✚ αȵ αρρℓє α ȡαʏ ✚
In my fever ridden state, this was born. (Sorry for anything that's medically incorrect, I'm not a doctor. I only have Google at my disposal. ^^;)
"What time is it?" Her voice was hoarse and discordant, and the sheer vibrations of her speech grated against her parched throat, causing it to throb unpleasantly as she unhelpfully coughed into the comfortable white pillow that lay tucked beneath her head.
"Two o'clock." A cool, refreshing voice spoke calmly, and she lifted her arctic flecked eyes to the man who sat a short stretch from her bedside, a thick volume tucked in one tattooed hand and one jean covered leg balanced over the knee of the other.
The skin around the woman's brows formed a faint 'v' shape as she frowned, letting out a wheezing breath as she stifled another cough by clearing her throat.
Her hands swept through her damp ebony strands of hair, with a gaze that glided keenly over to the slouched over figure that had yet to lift his eyes from his chosen distraction; a hefty book filled with informational medical bits and pieces that he already had tucked away in his conniving brain.
"Two o'clock?" She echoed dumbly, letting out a bit of a groan whilst sitting up slowly in bed, her world whirling in a mix of dimly lit colors and spinning walls. The room was churning behind her eyes, and brightly hued flecks of color darted across her vision briefly as she sighed, her body shuddering with the effort.
"You slept seventeen hours." He informed the sickly female, his storm gray eyes briefly lifting from the paragraph he had previously transfixed his stare on.
"Seventeen hours?!" She gaped, spluttering a bit before the shock died on her burning lips as her body was racked with hefty coughs that jarred her delicate body. She groaned loudly, doubling over in the bed, seeking refuge under the warm blankets. This seemed to displease Law, because a moment later the sheets were firmly but carefully tugged away from her, much to her dismay.
"Give them back," She moaned feebly, giving her feet a weak kick in the general direction of the surgeon, who caught the sluggishly flailing limbs with ease, causing her to pout further.
"You don't need extra fabric on you. You need to let the fever escape your system, not further add to it by tallying up more heat. One blanket is enough, Reina-ya." He stated, releasing her feet that had previously attempted to kick him.
The limbs sunk back down onto the bed as she rolled onto her slender back, letting out an even louder groan of complaint as Law shot the woman a quick look, before he stretched his hand out towards her forehead.
She immediately hissed as his ice-like touch pressed against her febrile stricken flesh, causing her to recoil as he frowned slightly.
She heard him mutter something about how the fever still had yet to break, which she assumed was troubling. The ill female sniffled a bit as she rubbed her eyes, her cheeks flushed a vibrant red with her fever, though they grew a bit redder when a pair of arms slid under her figure, lifting her from the bed- blanket and all.
"What are you doing?" She frowned up at her captain, whose lips curled upwards into a faint smirk.
"For someone who's running a considerable fever, you sure do ask a lot of questions." She could feel the vibrations from his tone radiating throughout his chest, the waves of sound rippling into her delicate figure as he easily totted her to his medical armamentarium.
She were sat down atop a medical bed, and the ebony haired woman shifted slightly, tucking her blanket closely around her figure as she watched him pace to the sink, washing his hands procedurally before grabbing a pair of gloves for sterile purposes.
"Lay on your back," He ordered, and the frosty blue eyed woman pursed her lips, a single brow raising high on her forehead as she faced him.
"And what if I don't want t-" Her words quickly trailed off as a firm hand pushed down gently on her taut stomach, forcing her onto her back without her given consent.
"I don't recall asking if you wanted to, Reina-ya." The doctor drawled, that infuriating smirk crawling onto his lips as she scowled vaguely at him. He seemed nothing if not amused by this- she were still as feisty as ever, even in her ailing state.
"Symptoms?" He asked, pressing down on her abdomen slightly, causing the woman to wince. Not because he was rough, but because every part of her body ached.
"I feel like my skin is melting off, and that my throat has suddenly nested itself in a desert. My head is about to split in half, and I just want to go back to sleep because my body hurts like hell." She mumbled, groaning a bit when he tilted her chin up, ever so carefully massaging the area of her throat to check for inflammation.
"So in other words," He chuckled dryly, "A fever, sore throat, headache, fatigue and aches."
She snorted then, rolling her eyes a bit at his arid taunting, but nonetheless she kept still during his poking and prodding. He was surprisingly humane with her for someone who was renowned for his cruelty. He took his time, examining every detail he deemed necessary with excessive precision and tediousness.
He took a few samples from her, and when he returned, he removed his medical gloves and slid his hands under warm water again to thoroughly cleanse his skin.
"You have the flu, Reina-ya." He declared, flicking small, scintillating droplets of water off of his hands as he grabbed a nearby hand towel and leisurely wiped his palms and fingers dry. She visibly curled her lip at this news, the rosy pieces of flesh parting to show her look of disgust.
"You'll be contagious for about a week, so try and keep interactions with others at a minimum." Law drawled, his ashen hued eyes flicking to meet the dark haired female's wintry gaze as she shifted atop the medical bed, staring at him with a frown.
Suddenly, that frown alleviated, and the inverse expression crawled onto her visage. A mischievous nature was suddenly slithering amidst her feverish features like a viper with ill intent, and the tanned male's eyebrows immediately took a dip when he noticed this. He didn't trust that impish glint in her eyes, especially not after she slid ever so languidly off of the medical bed.
She was the cynosure of his attention as she waltzed up to him, trying not to look like walking hell, since that's what she certainly felt like.
"You know, no one ever really thanks you enough for doctoring us when we need it," She crooned, and she didn't fail to notice the distinct backwards step he took. She could tell he was holding his breath as she got closer, since the virus could be gifted to another via air. Reina almost burst out laughing at his curled lip.
Germaphobe.
The one word crossed her mind as you chuckled idly to herself, her roseate lips giving way to a cheeky grin.
"Reina-ya," Law nearly barked, clearly displeased by this close proximity, "Did I not just tell you close contact was something you should avoid?"
Clearly the fever must have gotten to her head, and that's why she wasn't listening to him. That's what he seemed to be telling himself as she closed the distance between the two of them, winding her lissome arms around his frame as he hissed, all of his body craning backwards and away from her as much as possible.
He growled at the strained giggles his subordinate was attempting to smother by pursing her lips, before she stood on her toes, leaning in closely. Her warm, feverish breath fanned out across his lips, and the fact that he went rigid only served to further amuse her. He was fueling her need for a game. His hands were pushing against her slightly as if to stop her advances, and the surgeon's protests fell on deaf ears as she playfully leaned in further, closing the distance between them both.
The porcelain skinned woman's lips were soft against his own, and for a few fleeting moments, he stood stationary, like a solidified statue. The curling of Reina's lips into a smug smile against his own lips was what stirred him, and all at once he awoke again, stirring abruptly as he seized her petite arms and ripped her lips from his as he pulled back.
"Reina-ya! That's unsanitary!" He snapped, but she was too busy laughing, tears welling up in her glimmering eyes she was guffawing so hard as he immediately grabbed some disinfectant wipes, ranting on about how unhealthy her recent actions were before he left the room, probably to go and rinse his mouth out with scalding hot water. This left Reina to crack up laughing on her own, and even though it brought on a coughing fit, it was worth it.
About two weeks had elapsed, and Reina had returned to a fully salubrious state, thanks to the unwilling assistance of Law. He had been fairly bitter about the fact she had kissed him whilst having the flu, but his duties as a doctor seemed to keep him grounded and willing enough to give her what she needed for a swift recovery.
He had not, however, been so lucky as to walk away unscathed from the infuriating woman's antics.
"Captain?" She peeked her head around the edge of his door, a steaming bowl of soup clasped in one hand and some medicine in the other.
Shaded, gray colored eyes opened slowly, flicking to her figure that stood in the illuminated framing of his door. He frowned a bit at the abrupt variance in lighting, but watched her closely as she set down her armful of items. The smell of freshly baked soup bombarded his sense of smell, and caused his head to pulsate slightly as he pinched the taut flesh between his brows.
"I brought you some soup. Penguin-san told me about some other foods that might help, but I didn't think you'd like them." She said, gesturing to the warm cuisine. He frowned up at her deeply, and she sighed a bit, placing a hand on her hip.
"Oh come on. You aren't still mad at me, are you?" She teased, raising a brow at him.
Law lay still for a long moment, but Reina didn't like the way he was looking at her. She definitely didn't like the way he suddenly kicked his blanket off of his lower calves, and she certainly didn't like the way he stood up, prowling towards her. His hair was unkempt from laying in bed, and his jeans were loose around his hips, and with no shirt to show for, his tattoos were in view for all to see.
"O-Okay, right. Got it. Still mad." She stuttered, taking a step back as she put her hands up as if she were attempting to ward him off.
That didn't deter him.
"Captain you need to lay down and get some rest. Really, C-Captain you shouldn't—Law!" She squealed when he grabbed her without warning, picking her up with ease, even in his sickened state. He hoisted his squeaking subordinate onto his shoulder, with her flailing and jolting a bit, yipping in surprise and confusion.
This didn't faze the surgeon, and he proceeded to walk backwards, back towards his bed until the back of his knees collided gently with the edge of the mattress. He allowed the weight of his form to fall rearward, back onto his bed with the cause of his illness in tow as she yelped.
He exhaled faintly, the sturdy muscles of his arms winding around her as he pulled her much smaller figure to his own, locking her in his grasp as she squirmed and attempted to push him off. He wasn't having any of it, and didn't budge a single inch despite her efforts. He even smirked smugly to himself when she groaned in protest.
"Captain, this isn't funny! I just got better!" Reina laughed, tossing and twisting in his arms, causing him to tighten his grip around her in order to quell your struggling.
"What happened to being a germaphobe? To keeping distance from others when they're sick?!" She tried desperately, his nose brushing against the side of her neck as his smirk widened. He sure was a cocky bastard, even in a sickly condition.
He didn't bother with answering. He ignored the petite female's complaints and groans in favor of using her as a pillow. His chin was tucked against her shoulder, his face half buried in her lengthy hair, with his arms trapped around her torso and his leg hooked over her own.
Eventually the captured subject seized her flailing, her cheeks a bit red as she craned her head over her shoulder to glare playfully at him. Honestly, he was such a brat when he wanted to be. But he was sick, and she had caused it, so for now...she supposed letting him use her as his preferred pillow wasn't all that bad.
"If you get me sick again, I'm going to use you as my pillow, Trafalgar."
╔ An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but if the doctor's cute, then ditch the fruit. ╖