The Show Can’t Go On (Elton John)

[Wolfwings22]

Okay so this Fanfiction is a little different for me. I’ve seen the movie Rocketman a few times and now I am OBSESSED with Elton John. So, you can either read this story as Elton John himself or with Taron Egerton playing him like he did in the movie. It’s all up to you and your preference. I haven’t been able to find a Fanfiction about him, so I decided to write one on my own. This first part isn’t that great, but I’m hoping it gets better.

 

Today was my birthday and it wasn’t a great one. My relationship with my parents is strained at times. My mother is Bipolar and that really wears on me emotionally and mentally. I was just hoping for a good day with no fighting, but I was stupid to think that this day would be different. I’m sorry for just throwing this out there, but I needed somewhere to vent. Anyway, I hope you all like the story! Let me know what you think! It would really mean a lot to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Bernie brushed back his long hair as he made his way over to the large, wooden door in front of him. He lifted his hand and turned it into a fist before he knocked it against the door quickly. “Elton? Elton! It’s Bernie,” he announced, while still knocking. “Come on, mate. Open up.”

 

    He let out a sigh when he didn’t hear any footsteps. An idea crossed his mind as he lowered his hand and tried the doorknob. He was almost alarmed to find it unlocked and he pushed the door open slowly. He crept forward on tiptoes through the house before he came upon Elton’s room. The door was closed, but he didn’t bother to knock this time. He started to open the door slowly and he was shocked at what he saw.

 

    There were sheets of Bernie’s music everywhere, littering the floor. Around them were also crumpled tissues as well as a few tissue boxes. A half drank bottle of liquid cough medicine was on the night table as well as a sleep mask and a bag of cough drops. There was a smell of menthol rub and a half drank cup of tea was on the ground, cold from sitting out. There was a lump on the bed and if not for the slow rise and fall of the covers, Bernie would’ve guess that Elton had gone out.

 

    “Aye, mate. What is goin’ on here,” Bernie sighed as he came over to the bed. He kneeled down and rested his hand on the lump and started to shake Elton’s shoulder through the covers. “Reg, come on. Wake up.”

 

    It only took a moment of jostling before Elton seemed to spring awake. His eyes widened in shock while his mouth was always partially open as he tried to breathe. “How long was I asleep,” he rasped as he lifted his hand. The sinus pressure seemed to blossom and the dizziness took over as he slumped back down, his gaze almost panicked.

 

    Bernie sat down beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s just me. It’s just Bernie, Reg.”

 

    “Elton,” he rasped back.

 

    Bernie couldn’t even understand his friend and he leaned closer so that he didn’t need to strain. “Pardon me?”

 

    “It’s Elton not Reg,” he snapped back as he tried to sit up once more. He lifted his hand started to rub at his stuffy nose, groaning in discomfort. It felt like his entire face was filled with cement and there was nothing that he could do about it. He was just about to tell Bernie to get lost when he felt a telltale prick in the back of his sinuses. He continued to rub at his nose before it was clear that it wasn’t going to help. He pitched to the side with his hand halfhazardly pressed against the side of his face. “IsHsSH! ItsHsSH! IthsSHS! ItsSHsH!”

 

    “Bless you,” exclaimed Bernie. Elton didn’t turn to face him, so Bernie quickly checked over the room to find a box of tissues with actually some tissues in it. He picked up three boxes before finally landing on one that had at least a handful of tissues left. “You’re running pretty low. I’ll have someone pick som more off later.”

 

    As soon as he came close to Elton, the musician shot out a hand and grasped them firmly. He pulled a few out and brought them to his pinkish nose, giving it a productive blow. “I’b fide,” he snuffled.

 

    “I can hardly understand you,” Bernie pointed out. “I don’t think that it counts as being fine. Have you looked at yourself lately?”

 

    Elton set the tissues aside on the floor, majorly missing the trash can. He wrinkled his stuffy nose once more before he threw the covers backwards off of him, hitting Bernie with them. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and staggered to his feet, grabbing his glasses halfheartedly and threw them roughly on his face. “You gotta hear the music that I have for that song you gave me.”

 

    “Song,” Bernie echoed in shock.

 

    Elton coughed into a slightly raised fist, his nose beginning to run madly. “Yeah, you know, the song about the jets and stuff.”

 

    It took Bernie a moment to understand what Elton was trying to say. When realization laid on him, he nodded slowly. “You mean Bennie and the Jets? Reg, I don’t think that you’re in any-“

 

    “Elton,” he interrupted feebly.

 

    Bernie rolled his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Yeah, okay, Elton. I don’t think that you’re in any condition to be sitting up, let alone playing.”

 

    Elton tried to hush Bernie as he plopped down at his bench in front of his piano. He rested his fingers firmly on the keys and started to play. Even sick he had an ear for preforming, but Bernie could tell that Elton wasn’t playing his best. His fingers moved slightly sluggishly and when he started to sing it was horribly off, crackling and breaking when he tried to continue. 

 

    “She’s got electric boots, a mohair suit. You know I read it in a magazine. B-B-B....”

 

    Elton trailed off as he started to cough. His head dropped as each painful cough seemed to shake his entire body. A pang seemed to travel through Bernie as he crept forward and tried to rub small circles on the small of his back. “Easy, easy. Deep breaths. In through your nose and out through the mouth.” Bernie started to demonstrate while Elton wheezed in pain.

 

    Eventually, the two seemed to fall into a steady rhythm until Elton was able to regain his breath. Elton shivered before turning back to his piano. “Sorry. Let’s try that again.”

 

    Before Elton could even rest his fingers on the key, Bernie stretched out his hand and rested it on top of his. “Reg, you’re in absolutely no condition to play. I’m sure whatever music you’ve came up with is great, but you need to rest.”

 

    “Bernie, I need to play,” Elton requested, almost a moment away from tears. It was as if the emotion was just too much for him at the moment. “I feel alive when I do.”

 

    Bernie patted Elton gently on the back. “I’m sure that you do, but right now I don’t need you to feel alive. I need you to feel rested and take some medicine for me so that this doesn’t progress, alright? At least work with me a little bit, okay?”

 

    Bernie felt like Elton was never going to answer him, but eventually the musician looked up. “Okay.”

 

To Be Continued......

[Vikalynndraws]

Dude this was so good i hope you write more soon!!! loved it!

[Luisa39]

I saw Rocketman, too, and absolutely love what you've written so far!  The way you portray Bernie taking care of Elton is just perfect! 

Thanks for doing this fic.  I'm eagerly awaiting Part 2!

 

[ThatSneezyGirl]

Not an Elton fan but I actually really love this!! Your writing is excellent ❤️

[Wolfwings22]

On 6/23/2019 at 12:20 AM, Vikalynndraws said:

Dude this was so good i hope you write more soon!!! loved it!

Thanks so much! I’m so glad that you’re enjoying it so far and I hope you continue to enjoy it! 😄

 

On 6/23/2019 at 1:32 AM, Luisa39 said:

I saw Rocketman, too, and absolutely love what you've written so far!  The way you portray Bernie taking care of Elton is just perfect! 

Thanks for doing this fic.  I'm eagerly awaiting Part 2!

 

I’m so glad that you’re liking it so far! I hope you like part 2!

 

On 6/28/2019 at 7:39 AM, ThatSneezyGirl said:

Not an Elton fan but I actually really love this!! Your writing is excellent ❤️

Thanks! It’s certainly a different story for me but I’m glad you’re liking it!

 

 

 

 

Sorry part 2 has taken a while. I’m taking summer classes for college and it is taking up most of my time. However, I have a brief break and I’m hoping to get a lot of writing done. I hope this story has numerous parts to go and I thank you all for reading and your kind comments! I hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Bernie finally got his hands on his medicine and hoped that it would help his friend. He had seen Elton in a bad way numerous times. He had seen him drunk, higher than a kite, depressed, angry, and everything in between. This was different, though. While he wasn’t about to die from a cold or anything, the way that it zapped his energy was alarming for Bernie. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the reason he was so sick had to be the drugs and the drink.

 

    He was about to make his way back into Elton’s room when he heard the thundering coughs from inside. His entire body stiffened in fear before he walked back into the room. Elton was sagged on the side of the bed, coughing heavily into his elbow. Bernie was relieved that Elton seemed to remember his manners a little, even when he lifted his wrist to rub it under his runny nose.

 

    “Hey, we have other things for that,” Bernie pointed out as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it out to his friend.

 

    Elton raised an eyebrow, a feverish hue showing on his cheeks. “You dodn’t carry ode.”

 

    “No, but I found plenty of them downstairs with the medicine.” Bernie lifted the bottle and gave it a small wiggle. “Which you will take.”

 

    “I dodn’t dneed id. I’ll be fide withoudt it,” Elton reported with a firm nod of his head.

 

    Bernie rolled his eyes as he felt frustration rolling off of him in waves. He let out a few steadying breaths before he came over to sit on the edge of the bed. “Don’t be stubborn! Also blow your nose. I can hardly understand you,” he sighed in exasperation.

 

    Heat rose in Elton’s face and it wasn’t because of the fever. He hated when Bernie patronized him, but he also enjoyed it to a certain extent. It showed him that someone cared and fussed over him when he wasn’t able to do it himself. Now that John Reid was out of the picture his life was spiraling even more out of control. Bernie had always been there for him and was helping him now so the least Elton could do was not act like a complete pain in the ass.

 

    Elton lifted the handkerchief before scowling at Bernie. “Dodn’t wadtch.”

 

    Bernie snorted in amusement. He pivoted around on he bed and crossed his arms. “Looks like the bitch is back,” he announced.

 

    Elton took a moment to clear out he mucus in his nose before looking back to Bernie. “What?”

 

    “Oh, nothing. Now, are you ready to try some medicine for me,” requested Bernie as he started to pour the liquid medicine into the cap.

 

Relief washed over Bernie that they were finally getting somewhere, albeit slowly. He smiled as he handed over the cup of radioactive looking orange medicine. Elton took it and glared at it, his nose wrinkling in distain. He turned to Bernie with hopefulness shinning in his eyes that Bernie may take back him having to take the medicine. However, Bernie narrowed his eyes and Elton lifted the cup to his lips and downed it like a shot. He almost gagged at the taste before handing it over to Bernie.

 

    “That was awful,” Elton gasped with a shudder.

 

    “You had better get used to it. After all, you have to take it every four hours, according to the bottle,” Bernie replied as he set the bottle on the floor. He raked his gaze over the room that was effectively in shambles. He couldn’t help but stiffen when he realized that there were remanences of coke powder on the table as well as the smell of alcohol was enough to make him dizzy. He hadn’t noticed it when he had walked in, but now it was overwhelming. “I think we should move to a different room.”

 

    Elton tilted his head quizzically. “Why?”

 

    “I just think that it would be best to go somewhere a little....um....neater, don’t you think,” Bernie replied slowly. The last thing that he wanted to do was offend Elton, but he also needed to show him that this was not a healthy environment to be in.

 

    Elton swiveled his head around to the remains of a ‘get-together’ before bowing his head in defeat. He let out a few more hacking coughs that seemed to shake not only him but the bed and Bernie as well. “Alright,” he huffed.

 

    “Great! First you should probably take a shower and I can get you something to eat,” Bernie offered.

 

    Elton narrowed his feverish eyes. “You can’t cook.”

 

    Bernie feigned hurt as he lifted a hand to his chest and leaned back. “You haven’t seen my incredible eggs I can make,” he joked. Elton looked fearful and Bernie snorted. “I’ll have one of the cooks make it downstairs, alright mate?”

 

    Elton nodded. “I suppose so.”

 

    Bernie stood from the bed and made his way over to Elton. He helped Elton to stand, but as soon as they did, Elton tried to pull away from him. Bernie knew that Elton wasn’t nearly strong enough to stand on his own, yet his friend seemed to be insisting it. Thinking it was Elton’s pride, Bernie help on firmer. “It’s okay to need to help, Reg. I have you.”

 

    Elton was so caught up in the persistent tickle in his nose that he couldn’t correct Bernie for using his birth name. Instead, he lifted a hand to his nose and rubbed it before letting out a fierce hitching breath and raising a fist to his nose.  “ItSHsh! IRShsSH! ITcHSsH! ITcHSSH!”

 

    Bernie continued to hold Elton even as he rocked forward painfully. The sneezes sounded like they scraped his throat and despite Elton’s best attempt to cover his nose, Bernie could still see unfortunate particles in the air. He wasn’t disgusted, but he was concerned when Elton turned his head to face him with mucus running from his nose and making a mess of his upper lit. Elton’s eyes glittered with tears while he made no move to clean himself.

    

    Gentleness showed on Bernie’s face. “It’s okay. Bless you, mate. Let’s get you cleaned up and feeling better.”

 

To Be Continued.....

[angora48]

Very sweet! I loved their friendship in the movie, so this fic is great. I like the details you put in showing how attentive Bernie is, all the things he notices that worry him.

[Wolfwings22]

On 7/27/2019 at 9:00 AM, angora48 said:

Very sweet! I loved their friendship in the movie, so this fic is great. I like the details you put in showing how attentive Bernie is, all the things he notices that worry him.

Awe thanks so much! I’m so glad that you’re enjoying it! I too loved the friendship in the movie and I really hope that I captured part of it.

 

 

 

Sorry for the slight delay. I’ve gone back to college and I’m on leadership, so I have a lot of responsibilities on top of my class load. I’ve spent about 2 hours total in my room that I haven’t spend sleeping. I managed to write this in the ten minute break that they gave us to eat so it may be a little rushed. I’ve just found that if I don’t write regularly that I get a little crazy. Let me know what you all think and I hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

    Bernie half led, half carried Elton to one of his numerous bathrooms. He set him down on the closed toilet seat before reaching to grab a wad of toilet paper. He wrapped it around his hand before lifting it to Elton’s nose. He began to clean up his friend, wiping the now crusting snot from his nose and upper lip. As he tried, Elton pulled away, the tears from earlier falling down his face.

        

    Quickly, Bernie finished cleaning up Elton’s face before it could upset his friend even more. He washed the snot away before throwing the toilet paper away and washing his hands. “Do you think you can manage a shower for me so that I can make something to eat.”

 

    “What about a take away,” Elton suggested with a bit of a wheeze.

 

    Bernie gave his head a firm shake. “You need something healthy to eat. It’ll still taste good, but it will also be good for you.”

 

    Elton wrinkled his nose in disgust as he gave his head a shake. “I’m not hungry.” Just as he spoke, his stomach gave a massive growl. Embarrassment showed on his face as he looked down, picking at his nails.

 

    Bernie didn’t want to make anything worse, but he didn’t have much of a choice. “I think that your stomach says that you are. Just try it. I know that you’re going to like what I make you,” he reassured with a slight dip of his head before he made his way to the door. He stepped out and closed the door, but left it open a crack. “Just call if you need anything.”

 

    Elton was far from being modest, especially when it came to Bernie, so having the door open was almost nothing to him. He nodded as he heard Bernie leave the bathroom and make his way downstairs. The hollow footsteps through Elton’s mansion could be heard from almost anywhere. After all, there wasn’t that many people in there. He had cancelled a party and now the house felt too large and too devoid of all noise. It was overwhelming to Elton and he tried to push those thoughts from his mind.

 

    After composing himself and realizing how terrible he really felt, Elton forced himself to his feet. He felt a wave of dizzinesses and nausea wash over him and he had to grip the sides of the sink to steady himself. When he was finally stabilized he walked over to he shower and turned on the water as hot as it would possibly go. He was freezing and just wanted to get warm. 

 

    He slowly pulled off all his clothes until he stood naked in front of the mirror as he waited for the water to warm up. He surveyed himself in the mirror. His eyes were puffy and his cheeks were flushed with fever. His nose was pink and sore while there was a slow stream of mucus dripping from it. He grumbled to himself as he rubbed against his nose, but that just spread a tickle.

 

    His breath began to hitch and his eyes fluttered. The tickle was just torturous and he suddenly pitched forward, not even bothering to cover. “IRSHSSH! IRcsHS! ItrsSH! ItsSHs! ItrSSHs!”

 

    The volley of sneezes seemed to explode from him and scraped at his throat. It made a complete mess of is upper lip and he frowned when he saw droplets of his snot and saliva on the mirror. “Dabid,” he swore as he rubbed a wrist against his still slightly tickly nose, making an even bigger mess of his snot on his wrist and the rest of his face. 

 

    He kept his gaze down as he decided to just take care of it when he was in the shower. He opened the door to his shower and stepped inside. The scorching water on his skin slightly burned at first as he let out a low hiss of pain. It didn’t take long for his body to get used to it and he began to relish in the wonderful feeling of the body warming his body and helping with the deep body aches that he had.

 

    After just standing in the water and letting it travel down his chest, he decided that he had better wash his thinning hair as well. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had done that. He stepped closer into the stream of water, but when the water cascading down his face it only exasperated the tickle that had been plaguing his nose for days. He felt his eyes begin to water as his breath hitched.

 

    “D-Dno not....eh.....huh......agaid,” Elton stammers between painful hitching breaths that threatened to overwhelm him.

 

    His hand cupped under his still streaming nose before he bucked forward, the sound of his desperate sneezing radiating through the shower. “IRjsSHsH! HirhsSHs! IthsSHs! HitsSH!” They came in rapid bursts, but he felt he wasn’t done as he waited as patiently as possible for the next round. “IrhsSH! HrsSHs! IhsSHs! IrsSHS!”

 

    Elton had never sneezed that many times in a row before or with as much intensity. His nose was practically flooding and the mucus was dripping onto his hand where it was still connected to his nose. He recoiled at how gross he was and was pleased that John or even Bernie wasn’t him to see him.

 

    He lifted his hand to his nose and gave a productive blow. His hand became even more messy and he wasted no time in allowing the water to stream over it to give it a brief clean. He then set to washing his hair and trying to wash off all the grossness that he felt from this very messy and sneezy cold. He felt like he hardly was able to do so, but it wasn’t long before his hair was finally clean and he turned to wash his body.

 

    Elton grabbed the bar of soap and was just about to lather it over his stomach when he felt around his hips and was able to bunch a little more fat than previously. Anger and disgust in himself seemed to surge through him as he started to bunch the fat around his midsection. He could hear John’s voice in his head clear as day.

 

    Yer startin’ to look a little full, Elton. Nothin’ some exercise can’t fix.

 

    That was when he was in a good mood. What else he said to Elton seemed to hurt him even more.

 

    Why are you so disgustin’. Yer made me sick!

 

    Before Elton could stop himself, tears began to roll down his cheeks and mucus dripped from his nose. Too many emotions were swirling through him and he couldn’t soothe anyone of them. So, there he stood, with the water still streaming over him and a bunch of his waist locked in a deathgrip in his left hand. A hollow feeling spread through him and all he could do was sob.

 

To Be Continued.....

[sadstoner420]

this is really great! i cant wait to read more <33

[RedVelvetHeart]

I just saw Rocketman and I’m totally obsessed too! 😊 Nice job!

[RedVelvetHeart]

OK you've inspired me to turn my obsession into a quick fic - posting now - thanks!

[Wolfwings22]

On 9/1/2019 at 11:16 PM, sadstoner420 said:

this is really great! i cant wait to read more <33

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your comment!

 

On 9/2/2019 at 2:43 PM, superimmunegirl said:

I just saw Rocketman and I’m totally obsessed too! 😊 Nice job!

It was such a good movie! I could watch it all day everyday, but I’ll guess I’ll have to settle for writing this instead. 😂

 

On 9/2/2019 at 8:44 PM, superimmunegirl said:

OK you've inspired me to turn my obsession into a quick fic - posting now - thanks!

I so much enjoyed your story! If you would ever want to write anything Elton John again that would be fantastic! There’s almost nothing on this site and I’ll take whatever I can get!

 

 

 

 

Thanks for everyone who has followed along with his story thus far. Ive really enjoyed working on it and seeing your comments just makes my day! I hope you all enjoy this next part and let me know what you think!

 

 

 

 

 

    Bernie was making some eggs and toast downstairs since he hoped it would be easy on Elton’s stomach. It didn’t seem like a stomach bug on top of the flu, but he didn’t want to be too careful. As he poked at the eggs as they cooked, he could hear Elton from upstairs, sneezing. Amusement glittered on his face as he thought about how large the mansion was and yet it was so quiet he could hear Elton from upstairs.

    

    “Bless you,” he called, although he doubted the Elton could hear him.

 

    When he had finished making the food, he scooped it onto a plate and poured Elton some orange juice as well. He began to carry it upstairs and decided to put it in a different room. Elton had been laying in the same bed for God knows how long without changing the sheets and he didn’t want Elton to have to go back to that.

 

    He set the food down before making his way over to the bathroom. Elton had been in there a while and he was about to knock when he heard the soft sobs coming from inside the bathroom. His heart nearly plummeted as he thought what he could possibly do to make it better. Elton could be unhinged and emotion regularly, but being sick seemed to almost make things that much worse.

 

    “Reg, are you alright,” called Bernie, completely forgetting that Reg preferred to be called Elton these days.

 

    Luckily, he didn’t correct him. He just let out a snotty snort before answering. “I’b fide, Berdie. Albost dode,” he announced.

 

    Bernie struggled to understand what Elton was saying, but he wasn’t about to ask it. He guessed it was best to give his friend a little bit of space. “Berdie,” he repeated in surprise at what Elton had called him, even though he knew that it was just his stuffy talk. He tried to push those thoughts away as he tried to give Elton some privacy and head back to the room with the food.

 

    Meanwhile, Elton climbed out of the shower and dried himself off. He put on his boxers as well as some pajama pants that hung loosely around his hips. He threw on a sweatshirt that was bejeweled on the front that made the word ‘rockstar’ with a rocket under it. Even sick Elton knew how to rock an outfit. If only his dripping nose and overly bright fevered eyes actually added to his appearance.

 

    He couldn’t dwell much on it as he lifted his wrist to his nose and gave it a firm rub. He hissed in pain as he looked down and saw dried blood on the edge of his cuff of his sweatshirt as well as crusty mucus. He frowned as he felt his nose buzzing as he tried to rub his fingers against the underside of his nose as if that would help. His nose continued to run madly, but at least the buzzing had stopped.

 

    Elton then made his way over to the bathroom door and made his way out. He struggled through the hallway as he blinked his eyes against the light. It just caused his nose to itch even more and he grumbled as he rubbed his hand against his streaming nostrils. He made his way to the room that he had been sleeping in, but realized that Bernie wasn’t in there. Confusion washed over him as he suddenly wondered whether or not he had just dreamed that Bernie had come over.

 

    Before he could sink into anymore dark thoughts, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Elton whipped around with his breath in his throat. Bernie saw the panicked look in his friend’s eyes and he looked to his friend soothingly. “It’s okay. It’s alright. It’s me,” chided Bernie gently.

 

    Elton let out the breath that turned into a harsh, rattling cough. Bernie took a step back with his nose slightly wrinkling. “Cover you mouth, Reg.” He tried to keep his voice gentle since he knew that his friend couldn’t help it. Elton could be socially awkward at the best of times and he had always tried to make sure that Elton could be himself around him. He just drew the line at coughing in Bernie’s face.

    

    Elton seemed to realize halfway through the fit and he lifted his fist to his mouth. “S....Sorry,” he sputtered with his chest heaving painfully. He lifted his other hand to his chest as he struggled to compose himself.

 

    Bernie sighed as he stretched out a hand and grasped Elton’s arm. “Alright, come with me. I’ve set you up in another room with fresh sheets and I already have the humidifier going,” he murmured gently as he led his friend forward as he continued to cough heavily.

 

    The two of them made their way to the room that Bernie had set up for Elton. He made his way over to his bed and plopped down. He let out an audible groan with his eyes starting to close and nose streaming. “Jusdt ledt be die,” Elton muttered.

 

    “I can hardly understand you,” chided Bernie as he sat in a chair close to the bed and lifted the TV tray that he had grabbed to carry the food and set it on his lap. “Blow your nose and then you’re going to have some of this food. I don’t know the last time that you ate.”

 

    Elton rolled onto his back since he knew better than to argue with his friend. As soon as he sat up his nose seemed to thorn with ticklish need. He lifted a cupped hand under his nose and pitched forward desperately. “IthsSH! IchSH! IchsSH! IthsSH!”

 

    The sounds of the sneezes were harsh and Bernie was sure that they must’ve hurt. “Bless you, mate.” He watched as Elton didn’t pull his hand from his nose and surprise showed on Bernie’s face. “You alright, Reg?”

 

    Elton didn’t even try to answer. Instead, he slightly pulled his hand from his face to reveal blood dripping from his nose and coating his hand.

 

    Bernie’s shoulder slumped. “Oh shit.”

 

To Be Continued......

[Wolfwings22]

Found some meager free time so I thought I would continue the story. Thanks to all that have read and I hope you enjoy! 😁

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Panic showed on Elton’s face at the blood as Bernie rose to his feet. “It’s alright. Calm down. It’s just nosebleed,” chided Bernie as he looked around for some tissues. He knew that he had to keep calm even though the sight of his friend with a nosebleed was something he wasn’t totally prepared to deal with.

 

    Before Bernie could find the tissues that he needed, Elton’s nose began to twitch with the need to sneeze once more. A whimper seemed to rise in his throat as he lifted his hand that he had been using to catch the blood to pinch his nostrils shut to try and ward off the sneezes. His breath took in a massive breath before he pitched forward with his nose practically locked in a death grip. “Ixhxxxh! Ixhxxxh! Itxxxh! Itxxxh! Itxxxh! Itxxxh! Itxxxh!”

 

    Each stifled sneeze sent him almost lunging forward from their intensity. Tears streamed down his face as pain burned through his nose. “Berdie,” Elton whimpered with terror and frustration showing on his face as the sensation coursing through him.

 

    Bernie managed to find a bundle of tissues before bringing them over to the very panicked looking Elton. He sat down beside him and tried to pry Elton’s fingers from the death grip they had on his poor nose. However, Elton wasn’t giving it up easily and Bernie could only guess that Elton was feeling embarrassed. “Come on, mate. Nothing good is going to come from you doing that. Let me help.” He had one of his hands rubbing comforting circles on Elton’s back while he continued to use his other hand to pry Elton’s fingers from his nose.

 

    Tears were still streaming down Elton’s face. He let out what Bernie thought had to be a whimper before he finally seemed to lift his fingers from his nose. A gush of blood made it’s way from Elton’s nose, but Bernie was ready. He pressed a bundle of the tissues against the understudy of Elton’s nostrils before helping his friend tip his head upward and pinched his nose to try and stem the flow of the blood.    

    

    “Hold that there and I’m going to get a washcloth,” Bernie told him as he rose to his feet and made his way back into the hallway and to the bathroom.

 

    Elton continued to whimper when Bernie left him. His nose was burning and embarrassment continued to prickle though him. He felt a cough seem to bubble from his throat, but he couldn’t give in without fearing that more blood would ooze from his nose. He couldn’t believe that Bernie had to see him like this. Bernie may have been his best friend, but it had been a long time since he had seen his friend and an even longer time since they had acted friendly to each other. The life that Elton lived wasn’t Bernie’s idea of rock and roll and that had caused a rift between them. Elton just hoped that the relationship wasn’t too far gone to be fixed.

 

    While Elton was deep in thought over his and Bernie’s relationship, Bernie made his way back into the room with a damp facecloth. “Alright, let’s see if we can’t get you cleaned up,” Bernie offered as he sat down and lifted the washcloth up to Elton’s face. “Move your hand and we’ll use this instead.”

    

    Even though Elton didn’t want to lower his hands from his nose with the blood still flowing. Bernie pressed it against his nose and the coolness of the water seemed to help Elton relax a bit into it. Relief showed on Bernie’s face as he helped Elton grab onto it before he drew back. “That should help a bit. Once it stops bleeding then we can clean you up a little better.”

 

    “Thags,” Elton mumbled with his nose still pinched shut.

 

    Bernie nodded before continuing right onto his next thought. “You know, I’m a little concerned as to why the bleeding. Aren’t you?”

 

    The question seemed to be anything but straightforward. Elton wished he could shrink away from what his friend was telling him, but he knew that he couldn’t. “I’b sure there is dno reason,” Elton answered with a blush almost creeping into his cheeks.

 

    Bernie crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back in the chair next to Elton’s bed. “Really? Because I know for a fact that cocaine use can cause them,” he replied, the words spit like venom from his mouth

    

    Elton had really hoped that Bernie wouldn’t have brought it up. However, now that it was out there, there was little that Elton could do about it. He drew back almost into himself with his nose still clamped with the washcloth. “Id could jusdt be a fluke.”

 

    “Sure, it could be. After all, I thought that when you first started sniffling it was just because of it. Snorting it can cause some undesirable sinus issues, as I’m sure you’re well aware.” Bernie suddenly leaned forward with his eyes slightly narrowed. “Now that you’re sick the effects of snorting cocaine aren’t desirable, are they? Something tells me that things wouldn’t have gotten this bad without it.”

 

    Frustration pulsed through Elton. “Shud ub, Berdie!”

 

    “Because I’m telling you the truth and you don’t want to hear it?” The anger that Bernie felt began to simmer as he desperately tried to control it.

 

    Elton felt all the energy that he had in him to fight seeming to disappear. The itch in his sinuses had return and left an almost burning disposition in it’s midst. The tickle sparked through him as he lifted his free hand to seem to rub at his nose.

 

    Bernie swatted at his hand and Elton was so stunned that he pulled back. “Leave it be,” Bernie murmured in frustration.

 

    Elton didn’t have time to explain why he was trying to rub at his nose. He gasped before pitching forward with the washcloth almost shoved up his nose. “ItshCH! ItsSH! TchsH! TcShs! ItSSH!”    

 

    He felt the rush of blood seem to ooze from his nose and burn through his entire face. Elton’s eyes watered as he looked to Bernie fearfully.

 

    Bernie knew that he couldn’t remain angry at Elton. They had never had an argument and that was partly because Bernie never argued. He didn’t want to start making it a point to get into any disagreement with Elton. He rose to his feet and sat on the bed right beside Elton. He could see the pain and fear in Elton’s gaze and he was sure that his comments about the cocaine wasn’t exactly helpful.

 

    “Alright, it’s alright,” Bernie chided as he lifted a hand and started to rub it against the small of Elton’s back. It had been a while since he had given Elton any physical contact, let alone comfort. He knew that Elton relied heavily on physical touch and he wanted to be able to extend that to him. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. I’m sure it’s more miserable than having a normal cold, but we’ll get through it together. Don’t worry.”

 

    Elton suddenly slumped to the side and rested his head on Bernie’s shoulder with the washcloth still pressed against his nose to stop the blood from flowing anymore. “I’b sorry, Berdie.”

 

    “I know. I’m sorry too.” Bernie lifted his arm so that he could fit it around Elton’s shoulder and he gave him a tight squeeze. “But, we’re going to get through this. We always do and we always will.”

 

To Be Continued.....

[sadstoner420]

i really love your work ❤️

[Wolfwings22]

On 9/28/2019 at 11:36 PM, sadstoner420 said:

i really love your work ❤️

Thanks so much! Your comments really mean a lot to me and to see that someone else enjoys it brightens my day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My break from college is almost here, but I managed to find some time to write between my exams. It’s more of a plot piece with  a little sneezing, but it moves the story along a little bit. Let me know what you guys think and I hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Bernie wasn’t sure how long the two of them were laying there when he noticed that Elton was almost asleep. He shifted a bit and used his free hand to lift the washcloth from Elton’s nose. There was dried blood around his nostrils and on his upper lip, but it didn’t appear that it was bleeding anymore. Bernie sighed as he pulled the washcloth from Elton’s nose and that seemed to wake Elton up.

 

    “Your nose has stopped bleeding,” Bernie announced with a hint of exhaustion in his own voice. “I’m going to go get another so that we can clean the blood up and I want you to have some of this food that I made.” He reached down and grabbed the tray before he set it between him and Elton. He lifted the cover that he had on the soup and was pleased to find that it was still very much warm. “Think you can do that for me, Reg?”

 

    Elton blinked his eyes slowly before nodding. “Ogay,” he rasped with a semi productive cough into his raised fist. 

 

    Bernie reluctantly stood and left the room with the bloody washcloth clutched in his hand firmly. Elton watched him go before looking to the soup in front of him. He was far from hungry, but he knew that Bernie had gone to the trouble of making it and that he wasn’t going to turn it down. Bernie had already given him so much and the least that he could do was eat it.

    

    He brought up a spoon of broth to his mouth and felt the steam seem to loosen some more congestion that had began to fill his nose when it stopped bleeding. Frustration pulsed through him as he lifted a hand to begin to rub at his nose as he sipped on the broth.

 

    “Hey, knock that off,” Bernie announced as he came into the room with a bowl of heated up water and another washcloth.    

    

    Elton looked up to Bernie with his lip slightly stuck out in a bit of a pout. “But, it itches,” he complained with a small whimper that turned into a phlegmy cough that he didn’t even bother to raise his hand to cover.

    

    Bernie didn’t comment as he sat down on the bed. He covered the soup once more and pushed it aside before submerging the washcloth in the water. Bernie pulled it from the water and squeezed it to drain most of the water until it was just damp. He lifted it up to Elton’s face and began to gingerly peel the dried blood from his upper lip and around his nostrils.

 

    It was a slight pain and almost pulling of Elton’s agitated skin. He tried to pull away from Bernie, but Bernie was beyond determined. “This is going to help, but only if you stay still.”

 

    The combination of Bernie pulling off the dry blood around Elton’s nostrils and the overall sensitivity that he felt during this cold was enough to make his nose begin to twitch. He instinctively pulled away from Elton and lifted a hand to his face and pivoted around. “ItchsSH ItrSHsHS! ITChshSh! IrhsSH!

 

    “Bless you,” Bernie offered as he choked back a sigh. The last thing that he wanted was to make things worse for Elton and he instinctively reached for the tissue box that he had grabbed from downstairs and passed them over to Elton. When Elton didn’t pick any up, Bernie pulled a few squares and held them out to Elton before then pushing them into Elton’s hand. “Here.”

 

    Elton brought them up to his streaming nose and blew productively. He immediately crumpled the tissues into a ball before setting them beside him. He gave a weak sniff of embarrassment. “Sorry,” he rasped, his throat sore from the sneezes that tore out of him.

 

    Bernie shook his head slowly. “You don’t need to apologize. You’re sick. Now, finish the rest of that broth and then you need to rest. The best thing you can do for a cold is to sleep.”

 

    Elton nodded weakly as he pulled the soup back. He finished most of it rather quickly until he began to feel nauseous. He set it aside and Bernie grabbed it before carrying it over to one of the dressers. Elton began to cough heavily with his entire body seeming to be shaken from it. Elton let out a low groan as tiredness seemed to wash over him.

    

    Bernie returned and ran his fingers through Elton’s thinning air. They rested on his forehead as he felt heat pulse from his friend. “Get some sleep. I’ll be around if you need anything,” he explained.

 

    Surprise glittered in Elton’s feverish gaze as his head turned upward. “You’re not leaving,” he asked in surprise.

 

    Bernie took a moment to really grasp what Elton was saying. He could sense that his friend was seeming to be more than surprise that someone could actually care for him. Bernie had to remind himself that things had been rough for Elton as of late and he had to show that he would always care for his friend, even when they didn’t always see eye to eye. “No, I’m not. I’ll be right here if you need anything, but you need to get some rest.” He kept his voice as firm yet gentle as possible. He pushed down a bit on Elton’s shoulder to nudge him into laying down. 

 

    Elton didn’t fight Bernie as his head rested on the pillow as tiredness washed over him. He didn’t have the strength to fight it or Bernie forcing him into bed. He would’ve been more than glad to just fall asleep right there, but Bernie made sure that he was under the covers and that he was sitting slightly up so that he could breathe a little easier thanks to the congestion. Bernie rested his hand on his forehead to feel to see how his fever was before he drew it back with Elton letting out a low whimper.

 

    He slightly hovered in the doorway as he waited for Elton to at least relax in sleep. It didn’t take long before soft snores rose up from Elton as he turned on the bed and began to drift off. Relief showed on Bernie’s face as he led out while keeping the door slightly ajar in case Elton called out for him.

 

    Bernie made his way down the hallway and the curiosity seemed to get the best of him. While he wanted to respect his best friend’s privacy, he felt that he couldn’t. He tried to justify things by telling him that he was checking to make sure that Elton didn’t have any drugs stashed around. Alcohol was a whole different thing that he wanted to contend with. He told himself to take it one step at a time as he headed into another room that had yet another piano. He also noticed a few pictures strewn on a glass coffee table.

 

    He crept over to it and kneeled down beside the table. He took the picture in his hand and flipped it over to see Elton leaning heavily on a man that Bernie recognized as John Reid. Bitterness for the man seemed to rise up inside of Bernie like acid in his throat. He felt frustration seem to pulse through him and he longed to shred the picture in front of him or at least throw it away. He knew that he couldn’t do so without Elton’s consent first, but he made a mental note to worry about that later. He may have broken up with John, but he was still having sex with random men and his drug use was out of control.

 

    The fear that seemed to overwhelm Bernie was terrifying. If Elton continued on the path that he did it would soon be too late to stop the irreversible damage that he was doing to his body. He was already sick with a cold that seemed to rapidly turning into something deeper into his respiratory system. Bernie wasn’t sure how Elton’s weakened body would handle something like pneumonia or bronchitis and he didn’t want to think about it. He made a promise to himself that he was going to do all that he could to help Elton. He cared too much for his best friend to loose him.

 

    He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

 

To Be Continued.....

[sadstoner420]

:,) so good

[Wolfwings22]

On 10/4/2019 at 12:28 AM, sadstoner420 said:

:,) so good

Awe thanks so much for your comment! It means a lot to me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry for the bit of a longer gap in updates. I had strep this weekend and it still hasn’t completely cleared up yet. I’ve had a pretty high fever when I wrote this so it may not be as up to par with the other parts but I decided to post it. Let me know what you guys think and I hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The sound of cries from Elton’s room caused Bernie to look up from the pictures in surprise. He immediately stood and bustled over to the room and opened the door quickly. 

 

    There he saw Elton almost thrashing around in his bed, whimpering as the covers began to almost constrict him. He fought them powerfully while bunching them in his fist as he rolled. His mouth was open since he couldn’t breathe thought his nose while his back seemed to arch with his head pushed back into the pillow. His nose was streaming down his upper lip and his breath was coming in panicked gasps.

 

    Bernie rushed over to the bed and sat beside him. “Reg, Reggie,” Bernie chided as he grabbed Elton’s shoulder and tired to rouse him. He knew that Elton’s body couldn’t take the stress of all of this excitement, especially when he was sick. “Reg, wake up. It’s alright.” He tried to shake Elton a little more and a lot firmer.

 

    Elton’s eyes suddenly flew opened and panic still seemed to show on his face. He struggled to pull himself from the covers and tears began to pool from Elton’s eyes and roll down his cheeks. 

 

    “Hey, hey, it’s alright. It’s Bernie,” Bernie reassured as he grasped Elton’s hand through the covers firmly with his own. He gave him a reassuring squeeze as he tried to pull Elton out of his own mind.

 

    Elton almost narrowed his eyes. “Berdie,” he asked, the congestion in his voice returning with a swift vengeance.

 

    Bernie nodded reassuringly. He tried to lean over Elton as he untangled the covers from Elton’s body. Elton visibly shivered and the ache that shot through his bones made him feel that much worse. “I thoughdt you left,” Elton suddenly screeched at Bernie, nearly jolting Bernie off the bed. “You were goig to leabe be!”

 

    “I would never. I told you that I wouldn’t and I was just in the other room,” Bernie reassured with his voice almost cracking.

 

    Elton looked up and his gaze met Bernie’s. Bernie felt a shot of something powerful seem to move through him when Elton spoke. “Budt you’ve lebft be before.”

 

    The truth rang from Elton’s words like a church bell at Sunday. Bernie felt his own eyes almost water. He wanted to say something to Elton, but he had no words. He knew that what he had done wasn’t right. He would’ve loved to justify that Elton had made things too difficult for him. He definitely felt that and he still thought that. Elton had pushed him away. It took two to tango. However, he knew how much that had hurt Elton and he also knew that Elton sometimes said things that he hadn’t meant out of anger or pain. He wasn’t used to anyone caring for him since his parents never did. Bernie just wished that he could turn the time back and make everything right between them.

 

    He suddenly helped Elton sit up when Elton started to cough phlegmy, chest rattling coughs that left him gasping for breath. Elton was still shaking madly from fever and sweat seemed to bathe him even though he had just taken a shower, The coughing shifted the congestion so that more of it was making a mess of his upper lip. Elton was aware enough to know it was there, but not aware enough to take care of it.

 

    None of that mattered to Bernie as he wrapped an arm around Elton’s shoulders and brought him close. Elton whimpered as he leaned heavily into Bernie. “I’m sorry I’ve left before. I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t really know what to do, but I’m not going anywhere. Not now, not ever.”

 

    Sobs of emotion shook Elton’s shoulders. They continued to bubble from him before he could stop himself while tears continued to roll down his face. He let out deep, chesty coughs as well almost painful sniffs to try and clear his nose. While Bernie didn’t mind it, he knew that it must be uncomfortable for Elton to be seen like that. He reached over with his free hand and grasped some tissues. He brought them back over and handed them to Elton. “Here,” he whispered as he tried not to let the emotion show in the crackling of his voice.

    

    Elton lifted the tissues to his face before turning slightly away from Bernie and pitching forward desperately. “Hih....hih...hih.....IrCHsh! IrcsHSSH! IrThsSh! IHcshSh!”

 

    “Bless you,” murmured Bernie as he brought about another handful of tissues to his friend. Elton took them and brought them up to his nose and gave his nose a productive bow. He rubbed the tissues against the undersides of his still moist nostrils before letting out a whimper. The soreness from the bleeding earlier certainly didn’t help and just left him feeling more miserable.

 

    Elton discarded the tissue on the night table beside him before leaning back against Bernie. “Are you alright,” Bernie asked. As soon as he said it, he wished that he hadn’t. He had a feeling that the answer was obvious and he was sure that Elton would point that out to him.

 

    To his surprise, Elton actually laughed weakly. “I’b dnot sure,” he replied as the congestion came back with a vengeance. “Everything jusdt feels so heavy.”

 

    “I agree with that,” Bernie replied back before he lifted a hand and rested it on the back of Elton’s forehead once more. He sighed when he felt the heat still pulsing. He realized it had been a while since he had taken the medicine. “You’re still very warm. That might be part of the reason that you’re feeling the way that you are.”

 

    Elton wrinkled his nose in distain. “I’b dnot hodt. Id’s freezig!”    

 

    “It is because you have a fever. It makes your internal thermostat go a bit haywire. Now, blow your nose. I can hardly understand you,” he joked as he gave Elton a bit of a playful nudge.

 

    Elton huffed as he lifted more tissues to his face. He gave a partial blow before stopping as a ticklish expression showed on his face. He was caught in an almost sneezy limbo before finally releasing the sneeze that scratched at his throat. “IrsSH!”

 

    “Bless you. I’m going to-“

 

    “IchsSHs!”

 

    “Bless you. The medicine is downstairs, so I’ll-“

 

    “IthsSHs!”

 

    Bernie raised an eyebrow. “Bless you. You have to take it every four hours-“

 

    “IcsHsSHs!”

 

    Bernie wasn’t frustrated, but he guessed it would be best to just wait for Elton to finish. “Are you done sneezing,” he asked calmly.

 

    Elton lifted his hand and pointed a single finger to halt Bernie from talking. The damp and wilted tissue was still in his hand as he waited patiently for the tickle to blossom through his sensitive nasal cavity. The itch was beyond intense and Elton almost fanned his hand to his face before promptly leaning forward again. “IrcHsSH! ItrhcSHs! IrcHSSH!” The final sneeze seemed to dispel the itch as well as the mucus that had clogged his nose. However, the wilted tissue hadn’t been able to withstand the glob of snot that had shot it’s way out. Heat rose to Elton’s cheeks as he cupped his hand over his nose.

 

    Bernie didn’t need to ask to know what was wrong. He grabbed the tissue and held it out to Elton. Elton took the tissue without a second thought before replacing the used tissue with the fresh one. He settled for just clamping his nose shut and squeezing his nostrils to clear them out instead of blowing. He swallowed the phlegm that had almost risen in his throat during his sneezing attack.

 

    “As I was saying, the medicine is downstairs. I’ll go and get it and we have to make sure that you take it every four hours. We don’t need your fever to get any higher, alright,” Bernie asked. It broke him to see Elton so miserable and he would do everything in his power to help him.

 

    Elton hated the taste of the medicine. Although, he hated the feeling of the ache deep within his muscles and bones even more. He was also beyond cold despite what Bernie told him about him being hot. “Okay,” he rasped with a heavy cough.    

    

    Bernie tapped Elton’s shoulder comfortingly before he rose to his feet and made his way downstairs. He just hoped the medicine would be enough.

 

To Be Continued......

 

 

 

[sadstoner420]

❤️

[Wolfwings22]

On 10/13/2019 at 11:15 PM, sadstoner420 said:

❤️

😁 So glad you’re loving it!

 

 

 

 

I managed to write another part! This one is pretty plot heavy and there is mentions of drug use since Elton John was very much into the cocaine during the 70s/80s. I hope that you guys enjoy it and let me know what you guys think!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Bernie made his way downstairs and quickly found the medicine. He then jogged up the stairs two at a time before making his way back to Elton’s room. There he found Elton still sitting up, slightly sagging, coughing painfully as he clutched at his chest. He struggled for each breath that he took in while tears were forced from his eyes.

 

    Bernie came over and set the medicine on the night table and traded it for the glass of water he had brought up with the soup. “Here,” he instructed as he sat beside Elton with the water in his hands. Elton made a grab for it, but he was coughing so bad that Bernie didn’t trust him not to spill the water. He swatted Elton’s hand away before lifting the glass to Elton’s lips.”Let me help. Deep breaths.”

 

    Elton took a couple of sips with his shaky hand on top of Bernie’s to help him steady the glass. Bernie slightly rubbed and pounded on Elton’s back to try and ease the coughing. After what felt like an eternity, Elton was able to stop the coughing. Bernie pulled the half drank glass of water from Elton’s lips and let out a sigh of relief.

 

    “You okay? Those sounded painful,” Bernie commented. He knew that he was going to hear the almost choking coughs in his nightmares for the next few days.

 

    Elton gave Bernie a weak thumbs up. “I’b alright. Jusdt hurdts.”

 

    “Maybe some of the medicine will help,” suggested Bernie as he reached for the bottle of liquid medicine. He poured part of it into the cup before handing it over to Elton. Elton looked at it with an almost grimace before looking over to Bernie.

 

    Bernie tipped his head downward. “Go one. The quicker you take it the easier the taste will be,” he instructed him firmly.

    

    Elton continued to stare at it for a few moments before he brought the small cup to his lips. He downed it like a shot before grimacing at the taste and shuddering. Bernie passed the cup of water back and Elton drank the rest of it with a shudder. “Thadt’s awful,” Elton announced.

 

    Bernie couldn’t help but chuckle. “There’s probably a reason they don’t make it taste that great. Now, do you think that you can try and eat something? You didn’t eat that much soup earlier and you should have at least something in your stomach.”

 

    “Ogay,” Elton murmured, but there appeared to be something almost sinister pass over his face.

 

    Bernie couldn’t quite pick up on it, but he wasn’t about to argue it. “I’ll be right back with some food,” he told him before turning and making his way out of the room.

 

    Elton ran his hand through his thinning hair as soon as Bernie left. The thought of eating made him sick to his stomach. He enjoyed food, loved it really. However, he hated how he felt after he had binged on his favorite foods. He distinctively remembered John’s voice in his head seething with anger about how disgusting he looked and how he was letting himself go. A terrified shudder rushed through him at John’s disgusted tone.

 

    It also wasn’t helping how deep the ache seemed to be through his entire body thanks to the fever. He hadn’t been this sober in a long time and he was starting to feel it. His head felt like it was full of cotton and his bones ached and his chest felt heavy. Elton knew that he needed something to take the edge off. 

 

    Elton rose to his feet and felt the ground almost tilt from under him. Frustration pulsed through him as he stretched out his hand to lean on the bed for momentary support. Block dots seemed to cloud his vision before he blinked a few times to clear them. Once he had, he started off to the door. He poked his head out and tried to see whether he could hear Bernie. He told himself that Bernie would need to have a little bit of time to actually cook something and he could use that to his advantage.

 

    He tiptoed down the hallway and disappeared into one of the bathrooms. It wasn’t the same one that he took a shower in. He didn’t used this one as much and there was a reason for that. Elton kneeled down and opened one of the drawers. There he saw a small metal container and he didn’t waste anytime in grabbing it with his trembling hands. Excitement and relief pulsed from him as he screwed off the top and tapped some of the white powdery substance onto the sink.

 

    Elton tried to swallow a couple coughs that threatened to bubble inside of him. He then tried to take in a heavy sniff that would hopefully dislodge at least some of the thick mucus that was in his nose. If he couldn’t breathe in deeply then it wouldn’t matter. He reached over to grab a square of toilet paper and blew his nose heavily. It did nothing for his congestion and the vibrating caused an itch to spread. He blinked his eyes as they began to stream as the itch continued to tickle his entire way up his nose.

 

    His breath began to hitch as he suddenly dove for another few squares of toilet paper. He slightly hovered it in front of his face as he waited for the release that his body seemed to crave. After a few moments of waiting in ticklish anguish, he suddenly pitched forward. “IRcHsSH! IthcsHS! IhcSHs! IrhcsHS!”

 

    Each sneeze was more desperate and ticklish than the next, not to mention messy. He rubbed the toilet paper against his nostrils before reaching for another. He was just about to blow his nose before he felt the itch again and he settled for shoving the toilet paper against his nose and waiting for another intense nasal explosion.

 

    “IthcSHS! IrcHsSH! IrHCSSh! IrCSshSH!” Elton pitched forward again and blew his nose powerfully. Once he finished he threw the tissues away and realized that he could breathe a little better out of his nose. He made his way over to the counter and instantly lowered down.

    

    He pressed a finger to his right nostril before following the line that he made and sucking in a heavy breath. He then stood up and lifted his hand further up his nose and pinched both of his nostrils shut. The powder tickled his nose deeply and his eyes watered as he felt the itchy feeling spread through him. He pitched forward desperately as he tried to stifle the powerful sneezes. “Ichxxxh! IChxxxh! Ishcxxxh! Ichxxxh! Ichsxxxh! Ixhsxxxh!” Each one was more powerful than the next and painful to stifle as they continued to tumble after him without so much as a breath in between. He knew that his nose was beyond irritated with being sick and this wasn’t helping for it. He suddenly realized that this might not have been the best idea he’s ever had.

 

    “What the hell?!”

 

To Be Continued.....

[Wolfwings22]

    “What the hell?!”

 

    Elton’s head whipped around as he saw Bernie at the door of the bathroom with a dinner tray in his hands. This time it had two grilled cheese sandwiches as well as soup. A glass of water and a glass of orange juice were on there as well as some fruit and pudding for desert. However, as soon as Elton looked up from the food, he saw the disappointed and horrified look in Bernie’s eyes.

 

    Elton pulled his fingers from his nose. “This isdn’dt whadt id looks like, Berdie,” Elton tried to argue as he tried to fight the panic that seemed to leap in his chest.

 

    Bernie immediately looked past Elton before storming forward. Elton’s head was bowed as heard the water run. He couldn’t bare to look at Bernie and he was sure that Bernie didn’t want anything to do with him at the moment either.

 

    “Hey,” Elton tried as he made a grab for the container.

 

    Bernie was stronger than Elton and finished his mission quickly. Elton let out an almost cry of anguish before he pivoted away from Bernie and sneezed openly toward the ground. “IrHCSSH! IrcHsSH! IrthcsSH! ItchsSH!”

 

    Bernie didn’t even offer a bless you in Elton’s direction. In fact, the sneezing just made even more anger seem to erupt inside of Bernie. He spun around to look at Elton as his friend was still turned away with him facing the ground to make sure that no more sneezes were left behind. He finally straightened with a panicked look on his face. He had never seen Bernie be that angry before and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. It was usually Elton getting angry with Bernie, not the other way around.

 

    “I’b-“

 

    Bernie raised a hand to cut off whatever Elton was about to say. He just couldn’t take it at the moment. “Let’s get you cleaned up and back to bed. I have food for you and then you’re going to rest.” The anger was still there, but now Bernie’s voice took on an almost hollow and indifferent tone. That frightened Elton even more than the anger that Bernie had first lashed out at him with.

 

    Elton stood where he was for a moment. He knew that he should move, but his legs felt rooted to the spot. He tried to search his best friend’s gaze to see what Bernie was really thinking. However, Bernie hid his emotions well in his eyes and revealed nothing.

 

    “Your nose is running,” Bernie observed as he walked around Elton to the roll of toilet paper. He pulled a few squares before pressing them into Elton’s hand. 

 

    Elton slightly shook in fear at Bernie’s calm demeanor. He took the toilet paper and brought it up to his nose and gave it a few productive blows. As soon as he finished blowing, he felt the liquid continue to drip from his nose thanks to the line that he had just snorted. Embarrassment washed over him as he looked down to his feet and lifted his fist to rub it firmly against his nose.

 

    Bernie walked over to the tray and picked it up. “Come on,” he urged with a flick of his head in the direction back to one of Elton’s rooms.

 

    Elton dragged his feet as he followed Bernie down the long hallway. Things were silent between them as they headed through the door and Bernie nodded to the bed for Elton to sit down. Elton settled down with a heavy sigh with Bernie sitting down beside him. Tiredness and weariness showed on Bernie’s face as he set the grilled cheese on Elton’s lap as well as the orange juice. 

 

    “Eat that,” instructed Bernie as he watched Elton through an intense gaze.

 

    Elton took a few bites before he was aware of Bernie’s eyes still on him. He swallowed thickly as he looked up. “Is everythig alridght,” Elton asked as he swallowed a sudden mouthful.

 

    Bernie debated whether or not to say anything to Elton. However, he knew that he couldn’t just ignore him. “I’m just making sure that you don’t throw that up. Your body needs the nutrients right now.”

 

    A shudder passed down Elton as he gulped almost painfully. He looked over to Bernie in shock at what he had just said. “How did you dknow thadt?” He gave a weak sniffle in the aftermath.

 

    A harshness seemed to show on Bernie’s face before quickly disappearing. “I’ve known for a while. It’s been obvious,” he answered curtly.

 

    “Did you dknow aboudt the other thigs too,” Elton asked, suddenly feeling nausea rise up inside of him for a different reason than usual.

 

    Bernie took a moment to answer. He wasn’t sure that now was the time to speak about these things, but Elton had brought it up, not him. “I really don’t think this is the time to talk about this,” he finally decided as he reached out to take the half eaten sandwich off of Elton’s lap. “Get some sleep and we’ll get talk about this in the morning.”

 

    Terror seemed to pulse from Elton as he looked up sharply. “Dno,” he cried so loud that his voice suddenly broke and cracked painfully.

 

    Bernie heard the terror in Elton’s voice. Even sick he knew the look of fear in his eyes that even the fever couldn’t hide. He knew that he couldn’t leave their conversation like this. Bernie also knew that this might be the only opportunity that he had to have Elton up truthfully to him. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll talk to you but you have to be honest with me. No lies. No hiding anything. Am I clear?”

    

    Elton nodded. “Yes,” he rasped.

 

    Bernie sat back down next to Elton on the bed and rubbed a hand tiredly over his face. “Where do I even start?”

 

To Be Continued.....