#nurturing

Caleb slowly creaks your door open with a grin, violet eyes searching in the dark for your sleeping form in bed. "Wakey, wakey, princess. Time to struggle and sweat," he teases, stepping inside the room when you don't move. He walks up to the side of your bed and gently taps your shoulder. "C'mon. Don't tell me someone stayed up all night and couldn't get any sleep."

You groan, finally stirring in the covers, but you don't look at him. You turn just enough to slide his hand off your shoulder. "Go away," you murmur, voice heavy with restless sleep.

Caleb is amused at first, assuming you're regretting your vow to exercise so early. "Aw, come on, pips. The first week is always the hardest, but we can start slow."

"Caleb, I'm not in the mood for that," you sort of snap, causing him to flinch just a millimeter.

When you hiss back at him, Caleb realizes you aren't just being difficult. The smirk on his lips is replaced with a softened look of concern. "I know that tone. You only act like a kitten backed into a corner when you're hurting. What's wrong?" Caleb reaches over before you get to reply and turns on the soft lamp to take a better look at you. Seeing you in the light, you look like you've fought a war. Your eyes are sunken and outlined with dark rings, and when he checks your temperature, your skin feels clammy. "Hey, are you feeling okay? You're not sick, are you?:

You sigh, knowing you can't hide anything from Caleb. "No," you reply in a short, snippy remark. "I'm just in pain."

Caleb's eyes drift over to your calender. Growing up, he would see a mysterious red mark on the calender once a month without any further context. As a boy, he thought you had a strange fascination of marking days you were angry, but as he grew up, he realized you weren't just marking the days you were moody and ready to fight everyone and then cry for a few hours. He remembers crystal clear the day Grandma Josephine had Caleb run errands with her and they stopped in the feminine hygiene section to do some shopping for you. From that day on, Caleb also paid attention to your cycles and your supplies as well, though he never liked to admit it. But whenever he noticed you were low on something, it would always mysteriously appear on your bed while you were at school or out with friends.

Caleb's eyes soften as he reaches for the covers, tucking you in tighter. "Don't worry, pips. I've gotcha. I'll go get your heating pad and some hot tea, and if you need anything else, just let me know."

You don't turn over to face Caleb, but your cheeks adopt a rosy tint, your skin growing warmer. You get lost in the pounding of your own heart that you don't even notice when Caleb leaves. But you turn over instinctively when you hear the teacup rattle against the saucer.

Caleb sets the cup down on the nightstand and takes the heating pad draped over his arm and places it against your abdomen with a touch that's feather-light. "There ya go. Nice and cozy. I know you have anxiety about swallowing pills, so I mixed the medicine in with your tea to make it easier. Don't worry, I made sure it's not bitter. Take a sip," he gently nudges, blowing the tea before lifting the cup to your lips. He notes the subtle sink into bed like a kitten loafing in her blanket. "Just right, huh," he chuckles, allowing you to take the cup from him.

"Your customer service is pretty good, but I'll give it four stars. You're missing something," you tease in a tired but content voice, beginning to feel a moment of comfort.

Caleb grins and raises a brow. "Oh? Allow me to fix it, then." Caleb leans in slowly and presses a kiss to your forehead. "How's that? Will you consider re-evaluating my services now?"

"Mmm, I suppose I can manage five stars," you mumble, turning your head with a flushed smile."