Prompt: Constance sibling fluff
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"Make sure you lock those files up, Adam," dad said as I stepped into the office. He noticed me and shot me a stern look. "Why are you out of bed, Leon?"
"I fell asleep for a while and I feel a lot better," I insisted. "I was actually coming to ask if we have any soup I could make."
The weather had gotten cold outside, and I hadn't been feeling so great. I'd been running a fever yesterday, but it'd broken overnight and I felt a lot better today.
"I'm not sure. I'll ask your mother to pick some up on the way home," dad said.
"There's chicken broth in the basement. I'll make him noodles to go with it," Adam said.
"I can make it myself, Adam," I said.
"I'm stuck here until my girlfriend gets out of work and picks me up. Might as well do something," Adam said, leaving the room.
"His car's still in the shop?" I said.
"It will be until tomorrow," dad said. "Go rest on the couch. If your fever comes back, you'll miss classes."
"I really feel a lot better, dad," I said.
"You said you felt better two days ago, and you ended up with a fever. Go rest," he said, shooing me out of his office.
I left and went to the living room, where Caroline was sitting and typing on her laptop. She looked up as I sat on the couch and shivered a little.
"Here," she said, tossing me a blanket. "How do you feel?"
"I'm okay," I said. "Adam is making me broth and noodles."
She closed her laptop and set it on the floor. "Dad sticking you on bed rest?"
"He's not nearly as bad as mom. Mom barely let me leave my bed yesterday," I said with a patiently exasperated sigh. I loved my parents, but they always babied me like this when I was sick. I would be healthy again by the end of the week. It was just a little sickness.
"That's because mom and dad know that you don't know when to take a break," Caroline said. "I'm sure Brennan was ready to kill you too."
"He threatened to come duct tape me to my bed until my fever was gone," I said.
"Good for him. I like that dude," Caroline said. "Want to watch a movie?"
I hesitated. I had some readings I could get done for school. Even on bed rest, I could still get ahead on my work and study.
"Oh no, I see that look in your eyes. We're watching a movie, and if you try to go upstairs and do work, I'm sending dad after you," Caroline threatened.
"But-" I started.
"And when mom gets home, I'll tell them to team up against you," she said.
I reluctantly sank down on the couch. "Movie it is."
Caroline put on The Lion King and turned the lights off. I curled up under the blanket, wondering if I could get some work done after the movie. I'd been so tired yesterday I hadn't done anything productive. Brennan was happy I'd slept practically the whole day, but I felt like it was wasted time.
Adam came into the living room and sat next to me on the couch, handing me a warm bowl. I spooned some noodles and broth into my mouth, sitting up a little so I wouldn't spill.
"Thank you," I said.
He looked at the TV and made a face. "The Lion King? You're both such children."
"You cried over The Fox And The Hound," Caroline said.
"When I was a child," Adam said.
"Live a little, dad 2.0," Caroline said. "They're good movies. You can stay and watch the movie with us, or you can go watch dad do paperwork. Pick your poison, big brother."
Adam slumped back on the couch and I laughed quietly, the laughter sending me into a coughing fit. I covered my mouth with my arm, turning my head away from my siblings as I tried to stop coughing. Adam took the bowl from me so I wouldn't spill it.
"And this is why we're having a movie day instead of a work day," Caroline said when I was done.
I took the bowl back from Adam. "Adam, you might not want to sit next to me."
"I'll be fine. Some of us keep ourselves in good health," he said.
"I'm going to get him a cough drop. I don't need him hacking up a long during the movie," Caroline said, getting up.
Adam grabbed another blanket and draped it over me. "You're still shivering."
"It's cold," I said.
"Dad put the heat on," Adam said. "You're just bad at taking care of yourself."
Sometimes I wasn't sure why Brennan and Adam didn't get along when they both treated me like this. It was exhausting.
Caroline came back and dropped a pack of cough drops on my lap before sitting on Adam's other side. She threw her legs up over his lap, her feet digging under my blankets.
"Caroline," Adam said in irritation.
"Adam," Caroline said, beaming a smile at him.
"I can't wait to have my car back so I don't have to put up with your immaturity any more than I have to," Adam grumbled.
"Oh, quit being grumpy," Caroline said, kneeing him in the chest lightly.
Adam just grunted and put his feet up on the coffee table, settling against the couch. I ate my broth and noodles, setting the empty bowl on the coffee table when I was done. It had warmed me from the inside, and watching the movie, I felt exhaustion slowly creeping up on me. I knew I should call Brennan to reassure him that I was okay, but it was getting hard to keep my eyes open.
I leaned against Adam, my head dropping onto his shoulder. He didn't grumble or push me off, so I closed my eyes.
"You know you're stuck here until he wakes up now, right?" Caroline said, keeping her voice down so she wouldn't wake me.
"It has been a while since I've watched Disney movies," Adam said.
"Then I guess it's time to binge. Pull his blanket up, it's falling down," she said.
I felt Adam tug the blanket up to my shoulder, wrapping it around me. Warm and comfortable with my siblings, knowing they'd be there to watch movies when I woke up, I let myself drift off to sleep.
