The Boy Named Fang

"Sora, sweetie. Wake up."

My eyes blinked open and I stared unseeing straight ahead.

"Are you up?"

I lifted my gaze to find my dad hovering above me with a warm smile on his face. "Um... yeah, I'm up," I said, stretching out my body.

"I'm assuming he's the sick one?" my dad nodded toward Fang who was also awake.

"Yeah. His name is Fang. I told him to sleep until you got here. But he apparently wasn't the only one who napped," I blushed, scratching the back of my neck absentmindedly.

My dad stepped over to Fang's other side and felt his forehead. "You still have a fever."

"Do you know what it is?" I asked.

"No, but I'm gonna need you to leave so I can figure it out," my dad replied kindly.

"Okay." I smiled at Fang, "My dad will get you back in tip-top shape before you know it."

Fang simply stared at me, understanding in his eyes, and then I quickly left the room while fanning my face again.

I took a seat on the top stair at the end of the hall and I just stared at the front door in front of me, wondering if Fang would be alright and when my mom was going to get home.

About five minutes passed after those thoughts before my mom came walking in the door who smiled at me in greeting.

"Is your father home?" she asked, hanging up her purse on the coat rack.

"Yeah. He's checking to see why Fang has a fever," I replied.

"So his name is Fang?" my mom asked.

"Yeah. He's the son of the lady who used to live here."

"Really? I thought he had died."

"So did I, but he's here. He looks just like the photos of her we found in the attic."

My mom got a gleam in her eye, "So is he cute?"

"Mom!" I whined. "The poor guy is sick. Let's not talk about that. He probably can hear us anyway."

"Oh no he can't. We're too far away."

"Mom. Fang isn't the average teen."

Just at that moment my dad walked down the hall, greeted my mom and then looked at me.

"Did you know..." he trailed off.

I nodded. "He was taken as an infant and experimented on which is why his mom thought he had died. The doctor lied to her, but he came back looking for her. He told me everything once he trusted me. Please, Dad. Don't tell anyone. They'll only use him for money or run more tests on him."

"I'm not going to tell anyone, but it would have been nice to know beforehand."

"Is he okay?" my mom asked.

"He'll be fine. He just needs some rest. He got a wound that was deep and it was starting to get infected. I gave him an antibiotic and that should knock it out of him in a few days."

"Dad, he kinda has a high metabolism. The regular stuff isn't going to help much."

"Oh, I figured that out. He's just gonna take a couple more doses than a regular patient."

"That's good," I said looking down at the ground before I shuffled my way back to my room to see Fang. I felt my parents eyes on me the whole way, but I ignored it and fought against the blush that threatened to color my face.

I knocked on the door to let Fang know I was coming and I walked in with a small smile.

"Feeling any better yet?"

He shrugged and coughed a little.

I awkwardly stood by the bed and looked down at Fang. "If you're feeling better by tomorrow, I can see if we can go into town and get you some clothes that will actually fit you since your fever will keep you here for a while."

"I don't stay sick for long," he replied.

"I guessed that, but even so..."

"Okay."

"Alright. I guess I'll leave you to sleep. Let me grab some clothes and blankets and I'll be out of your hair," I said, instantly bustling about my room to get what I needed for the night and next morning. "Can I get one of those pillows behind you?"

Fang sat up and pulled a pillow from behind him and tossed it to me without saying a word.

"Thanks," I smiled. "Sleep well and I'll see you in the morning. Night."

Once again, Fang remained silent, so I took that as the perfect opportunity to walk out of my room and into the living room.

My mom and dad were chatting in the kitchen, obviously about our guest, but I ignored their chatter and made up my bed on the couch. Then I went ahead and got myself ready for bed in the bathroom.

"You're going to bed already?" my mom asked as I walked back into the living room in my pajamas.

"Yeah. I'm really sleepy."

"Okay, honey."

"Oh and Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Can I get some money so I can take Fang shopping for clothes that fit him if he's feeling up to it?"

"How will you get there?"

"Um... Fang can fly?"

My mom gave me a look that said she wasn't too keen on that answer.

"What? It's true. I mean, I won't make him if he's feeling really bad tomorrow. It's just easier... and saves gas."

She still gave me the look.

"Please, Mom? If it makes you feel any better, we'll just walk. We're not that far from town and he's obviously strong enough to protect us if anything goes wrong, so there's no need to worry."

My mom sighed, "We'll talk about it in the morning when our guest can give his opinion."

"Okay."

"No go get in bed."

I obeyed and instantly cuddled under my blanket on the couch. I snuggled my head into my pillow and took a deep breath, only to blush brightly afterward.

Why does this pillow have to smell so good? Why this pillow?

Embarrassed at myself for getting so flustered over my pillow smelling like the boy in the other room, I flipped it over to the other side and continued my snuggling. Soon I was out for the night and dreaming of flying above the world.