A/N Everyone loves sick fluff, don't they?
Mary Margaret came in the diner that morning without her usual companion.
Her usual companion with who which Ruby had been in a somewhat secret relationship with for a little over a month.
Although she was curious as to why Emma wasn't there. Ruby pushed back the question when she took Mary Margaret's breakfast order. Not wanting to let anyone onto their relationship.
"A bagel and chicken noodle soup? Strange combination." Ruby noted as she scribbled down the brunette's order. Looking up from it at her friend with a raised eyebrow. Writing without looking, a talent she had picked up long ago.
"Oh, yeah, and can I have the soup in one of those to go bowls. It's for Emma." She added when Ruby's questioning look intensified.
"The sheriff couldn't make it in for breakfast this morning?" Ruby asked. Attempting to seem uninterested by staring down her notepad. She hadn't talked to Emma since the day before, and she hadn't sounded so great when she did.
"Yeah, she's sick. I told her to get a flu shot." Mary Margaret made a pained face. Before checking the clock.
"Well I'll be back with that in a bit." Ruby took the order to the kitchen. Trying not to think about sick Emma..., alone...
After Mary Margaret had finished her bagel. Ruby returned with her bill, and bowl of soup in a bag. Ever a good waitress... When she wasn't bored, or tired, or distracted, or flirting...
"Have a nice day." Ruby smiled. Half way turned on her heel to go back to the kitchen. Contemplating calling Emma in the store room. When Mary Margaret's mumbling caught her attention.
"Should have left earlier, I'm going to be late. But I said I'd bring it." Then a heavy sigh.
"I can bring Emma her soup if you need to get to school." Ruby offered. Praying she didn't sound to eager.
"That would be amazing, if you could." Mary Margaret looked to the taller brunette from the clock where she had been calculating how it would be possible to get back to her apartment, and then to school before the bell would ring.
"Yeah, no problem. Wouldn't want her to go soup-less." The waitress grinned, a hand already behind her to untie her apron.
"But..., no, you're supposed to be working." Mary Margaret frowned.
"Granny wouldn't mind if I took the morning off. I've been working like, non-stop lately." She glanced around the diner. Not so sure as she sounded that Granny would be okay with her leaving. But if she got one of the other waitress's to cover for her... She really wanted to make sure Emma was okay, or just see her...
"Are you sure? I would hate to get you in trouble with your grandmother, and your boss." Ruby shook her head quickly from side to side.
"It's fine. Don't worry." She was reminded slightly of when she and Mary Margaret were younger, and she was always worried as the older of the two she would get Ruby in trouble. "Really, go teach like you do so well." Ruby gave her an encouraging nudge to the small of the back towards the cash register.
A deal with one of Ruby's fellow waitress's, which Granny seemed to forget sometimes that there were, and a walk to Mary Margaret's apartment hugging the hot soup to her chest to keep it from cooling in the brisk Maine air later. Ruby was knocking at the door a little awkwardly. Feeling horrible for most likely waking her sick girlfriend.
The door opened a crack, and Emma hid around the side of it. Asking in a stuffy nosed accent. "Ruby?"
"I brought you soup..." The brunette held up the bag. Offering the blonde a smile. The sight of the bag, containing her food seemed to encourage the blonde to open the door the rest of the way, and brace the cold of the hallway that was seeping into her apartment.
"Come in." She offered. Throwing out a shaky arm to the loft-like space of the apartment. Before quickly drawing it back to cover a cough with the crook of it.
When Emma had recovered from her coughing fit Ruby pressed a quick kiss to her quite warm forehead. Which Emma drew away from when her mind unclouded enough for her, keep Ruby safe, instincts to tell her pull away so she wouldn't get the brunette sick.
She led a pouting Ruby to the couch where she collapsed. Looking around the edge of the blanket cropping up around her face to Ruby, and reaching out a hand. Letting out a feeble "gimme." Ruby held back a giggle at her girlfriend's uncharacteristic childish-ness. Handing over the plastic bag. Making sure that the cup-like bowl inside stayed upright, because Emma seemed a bit shaky.
The blonde propped herself up fumbling with the bag as it slid in her strangely uncoordinated fingers. Then when she finally did get the bag off of the Styrofoam bowl there was no spoon. She tossed the bag to the side and let out a huff. Not wanting to get up on the cold ground and make the, in her sick mind, long trip to the kitchen to get a spoon.
"Why does this not have a spoon?" She groaned, thinking aloud, while cursing the world for putting her on an Earth without a spoon when she so desperately needed one in her head. With a pout finding it's way across her features.
Ruby leaned over the blonde sneaking another kiss on the forehead, that got Emma to shoo her away. Wishing she didn't have to.
"I can get you a spoon." Ruby said, already walking to the kitchen to get one.
"You are amazing." Emma replied, taking the top off of her soup, and letting the heat seeping from it warm her freezing hands while making her way under the blanket. The chill that seemed to her to be in the air had made it's way to her bones.
"I've been told so." Ruby replied cockily. Handing the spoon to the blonde. Who gratefully accepted it
Emma then proceeded to just about spill the cup of soup all over herself. Ruby caught the edge just in time kneeling on the ground, some of the hot liquid dripping onto her fingers.
"Am I going to have to feed this to you?" Ruby teased when Emma deflated against the couch. Wanting to just have all of the soup in her stomach, and it be over with. She hadn't eaten since eight in the morning the previous day. She subconsciously slid the fingers of the hand still on the cup over Ruby's.
"Maybe." She groaned. Setting the Styrofoam cup down, and sitting up more, against her body's wishes. A small groan escaping her lips. She hated looking vulnerable. But around Ruby.., it seemed.., okay.
"Are you okay?" Ruby asked. Propping the spoon against the edge of the soup cup, and crawling onto the couch with her. Brushing a few blonde curls out of her face.
"No." Emma admitted. Sliding her head down to land on the brunette's shoulder.
"Do you want me to stay?" Ruby asked. Somewhere inside Emma, probably her heart or something like that, instantly screamed yes. But it took her pride a bit to catch up.
"You don't have to. I'm all grown up, I can take care of myself." Emma replied a bit unconvincingly as she snuggled into Ruby's shirt.
"Mm, I want to. I don't want you burning yourself with that soup." Ruby pressed the back of her hand to the blonde's cheek a little hesitantly. "And you have a fever." She observed.
If she hadn't drank almost half of the cough syrup bottle Emma was sure she would have insisted that Ruby go. Even with her girlfriend, and roommate/best friend she had trouble accepting help.
But she had drank about half the cough syrup bottle, so instead lay her head in the blonde's lap, and pulled the blanket further up her.
"So... You want me to stay?" Ruby asked, running her thumb in a slow circle on the blonde's cheek. Watching her eyes fall slowly shut.
"You should go, you don't have to stay and watch after me... I'm sick.. I don't want you to get... sick." Emma slowly tapered off. The soothing cool touch on her cheek leading her towards sleep.
"I won't.. But you should finish you're soup before it get's cold." Ruby suggested, propping Emma up against her stomach.
"I don't, I'll, I think I'll spill." Emma rambled a bit. While Ruby picked up the bowl, and offered Emma a spoonful. A hand cupped under it to make sure nun of the hot liquid would drip onto the blonde. This process went on until the soup was almost gone. It took a bit of encouraging to get some of the soup down. Which Ruby found a bit adorable.
A bit later, when Ruby was sure that Emma had fallen into a deep enough sleep that she wouldn't wake her when she got up, she eased herself out from under the blonde. Threw away the soup bowl, lid, and bag it had come in. Emma fidgeted in her sleep. Letting out a moan like noise. Rolling over and wrapping her blanket tighter around her.
"Em? You awake?" She inquired leaning over the counter and looking over the back of the couch. Emma didn't reply and she took that as an answer.
Emma woke up to Ruby's gentle stroking of her cheek again. She was sometimes a bit surprised by how gentle the brunette was.
"Can you say 'ah?'" She asked. Emma blinked a couple times, brain a bit sluggish after the rather deep sleep she had been in. The words took a bit longer than usual to make sense but when they did she smiled lazily and opened her mouth.
Scrunching up her nose when Ruby put a thermometer under her tongue. The blonde rubbed her eyes sitting up with the temperature measuring device dangling out of her mouth. It gave a beep.
"Ninety nine point two." Ruby looked up at the bleary eyed blonde who looked like she would be very happy to go back to sleep right then. "It went down. That means you're getting better." Emma nodded slowly.
"Do you know what would make me feel better?" Emma asked lying back down, and pulling the blanket up to her nose.
"What?" Ruby asked, ready to go get it.
"You back under here with me." The blonde grumbled, sliding a hand out of the warm place under her blanket to pull on the brunette's shirt.
"What happened to me not getting sick?" The taller girl retaliated. Smirking at the glare Emma returned to that statement.
"I'm getting better, and I'm cold." Emma pouted. Giving Ruby's shirt another tug, before retracting her arm back under the blanket.
Ruby grinned, and climbed over the blonde sliding under the blanket behind her. An arm wrapping subconsciously around her waist. Dropping a kiss on her warm shoulder where the over sized tee-shirt had slid down off of it.
It wasn't a surprise that Mary Margaret was a bit shocked to find two of her best friends like that on her couch when she came home.
She was going to find out sooner or later.