Epilogue

Apollo lay there for several minutes just staring up at the plain white roof. The silence in which he laid in was deafening as the only thing that broke the stillness was the faint ticking of a clock from the hallway. Each tick felt like it was drilling into his skull and each time he could feel his eye twitch. He hated being bedridden he felt so isolated laying on the twin-sized bed tucked into the far right corner of the room. It was day, that he knew for sure, as there was a single window that was situated near the bed. Just below the window sill sat a tiny side table that currently held an empty bowl and a bottle of water which was half drained. There was also a small round white table sit somewhat off to the other side of the room with two chairs pulled up to it. Harbour had moved that in here a few days ago so he could come to eat with him sometimes. Other than that the room overall was quite bare of decorations or furniture seeing as they didn’t have much money to more than just the basic necessities in a room. A soft yet shaky sigh escaped Apollo’s lips as he slowly turned his head to the side. He gazed at the empty bowl watching as a pesky fly buzzed softly around the rim in hopes of finding just a drop of the soup that once occupied the dish. How long did he just have to lay here? What if he never healed and he simply wasted away here in this bed? Part of him grew saddened by this thought as he dragged his gaze away from the bowl and back up to the roof. Each time he shifted he could feel the bandages that were tightly wrapped around his torso and around his bicep causing him slight discomfort at times. For a few moments Apollo contemplated drifting off to sleep again but before he got the chance he could hear footsteps approaching the room. Within seconds Harbour entered the room with a tray in his hands. On that tray was another bowl of soup, a first aid kit, and a small red candle. Apollo sat up slowly and carefully realizing it was time to switch out his bandages again already, thank god he was getting a bit annoyed with the old ones.

“How are you holding up?” Harbour approached the round table and placed the tray down. For a moment he lingered by it just watching Apollo from afar despite the gentle and caring gaze he wore it was clear he was still adjusting to being around Apollo in this way.

“As good as I can be stuck in bed for days on end...what did you prepare me this time?” He tilted his head up jokingly sniffing at the air. As he lowered the chin he felt his breath hitch for a second as his stare landed on the handsome male standing mere feet away. He wasn’t used to feeling this way for someone, sure he thought he felt something for Tetsuo but that wasn’t...real but this...he got butterflies every time Harbour was near. “Oh just the usual chicken soup, nothing fancy for today.” Harbour’s smile was gentle but not very big. Though it was enough to tell Apollo just how much the boy cared...how much his boyfriend cared. As he thought over those words it was like he was realizing yet again that the person standing nearby was his lover. He couldn’t help but smile inside...boyfriend, what a lovely thing to be able to call the other. “Ah the classic chicken noodle soup, the soup with all the healing materials you could ever need.” He gave a slight chuckle as he threw the blanket to the side and slowly slipped his legs from off the bed. For a moment he simply let them hang off the edge until finally, he scooted forward to place his feet down onto the cool hardwood floor. As he stood up he placed his hands on the crook of his back and slightly bent back smiling a bit as he heard the satisfying pop of his back. It felt good to have a chance to get up and stretch his aching bones he was getting quite cranky just lazing around so much. He shuffled over towards the table watching Harbour’s quick yet gentle movements as he removed the bowl from the tray and placed it in front of Apollo’s usual seat. He noticed Harbour’s pale blue gaze flicker over to him for a moment before returning to his task at hand. “I hope you don’t mind having it again, we don’t have much to cook admittedly- and it’s about the most I can cook.” He placed a hand over his mouth chuckle a bit before he slipped into the seat across from Apollo. Apollo waited a few moments before carefully settling into his own seat glancing down at the bowl in front of him. He enjoyed the heat radiating from the soup it was a much better feeling than trying to heat up beneath the covers. He felt like he produced little to no body heat and it wasn’t until he was near something warm like this that he realized he was feeling rather chilly. With that thought in mind, a shiver ran down Apollo’s spine which caused Harbour to perk up some his gaze more alert as he watched the other. Before Apollo could even respond to what Harbour had just said the other boy spoke up again seemingly a bit more concerned than earlier. “Are you ok? I can go get you more blankets.” Harbour began to stand causing Apollo to jolt up realizing how badly he just wanted the other to be in the room with him right now. “N-No I’m ok!-” As Apollo stepped forward he felt his legs buckle as a pain shot through his entire body. He clutched the table as he tried to avoid falling over completely. This was to no avail though as the table began to tip with him. Before he could hit the ground with the table dragging behind him he felt two hands quickly reach out to grab him just below his armpit area. As Harbour shifted to put one of Apollo’s arms across his shoulder so he wasn’t trying to hold his weight he also steadied the table. His gaze was calm and seemed almost unphased but Apollo could tell in his rapid movements that he had given Harbour a slight scare there.

“S-Sorry I just- I didn’t want you to leave.” Apollo’s brows furrowed as he glanced away from the other his cheeks dusted with a bright red now. Harbour gaped at Apollo seeming a bit taken back by the other’s words but his expression quickly shifted back to a calm expression though there was a hint of love and care within those pale blue eyes.

“I’ll stay here with you then...but I need you to go back to resting ok?” He gently held the back of Apollo’s head and pressed his forehead against the other’s a small smile on his lips as he admired the handsome boy he was helping to stand.

“Ok but if it’s not too much of me to ask could...could you lay with me for a while?” Apollo’s expression seemed tired but it was clear that there was a look of love in his eyes as he stared deep into the other’s gentle gaze glad to be so close to his face so he could just admire the other’s handsome features up close. He noticed a growing red on the other’s face as he opened his mouth to respond.

“I-I...Of course, I’ll lay with you, dear.” He smiled sweetly as he moved his hand from the back of Apollo’s head and began to lead him over to the bed careful that he wasn’t going too fast for his injured lover. As the two settled into bed Harbour sighed gently realizing he had been so busy walking around getting things for Apollo that he didn’t realize he was feeling a bit tense. He worried for his lover and couldn’t help but work without a break to assure Apollo was healing properly. He glanced over to Apollo and saw he was already curling up against him with a cheerful smile on his face as he soon began to hug the other.

“Thank you…” He murmured with his face somewhat smooshed up against his side seemingly already drifting off again. Harbour stopped for a moment so he could just admire Apollo up close...after all, he wasn’t used to being pressed so close to Apollo, and yet...it also felt so natural with the other curled up close to him drifting to sleep with his arm still around his shoulder’s in a protective manner.

“Of course love…” He leaned over to gently place a kiss on top of Apollo’s soft pale tangerine hair glad to see the other at ease again. With a gentle sigh, Harbour brought a hand up to remove his spectacles and set them aside on the small night table next to the bed. After that, he shifted to turn onto his side and gently hug Apollo close as he joined the other in slowly drifting off to sleep unable to help himself.