Chapter 10 Just a Moment

I stir and rub myself deeper into the comforter that surrounds me. Gosh, this bed is so warm. I can stay here forever. Wait... a bed? Without warning, I sit up, almost pulling a tendon on my shoulder at the sudden motion. I whip my head around, looking at my surroundings, and lightning shoots up inside my head so I had to close my eyes again. I saw enough, though. I am in a room that I don't recognize. Where the hell am I? What happened?

"Calm down. You're safe here with me."

I scream at the voice and movement beside me. Seb. He's in the bed with me, shirtless. Panicked, I scoot farther from him on the bed, checking my own decency.

Seb rolls his eyes, bringing an arm to cover his head as his head falls back down on the bed. The muscles in his arm flexed as he moved and I try not to stare at them, and especially not at his smooth chest.

"Stop being so dramatic, A. It's not like we haven't slept together on the same bed before," he said, closing his eyes, his lashes impossibly long against his cheek.

"That was when we were kids. It's different." I tell him with gritted teeth, "Where the hell are we, anyway? What the hell happened?"

"You know, you're so much sweeter when you're drunk." Seb comments before answering the question, "You're in one of the hotel rooms. I had to drag you in here because after vomiting at me and my perfect outfit, twice, you threatened to make a scene back at the party."

"Oh," I mutter, now remembering the graceless way I conducted myself in front of Seb at the stairwell. I clear my throat, hoping it will also erase a bit of my embarrassment. "Well, we should go back there now. I'm sure they're all looking for us now. "

"No can do." Seb answers, his eyes still closed.

"What? Why? You don't think your Dad will be looking for you? You haven't shown yourself the entire night."

"He won't. If you must know, I had another argument with him about my career choice last night and I need space away from his disappointment." Seb tells me.

"Really. I thought you didn't come because you thought I was mad at you?"

"Ah, so you remember that bit," Seb says, smirking in satisfaction. His eyes are still closed, and now that I've gotten over my initial shock at seeing him half-naked beside me, I begin to notice that he's been breathing more deeply than normal.

"Seb, are you...okay? What's wrong with you?" I ask, getting closer to him in order to reach his brows. I gasp at the heat that met my fingers, "You're sick. Sebastian, what the hell?"

"Shh...you're too loud," Seb says.

"Oh, no. I'm not shutting up. You never get sick. What the hell did you do?"

"What does that mean, I don't get sick? I know you think me a monster, A. But I'm actually a human who gets sick, too, okay? Please don't trample on my right to get sick." Seb answers weakly, "Now, shut up and let me rest."

"No, I mean you don't get sick for no good reason." I persist before I remember something, "Wait. You were soaking wet at the stairwell. Did you stand under the rain for some reason? You idiot." I poke at his shoulder with my hand, making him grab the pillow he's laying on to cover his head with it.

"Ari, please. Shut up."

But I can't, I am so mad at him for being so careless about his health, especially because I just realized something again. "You were at the rooftop, weren't you? Seb, what the hell were you thinking?!"

"Okay, okay. I was on the rooftop because I was conducting a fear desensitization experiment on myself but it was too much for me to handle. I was practically paralyzed with fear, and then it started raining and I still couldn't move for a good five minutes even with the cold. And because of all that, now I'm sick. Happy now, Sherlocke? Will you let me rest, now, please?"

I open my mouth to lash at him some more, but held back, "Sorry, "I say, realizing I am being too hard on him. I guess I'll just have to walk him through his incredibly stupid choices in life some other time. "I'm just...Jeez, Seb, why would you carry me all the way here if you were feeling sick? You could've just called someone, you know."

Seb sighs, shrugging. He lifts the pillow off his eyes just enough to look at me, "You just looked like you couldn't handle anyone else there aside from me, and I wanted to show you I can take care of you, too." he says before finally going back to sleep, having had enough of my interrogation.

Tongue-tied, I stare at him for a moment, giving him the peace he's been asking for the past few minutes. Sighing, I tuck him deeper into the covers and watch him sleep for a while.

"You idiot," I say softly, tucking him deeper into the covers. I check my pocket for my phone and sigh as I spot its dead battery. I then look around me to look for the door of the bathroom. I bet I can wet a towel with lukewarm water to help break his fever. I move to get off the bed, but his warm fingers grip my wrist pinning me there.

"Where are you going? You're not leaving me again, are you?" Seb whispers, "It really hurt when you left, A. I wish you would just marry me so we don't have to be apart again."

He's probably half-hallucinating now, the heat in his brain making him say things that he normally wouldn't say if he's awake. "You're such a baby," I say softly. Carefully, I lay my head on his shoulders, just like I always did when we were kids. His grip falls from my wrist and into my hands and I wind my fingers into his own. I close my eyes. Just for a moment, we can stay like this, and then I'm going to use the hotel phone to tell our friends what happened.