At Times Like This

"Come on, Oz," Gilbert said, raising the spoon to the young blond's lips once again. Oz, for his part, merely scowled and turned his head away, keeping his lips shut tight, refusing to comply. Really, was he five years old? What teenager refused to take their medicine like this? Granted, the horrible, dark-green liquid tasted absolutely vile (Gilbert had tried it and found himself wishing he'd taken a bite from a lemon instead), but he had added some honey to the mixture and it was at least bearable now. "If you don't drink it," he said, tapping the spoon against Oz's bottom lip, "I'll put it in your food. Do you want this stuff in your cookies?"

That appeared to catch the boys attention, because after a moment of silence Oz rolled his eyes and parted his lips, accepting the first spoon of medicine with a grimace and full body shudder, the second with a short gagging sound before covering his mouth and forcing himself to swallow it, as if he did not trust himself not to spit it out. He stuck his tongue out in distaste afterwards and Gilbert could not help but smile at the boy's antics as he put the stopper back on top of the bottle and placed it on the bedside table, handing Oz a glass of water to wash the medicine down.

Really, he knew he should feel bad for thinking it, but when Oz was like this Gilbert thought it was rather... cute.

Not that he wanted the boy to be sick, of course he didn't, but Oz was so rarely embarrassed, grumpy or awkward like he was when someone needed to take care of him and... It was endearing, those cute pouts and sweet blushes, and once he was confident that the illness was not painful or long-lasting, Gilbert couldn't stop himself from smiling. The fact that this slightly weaker, more vulnerable side of his master appealed to the side of Gilbert that always wanted to care for and protect Oz probably aided in these thoughts, but overall, he just found his dishevelled, lazily defensive master adorable.

Best of all - and he felt really weird for thinking this - was that Oz just... he had the cutest sneeze. He'd scrunch up his face (which was also cute) and inhale unevenly, but all the would come out was the quiet, slightly high-pitched 'choo!', sounding far more like a small mouse or young girl than the fifteen year old boy he was. Oz hated it, his face coloured red every time he thought someone heard him. When he sneezed while handing his glass back to Gil, the man grinned and Oz's eyes narrowed.

"What?" Gilbert asked in a slightly defensive tone, taking a large blanket from where he had hung it before the fire and moving back to his master's bedside, "It's not my fault. It's cute."

"S'not cute..." Oz grumbled and pouted, which really wasn't helping his case at all. Chuckling quietly, Gilbert tilted his head slightly to the side, Oz responding by shuffling forward so that the elder man could slip into the bed behind him, his legs at either side of the boy.

Once he was settled, he wrapped the warm blanket around Oz's shoulders and gently pulled him back against his chest. He didn't miss the contented sigh Oz emitted, and the sound made him smile. "Warm enough?" he asked, tilting his head sideways as Oz made himself comfortable in his servant's arms, his head resting on Gilbert's right shoulder.

"Mmm, s'fine..." Oz muttered, his eyes sliding closed and his body relaxing, his guard lowered in the safety of his lover's embrace. A soft brush of lips against his cheek made him groan, "You'll get sick..."

"No I won't," Gilbert smiled, reaching up and brushing a few damp strands of hair from Oz's forehead, "just try and get some sleep, okay?"

"Mmm..." Oz hummed in agreement, turning his head slightly so that he could tuck it beneath his servant's chin, "Thanks..."

"Of course..." Gilbert smiled, wrapping his arms more tightly around Oz and resting his head atop his. "Sleep well..."

"You t... t.. AH-! ... choo...!" Gilbert laughed outright, and Oz punched his chest weakly with his fist. "Idiot."

"Cutey."

"Sh-shut up!"

God... He knew his heart belonged to Oz, but sometimes he forgot, at least until silly little moments like this, just how much he loved the boy...

With a quiet chuckle, his heart afloat within his chest, he said, "Alright, I'll stop... " He gave the boy a quick peck on the nose, which was rewarded with a flushed face and angry eyes before the blonde buried his face in Gil's chest.

Angry? No... He was just embarrassed, and that only made Gil grin wider. He resisted the urge to chuckle, though, for fear of disturbing his resting master... He would be better soon, and they could laugh about these moments together.

Until then... he would watch over him, and take care of him as his ever faithful guardian...

"Goodnight... Oz..."

[End]