Take my heart

Chapter X

Double update because these two chapters were very very short

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After messing around with dudes that very much do not look like Connor—blond, tall, sharp faces, strong accents and rough hands—he has to admit they're not nearly as attractive as the first three. He comes to terms with it the night before their flight back home, as he's deleting all the random numbers from his phone: he's attracted to guys that kinda look like Connor. Which does not have to mean he's attracted to his best friend. Ash differs, of course they do, but they've been wrong about things before.

The matter takes up so much of his attention, in fact, that he misses all the signs of himself becoming ill until minutes before the plane takes off. So that's how Caesar has the most miserable flight of his life, with a burning throat, a growing pressure behind his eyes, his nose clogged and aching all over. Ash offers no help besides some tissues and a cup of tea they ask the flight assistant for.

Being back home loses all its excitement as a wave of heat washes over his body and the headache tries to actually render him blind. The minutes he has to stand waiting for his luggage and then at immigration feel like centuries. By the time they step through the gates, he's ready to drop dead.

And he almost does, actually, but something wraps around his waist and keeps him upright. Without opening his eyes, he recognizes it immediately, so he lets his head rest on the offered shoulder, gives up on supporting most of his weight.

"Dude! Are you alright?"

"Don't touch him, he's fucking ill," warns Ash, though it's quite late for that. "Help me take him home, he probably just needs to rest."

"I'm sure you need that as well," Connor's voice rumbles through his bones. "Why don't you go ahead? This idiot can crash at my place, I'll take care of him."

If there is more discussion after that, Caesar has no idea. He notices they're outside of the airport thanks to the sudden cold that hits his face; and then recognizes the inside of Connor's car when the cold is replaced with the heater. None feels better that the other, everything is too intense on his irritable skin. The lights make his eyes hurt and the street noises crash through his skull harsher than they're supposed to be.

What a way to make an entrance.

Truth is, he's more bitter about the time he's wasting than the actual illness. Connor and him have so much to talk about, they should be catching up right this second, but they can't, because stupid Caesar can't even find his voice.

"You'll tell me all about it later, yeah?" says Connor when they stop at his place. "A night of sleep and you'll be good as new, come on."

Caesar blinks his heavy eyelids at him. Now that he thinks about it, it's no wonder he's attracted to guys that kinda look like Connor. The boy has soft black hair and playful eyes and his lips quirk effortlessly into those pretty smirks of him. He's good-looking, that is just a fact.

Being back home regains some of its excitement when he falls on Connor's bed. It smells like him, and Caesar buries his face into the fluffy pillow to feel it from up close. Even his congested nose catches the scent, familiar enough to loosen up his limbs and wash away some of the pain pulsing through his bones.

"Welcome home, dummy."

He closes his eyes as Connor drapes a blanket over him. Distance is a bitch, but closeness isn't, so he knows exactly what smile Connor has on without having to look.

"I'm never leaving."