"You're warm." Tina said pressing the back of her hand to Graves forehead. He looked up at her through bloodshot water eyes a frown on his face.
"Its just hot in this room." He said moving to finishes putting on his shoes.
"Percival you were up all night hacking up your lungs. Call in sick."
"I'm fine." He said trying to down play the croak of his voice. Moving to stand he stumbled a bit light headedness coming over him. Tina jumped around him moving in front of the door.
"Its not good to push yourself. Please Percival just call in sick the world won't stop just because you miss a day of work."
"But we had plans tonight, at Jean-Georges, I can't miss work then take you out." He threatened, Tina pursed her lips, it had taken two months to get a reservation, and he was never one for fancy French dinning, it would probably take her another year before she could convince him to take her there again.
"That's fine I'll ring them up and cancel." He stepped back surprised that she called him out on his bluff.
"Really?" The word slipped out right before a coughing fit.
"Yes. Now let's get you back to bed." She eased him back into their room.
"Tina, I didn't want you to cancel, let me go to work it's just a little cold."
"Well that's what my parents thought too before they died." A silence fell over the two of them. Tina looking bothered and Graves unsure.
"Okay I'll stay home then." Tina bit lip her lips as he moved to take off his shoes and jacket.
"I'll get you some medicine and crackers…I'll come back during lunch to ah, check in." She headed to the kitchen gathering the items and some water. When she got back to their room, he was in bed his back towards her, setting the stuff on the night stand she headed into work.
Tina had called and canceled the reservation and tried to focuses on work but her mind kept going back to what she had said to him. She hadn't met to guilt trip him and she was aware of his work ethic, but it annoyed her that he was so pigheaded sometimes and the fact that he had attempted to threaten her with not going out aggravated her, did he really think a dirty trick like that was going to work.
By the time that lunch came around Tina had half the mind to just say at her desk and eat there but despite how he made her feel he was still sick, and she didn't want him in the kitchen spreading the germs.
She stopped by the delay just down the road from their apartment then headed back up the four-floor walk-up. The apartment was quiet, and she noticed no signs that he had left their room. She grabbed one of the serving trays from the kitchenette and headed to him.
"Percival? I brought some soup." He was still laying on the bed, the medicine taken, and the water gone. "Are you asleep?" After a second, she turned ready to put the food away.
"I'm awake." He turned to face her.
"Oh sorry, I brought you something to eat. If your feeling up for it?" He sat up the dress shirt he still wore wrinkled an unkept.
"How did Seraphina take my absents."
Tina shrugged taking a seat at the side of the bed. "Oh, just that a bug has been going around." She paused looking at his face. "She did say that it must have been a bad case, only the second time you've missed work."
"Mild cold just overly protective girlfriend." He laughed. Tina focused on the food, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Tina…I'm just kidding." She rolled her eyes.
"Well stop it, humor isn't the best thing to try when someone's mad at you."
"Mad at me, yet you still brought me lunch?"
"There is a difference between being mad at someone and not caring about them."
He chuckled, "Good to know. If it helps, I am sorry for freezing you out earlier."
She gave a sigh, "Well I understand why, I ah, shouldn't have brought up my parents it wasn't a fair tactic."
"Well it did make me realize why you were being so pushy with me staying home, I forget that's how you lost them, but that wasn't the reason I ignored you before you left."
"What was it then?" His eye widen a bit and he chewed on his cheek an action she really saw from him.
"Oh, it was about dinner tonight. I didn't want you to cancel. Though it was my fault I tried holding it over you."
"Why? You don't even like restaurant like that, l had to beg you to take me."
"Well high-class dining is overacted and over priced but when you have a really special reason to go its worth it."
Tina crossed her arms, "What do you mean special reason?"
He leaned back into the head board moving the food to the night stand. "This wasn't how I wanted to do it. In our bedroom, me sick and you irritated but that's just how our story will go." He opened the nightstand cabinet and moved several items before opening the bottom hidden compartment. Tina bounced her leg trying to crank her neck to see what he had but she knew before he pulled it out. Her heart was pounding, and her tears stung her eyes.
"Percival?" She was chocking back tears as she spoke. "Are you being serious?"
He gave her a soft smile, "Tina, I know I can be pigheaded and perhaps a little insensitive. These are two of my worst qualities but somehow you have pushed through them both and stuck around. And I love you for that despite my flaws you still see a man worth your time, effort and care and I want to spend the rest of my days with you because let's face it I didn't have you I would have went to work today and been miserable so I need you to put me in my place sometimes."
"Yes."
"Yes, I need to be put into my place?"
"Well yes to that but yes to the proposal."
"I haven't asked yet." He laughed.
"Well get on with it then."
"I think one of your flaws is being impatient."
"Percival."
"Right. Tina Goldstein will you marry me?"
"Yes!" She wrapped her arms around his neck pushing them both into the head board. "Yes." He pulled the ring from the box and slip it on her finger.
"I would kiss you, but I doubt you would want this cold." He laughed. Tina looked at him pressing forward she caught his lips.
"You're worth it."
***Just a goldgraves fluff, there are very few of these. I do think Graves is OOC but I wanted to write a more softer chiller side to him. Please let me know what you think.***