Come here!
The smiths watched as Ian appeared right at the corner of the hallway ready to go upstairs to his room, unaware of the stare his family was passing his way in utter confusion and bewilderment. Ethan stared at him, mind boiling with anger that resurfaced after Ian came into view, he couldn’t help himself but call the younger.
“Ian...” he called almost to himself but the quietness around the apartment made his call prominent making Ian halt in his steps. The older watched him stop in his track before he turned to look at his husband.
The younger looked nonchalant, too tired to even register their presence in front of him. Both of his parents-in-law exchanged expressions but no one of them wanted to talk first.
Ian seemed dead to their eyes, his eyes showed no emotions, no expression or any regret which was the only pursuit of Ethan had at the moment. After waiting for them to speak for a few minutes, which they didn’t, Ian started to climb up the stairs after he turned around.
“go after him…” Cameron was the one breaking the ice while patting her son’s shoulder. Her advice was to comply with the matter until it becomes necessary to take any action but her son had a different idea in mind.
Ethan didn’t reply but simply marched towards his room at a fast but defeated pace. Once he reached the bedroom door, the older contemplated again whether to go inside and face the younger without asking or saying anything or stay where he was to avoid any arguments.
Deciding that the best way to react would be if he just go to bed straight away, Ethan entered the room. Ian was peacefully lying on the bed, covered up to his chin with the blanket.
The first thought Ethan had was that Ian was trying to cover the visible marks that he had as an aftermath of his wild, painful night but little did he know that Ian was trembling with fever under those covers.
Silently, the older went to the bathroom and washed up, washing his anger along with the beads of sweat that clung to his body like a second skin. The night was almost over, but the events of the said night were still fresh in their actuality.
Ethan closed his eyes trying to calm his mind down and sighed heavily, the skin of his fingers pruning yet he didn’t want to leave and face the reality of his husband, who was right outside in the room, who has spent a night inside the guestroom moaning doing god knows what.
Shutting the shower, he dried himself before dressing in some sweatpants and a tank top. Right now the idea of a shirt made him suffocated.
Ian was still under the covers when Ethan entered the bedroom. without saying anything, the older got under the blanket as well and observed how Ian shifted a little away from him.
Was he avoiding his touch now?
Ethan hated this thought, he has loved Ian all his life but now that his love was slipping through his finger like grains of sand, he would never stand and watch it happen silently.
That’s it! It was enough for Ethan, he was tired of seeing his tiny husband suffering through things which he himself or his family couldn’t get, or see. Determination seeped inside his brain, forming a plan of action that he would need mostly including the involvement of others such as his friends as a starter.
Things were so out of hand that the Smith family wasn’t enough to deal with the problem anymore, they needed some medical help.
Both Elliot and Neal were dealing with mental health and were experts in their fields so that was fit for Ian’s condition if he had any mental problems to start with.
Thinking of Ian, Ethan thought about the behaviour Ian showed before, scooting away and ignoring him like a plague and it made him a little upset.
Why was Ian doing that?
Was he not comfortable with the presence of his own husband or did he fell out of love with Ethan?
Questions and questions that ruined Ethan’s mental peace while he looked at the trembling boy beside him.
“Ian..” he called turning towards the younger who visibly jumped at the sudden call. Peeking out of the cover he looked at his husband. Ethan didn’t look very pleasing to Ian’s eyes because of the big frown he had on his forehead.
“yes…” the younger responded quietly not wanting to add fuel to his already mad husband’s anger. Ethan stretched his hand out towards Ian and gestured for him to get closer.
Ian didn’t move though, he watched the hand but remained in his place thinking of the best possible way to avoid the closure.
“come here” he jumped when Ethan commanded him, his tone rough without intention. Ian shook his head at him slowly. Maybe he was scared of the older or maybe he wasn’t allowed to be in someone’s arms he wasn’t appreciated in.
But Ethan was fed up by now, he wasn’t going to tolerate this anymore. The advice from his mother and father left his mind along with rationality instead stubbornness took its place. Without hesitation, he grabbed the younger’s arm and pulled him flush against his chest with force.
Ian flinched badly as if he was scared that Ethan would hurt him. He squirmed in the older’s hold while the other made them comfortable, throwing the blanket around once again to cover themselves.
“When I say come here….you do it Ian” Ethan stated uptight, he was not the sweet and understanding husband anymore. Ian gulped against Older’s chest and surprisingly he moved again to get free from Ethan’s hold.
“stop moving!” Ethan growled enraged with the efforts of the younger to get away from him. A tight grip around Ian’s waist followed by glaring eyes made Ian submit and place his head back on Ethan’s’ chest. He huffed cutely and curled his small hands between them before he closed his eyes.
“d.dont shout at me..” Ian said meekly with his voice coming out weak and heartbreaking as he looked up opening his eyes. Ethan wanted to protect the younger with all his might and seeing his tired teary eyes, he wanted nothing but just to end whatever Ian was suffering from.
“then sleep….I want you to rest” Ethan said while he started to caress the younger’s hair to make him sleep quickly.
“I want that too….I want to rest….I am so tired……but.” Ian uttered in low voice, scared of his own voice that he found betraying him often.
“but what?” Ethan asked carefully, hoping to get something out of the younger on his own.
“but it is scary to sleep………it’s scary to close my eyes and see him” Ian replied trying his best not to close his heavy eyelids.
Ethan perked at his answer, a little more coaxing and Ian would blurt out what Ethan wanted to hear, tiredness and exhaustion playing an important role.
“see who………the figure you see?” Ethan said making Ian sure that he believed him in the first place. the older rubbed small soothing circles on Ian’s back while he tried to have his query resolved.
“the figure?” Ian asked as if he didn’t know about it and Ethan wanted to remind him but before he could speak, Ian started again…
“yes…..the figure………he is not normal……bizarre…dangerous…….scary” Ian mumbled adjusting in his place and shoving his face under Ethan’s neck, trying to find comfort that he lacked.
“Does he scare you……hurt you?” Ethan asked carefully, rubbing a comforting hand over Ian’s back.
“he just smiles………scary…..smiles at me……laughs at me..…stare at me……my eyes…my body…....says he loves me so much……more than you” Ian mumbled against Ethan’s neck. Ethan on the other hand fought with many emotions at once, he wanted to punch that figure for ruining Ian and feeding him this garbage, wanted to bury whatever that is so deep in the ground that he won’t ever get out of there.
He wanted to hide the boy from everyone, the desperate need to tell that nobody can ever love Ian the way he does made his eyes blur. Oh how much Ian was going through.
“What does he look like?” Ethan asked his next question, controlling his emotions that were ready to surface and felt the way Ian tensed under him but nonetheless Ian answered.
“dark…….so dark……..no light…….no hope…just dark” he mumbled, sleep heavily pressuring him. Ethan pulled Ian closer if that was possible, tangling both of their limbs together, he kissed on younger’s forehead and hugged him close.
“nobody can love you like I do baby……nobody….and we are going to get it all right……trust me...I will find a way to make it right” Ethan said kissing Ian on his hair and smiled when he felt Ian’s lips forming a small smile against his neck.
“I trust you and I……. love you,” Ian said with great difficulty. He was being rebellious, confessing his love to someone he was forbidden from.
“And I love you more…….sleep now…..you need it…..when you will wake up, I will be here for you, holding you, just like now…..”Ethan said, tears dropping from his eyes seeing the vulnerable condition of his tiny, once healthy and energetic, baby husband.
“I can’t do that………it’s scary” The younger was still adamant with the fear bubbling inside him but luckily this time Ethan was there to hold him, and believe him.
“it won’t be……nobody can touch you wrong on my watch baby…….don’t worry and don’t think too much,” Ethan said invading his hand under Ian’s shirt making Ian squirm but then he relaxed in his husband’s arms.
“promise?” Ian asked in almost a whisper, exhaustion taking its toll on him.
“promise” Ethan promised firmly rubbing his hand in small patterns over Ian’s skin to help him relax and sleep.
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Author notes
thank you for reading 😘😘I