teeth → l.h

chapter fifteen;

tw // vomit

When Helena was younger, Christmas morning meant getting up at the ass crack of dawn, putting on an itchy dress, and going to church for two and half hours, before going immediately over to her grandparents house and starving to death until 6 o'clock, when dinner was finally ready. Presents didn't come until well after everyone had finished dinner.

That was part of the reason she moved to New York (aside from being completely unable to be alone). She, Ashton, Luke, and Calum made their own holiday traditions, none of which involved Helena being forced to wear a dress. Their Christmas tradition consisted of the group baking cookies on Christmas eve, then piling blankets in the living room and watching shitty Christmas movies all night (devouring the cookies). On Christmas morning, they'd all exchange gifts, then play in the snow, because they're grown ups.

Helena misses that tradition more than anything as her entire body shakes from the crisp cold of the tile floor in the bathroom; that, and vomiting for almost thirty minutes straight. The worst part is that she really doesn't know if she'd rather be puking her guts out, or helping cook dinner downstairs with her mom.

Helena smiles softly as Ashton drapes a blanket around her shoulders before he sits down next to her. "Last time you were sick on Christmas, I was still kissing boys under the bleachers." Ashton jokes, and Helena rolls her eyes.

"I distinctly remember you doing a lot more than that." She looks up at Ashton. "How many times did you get picked up for smoking pot on school grounds?" She raises an eyebrow.

Ashton smiles. "Three. I should tell mom you're sick so she doesn't force you to get up and do things." He wraps the blanket further around Helena's shoulders.

Helena shakes her head as she slowly sits up. "It's fine. I'm going to Luke's anyway." She won't mention the fact that it was Luke's parents who invited her over, and not Luke. Her mom would be offended.

Ashton's face drops. "What the fuck am I supposed to do here?" Calum had already gone over to his parents' place, and Ashton couldn't go over until after he had dinner at his moms, so he was betting on Helena to help him deal with their mother.

"You're her favorite," Helena grunts as she stands up. "I'm sure you'll figure something out." Helena goes to leave the bathroom, but stops as another wave of nausea hits her and she's right back where she started. She's so done.

"Want me to call Luke?" Ashton asks after a while. Helena immediately objects, of course. "I'm clearly not helping by just sitting here and I don't mind it, I just know you'd probably rather him be here."

Helena sighs. "Yeah, fine." She somehow makes it into her bedroom and the cold side of the pillow is the most beautiful thing she's ever experienced. "Tell him to bring some of that soup his mom always makes at Christmas."

"So uh-" Ashton clears his throat. "Helena has- she's got the flu? And- and I'm no help. I think she could use you." He sighs awkwardly. Talking to Luke alone is not his strong suit.

"How the fuck are you no help?" Luke scoffs. "Fucking doctor, you're no help? You're a dumbass. I'll be there soon."

"I'm- I don't take care of flu patients." Ashton says awkwardly. "I'm a surgeon." Luke knows this, and Ashton knows he knows this, but it's more fun for them when they get to make fun of each other.

Luke smiles. "Has she eaten anything, doctor Irwin?"

Ashton chuckles. "No, she's been vomiting all morning. It's kind of sad. She said for you to bring some of the soup your mom makes every year."

"Okay, I'll bring some over. Is your mom there?" Luke asks. He's been known to sneak around the Irwin house like a scared ninja to avoid her. He's valid in this, Helena and Ashton would agree.

"Yeah, if you get upstairs quick enough though she might not even realize you're here." Ashton states. "She's making dinner, so she's pretty distracted at the moment."

Luke lets out a breath. "I haven't seen that woman in what, three years? Four? It's been a minute."

"No, it was five, remember? She came to visit me the same year you moved in with me and caught us in bed together one night and I had to convince you she wasn't going to kill you in your sleep?"

Luke's breath catches in his throat. That has not been mentioned in four years, and Luke did not think Ashton would be the one to bring up first. Luke rubs his eyes softly, before brushing it off because they've both moved on. They're fine. "You swore you wouldn't bring it up again."

Ashton smiles. "Hurry up with the soup, I'll see you in a minute. Bye."

"Did you call Luke?" Helena asks softly when Ashton walks back into the bedroom. Ashton sighs sadly at the sick look on Helena's face. "The room's upside down." She whines as she shuts her eyes and presses her face into the pillow.

"Yeah." Ashton responds quietly. "He should be here soon. Want me to sit with you until he gets here?"

"No, I'm okay. You should go help mom with dinner so she doesn't come up here and call me dramatic." Helena laughs softly. "I could use some water though."

"Okay." Ashton gives Helena a small smile. "She's probably gonna realize you're sick eventually, you know that, right?"

"Yeah." Helena replies. "I just really don't want to deal with her shit when I feel like I'm falling out of a plane. Why the fuck did this hit me so fast?"

Ashton sighs. "You probably caught a cold or something in New York, then you got dragged through a bunch of airports, and I don't think the transatlantic flight helped either. I'll find a thermometer so we can make sure your temperature doesn't get too high."

"Thank you for taking care of me." Helena smiles.

"'s what I'm here for." Ashton grins as pulls Helena's hair away from her face. "Get some rest, I'll be back in a minute." He exits the room, shutting the door as he sighs. Something about being back home has got him running in circles trying to make sure his sister's taken care of. She's an adult, and she'll be fine, but Ashton is living in a constant state of worry.

Helena realizes this as well, and she wants to tell him she's fine and she can handle things on her own, but she feels too bad to do it. She still feels terrible about it though- Ashton spent his entire adolescence taking care of her, and she did not want him to live with the burden of doing it again. Once was enough, she didn't need to keep on fucking up his life.