CW/TW: lung cancer + cancer treatment
Author's Note:
Aven, bestie, you will simultaneously be very relieved and very angry about this
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Twenty-six years old
The impossible starts with a phone call.
Felix isn't awake to hear it. It's when Ares trips over a pair of his pants crumpled on the floor and growls frustratingly that he wakes up, his cheek numb on the pillow beneath him. When he turns over, Ares mutters an apology to him and Felix realizes after a second that he has just spoken Ares' name. He hadn't even meant to.
Opposite of him, Ares is already fully dressed—like he is on his way out—and Felix's heart clenches. "What is it? Where are you going?"
Ares locks eyes with Felix and Felix receives one of his gentle smiles. He knows this one all too well. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry, carino."
Felix barely hears himself when he says, "You were just going to leave?"
Felix sees something soften in Ares' expression—like he knows—when he mutters, "I would've left a message. I wouldn't just leave."
"Where are you going?" Felix repeats, now turning all the way over onto his back, supporting himself on his elbows as he tries getting used to the light from the lamp on Ares' side of the bed. "What time is it?"
"It's Cass." Felix stills, his eyes fixed on Ares so he can see him hesitate. "She's in the hospital."
Felix tries not to be slow, but he just woke up and he can't think—"Cass is in the hospital?" He pauses, shaking his head. "Why is she in the hospital? I don't understand."
Ares exhales, his hands gripping a hoodie in front of him. "She's okay," he says and that's all Felix can think. She's okay she's okay she's okay she's okay—"I talked with Ashton on the phone. He called me when—they said Cass had woken up and had a bad headache and she... they think she had a seizure—" a seizure?—"but everything is under control now. The doctors say she's fine, I just—" he pauses and sits down on the bed, his hand finding Felix's bare arm to caress. "I'm just going to see her for myself. To make sure."
Felix can tell Ares is shaking by the hand on his arm but he doesn't understand what it means, that he shouldn't take Ares' word for this even if he wants to. All he knows is that Cass is in the hospital and that Ares is going to make sure she is okay.
"Okay," Felix whispers because he doesn't know what else to say and all he can hear in his head is seizure and she's okay and make sure and seizure and seizure and seizure—"Do you—do you need me to come with you? I can—"
"No, it's okay, Lix," Ares answer, his hand gripping his arm slightly when he starts to move. He doesn't know if he's trying to ground himself or Felix. "It's okay," he repeats and he sounds genuine. "It'll be fine. I'll come back in the morning and update you, okay? I'll bring Cass, too."
"Okay," Felix repeats and he only knows it's him saying this because he can see that Ares isn't moving his lips. "Drive safely. Tell her... just, take care, okay?"
"I will, I promise." Ares smiles again. "Kiss?" It takes a few seconds for Felix to nod and then Ares leans in like he's afraid Felix will change his mind. He's shaking against Felix's lips and Felix feels the fabric of Ares' t-shirt on his fingertips when he catches the edge of it. Felix almost cries, but he doesn't understand why.
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It Starts Here / 𝗯𝘅𝗯 (✓)
RomanceFelix smiles when Ares asks, "Do you like it?" Felix glances at him and Ares looks so excited to hear what he has to say, so happy, that Felix almost tells him right there and then. I like boys. Felix feels the words in his mouth. I like you. But wr...
