smiled. It was such a mischievous smile that Heather immediately knew he was up to something.
"What did you just thi–"
Before she could stop him, her brother grabbed all the books and ran off.
"Dagur!"
Laughing wildly, he rolled into his room and turned the lock. Heather banged on his door.
"Hypocrite! I know you were in there studying too."
"It's normal for me."
"I don't care. Give me those back!"
"Negative! You'll see them in the morning! Get some sleep!"
Heather glared at the door. She wanted to kick it down and take back those books. If her brother made her flunk, she would make him pay. The brunette almost went to get their father, but she was no tattletale and it probably would have taken until morning to even wake him up.
"You're the worst," she said unhappily.
"Love you too!"
With a "hmph," the girl went back to her room, but she did not sleep. She still had a few books in her backpack which Dagur had not seen. Heather would find one way or another to continue to study. When morning came, she shot a death glare at her brother who just beamed at her, either completely oblivious or completely unfazed. She guessed the latter.
"How's it going?" he asked, popping some bread into the toaster.
Like always, the boy watched the slices as they toasted. Dagur never peeled his eyes away, having loved to watch the process for as long as he could recall. He did not even really like toast, but he always had so much fun observing that he would deal with adding a tub of butter and jelly to compensate for the lack of good flavor. Heather stumbled a little as she walked around the counter. Then, she went to fix a bowl of cereal and sat down.
"Hello," Dagur dragged, still looking at the bread. "Someone's in a rude mood today."
"I'm in an annoyed mood because someone else stole my books."
"I confiscated them. They're back in your bag now. I put them in there this morning."
"I needed to study."
"You needed to rest, which you probably didn't. I saw you trip on the way in here."
"How'd you see that?"
The boy lifted a hand to the side of his face. "I've still got peripheral vision, Heather. Sheesh. I'm not that tunnel-vision."
Heather shook her head at him, then felt a tickle in her nose. Her shoulders jolted slightly as she held in a sneeze.
"Saw that too. You're going to get sick if you don't get some sleep. It's a trend with you."
"I'll be fine. Can you just stop watching me like a hawk?"
"Nope."
Heather rolled her eyes and finished eating. School was before their father had to go to work, so they normally left before he got up for the day. Since the high school and junior high were right next to each other, the brother and sister walked together. Dagur side-eyed Heather, seeing her lips pursed into a straight line.
"You don't even have a test today. Why are you still upset?"
"Because we have them soon and gymnastics practice tomorrow night. I'm not ready for this new routine yet."
"So, with your plan, you'll make yourself ready by having all-nighters, then just be exhausted the whole time?"
"I won't be exhausted, I'll put in some extra hours of studying and practice so that I'll be ready."
Dagur's expression became a pout, then his eyes brightened and he put an arm around her shoulders.
"Am I an amazing big brother?"
"You're better when you're not being a book thief."
"Book confiscator, but that's besides the point. Your answer should have been 'yes' because I'm going to help you study. When we get back home, I'll quiz you. I did all this stuff two years ago, so I know it."
"You probably wouldn't remember it very well."
"Don't underestimate what my mind can accomplish," the redhead said, poking his temple with a deranged smile.
"Okay, fine. So, you'll really help me study?"
The boy put a hand over his heart. "Fighter's honor."
"That's not a real thing."
Dagur frowned at her and crossed his arms. "Neither is your imagination apparently. Want the help or not?"
"I'll take the help. Thanks."
This put a grin on the brother's face again. "You're welcome." He started to run off to the high school. "See ya afterwards!"
As his signature laugh filled the air, Heather smirked and kept walking. She appreciated what he was trying to do, but she still was feeling very nervous. All throughout the day, she felt like she was going to fail and was just trying to make sure that she got her grades up high enough so that if she flunked the tests, she would at least receive second honors for the semester. Astrid and her other friends noticed that her nose was a little pink. The girl was also sneezing a lot more than she would have preferred. Dagur noticed this too when they met up after school. Like always, it looked like he was in a hurry to get off the school grounds. Judging by how excitable he usually was when he got home, Heather assumed it was because pent up energy could finally be let out without a teacher scolding him.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Wait, now? I thought we'd do it when we got home."
"We don't need to. I remember it, so we can do it on the way and then when we get in, you can eat and go to bed to keep those sniffles of yours from getting worse."
If Heather had a paper bag, she would have put it over her head. The girl wondered how he was so perceptive with her.
"Founder of impressionist art. Go!"
Dagur lightly shook Heather.
"Claude Monet," she said, voice trembling due to being turned into a snowglobe.
"Good! Okay, what happened in 1066?"
After a moment, Dagur started shaking Heather again. He had an amused smile on his face.
"This is fun," he commented.
"Battle of Hastings…and can you stop that?"
"Aw, okay. Boo, though."
The redhead went through Math, Geography, English, and French. When they got home, he unlocked the door with a happy grin.
"Perfect score, Heather. That means you get an A."
"But you're not the teacher. They might ask me different questions. I have no idea what'll be on the tests."
"You're just stressing yourself out over nothing. You got this, trust me."
Heather was not sure if she trusted herself and kept thinking over all the questions during dinner and the night since she could not get to sleep. She thought of this all during the next day. Her first real challenge was that evening at the gymnastics studio. Heather was feeling worse and had a stuffy nose. She could not help overthinking what the instructor was telling her to do. Like always, Astrid was asked to demonstrate. Heather was proud of her for having that task so often, but she wanted it too from time to time. If she got better, she just might. All she had to do was execute the move more cleanly.
"We'll be working on kips today, students," the instructor said, gesturing to the uneven bars. "Astrid, would you demonstrate?"
The blonde went up to the lower bar and jumped, doing a half-turn so that she could face the other students behind her. Grabbing onto the bar, Astrid lifted herself up and created a straight line by bringing up her legs. With a clean dismount, she stuck the landing and received applause.
"Perfect! Who's next?"
"I'll go," Heather volunteered.
The brunette went up and frowned at the bar like it had insulted her. With a light run, she did the turn with the jump and grabbed the bar. Heather lifted herself up so that she was doing a handstand on the bar. Once there, she felt a tickle in her throat. It was annoying, but she tried to ignore this. It quickly became too much to ignore and was let out as a cough. Heather dismounted, stepping out of it and frowning at herself for the flawed performance.
"Are you okay?" Astrid asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need to practice more."
Heather did not notice the other girl's concerned expression. She was too focused to notice such things. Oswald picked her up when class was over and she quickly began studying and training more. When Dagur came inside from stabbing a tree, he saw Heather in the living room with their father. She was researching on her laptop while doing leg lifts.
"Why are you still up?" her brother questioned, arms crossed. "I thought you'd be able to get some sleep after we did that quiz."
"I know, but then I didn't do well with a kip today, so I realized that I've probably been misjudging how difficult this will be next week too."
"You probably messed up because you got all clumsy from being tired."
"I'm not clumsy!"
"You're a total klutz when you haven't had a few good winks."
"Dagur," Oswald chimed in from the sofa, "leave your sister alone. If she wants to study, let her."
The redhead let out a sigh. "I'll be in my room. Night."
Dagur left as his sister kept practicing and his father kept his nose buried in a book. When Oswald read the last page, he shut the book and stood.
"I'll be leaving tomorrow for a conference in Maine."
"How long will you be gone?"
"It'll be until next Thursday, so I'll still be able to make it to your competition on Friday, but I'll ask Vorg to take you to and from practice. There's enough food in the fridge and pantry, but I left a card in my office if you want to order some pizza."
"Okay, thanks. Be safe on the trip."
The man wished her good night, but he was the only member of his family to go to sleep. Heather stayed up to study and train, and Dagur stayed up because he felt like it. In the morning, he eyed his sister when he saw her.
"Lime green doesn't suit you."
"I'm not wearing green."
"Your skin's green."
"Dagur, I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
Heather squinted at him. "Dad's out until next Thursday, so Vorg will be by to give me a ride to practice."
"That's silly. I can give you a ride. I'll use Dad's other car."
"You can't do that."
"I've got my permit."
"You aren't supposed to drive alone."
"Well, you'll be with me, won't you? Problem solved!"
"You know what I mean. Dad probably already called him."
Dagur had stopped listening and began thinking of ways to convince the man that he was his father and that Oswald had changed his mind. He kept considering this as they went about their usual breakfast routines. Classes went well and when it was time to go to gymnastics practice, Heather was not even surprised to see Dagur in the driver's seat of their father's car. He had a proud smile on his face and patted the front seat.
"Don't want to be late. Come on."
"Should I even ask how you managed to do this?" Heather asked, clearing her tickling throat and putting her bag in the back.
The boy let out a laugh. "Not unless you want to be an accessory."
With a smirk, Heather got into the car and they rode to the practice. When they got there, Dagur quickly got out.
"I'll be around here, seeing what I can get into until you're done," he said, starting a jog down the street.
Heather waved to him, then entered the building. The group moved away from the bars this time. Rather than those, they were doing floor exercises to prepare for what they would do in the competition. They had new choreography that they needed to memorize. Heather tried to ignore the headache and sore throat so that she could focus. Every breath stung and every word out of the instructor's mouth rang like a gong in her skull. She was doing a good enough job that no one really caught onto how she felt. The next move she would do was the front layout.
"Run, then jump off here to do a full flip in the air and stick the landing," the instructor stated.
As expected, Astrid demonstrated. The others started to try out the move as well. Unlike what was expected, Heather went last. She felt terrible. Her balance was off–even if she refused to admit that when the teacher asked if she was all right–her head kept throbbing, and she was doing her best to not cough every two seconds.
"Heather?" the instructor called, having said the girl's name earlier.
Not wanting to cause any more of a delay, Heather went to execute the move. She ran, jumped, and flipped, but the quick motion made her dizzy and her feet separated some. When she made contact with the ground, she winced and stumbled back, falling down.
"Heather!" Astrid exclaimed, hurrying over. "Are you okay?"
The girl tried to get up but winced again. Sadly, she looked at her right ankle.
"I think I sprained it."
"Go and sit down, sweetie," the instructor said, going to get an ice pack.
Astrid helped Heather to the seat. She had not seen the girl look so discouraged.
"Want me to tell your dad?"
"He's not here. Dagur brought me today."
"I could tell him then."
"No, I can go out there afterwards. I want to stay and watch. Even if I can't practice the routine, I want to learn it."
Obliging with the request, Astrid did not leave and continued learning with the others as Heather miserably watched. She still tried to keep in the coughs. Maybe she was the class invalid, but she did not want to also be the class sickly student. When it was time for the session to end, Astrid left the studio and went to the siblings' car. Dagur was a little surprised to see her come out without Heather, so he exited the vehicle with a frown on his face.
"Hey, Astrid. Is Heather okay?"
"She's sick and sprained her ankle."
Dagur frowned and quickly entered the building. When he saw Heather, he wasted no time in picking her up.
"I can walk," she insisted.
"Not on that ankle and not on my watch." He turned to the blonde. "Thanks for letting me know."
"Of course. I hope you get better soon, Heather."
"Oh, she will. I'll make sure of it."
Dagur carried Heather out to the car and gently placed her on the seat. She looked so pitiful.
"Do you know what sucks?" he asked her.
She glanced up unhappily. "Not getting to compete with your teammates because you messed up during practice?"
"That too, but what really sucks is being right about something and not feeling good about saying that you told somebody so. You know how much I love doing that, but you look so sad that it wouldn't even be fun."
A small smirk crossed Heather's lips. "You're terrible."
"But it worked! I got a smile out of you. Don't worry, sis, I'll get you all better. Doctor Dagur is on the case!"
The redhead quickly drove them home and scooped Heather out of the car, carrying her to the living room sofa. She knew better than to argue this time. He frowned at her ankle.
"Did you put any ice on it?"
"Yeah, I had some in the studio."
Dagur nodded his head before going to the cabinets and getting an elastic bandage. He wrapped it from her toes to halfway up her calf.
"Wiggle," he ordered. "You still should be able to move. I'm not trying to cut off blood circulation or anything."
Heather did as instructed. "It doesn't feel too tight."
"Okay good, then lean back."
Heather did this as well and watched as Dagur collected some pillows and to prop up her foot. He then put blankets overtop of her, tucking her in.
"Keep your ankle higher than your heart. This way," he explained, "blood and all those other liquids you have in you won't gather."
"How do you know about all this stuff?"
"Experience. Now, stay there until I get back."
Dagur went into the kitchen and his sister tried to lean to see what he was doing.
"What are you up to?"
"Making you some chicken soup. I've got a hot toddy for you too."
"Should I be drinking one of those?"
"Relax, I'm giving you the non-alcoholic version. Just need the heat along with the lemon and honey, but since I'm so nice, I'll add some ginger tea to make it taste a little better."
Heather closed her eyes and heard the sound of the tea kettle heating up after a few minutes. Soon, a TV tray was brought out to her with tea in a mug.
"Drink that while I'm fixing up the soup."
The girl nodded and began to drink. "This is really good. I normally don't like tea with honey."
"I've got the magic touch. Now, hush."
"Why?"
"Your voice is all scratchy. The honey will soothe your throat, but there's no reason to put more strain on it."
With a sigh, Heather stopped talking. As the pot of soup cooked, Dagur went back out to her and put a few boxes of tissues near her as well as plastic bags for the soiled papers. Next, he gently put his hand on her forehead.
"No fever," he mentioned quietly. "That's good. Probably just a chest cold and runny nose then."
The boy paced with a frown on his face. Abruptly, he stopped and ran into the kitchen. He came out with several oranges and presented them to the girl.
"Vitamin C!" he proudly declared. "We don't have the actual vitamins yet. I bet that one of the pharmacies has them. I'll check later."
Heather accepted the fruit with a grateful smile and the redhead went back to the kitchen. After a little bit longer, Dagur returned and set down a bowl of soup filled with celery, carrots, egg noodles, and shredded chicken. Not wanting to be chastised for talking, the brunette just gave him a thumbs up to let him know that it was also good. This put a big smile on her brother's face.
"Now, missy, things are going to be strict this week."
Heather's brow lifted. "How so?" she croaked out.
"You talked again," he said, squinting. "But it'll be strict because I'm going to get you better by next week so that you can ace all your tests and still compete. You saw the routine, right?"
Heather nodded her head.
"Good, then you know it. Write it down in case you forget. By Monday, you'll be good as new. If you're not worried about your ankle and being sick, you'll be able to focus properly on the test material. You'll also be able to do your best in the competition. So, this just means that you'll have to do as I say for you to heal."
"I feel like you're going to enjoy this."
"Oh, I know I'm going to enjoy this," Dagur corrected her, laughing.
As soon as the girl was done eating, the redhead took her upstairs.
"Get ready for bed," he instructed. He could see that she wanted to protest. "I don't want to hear it. You're going to be getting some actual sleep this week. If I have to almost smother you with a pillow so that you pass out, it would be worth it."
Sighing, Heather hopped to the bathroom. When she was done and got to her room, she saw that all the books were hidden this time–even the leisure ones. Dagur was making sure she would get some rest. Despite wanting to complain, she really was tired and did not mind much. Heather awoke and saw a set of crutches by her bed. She used them to return to the bathroom and when she got to the kitchen, she saw berries in a bowl, another cup of tea, and a vegetable omelet."
Dagur waved to her from the toaster. "Twenty-seventh president of the U.S."
Heather hesitated a moment in surprise. "William Taft."
"William Howard Taft. The test might be specific."
The boy kept running through questions for her as they ate, then he pushed a Vitamin C and cough syrup towards her. When it was time to go, Dagur went to the car.
"It'll be better if you don't do any extra walking, so I'm driving us again." He laughed nervously. "So, hopefully no one will rat me out to Dad."
The siblings left for the school and when they got back, it was the same routine as the previous night. For the rest of the school week, it went like this. Healthy foods and test questions in the morning, school and practice to watch the routine, then dinner, and straight to bed. Dagur ran a tight ship, but he did it because he could see the improvement. More and more, Heather's pale face got back its color. Since he was already up late, he would keep his bedroom door open to listen for the sounds of sneezing and coughing when his sister tried to rest. It made him smile as he heard this become less frequent until it completely stopped.
Finally, it was the weekend. Heather could feel herself becoming a little nervous, but the chest cold had broken up nicely. The only remaining proof of having been ill was the runny nose, but even that was almost not an issue anymore. Her ankle was less tender as well, but she could not stop herself from being stressed. These nerves were exacerbated when she heard a scream at seven in the morning. Jumping, Heather groggily looked around to see what was happening. Dagur was banging his head to a heavy metal song that he was blasting on his phone. When he saw that she was awake, he grinned.
"Good, I hoped that would do the trick."
"How on Earth wouldn't it? What are you even doing?"
"Training is starting soon. Up, maggot!"
"Maggot? What are we doing?"
"I won't repeat myself, maggot! Just get ready to go to the basement."
Rolling her eyes, Heather got out of bed and went to prepare for the day.
"You could be a drill sergeant, you know that?"
"I do and I'd suggest putting on some athletic wear."
A little worried but more intrigued, Heather finished getting ready and the two headed downstairs. They had a gym installed in the house's lowest level. Dagur began leading Heather through pull-ups and handstands, asking academic questions the entire time. They stopped in the afternoon and he pointed at her ankle.
"How's it holding up?"
"Feels great actually. It doesn't hurt anymore."
"Good, but let's stop here for today. I still want that nose of yours to stop acting up. After lunch, take another Vitamin C and I'll make you some more tea."
The subsequent day went like this as well, but Heather felt extremely anxious with it being Sunday. Even when she did a run-through of the routine, she could not escape the feeling. Dagur could see her nervousness that night and his eyes twinkled.
"I know what'll help you sleep: a bedtime story!"
Heather gave him a look. "Dagur, I'm thirteen. I don't need bedtime stories."
The redhead's face drooped. "You always like it when I come up with them. It helps me sleep too. I mentally repeat what I said. It's like I'm telling myself a story."
The girl caved and Dagur's face lit up again. He galloped off to her room, already coming up with ideas. Heather had to chuckle as she followed him back. His story was as wildly imaginative as they always were, but his sister had to admit that they did help with sleep. The sheer mental strain of trying to understand some of his ideas was enough to knock her out for the night. When she was sleeping soundly, Dagur kissed her forehead and left.
In class the next morning, Heather thought of all the test questions Dagur had given her. With a smile, she saw a problem asking about the twenty-seventh president of the United States. Taking a breath, she let her knowledge of the material guide her. She continued to do this for the other tests, surprising herself by how confident she felt with her answers. With each question, she read it in her brother's voice and it made them less intimidating. An overjoyed smile spread across Heather's face as the teachers returned her papers to her, each with an A+. The only thing she had left was the competition.
Oswald was back, so he drove the siblings to the location. He noticed that the other vehicle's front wheels were not turned to the right like he had left them, but he decided to not mention that and just let Heather focus on her performance. She felt anxious, but she also felt sure of herself. She could do this. Her mind was rested; her body was healthy. It was time for Heather to do the parallel bars. The brunette ran and did her half-turn in the air, grabbing the bar and raising up. She pushed herself into a beautiful line and dismounted agilely. When she got to the floor routine, the gymnast went through graceful back handsprings, roundoffs, and aerial cartwheels. Finally, it was time for the front layout. Closing her eyes for a moment, Heather did a light sprint, pushed off the springy floor, and stuck the landing. As the judges held up the scores, she beamed at knowing that she and Astrid had tied for gold. The blonde eagerly congratulated her friend.
"I always knew you'd be able to do it," Astrid said. "Who knew it would take you getting sick first?"
Heather chuckled as she was scooped up and put on Dagur's shoulders. The brunette smiled at him and the other girl.
"I guess I just needed a bit of help from my favorite drill sergeant."