Ch. 19: Sick (Again)

Niles did not get up at his usual time on Monday. Ashton waited for him in the living room, pacing the floor and looking up at the clock. He had already gone for a run, taken a shower, and eaten breakfast. Niles was usually up by the time he was done, but it had been an hour already, and there was still no sign of him.

Finally, Ashton couldn't stand it anymore. He tiptoed to Niles' room and opened the door a crack. It was just enough for him to see a lump under the covers, which was odd. Niles usually didn't let himself sleep in like this on weekdays.

Ashton opened the door a bit wider and stuck his head in.

"Niles," he hissed. "Are you awake?"

The shape on the bed moved a bit, which Ashton took as an invitation to come in. He walked up to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"Niles?" he asked, placing a hand on his human's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Niles finally turned over and squinted up at Ashton, who sucked in a surprised breath. His human did not look well at all. His cheeks were pink, and his hair was in his eyes.

"Oh, no," Ashton said softly. He brushed Niles' hair back and was alarmed by how warm his face felt.

I've seen him like this before, Ashton thought. Back when I was here with him and Lucy. He was just pulling back when Niles grabbed his hand, holding it back against his face.

"Your hands are cold," he whispered. "Can you just stay here for a minute?"

"Umm, sure," Ashton replied. He cupped Niles' face in his hand and looked towards the door. Niles kept thermometers in his office, Ashton remembered. He had used a faerie sized one on both Ashton and his other patients many times before. Ashton was willing to bet he had human thermometers in the same spot.

"I'll be right back," Ashton told Niles, slipping his fingers from his face. A discontented murmur fell from Niles' lips, and Ashton patted his shoulder. "It'll just take a minute."

***

Niles watched Ashton leave, wondering where he was going. Sighing, he ran his hands down his face. Now was not a good time to get sick, especially since Lucy and Mara had gone on vacation yesterday as a way for Mara to atone for leaving on clan business just a couple weeks earlier.

Ashton was here, but Niles seriously doubted that Ashton would know what to do to treat a sick human. Niles was exhausted at just the thought of trying to walk Ashton through where he could find the thermometer and medicine.

Ashton's reading ability was still mediocre at best, so he wouldn't be able to read the labels on anything. And he certainly wouldn't be able to drive Niles to a clinic if he got worse.

Niles turned back over onto his side and closed his eyes. He was just dozing off again when the door opened. Near silent footsteps approached the bed, and then Ashton was there, touching his shoulder and propping him up into a sitting position.

"Ash...?" Niles began, but Ashton had already popped the thermometer into his mouth and shushed him. Surprised, Niles closed his mouth and waited until the thermometer beeped. Ashton took it back and read the numbers off for Niles.

"102.3," he said. He glanced at Niles. "Is that good or bad for humans?"

Niles leaned back against the headboard and groaned. "Bad."

"Do you have to go to the hospital?" Ashton wanted to know next, and Niles shook his head.

"Probably not," he looked up at the ceiling. "I think I'll be ok if I just drink a lot of liquids, take some medicine, and try to sleep it off."

The rattling of a pill bottle startled him, and he looked at Ashton, who suddenly had a bunch of medicine vials in his hands.

"I didn't know which one you needed," he explained sheepishly. "I forgot to ask you what your symptoms were."

Niles stared at the pill bottles, surprised that Ashton had gotten the correct ones— two different brands of pain and fever relief and a couple more for coughs or runny noses.

Niles reached for one of the pain relievers, and Ashton handed him a glass of water that Niles hadn't noticed earlier.

"Ash, how did you know what to get?" he asked, popping a couple of pills in his mouth and taking a sip of water.

Ashton took the pill bottle back and handed Niles a granola bar, which he looked at in surprise.

"You're supposed to take those pills with food," he explained to a dumbfounded Niles.

"Yes, but... well... how did you know that?"

Ashton shrugged. "You told me."

"Did I...?" Niles couldn't recall ever having told Ashton anything about that.

Ashton nodded. "Back when you were explaining all of my medicines to me," he said. "You also went ahead and explained the human medicines they were similar to. You would always show me the bottles and explain what each medicine did and how to take it."

"Oh." Niles had a vague memory of doing something like that four years ago, but he had mainly done it to give Ashton something to do. He was often worried that life was too under stimulating for the faerie, so he tried to engage Ashton in conversation to prevent the faerie from spiraling off into his own memories. He had no idea that Ashton had actually been listening to him, let alone retaining the random information he had been sharing.

"That's... pretty impressive," he admitted.

Ashton grinned at him, all sharp teeth. "You're just now realizing how impressive I am?"

"Oh, no, I've always thought that, actually," Niles corrected.

Ashton looked quite pleased with himself at Niles' praise, and Niles held back a laugh at his self-satisfied facial expression, letting out a cough instead.

The smile instantly slipped off Ashton's face, and he pushed another pill bottle at Niles, who tried to ward him off.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I don't actually have a cough. There was just something in my throat."

Ashton looked skeptical, but he didn't push. The glass in Niles' hand was still full, and he pointed at it.

"Fine. But drink all of your water."

Niles did laugh at that and then quickly schooled his face back into a serious expression.

"Yes, of course, doctor," he said, unable to stop the smile from creeping back. It was fun seeing Ashton like this, and Niles couldn't help but feel relieved that Ashton seemed to know what he was doing.

It was unexpected, given how he had been when they first met, but then again, that wasn't what Ashton was really like. And Ashton was the oldest in his family. He was probably used to caring for his younger siblings like this.

***

Ashton watched over him all day, making sure he stayed hydrated and took medicine every six hours. But despite his attentive care, when Niles blinked awake later in the middle of the night, he felt much worse. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and his body felt hot and weak.

He shifted a little, trying to get into a more comfortable position, and his face brushed against something smooth and cool. It was an instant relief against his hot skin, but he had no idea what it was.

Huh. That's weird, Niles thought. He reached out hesitantly and touched what felt like a wall in front of him. He realized he was pressed against it and that there was a heavy weight draped over him.

What on earth...? he wondered. He struggled to sit up from his tangled blankets and looked down, catching his breath.

Ashton lay next to him, fast asleep with one long arm slung across Niles' waist. Niles noticed right away that Ashton was shirtless, the twisted scarring on his back on full display.

Niles made Ashton wear a shirt around the house during the day, which the faerie was very vocally annoyed about. He begrudgingly accepted that he had to wear a shirt out in public when he was with other humans, but he was not shy about wondering why he couldn't keep his shirt off at home.

It's just you here! he had complained to Niles on numerous occasions. You never had a problem with me being shirtless before!

Niles didn't know how to explain to Ashton that things were... different now, so he just gave him the lame excuse that he wanted Ashton to get used to wearing human clothes. Ashton always grumbled, but he never strayed from what Niles told him to do.

Somehow, Niles hadn't expected that Ashton probably removed his shirt to sleep in the privacy of his own room, so he was very surprised to find a shirtless faerie in bed next to him.

He placed his hand tentatively on Ashton's shoulder.

"Ashton!" he hissed, giving him a shake. "Wake up."

Ashton scrunched up his face and opened his eyes, staring up at Niles blurrily. His eyes widened as he recognized him, and he sat up suddenly, taking Niles' face in his cool hands. Despite his half-awake state, he was careful not to scratch Niles with his razor-sharp talons.

Niles startled back and stared at Ashton in surprise. "Ash, what on earth are you doing here?" he asked as Ashton felt his forehead.

Ashton reached over Niles to grab the thermometer from the bedside table. He held it up to Niles' lips, but Niles grabbed his hand to stop him before Ashton could put it into his mouth.

"Ashton," he repeated. "What's going on? Why are you in bed with me?"

Ashton placed the thermometer in his lap and ran his talons through his light curls, trying to suppress a yawn.

"I was worried you would need something in the middle of the night," he explained, his voice still husky from sleep. "So, I decided to sleep in here with you."

He eyed Niles. "I think your medicine wore off. You should probably take some more to bring your fever back down."

Niles waved him off and rubbed at his temples. This was such a headache. "Ashton," Niles continued. "Where is your shirt?"

Ashton pointed to the foot of the bed, where he had neatly folded and placed his t-shirt. "Right there," he offered helpfully.

Niles stared at it, unsure if he should feel amused or exasperated. "No, Ash," he said tiredly. "I mean, why aren't you wearing it?"

"Oh, you were too hot," Ashton explained. "You were restless and kept pressing your face into the side of my neck, so I just took off my shirt for you. You seemed a lot more comfortable after that."

"I..." Niles was speechless at his own impropriety. "I did that?"

"Yup," Ashton nodded. He swung his legs around the other side of the bed and stood up, raising his arms above his head in a long stretch. The knotted muscles under his skin rippled, and Niles looked away, suddenly unsure if his face was warm from the fever or... something else.

Ashton walked over to Niles' side of the bed and grabbed the pill bottle and glass of water off the side table, handing both to Niles. "You should take some more," he insisted. "It's been about eight hours, and you look awful."

Niles frowned, and Ashton plucked the pill bottle back, opening it and shaking two pills from it before placing the medicine in Niles' hand. "Take it," he said, pointing. "I'll get you something to eat."

"You are the most militant caregiver ever," Niles complained, and the faerie shrugged.

"Second only to you," he said, leaving Niles with no words to protest. He was right after all.

Ashton disappeared into the kitchen, and Niles sighed, taking the medicine. After eating the toast that Ashton handed him, Ashton had him lie back down so that he could place a damp rag on his forehead.

It felt nice, like Ashton's cool skin, and Niles closed his eyes. The mattress dipped and rocked suddenly, and Niles felt cold air rush under the blanket as Ashton slid in next to him.

They were silent for two heartbeats, and then Niles spoke.

"Ashton..." he began wearily, but Ashton quickly interrupted.

"I'll just be here if you need me," Ashton said brightly, and Niles sighed again.

"Alright," he said, giving up. He scrunched up under the blanket and tried to go back to sleep, but the washcloth soon got warm, and he couldn't get comfortable.

He tossed and turned a few times, feeling frustrated that nothing seemed to work. Suddenly, he felt Ashton tap on his back, and he turned his head to look at him.

"Here," Ashton said, holding out his arms. "You fell asleep quickly like this."

Niles hesitated, but he was so tired and uncomfortable that he just nodded and slipped into Ashton's arms.

The coolness of Ashtons skin felt like a healing balm, and though Niles felt awkward and embarrassed about being so close to Ashton, he couldn't help but relax as he settled against him. 

He lay there quietly. When was the last time I was close to someone like this? he wondered. Residency? My undergrad? He couldn't remember.

Niles never really thought about things like this— dating, relationships, romance. And he certainly didn't have time for them, either. But... for how foreign, and awkward, and new being held by someone was... it also felt really... nice.

The security of Ashton's arms around him was oddly comforting. Niles was used to taking care of other people, but not to other people taking care of him. Lucy tried, of course, but there was only so much that one tiny garden pixie the size of your pinky could do. Ashton, on the other hand, was surprisingly capable.

Niles pressed his face against Ashton's skin, hardly aware of what he was doing. And then he was asleep.

***

Ashton felt Niles tossing and turning, and he bit his lip. Given his lower body temperature as a water sprite, Ashton knew that Niles would be more comfortable if he held him. But... Niles was just so... shy. 

Ashton held back for as long as he could, but after several minutes of this, he just tapped Niles on the back and held his arms out to him. He wasn't sure if his human would actually take him up on his offer, so he was pleasantly surprised when Niles moved close to him without a word.

He wrapped his arms around Niles, feeling how tense he was. What can I do to help Niles feel more comfortable? he thought, wracking his brain for an answer. 

He didn't have to wonder long, however, as Niles quickly relaxed against him. He cupped his hand around the back of Niles' head to pull him closer, and Niles let him, pressing his forehead against Ashton's chest. His human was still quite hot to the touch, and Ashton hoped that the medicine would kick in soon.

Even though he was worried about Niles, Ashton couldn't help but feel a secret thrill at being so close to him. As unnaturally hot as Niles' skin was, he still felt like home, and all Ashton could think about was how Niles' hair was just as silky as it looked. He paused as his thoughts began to wander and then frowned at himself for being so selfish.

Niles comes first, he reminded himself. And he doesn't need to be overwhelmed by your feelings for him right now. His sense of purpose renewed, Ashton lay his cheek against Niles' hair and fell into the most peaceful sleep he'd had in years.

______________________________________________________________

A/N: Only Niles would get sick at the beginning of summer. Weak. Jk I do irresponsible things like that, too.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment. Do you think Niles will need the whole five months to make up his mind about Ashton?

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