For the writing-prompts I'm doing on tumblr. rabbit-kinder asked for "That's the least romantic thing anyone's ever said to me." for Johnny and my OC Cia. :)
Romantic or Not
"Oh my gosh, you look terrible!"
The words are out before Johnny can get a hold of himself, and he wishes he could take them back immediately.
He has a point, though. Cia's eyes are swollen and red, her face looks, well, just sick, and the fact that the moment she wants to reply her body is shaken by a coughing attack only contributes to what he said.
Although he shouldn't have said it.
That's just not something you say to anyone, least of all your girlfriend.
"Oh wow," Cia replies as she's calmed down. "That's the least romantic thing anyone has ever said to me."
Johnny's heart sinks a little more at that.
"S-sorry, it's just that … sorry!"
Cia rolls her eyes. "Geez, Johnny, I was just kidding," she says. "I know what I look like. I own a mirror."
She steps to the side to let him enter, enduring another coughing attack as soon as the door's closed behind him.
"You got what I asked for?" she asks when it's over.
"Yes." Johnny reaches into the paper bag he's carrying, retrieving small boxes of medicine, headache tablets, cough syrup and the like.
"Oh good!" Cia sounds relieved as she reaches for the cough syrup. "You can go now."
"Huh?"
"Well, I don't want to give you a cold."
"Nah, it's fine," Johnny stops her with a wave of his hand. "I already had my cold this year. Never get more than one. Besides," - he reaches into the paper bag, producing a small packet - "I brought soup. I know it's just instant, but still."
"I'm not hungry," Cia says before taking a spoon of cough syrup.
He walks over to the kitchen anyway.
When he enters the living room with bowl of soup, he finds Cia seated on the couch.
She looks from the bowl in his hands to his face and back to the bowl.
"I'm not hungry," she says again.
"I know," Johnny replies, sitting down next to her. "Eat it anyway."
He hands her the bowl, and she reluctantly takes it.
With another coughing attack coming up, she quickly places it on the coffee table.
"I thought the cough syrup would take effect by now," she says, her voice still hoarse.
Johnny just shrugs and takes the bowl from the table. "Here, this should help, too."
Cia raises a brow and twists her mouth a little, when he offers her a spoonful of soup.
"If you're doing the choo-choo-train, I swear I'm going to scream," she says.
"Nah, I'd never dare," he replies, although this thought might have crossed his mind for a split-second or so.
She rolls her eyes, but then allows him to feed her, spoon after spoon until the bowl is empty.
"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" he says when he places the bowl on the coffee table.
"Stop treating me like a child," Cia says, shifting a little closer to him before she lets her head sink to rest on his shoulder.
Johnny wraps an arm around her body, about to say that he's sorry, when Cia speaks up again.
"Actually, don't stop," she says, leaning a little more into him. "It's kinda nice."
"Okay," he says with a smile.
"Thanks."
"What for?"
"The medicine, the soup, everything."
"You're welcome," he says as he places a quick kiss on top of her head.
"You know, aside from what you said earlier, I think this is the most romantic thing someone's ever done for me," Cia says.
"Really?" he says with a little chuckle. "Then what I have planned for Valentine's Day is going to blow your mind!"
Actually, he doesn't have the slightest idea what to do for Valentine's Day, let alone a plan, but she doesn't need to know that.
When she doesn't react he turns his head to look at her and finds her fast asleep.
Thinking that sleeping in a sitting position might not be the most comfortable choice he slowly lets himself sink back on the couch, carefully pulling her with him so her head comes to rest on his chest. He keeps one arm around her while he gently rubs her back with his other hand.
He has to admit, it feels nice, so warm and comfortable and just right.
If this is romantic, then maybe he doesn't suck at romance at all. Or maybe not as much.
And pretty soon he drifts off to sleep himself.
A week later he's suffering from his second cold this year, something that has never happened to him before.
He doesn't care. Well, not much.
He even laughs when Cia comes over and makes a comment on how there's obviously a first time for everything and sometimes even a second time.
He must confess, though, it really is kinda nice that she brings him medicine and feeds him soup. He loves that she's just there for him.
He doesn't know if that's romantic or not.
To him, it's just perfect.