Once Zedd was done with his arms, Nathaniel drew them in close to his chest and curled up more tightly on the bed, a couple fresh tears rolling down his cheeks and soaking into the sheets. He was quivering a bit as he slept, and he seemed a bit unsettled, but he thankfully hadn't woken up during the process.
Zedd frowned, not enjoying the sight of Nathaniel shivering in the slightest. It hurt him to see the boy having such an uneasy rest. Despite everything, everything he caused that made Nathaniel cry, every time the boy felt scared of him… he could only think about what he wanted for the boy in the future. A future in general for one. One where he would smile. One where he could learn that people weren't there to hurt him. Well, most people. As there were criminals and people who did that out there…
Moving that thought out of his head, he considered again what Cal had said to him.
"Why don't you just adopt him?"
Why don't I?
For one, he wasn't fit to be a parent. He couldn't even watch his mouth entirely while in the angel's presence. There were so many things he wasn't prepared to do.
But for once… he wanted to try before giving up. For Nathaniel's sake.
He rested a hand on Nathaniel's forehead, it feeling a little warm.
Oh stars no. Please, not on top of what he's already had to deal with today…
(Oop)
Nathaniel nuzzled into Zedd's hand a bit in his sleep and coughed weakly, his wings fluttering under the covers. He was clearly a bit of a mess at the moment, but there wasn't much either of them could do about it.
If nothing else, his dream was at least dreamless. No nightmares interrupted his sleep, thankfully, and he was content to huddle up close to Zedd.
He would love to be adopted by Zedd, of course. He already called the man 'dad' after only a few days of knowing him, after all, so he would be overjoyed to be officially taken in.
Nathaniel started trembling a bit more in his sleep, curling up and breaking into a cold sweat. He shifted uncomfortably and turned over, tangling himself up in the sheets.
Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time, Zedd took his hand back so he could let everyone know Nathaniel was okay. Not wanting to leave Nathaniel alone, he took the phone from the living room. He stood outside the door and spoke quietly to keep from waking Nathaniel. He was probably going to need medicine soon. He had some for a basic cold or flu, but he wasn’t sure exactly what Nathaniel was ill with. Pursing his lips, he went to grab the thermometer from the bathroom. Maybe a cold rag for his forehead as well.
Nathaniel had twisted himself up in the covers by the time Zedd returned, whining shakily in his sleep. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and his wings were puffed up in distress. "Mmmmm…" He coughed weakly, trying to shift around again, but was unable to move due to how entangled he was in the sheets.
Zedd set his things down before grabbing at the sheets and comforter to spread them out again. He did this in silence, still preferring Nathaniel stay asleep. Once he seemed to stay still a moment, Zedd placed the cool rag on the boy’s forehead and tucked the thermometer into his mouth. After a few seconds, it let out a light chime, announcing it was finished. Taking the thermometer, the man glanced at it, already expecting it to be fairly high. 102 degrees.
Zedd frowned again, setting the tool to the side.
Nathaniel started panting softly when Zedd put the cool cloth on his forehead, trembling a bit where he lay on the bed. "Nngh…" His wings bristled and he curled up on his side, shaking violently. He started breathing more heavily and tensed up, clutching at the collar of his shirt. Hot. Too hot. He was uncomfortable, and his subconscious self was struggling to deal with it.
(A wholesome gift for the stalkers)
(squeals HE'S SO CUTE!!!!!)
(Eeeeeee bump because I need attention >:0)
Nathaniel started panting softly when Zedd put the cool cloth on his forehead, trembling a bit where he lay on the bed. "Nngh…" His wings bristled and he curled up on his side, shaking violently. He started breathing more heavily and tensed up, clutching at the collar of his shirt. Hot. Too hot. He was uncomfortable, and his subconscious self was struggling to deal with it.
Zedd didn't like how panicked Nathaniel looked in his sleep. He pulled back the comforter, just leaving the cool sheets overtop Nathaniel. Chewing on his lip, he decided to open the window as well to be safe. It wasn't winter yet, so luckily the breeze wasn't freezing cold. The man then returned to the side of the bed, taking the boy's hand in his own. "I'm here. You're gonna be fine."
(Yeet)
Nathaniel stirred, still panting, and opened his eyes to look up at Zedd weakly. His vision was hazy, and he found that he was shaking uncontrollably. He felt cold, but his body was hot, and he wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself. He didn't get sick very often, after all. Injuries were far more common. "Mmmm… d-dad…?" He curled up tighter and clutched the sheets in his tiny fists. "W-What's going on…?"
Zedd was at attention, hearing the boy speak. "I'm pretty sure you're sick. Not sure what with, but we won't go to the doctor's unless it gets bad, okay?" he replied, trying to reassure the angel. He seemed far from happy to have just been answering questions last time. What would happen when the doctor attempted to do a regular check up on him? Shots even…
Yeah, that wasn't a good idea unless it was necessary. Besides, the common cold could often be cured with over the counter medicine anyways.
"O-Okay…" Nathaniel whispered in reply, trembling violently in the bed. His bones felt achy, like he couldn't shake the chill of the alleyway, and his eyes stung with tears from the pain. He was hungry and queasy simultaneously, and his stomach sounded angry with him. "I-I don't… I-I'm sorry… it feels bad…" He screwed his eyes shut and curled up into a tighter ball, aware that he wasn't making much sense. "F-Feels… weird… bad…"
Zedd reached out, already rubbing small circles on Nathaniel’s back. “I know. It’s not gonna feel good at all, but it shouldn’t last more than a few days,” he started, frowning at how tight Nathaniel was holding himself now. “Just tell me what you feel and I’ll do my best to help,” he finished, trying to comfort the angel further. He was unused to caring for himself, much less another person, but he would try.
(Ee)
A couple tears rolled down Nathaniel's cheeks and he hiccuped, crossing his arms tightly over his stomach. "C-Cold… but… but it's so hot…" He whined in a weak voice. "And… a-and my stomach feels angry." He kept his eyes shut, shaking violently where he lay on the bed. "I-I want it to stop, dad… please…" He whispered shakily. "Please make it go away…"
"Which is worse, the hot or cold? I can only solve one of those," he said. What he wanted was for Nathaniel to eventually feel cold, signaling his fever breaking. But if he was cold to start with, that was probably just the room being too cold. "Your stomach probably feels upset because you didn't eat and you're sick on top of that. After I either cover you up or take off more blankets I'm going to go get you something to eat, okay? It doesn't have to be a lot either," he said, doing his best to make things sound helpful.
"Mmmm… the hot is worse, I guess, but… then why am I shaking so much…?" Nathaniel asked weakly, looking down at his trembling hands as he curled up on the bed. He listened closely to Zedd, nodding a bit with a soft sigh. Eating didn't sound very fun when his stomach felt so bad, but he had already been bad a lot tonight, and he didn't want to be more of an inconvenience than he was already.
(baby noooooo you're best boy, not a bad boy qwq)
Zedd came forward and pulled off most of the blankets besides the sheet. He hummed, trying to think of a good explanation to Nathaniel's question. "Well, I think a lot of it is your body telling you it needs rest. It's trying to fight off the sickness and the three biggest things that will help are sleep, water, and something in your stomach," he finally said, thinking that was a fair enough answer. "Alright. I'm going to get you something to drink and eat. If you need anything, just call for me, okay?" he asked, already standing up to get ready and leave the room.
(I mean, he did run away lmao)
"O-Okay… thank you, sir…" He whispered, huddling up under the thin sheet on the bed as he trembled. He was panting softly still, and sweat beaded on his forehead. He was obviously exhausted, and he couldn't stop shaking despite how hot he felt. He rubbed at his eyes a bit, curling his puffed up wings tightly around his frail form, and tried to get into a comfortable position.
(But that doesn't make him a bad boy. He baby)
It still bothered Zedd to hear Nathaniel call him sir again, but he decided not to comment on it. Nathaniel wasn't feeling good as it was. And knowing the boy, he would feel guilty if he said anything. The man walked out of the room only to grab a can of soup out of the pantry. He put it into a pot, turning the burner on medium. While it began to warm, he took a sleeve of crackers, taking two or three of them along with a glass of water back to the bedroom. "I'm warming up some soup, but I brought a few crackers and some water. If you're not up to eating a whole meal, I still think it's good to eat something light," he explained, taking the cool rag on the boy's forehead and flipping it over to the cooler side.
(True lol)
Nathaniel had tangled himself up in the sheet by the time Zedd returned, still panting softly as he looked up at the man. "O-Oh… thank… thank you…" He replied, not having the strength to sit up, but reaching out one trembling hand anyway to accept a cracker from Zedd. He stuck it into his mouth, nibbling at it idly with his eyes closed. "I don't… like feeling like this…" He mumbled. "Feels… feels bad…"
