Caleb had been sick for days. His throat hurts, his chest is congested, and every breath is more labored than the last. The Fleet Doctor finally sent him home after he coughed so hard and so much that he passed out in a meeting.
He had considered asking you to come and pick him up from work- he knew you and Sylus were going to be coming up in a day or two anyway so why not see if you two can come earlier? He misses you- both of you, surprisingly enough.
Sylus had been a thorn in his side initially- another obstacle in the way of being able to love you- but, upon Caleb’s return, you had more than enough room in your heart for both of them and they were more than happy to give anything a shot as long as it meant being with you.
In time, Caleb has grown very fond of the leader of Onychinus- how he protects you, adores you, and spoils you exactly how Caleb would. In quieter moments, he has fallen in love with Sylus on his own.
He buys him every model plane he could ever want- even works with him to build them. The two men work in tandem and sync, Caleb looks forward to these days. Sylus is his opposite, but in all the right ways- he taught him to let go and to trust the strength you possess.
But Caleb doesn’t want to bother you. He doesn’t want to inconvenience you or worry you and take all your attention from work; you hate that so much. While being sick may be different, he still can’t bring himself to be so selfish.
So here he is- lying miserably in bed and entirely feverish. His blinds are closed and so are his eyes, the pounding headache has only gotten worse, and he’s not trying to keep himself together.
It’s hard being the protector, the responsible one, the one who never struggles- it makes these moments all the more lonely and harder to share. Drifting in and out of sleep is the only thing he can do.
He’s not sure when he wakes up, but even his stuffy nose cannot hide the scent of delicious chicken noodle soup. Guilt fills him as he realizes that you probably came here early and he didn’t even have anything prepared for either of you.
With a head filled with lead, he barely manages to sit himself upright- it gives him whiplash, he feels dizzy and disoriented, falling forward with nothing to stop him.
Until he collides with a hard, muscular chest. His sunset eyes search blearily and find Sylus looking at him with softness and concern.
“If you wanted to get up,” Sylus teases, “you could have said something, Pup.”
“Smells good,” Caleb barely murmurs, “I feel bad for not helpin’.”
“It’s a good thing you aren’t!” Your teasing voice ringing from nearby breaks up the silence of the room, “otherwise there would be boogers all up in this soup!”
“And you need to rest,” Sylus says, his voice firm, “you aren’t indestructible, Mr.Colonel.”
He doesn’t know when, but at some point, you both help him to the couch. You go back to the kitchen and Sylus holds him carefully. It’s so soothing he can barely keep his eyes awake.
“You need to tell us when you aren’t feeling well,” Sylus murmurs, “you don’t have to go through this alone anymore.”
“It’s easier to suffer alone,” Caleb murmurs, “more comfortable.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” you step into the living room, soup in hand, “you seem way more comfortable now than you did when we first arrived.”
It’s true- everything feels lighter now and he admits that his psyche feels less heavy.
You and Sylus don’t let him lift a single finger- you cooked so Sylus does the dishes. Caleb’s head is in your lap and he loves the feeling of you massaging his aching sinuses- his entire body feels relieved and it almost makes him want to cry.
Almost.
Eventually, he’s snuggled between both you and Sylus. Usually you are the one in the middle, but tonight (as you reminded him) is about making him feel better and leaning up against Sylus while also feeling your touch is cathartic. His hand idly plays with Sylus’ fingers and your soft snores fill the quiet while the muted tv flashes brightly.
“Thank you,” Caleb rasps, leaning further into Sylus, “I…”
“Never would have asked for the help on your own?” His tone is teasing, “I’m afraid that is going to be hard with Mephisto around- he doesn’t like when the people he cares for suffers.”
Caleb chuckles- he thought he saw that damn bird.
“And I don’t like to see it either,” Sylus shyly presses a kiss to his forehead, “I’m here for you too- I care for you too.”
Maybe it’s not love just yet, but damn, it feels pretty close.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
I love CrowAppleMC as a trope because I think Sylus would be really good for/to Caleb-
- Caleb is really hesitant at first, not only does he dislike the idea of sharing VIP in MCs heart, but he knows about Sylus and pretty much sees him as the number one person he would want to protect MC from
- Sylus, on the other hand, had pretty much been anticipating sharing MC with Caleb from the beginning. He was always aware that wherever MC went in this life, Caleb would likely follow.
- I mean the man has to have been monitoring them for years like come on
- TBH I think Sylus developed a lil crush on the Colonel on his own time. It’s refreshing to meet someone as ruthless and powerful as he is- much like MC, Caleb isn’t afraid of Sylus.
- It’s little things at first
- Caleb comes back from a long mission and he finds his house cleaned, laundry done, and kitchen restocked. MC and Sylus left a lil note saying they stopped by before they had to do their own respective shit
-I think it really throws Caleb off initially. He isn’t used to MC taking care of him as much and he certainly isn’t used to other people taking care of him. He always kept his DAA buddies at arm’s length and no one ever knew he needed them
-but Sylus knows because Mephisto caught Caleb walking out of the Farspace Fleet with his hair a mess, the beginnings of a beard, and looking gaunt.
- Throughout the weeks, Caleb slowly begins to receive packages that he definitely doesn’t remember ordering, only to find that Sylus sent him a plethora of new plane models, cookbooks (that Caleb has realized have absolutely no cilantro anywhere), and other things he would never allow himself to indulge in because it didn’t make sense to waste the money
- Caleb’s stumped cause how do you gift a man who owns everything?
- He finds out when MC is out of town and Sylus asks if he would want to spend time with him. He discovers that Sylus A. Loves quality time, B. Loves mundane shit like cooking together, and C. They enjoy A LOT of the same hobbies.
- Like I am seeing these men full on geeking out about new cars and planes together, working on their planes and cars together with loud music going- hell, I could even see them boxing and making airplane models!
- I think Sylus falls first but Caleb falls even harder. He never thought he could love someone almost as much as he loves MC and yet here he is!
- It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though; Caleb still feels an immense amount of guilt surrounding his own desires and wants. In spite of the change in their relationship, it’s still hard to remind his brain that being with MC is not taboo (anymore anyway cause Gran is everywhere) (I’M SORRY I am a Josephine hater)
- Sylus is the first one to encourage Caleb to indulge in his desires and MC is quick to follow. It’s not perfect, but those terrible feelings of putting what he wants first goes away.
- And when Caleb’s mechanical arm breaks, Sylus is the first to come over and help him repair it. It’s meticulous and painstaking, but the gentle effort makes the repair far more tolerable than that ridiculous machine.
- maybe once EVER is defeated, he helps Caleb build an even COOLER arm and I wonder if Sylus could somehow remove that damn chip from Caleb’s brain with his Evol 🤔
Idk may come back to this Drabble and add a part two with how Caleb begins to show Sylus he cares!
