"Sour Bill? Sour Biiiillll? SOUR BILL, HONESTLY-" The yells fell into a bout of hacking, as a small figure tossed about under the covers of the royal bed.
"Yes, Your Sickly One?"
A pair of watery eyes glared at the tiny green candy who was now at the door, holding a tray.
"Didn't you hear me-" The king coughed again, "Calling for you? Eh-heh, your king is kicking the bucket over here, and you're off reading The Candy Stand News!"
"Wasn't reading." The sour servant replied, setting the tray on the nearby nightstand. "I went for supplies."
"Supplies…? What are you now, my royal doctor?" The king tittered before erupting into sickly hacks again. He sniffled, pulling his covers tightly around his shivering frame, clad in strawberry themed pajamas.
"I'm the closest you'll have for now, I'm afraid. I'm sure that will be a comfort to you." The green candy found what he was looking for on the tray, and pushed a small stool over to the king's bed, before hopping up onto it.
"Very comforting, I'm sure you'll take very good care of me." The king sat back against his pillow like an eager child receiving a bedtime story- only to receive a peppermint stick thermometer in his face instead.
"Say 'aah'." Sour Bill pressed it against his mouth.
"You're serious…?" The king nearly laughed then, but his throat felt so raw and on fire, as if he ate a dozen hot tamales!
"Mmhm. Open. Or I'll have to use force."
At this, the king grinned widely, only to have the stick forced into his mouth quite literally, causing him to nearly choke.
"I told you. Do I ever lie?"
"N-"
"No talking. Leave it in for a minute."
The sour ball hopped off the stool and returned to the tray again.
The peppermint was nearly overwhelming, but that was to be expected. It sort of helped his throat, at any rate.
He suddenly felt a cool hand on his forehead, and the stick removed.
"Yup. Just as I thought."
"What…? What? Is it bad?" The king's brows knitted in worry.
"You're sick. Completely sick. And you'll have to keep doing what you've been doing all day. Rest."
The king's expression turned to one of a mixture of a pout and annoyance. "That's all? I already knew that…" He rubbed at his sniffling nose with a sleeve. "When will I be better?"
"Probably never."
"Not if you're my doctor, hoo-hoo…~"
"You've lost faith in my medical abilities?" The sour candy slid the tray he was holding in his other hand across the king's lap, which held a bowl of steaming soup, lemon drop candies for his throat, and a box of salmon-colored tissues.
The king's expression became soft then as he snuggled back against his marshmallow pillow, the warmth wafting up to him.
" At least you're a very good nurse, at any rate, eh-heh.~"
"Mmhm. Eat it all. I want that bowl empty when I come back."
"Oh-hoo…this is rich…ordering your king around now, hmm?~"
"It's a perk of being nurse." The servant stepped off the stool once more, scuttling across the floor.
"…Sour Bill?"
"I'm not going to wipe your nose for you. That wasn't in my job description."
"Eh-heh, no, no. Not that. I just. You're…" The king bit his lip, the words he wanted to say stuck. "You're the best nurse I could have ever asked for!" He finally lit up, nodding eagerly.
To this, the tiny green candy nearly smiled, or came to as close of a smile as possible, and nodded to him, shutting the door as he left.
Now if only he could get the king to take his medicine in an hour. No amount of candy flavoring could make cough syrup delicious.