"Ah…" Cyrus groaned softly. His eyes were peacefully closed as if nothing in the world could bother his state of peacefulness.
"Last night," Elias stood up. He was sitting beside Cyrus, "You did give him the medicine I told you to give him."
Soren nodded his head. "I did," he replied. Not far away from them, Marryanne stood with the twin boys, observing everything. Marryanne sighed softly.
"The cure will be ready soon, but I need a few more ingredients," Elias said. "I will go into the market with the younger kids, and you should probably stay with Cyrus."
"Alright," Soren replied.
"Let's go, kids." Elias walked out with Marryanne, Ray, and Jay in tow. Elias stopped before fully closing the door. "Don't open the door for anyone and don't go outside until I come back."
Soren nodded.
Soren watched Elias close the door. He walked over to Cyrus again, running a hand through his hair. "Everything is gonna be okay, Sunshine," Soren murmured. His voice, no more than a soft whisper.
Cyrus whimpered a little as his eyes fluttered open. Soren flinched a little, seeing Cyrus's eyes opening suddenly. "I'm sorry," Soren smiled. "Did I wake you up?"
Cyrus's irises were red. The rims of his eyes looked glassy as if he had been crying for some time. But Soren knew it wasn't because Cyrus had been crying for hours—it was because of the transparent medicine that Elias had told Soren to give him. His face was flushed. Elias did say that Cyrus could be a little tipsy, but if he was tipsy from only a drop, that must mean the medicine was strong.
"So… ren…" Cyrus's voice was hoarse as he let out a breath.
"I'm here," Soren replied, staring into those red-rimmed eyes.
Cyrus tried to sit up. "You should keep lying down," Soren softly scolded, putting one hand around Cyrus's shoulder to help him. "Don't sit up."
"Water…" Cyrus grumbled.
Soren's gaze softened. "You want water?" Soren resisted the urge to pull Cyrus onto his chest. This boy looked so fragile.
Cyrus nodded his head.
"Alright." Soren went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water for Cyrus. He came back in.
"Here," Soren helped Cyrus drink the water from the glass. "How is the pain?" Soren put the glass away.
Cyrus took a shallow breath in. "It… it's alright now."
"Yeah…?"
"Yeah."
Soren sat beside the blonde boy. For some time, none of them spoke, then Cyrus broke the silence. Cyrus curled up to Soren. "Hey…" his voice was still hoarse.
"Yes?" Soren let Cyrus curl up, wrapping a hand around his waist to pull him close in a comforting manner.
Cyrus sighed. "Why do I feel like this…?" Golden locks fell onto his eyes.
"Like what?" If Cyrus wasn't sick and tipsy, he would have been fighting with Soren and dying out of embarrassment because of the way Soren was holding him.
"I don't know how to describe it…" Cyrus sighed. "But it's like… it hurts less now, but I feel like I'm seeing two of everything."
"That's because of the medicine Elias had made me give you," Soren's arms around Cyrus tightened. "It has alcohol in it. And by the looks of it, the medicine was so strong that one drop was enough to ease your pain."
"I see…" Cyrus didn't only feel tipsy but also a strange sensation pooling in his stomach. Every time Soren touched him, it was like a fire had been ignited inside him. But he still sought refuge, basking in Soren's warmth.
"Does it have any other effect other than making me drunk?"
Soren's slender arms tightened at Cyrus's question, and he sighed. "No," Soren denied. "It doesn't have any other effect, or Elias would have told me."
"Soren…" Cyrus softly groaned.
"Hm?" Soren looked down at the blonde boy in his arms. "What is it, Sunshine?"
Cyrus softly bit his lip. His head was hurting now as he nuzzled further into Soren's chest. He didn't know how to say it. Silence filled the room, louder than any voice Cyrus had ever heard.
"What is it, Sunshine?" Soren asked again, his voice gentle, like the streams of a canal.
Cyrus let out another soft puff of air, then took a breath in, as if he were preparing to reveal his biggest hidden desire. "Have you ever felt like this?" He finally shoved some words out of his mouth.
"Like what, Sunshine?" Soren asked, trying to figure out the meaning behind Cyrus's words.
Cyrus softly closed his eyes. "Like…" His hand traveled up to Soren's chest as he caressed Soren's soft skin through his tunic.
Soren's breath hitched. Cyrus moved his hand on Soren's chest. Soren knew Cyrus wouldn't remember anything after the effects of the medication wore off and would be embarrassed that he had touched Soren almost too intimately. Still, Soren wouldn't take advantage of Cyrus. One hand was still wrapped around Cyrus, and the other came up, pinning Cyrus's hand to his chest. "Like what, Cyrus?" he asked again, his voice becoming softer by the second.
"Like… a desire—a thirst that needs to be extinguished." Cyrus almost let out a soft groan as he felt a warm palm pressing against the back of his hand, but he held it in.
Soren was quiet now. Cyrus was really delirious from the medicine. Soren softly sighed. "Cyrus…" He softly called out Cyrus's name. "You are delirious from the medicine."
Cyrus's chest heaved as he sucked in a breath. "I'm fine…" Cyrus paused and peeked up at Soren. "Soren…" he softly called out. The hand that was pressed into Soren's chest and stuck under Soren's warm palm softly traveled up. Soren wasn't holding his hand tightly—just firm enough to feel the heartbeat. Cyrus's hand traveled up until his fingers touched the soft edges of Soren's jawline.
Soren gasped softly. "Cyrus…" he called Cyrus's name as if it were a sacred prayer.
"Soren…" Cyrus's eyes drooped heavily. His gold lashes fanned the slim under his eyes. "I think I…" Cyrus's lips inched closer.
Soren's heart thumped against his ribcage, as if urging him to just give in and claim Cyrus's lips. His cheeks painted a shade of red. His teeth gritted.
"No!" Soren's gentle voice disappeared. Cyrus almost flinched from the sudden yell. He looked at Soren. Really looked at him. His mismatched green-red eyes stared into Soren's blue gaze.
"Soren…" Cyrus whispered again. He hadn't called Soren's name this much since they were younger.
"Not now…" Soren's gentle voice returned as he softly removed Cyrus's fingers from his jawline. His gaze also bored into Cyrus's. "Not when you are in potential pain and in a state of drunkenness."
Cyrus just laid his head back into Soren's chest when he suddenly felt Soren's fingers interlock with his.
"But if you come to me when you are sober and with a clear mind," Soren almost whispered those words into Cyrus's ear, burying his nose in the golden locks, "then I will accept you with open arms. I will return your feelings if they are real and not caused by the delusions of medicine." His arms tightened comfortably around Cyrus.
Cyrus's eyes widened. He nuzzled further into Soren, and Soren let him do so as much as he wanted. Both of them didn't say a word anymore, enjoying the comfortable silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The noise of knocking on the door woke Soren up. He doesn't know when he fell asleep. But he did. He yawned and untangled his fingers from Cyrus's. He had fallen asleep beside Cyrus. Before going to open the door, his gaze fell upon Cyrus. Cyrus looked peaceful as he slept.
Soren leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on Cyrus's forehead. He had been doing this ever since him and Cyrus were younger. He would have secretly kissed Cyrus's head whenever he had a fever or was asleep.
Soren sighed, standing up. He made his way towards the front door. He opened it.
"How's Cyrus?" Elias asked as Soren stood aside letting him enter.
"He is alright now. Though a little drunk and delirious." Soren replied. His gaze fell on the basket Elias was carrying.
"I see." Elias muttered as Marryanne and the twins also walked in.
"How's big bro Cyrus?" Marryanne looked at Soren.
"He is okay." Soren replied as his gaze swept over Marryanne, Jayson and Raynold.
"You four want to watch me brew the cure? Elias grinned, "I have all the ingredients I need for the cure."
Soren and the younger kids looked at each other then back at Elias as they nodded their heads.
The five of them settled in Elias's kitchen but he had removed the tables replacing it with a cauldron set on a pit of burning wood. The smell of that burning wood filled the nostrils of everyone who is present there.
"First of all," Elias poured a bucket of water inside the cauldron, "water. With right measurements the neutral substance needed in making every medicine."
Soren watches Elias brew the cure but his mind keeps wandering off to the drunken confession Cyrus had said.
"Then add a bit of vermillion dye and a bit of some of this. Then Marryanne's blood and…"
Soren seems to lose focus as Elias continues to list off the ingredients while putting them inside the cauldron. His mind only seems to wander off towards Cyrus. His flushed face, glassy eyes, thin lips, tousled blonde hair.
His attention snaps back as Marryanne pulls on his shirt, whispering, "Big bro Soren?" Soren had forgotten that Marryanne and the twins were also watching Elias with him.
"Yeah?"
"Elias is saying something to you." Marryanne said as his gaze went towards Elias and sure enough he was trying to say something.
"Yes?" Soren said to Elias.
"I said that I'm done brewing the cure but I can't give it to Cyrus yet," Elias explained, "It just needs to set for about overnight before Cyrus could have it."
"Alright." Soren nodded his head. He glanced inside the cauldron. The liquid inside was a swirling colour of vermillion. The stench of this cure was not flowery but rather it smelled metallic and coriander.
"You four go rest." Elias dismissed the four of them. Soren, Marryanne and the twins left the kitchen.
"Well," Marryanne smiled, "we finally got the cure." She couldn't hide the excitement in her voice.
"Now everyone at the orphanage would get better in no time." Raynold, the older twin, joined in, beaming at the fact.
"Big bro Cyrus would be alright as well." Jayson grinned, mischievous as ever.
Soren would be lying if he said that he didn't miss the pranks of Marryanne or the mischievous side of the twins.
"Everyone will be alright." Soren assured, "now everyone of you go back to your rooms for the evening.
The kids nodded and went back to their rooms.
Soren let out a breath of air as he went back to Cyrus and his room. He glanced over at Cyrus's sleepy and peaceful state. He smiled slightly as he walked up to Cyrus.
"Sunshine…"
Soren whispered as he put his palm against Cyrus's cheeks, softly caressing it.
"We finally got the cure…" Soren's hand moved towards Cyrus's tunic. He unbuttoned his shirt and peeled the shirt up to his heart and sure enough there it was. The deep purple brush with cracks around it. Beneath his collarbone and on top of his heart. Soren sighed before putting the cloth back on it.
"Sleep tight, Sunshine."