Chapter 2 #2
Tristan and I wasted no time diving under the sheet and sitting on the floor. “Whoooaa, so cool! This is gonna be the best fort ever!” Tristan roared in agreement.
I smiled at Tristan, and the smile he returned made my heart melt. He was so carefree like this. We always had fun together when we were little, but this was . . . different.
Tristan regressed younger than he used to, but it was more than that; he was at peace, and it radiated off him like rays of sunshine. His joy seeped into me, filling me with a pleasant warmth.
The fort was too amazing to leave, so Tristan and I stayed inside and held up the walls while Daniel pinned them together from the outside.
Once we had all the walls placed, Tristan crawled around the vast space, giggling as he went in circles. We both started laughing when we heard Daniel from outside the tent. “I’ll be right back.”
Tristan rose onto his knees with a roar, making me giggle even harder. Bouncing over to the couch, I grabbed all the blankets except one larger one for Daniel to use and plopped them down in the center of the floor. Tristan dove into the pile with a roar.
“Silly dragon, we have to lay them out first, or we won’t be able to snuggle. Tristan let out a sad roar as he made his way out of the pile. Tristan helped me make sure the blankets were perfect as we placed several on the floor for us to lie on and a few more to snuggle underneath.
The blankets cushioned me as I plopped down on top of them and burrowed under the covers. Holding up the blankets, I patted the space next to me for Tristan to join. He wiggled in excitement and crawled over to me and buried himself into my side.
We were both so comfy that we jumped when the tent opened, but we relaxed when we saw Daniel enter the fort with a beaming smile.
“Hi, little ones, are you having fun?” We both nodded eagerly, almost hitting our heads together because of how close we were sandwiched in.
Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but then Tristan let out a big yawn, and not even a few seconds passed, and I was letting out a yawn as well. Dang it, I swear yawns are contagious.
“All right, little ones, I know you’re comfy, but we need to get ready for bed, and then we can come back and get all comfy again.”
“But Dada, we are ready. Dun wanna get up.”
Daniel looked at Tristan sternly, his brow furrowing. “Are you sure about that little one?”
Tristan wiggled nervously, and I bit my lip trying to keep my laugh in. Little Tristan was adorable; he couldn’t get anything past his Daddy.
“Hmmm, I’m not so sure about that. Come here, little one.”
Daniel picked Tristan up and squeezed his bottom. Judging by the smirk on his face, he’d suspected Tristan needed a change and was right.
“Ellie, there’s a spare toothbrush under the sink in the hall bath if you need it. Get ready for bed, and we’ll meet you back here.”
“Okay! Thank you, Daniel.”
My body felt sluggish and heavy as I crawled out of the fort and made my way into the bathroom. After brushing my teeth and emptying my bladder, I went into the guest room to change into my purple satin pajamas. They were the first set of pajamas I ever made, and I loved them.
Unsurprisingly, I got back to the fort before Tristan and Daniel, so I grabbed the laptop, cheered when I could open it without a password, and pulled up our favorite movie.
Shortly after I got all comfy under the cover, Tristan and Daniel crawled into the fort. Tristan got under the cover and burrowed into me, and his attention was stolen by the laptop when the movie started playing. He smiled weakly and threw his leg over mine.
We were both so exhausted that the second I wrapped my arm around Tristan, everything else faded away. We fell asleep curled up together, and I knew everything was going to be okay. Best sleepover ever.
The sound of Tristan whining woke me, and I lifted my arms to search for him. My arms felt heavy, and I wanted to panic, but I heard Daniel’s voice and instantly relaxed.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. You have a fever, but we’re gonna get you some medicine. If you’re a good boy and take it, you get ice cream as a reward.”
The mention of ice cream had me trying to sit up, but the movement made my head spin, and I groaned. My whole body felt hot and heavy, and the pressure in my head was overwhelming.
“Oh shit, why do I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus?”
I looked back and saw Daniel still lying on the couch with Tristan plastered to his side.
“Sorry, Ellery, but you two definitely have fevers. I texted my best friend, and he’s going to bring some things from the store.
If both of you are comfortable with it, he offered to stay and hang out for a bit. ”
I didn’t have the best view of them from this angle, but Tristan’s wiggle of excitement was hard to miss. “He really nice. He painted my bwocks and told me about Daddy.”
Oh, so he was the same guy who painted the mural.
I had no idea why, but my cheeks heated at the thought of getting to meet him.
I hated that our first meeting would be while I felt like hot garbage, but Tristan and Daniel both seemed to care deeply about him, which made me eager to meet him.
Plus, it was hard to say no to someone when you knew they were bringing ice cream.
“That’s fine with me. I’m too sick to care, especially if he brings that ice cream I heard about. He can stay as long as he wants.” I groaned weakly at how miserable I sounded.
Moaning in misery, I flopped back onto the blankets and burrowed deeper. Being sick sucked, but at least Tristan and I were with Daniel. Being alone and ill was the worst. My body ached, but my heart felt incredibly full.