twelve
Milton wakes slowly, his eyes stuck shut as he scrunches his nose and tries to dig his face deeper into his pillow. A hand is gently carting through his hair, lulling him into a hazy sort of wakefulness as he listens to the heartbeat beneath his ear.
Cracking his eye open, Milton realises that he's not, in fact, resting in his own bed, but rather, he's tucked up against Callum, face pressed into his chest and body wrapped in the warmth of the covers around him.
He tries to wake a little more, lips smacking as he tries to close his mouth, but he was just so relaxed.
He could barely lift his head never mind control how his face rested against the man.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Cal whispers above him, his voice a lullaby on its own as Milton's eyes flutter closed once again.
He's jostled as Callum laughs, his sleep addled brain opting to tuck his face harder against the man's chest, nose squished against his soft shirt rather than keep trying to wake up.
Cal only smiles, continuing to stroke Milton's fluffy hair, his other hand holding the boy firmly against his chest. He really was very small for a teenage human. Maybe they had gotten his age wrong? Cal wasn't sure how they judged that kind of thing.
Stretching as best he can with the boy in his arms, Callum carefully rises from the bed, propping Milton on his hip as the boy continues to stay halfway between awake and asleep even as Cal carries him from the bedroom and into the main area of the apartment.
Al stands at the stove, cooking their breakfast along with some soft porridge for Milton, a smile crinkling his eyes at the sight of his mate holding the boy to him, naturally beginning to sway gently as he stops by the kitchen counter to check if Milton has opened his eyes.
He was sure the boy must still have been exhausted from the night he had, plus the dose of medicine to help him sleep was probably still heavy in his system. He would let him sleep the day away if he could, but they desperately needed to get more food into the human.
Pulling a chair out sideways so it faces the others at the bench, Cal moves Milton so he's sitting against his body, casted foot resting on the seat over. Milton's eyes flicker open, his mouth finally falling shut as he swallows and tries to watch as Aldric flits around the kitchen.
Al serves the eggs and bacon, dishing out two plates before taking a bowl out for Milton's breakfast and tipping the hot porridge into it along with a large dash of milk.
Looking up, he raises an eyebrow at his mate, a smile ticking at the edge of his lips as he gestures to his mate's shirt with the porridge spoon in hand.
Cal frowns in confusion before looking down, pulling his shirt out to get a better look, only to blush red.
He hadn't noticed the wet circle of drool left by Milton's mouth, making it look like the boy had been, well.
.. Callum blushes harder, scowling at his husband as the man turns back to put the milk away in the fridge.
"Breakfast is ready, Milton. You want something to eat?"
Milton's head bobbles as he tries to focus, his good hand reaching out to touch the table, only to fall back into his lap with a soft, tired sigh.
Aldric chuckles, leaning on the counter to eat his food as he hands Cal a fork. Together they enjoy the eggs and bacon in silence, letting Milton struggle a little longer to wake up until he's leaning against Callum with his eyes open, blinking owlishly at Al as he watches him finish his plate.
"Did you have a good sleep?" Al asks, dipping the spoon in the porridge to give it a stir before deeming it ready for the human to eat, swapping his mate's now empty plate for the bowl.
Milton nods slowly, fluffy hair sticking up with the action as Cal begins to spoon feed him.
It doesn't take long for the food to wake him up a little more, the creamy porridge sliding right down his throat with the warm flavours of nutmeg and a little cinnamon. He hums in delight, eagerly opening his mouth for the next bite as Cal continues to feed him the whole bowl.
It was a larger serving than usual, but he managed it all, his little belly slightly distended and completely satisfied. He slumps back into Cal, feeling calm and happy as his face is wiped clean and the two adults begin conversing with each other softly.
He didn't know what it was that was making him feel so relaxed, but he felt good. His body wasn't aching, his belly was full, and his skin felt all warm and tingly from having been toasty warm in the bed covers with the two men.
"Wanna watch some tv before we get started with the day?" Al asks as he finishes making two mugs of coffee, the strong smell wafting through the kitchen.
Cal hums in agreeance, gently gathering Milton in his arms and moving to the couch.
He places the boy beside him, tucking a blanket over his lap as Al comes and sits on his other side, squishing him between the two.
If it had been a few days ago, Milton would have felt uncomfortable, probably even a little panicky at being so close to the both of them, but now he just felt. ..warm.
Leaning back into the pillows, Milton gently plays with the blanket in his lap, bruised fingers working their way over the soft fabric, calming him even more.
Cal looks down at him, a hand coming up to play with his hair once again, holding in a wolfish rumble as he clears his throat and tries to focus on Al picking a channel to watch.
They decide on a show about a zoo, watching as the keepers take the camera behind the scenes and introduce the viewers to all the different animals.
Milton watches with wide eyes, having never seen most of the creatures before. He blinks when they show the giraffes, the tall oddly shaped animals walking on thin bony legs. How did they stay upright on such skinny looking legs?
It isn't until one giraffe starts to let out a rather large fountain of pee – the camera quickly pans past to move onto one of the other giraffes – that Milton's face blushes red.
Last night's events flooding back in an embarrassing montage, his ears turning pink as he looks down at his hands in the blankets and chews on his lips.
Aldric sighs as he notices the boys change in behaviour, looking to his mate who smiles sadly.
"Hey," Aldric says, keeping his voice soft. "You know, we'd never get mad at you for what happened last night, right?"
Milton blinks up at him, not really sure. It didn't feel like they would get angry, but what if it happened again? Would they get annoyed then? Would they throw him away?
Cal continues to brush a hand over his hair. "You've been under a lot of stress lately, sweetheart. Accidents happen."
Milton sinks back into the couch.
Accidents happen. Was it that simple? He was supposed to be a grown adult, yet he was waking from nightmares with wet sheets.
He couldn't walk by himself, feed himself, or even manage to sit upright without having something to someone to support his weight.
Could he really just cast last night aside with a shrug and let it be?
Frowning to himself, Milton tries to refocus on the tv show instead, his mind too tired to think too hard about the previous events. If Callum and Aldric said it was okay, then maybe for now, it was.
The three stay on the couch for a good hour or so, Milton nodding off every now and then only to wake as drool is carefully wiped away from the edge of his lips. He would be embarrassed if we weren't so groggy, the soft touches to his legs and hair soothing any worries away.
He listens as the men talk quietly above him, not really taking in their words as the deep voices lull him into a sweet nothing-ness.
"I booked an appointment with the doctor Marcy told us about." Aldric says, eyes flicking to his love before turning his attention back to the screen before them.
Callum hums, a little frown on his face as he turns to look at his husband. "When?"
Aldric sighs, a little guilty smile on his face. "This morning. After the night we had..."
Callum only nods, looking down at the sweet boy resting against him.
"Did you get a spot?"
His husband nods, shifting a little on the couch. "He's quite busy since he's the only human doctor in the community, but he had a cancellation."
Callum hums, "Lucky you called."
Aldric frowns a little, twisting so he can face his husband a little better, using the arm of the chair as a back rest.
"I wanted to discuss it with you first, but you had finally fallen asleep. My love, you needed to sleep."
He was right. Cal was tired. He'd been ignoring it, but the stress of everything happening had left him a little more weary than usual. Cuddling Milton in their bed after the stressful bathroom situation had soothed him into a deep sleep. A sleep his body had been needing for the past week.
"I'm not mad." Callum leans his head back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm not. I just... I worry that you'll shut me out if you think I can't handle all this."
Aldric reaches across the couch, gently brushing his mate's hair from his face as he continues to look up at their very plain, very white, ceiling.
"I promise I won't shut you out," Aldric rumbles softly. "We're going to handle this together. It's not the same as before."
Cal bites his lip, tilting his head towards the man as tears begin to prickle the back of his eyes. "I know."
Al brushes a thumb against his mate's cheek, gently smiling at the blue eyed man. "I won't shut you out, but I ask that you do the same, my love. Tell me when you're hurting. Tell me when you need something from me."
Callum nods, smiling. "Same goes for you."
Aldric only hums in agreement.