V carefully untangled himself from Nathaniel and made a quick call to Urielle, asking him to come over.
“Is everything alright?” The older angel asked.
V hated the sharp concern in his guardian’s voice, hated to make him worry.
V took a deep breath. “Yeah, I just need a few hours out of the house and I don’t want to leave Nath alone.”
Urielle was silent for a few moments before answering, knowing that there was more on V’s mind. “Alright, I’ll be over soon. Jarvis has to cover all morning shift so I’ll drop important off and go over in a few minutes.”
V exhaled a breath and thanked him before hanging up
one on one?
Nathaniel stirred a bit as V spoke, whining quietly, but not quite waking up yet. He curled up tighter in the covers with his wings wrapped around his trembling form. His cheeks were lightly flushed, and his breathing was labored and wheezy. He obviously wasn't better yet.
V walked back into the room and pressed a kiss to Nathaniel’s head. “I love you.” He whispered softly, heading to the kitchen to start a breakfast and to wait for Urielle to get there.
Nathaniel coughed weakly in his sleep and whined a bit, his wings puffing up with discomfort. He opened his eyes and looked around blearily. Not seeing V, he dragged himself to his feet and stumbled into the bathroom to throw up.
“You’re sure you’re alright, Valderian?” Urielle’s asked as he entered the small home. V nodded and grabbed a jacket. “Yeah, I just need to calm down a bit.” He reassured, smiling softly and leaving before Urielle could question him further. Urielle sighed and headed to the bathroom, having heard Nathaniel.
“Hey, it’s me. You doing okay?” He asked, kneeling beside the small angel and gently rubbing his back. “V went out for a bit. Hell be back soon.”
Nathaniel whined weakly, his wings limp and quivering behind him where he was kneeling on the bathroom tiles. "W-Where did he go…?" He asked, his voice a bit hoarse from throwing up.
“I’m not entirely sure. He said needed some time out of the house.” He said softly before grabbing a towel from the drawers and running it under cool water. He pressing it to Nathaniel’s head. “I’m assuming you didn’t eat anything last night after you left, right?” He asked, a slight sternness in his voice. He knew V would be gentle with Nathaniel, never wanting to push him too far or upset him. Urielle wanted to do the same but he also knew that Nathaniel would get any better if he pushed things aside and waited around for them things to get better. He hadn’t learned that from his years with the boys as well as with Jarvis.
"Mm…" Nathaniel leaned into the cool washcloth with his eyes closed, clearly weak and tired. "N-No, I haven't eaten anything… I wasn't hungry…" He curled in on himself, just laying helplessly on the floor as he hugged his stomach.
Urielle nodded and scooped Nathaniel up. “Well, I’m sure you’re hungry now.” He said, setting him down in a chair before heading over to the stove to start preparing some eggs and a few pieces of bacon.
"Mmmmmmm…" Nathaniel rested his head against the cool countertop with a soft groan. "Nooooo… I don't wanna throw up again… eating is gonna make me throw up…"
“Nathaniel, you didn’t eat at all yesterday and look what happened. You’re eating today. It’ll fill your belly and give you some energy. If you do end up throwing up, that’s fine. Well give you some pain meds and have you eat something a bit later. But you’re not going another day without eating.” Urielle said, looking at Nathaniel pointedly before softening his gaze and petting the smaller angel’s hair. “You’ll feel better soon, don’t worry.”
"Mmmmmnnngh…" Nathaniel whined weakly at Urielle, curling his wings tightly around himself to hide his shivering a bit. "But I don't wannaaaa… eating will make me throw up… don't wanna throw up, Urielle…" He lapsed into a coughing fit, struggling to breathe properly.
Urielle scooped him up gently and rubbed his back “Nath, I know you don’t want to. But it’s not going to help your condition if you don’t eat anything. We’ll start off with something soft like eggs. Then later we’ll try something else. Plus you can take the cold medicine afterwards.”
Nathaniel whimpered a bit and huddled up against Urielle's chest, hugging his torso tightly. He was clearly in a good deal of pain and discomfort, and he really didn't want any more to occur from eating something. "Hurts…"
“I know but it’s going to hurt more if you don’t eat.” Urielle said, setting Nathaniel down for a moment before grabbing a plate of breakfast and setting it down in front of him along with a lightly toasted bagel.
Nathaniel just stared at the food resentfully for a few seconds before reluctantly picking up the bagel and taking a bite of it. He chewed for a while, struggling to get his body to allow him to swallow.
Urielle nodded softly when Nathaniel ate some of Thebes bagel, glad that at least he was trying. He serves some orange juice along with some pain killers before he too sat down and ate the breakfast. “I’m assuming you’re refusing to I see a doctor as well, huh?” He mused
"Mm…" Nathaniel gagged a bit when he tried to swallow, starting to gulp down his juice so he wouldn't throw up. He managed to keep everything down and then took his pills. "I-I don't trust doctors…"
“Not many do. That’s understandable.” He leaned back in his chair, wings slightly spread out so he wasn’t more comfortable. “We’ll see how you are after today. If things don’t start getting better, I’ll ask Jarvis to call someone he knows.”
Nathaniel whimpered softly and curled up in his chair a bit. "I-I don't wanna see a doctor… I'll… I'm sure I'll be fine, okay? This is probably just a stupid stomach bug…"
“I never said they were a doctor.” Urielle replied, taking a sip of his coffee and looking at Nathaniel. “Most likely, yes. But just in case it’s not, we’ll have her check you over.” He set his cup down, noticing how uneasy Nathaniel was getting. “Nath, I promise you, neither me, nor Valderian are ever going to let you go through anything like you’ve been through up there ever again. Okay?”
Nathaniel looked up at Urielle weakly, his eyes shining a bit. "I can't… p-please… I c-can't do it…" He whispered. "Please don't make me, Urielle…I really don't wanna see the doctor…"
Urielle stood and walked over to Nathaniel, kneeling in front of him. “I know you don’t like them Nath. Not many do. But she said going to help you feel better, she’s not going to touch you. But that’s for later, if you seem to get better then I won’t call them.”
Nathaniel looked away, biting down on his lip and fidgeting anxiously with his hands. "B-But I… I'm am adult, and… a-and if I don't wanna see the doctor, I-I shouldn't h— h-have to…"
“You’re right, you shouldn’t. All I’m suggesting is you talk to her. But if you don’t want to, then fine.” He shrugged and straightened. “Who knows, you might like her. Jarvis and I have met her before. She’s very kind.” He sighed softly and finished his coffee, humming softly as he brought the empty dishes to the sink to be washed
Nathaniel rested his head back on the counter, noticeably trembling where he sat. "I-I don't wanna go, p-please… I'll get over it, I'll… I'll be fine without the doctor, okay?"
Urielle shrugged and nodded. “Alright. But Igbo this doesn’t get better by tomorrow, we talk to her. Nothing more. Just talking. Okay?” He said, glancing down at him as he continued to wash dishes. “Nath, we promise you, we’re not here to hurt you or put you in any danger. All of us want to help you Nath, me, Jarvis, and especially Valderian.”
"But the doctor might… and… and what if she tries to fix me but she messes it up and I'm permanently screwed up again? What if she stabs me and I gotta have a kidney removed or something? I-I just… I c-can't…"
“Nathaniel, none of that is going to happen. No e of us are going to let that happen. And you’re not messed up or screwed up.” He scooped up the angel and shook his head. “Nath, not everyone’s in tHe world is out to hurt you. You’re safe here.” He sighed softly and looked at him. “You’re a very paranoid angel, arencha?” He laughed softly and hugged him close. “You’re safe. All we want to do is keep you that way.”
Nathaniel clung tightly to Urielle and buried his face in the other's shoulder, his wings hanging low behind him. He was obviously still stressed and upset, and he wasn't much in the mood for talking.