Characters are owned by the creator of Sword Art Online, Reki Kawahara, I do not own them in any way, shape, or form.

Silica sighed. She had reasoned that logging into ALO would help lessen the symptoms of the flu she had caught two days ago, but her clouded mind had followed her, as well as the cough. All she had to do was make it to Asuna and Kirito's cottage and she could rest to her heart's content. If she could walk by herself to the residence, that is. Her brain registered that her avatar was stumbling to the side and she heard the familiar coo from Pina, but she couldn't react fast enough, nor did she have the energy to try and right her steps.

A hand caught her elbow before the girl could fall down completely, accompanied by the worried sound of her name being called. Silica shut her eyes to block out the spinning, reopening them a few moments later as the dizziness subsided.

"Silica-chan? Are you all right?" Jun asked. His eyebrows knit together as he tried to figure out why she seemed about to fall over and he kept a hand on her arm, just in case.

It took another minute before her vision focused enough for her to recognize the figure and piece together what he had asked. Silica gave a nod as she looked down in order to cough. "'M fine…"

He frowned at her quiet, slightly slurred response. She couldn't be drunk; the game settings wouldn't allow that until a player reached legal age, but he couldn't deny that she was acting like it. A thought crossed the Salamander's mind as he helped her over to a nearby bench.

Silica squeaked in surprise as Jun pushed her bangs up and quickly pressed his forehead to hers, she would have fallen backwards onto the bench if he didn't still have a hold on her arm. She held her breath, ignoring the tickling it caused in the back of her throat. "W-…What…?"

The boy pulled away and looked at her face, flushed from fever and his close proximity. Her eyes looked hazy even after she blinked and she started into a coughing fit as soon as he moved away. "You're sick, Silica-chan. You shouldn't be logged on."

She shook her head weakly. "I-It's just the flu. Nothing to worry about, really. I was just on my way to Asuna-san's…" A gasp forced its way past her lips, a movement that caused her to cough again as she was carefully picked up and settled on the boy's back.

"Asuna-san's? That's the cottage we had the celebration at, right? I'll walk you, just stay still or you'll fall and get hurt." Jun spoke with a grunt as he bounced Silica up to get a better hold on her legs. "You have to hold on too, you know."

The Cait Sith whimpered at the fast, sudden jolts as he got her into a better position, her head spinning and vision blurring. Walking really wasn't something she felt like doing, even if she had the energy to do so. As he paused and told her to hold on, Silica felt her face heat up again. If she protested her headache would worsen and she'd get even hotter, which she wanted to avoid at all costs. Her head already throbbed, last time she had checked IRL her fever was already at 102 degrees Fahrenheit (about 39 degrees Celsius), and the girl felt even warmer now. Her foggy mind decided that being carried was a glorious development, even if the person doing the carrying made her fever worse, she was sure that he would help her reach the Undine's house. Her arms carefully wrapped around his neck and shoulders, though she didn't have the strength to hold on very well.

Content with her feeble hold, he walked slowly up the path until he felt Silica's grip get ever weaker and he picked up the pace.

A little under 15 minutes later and Jun had the Sith lying on the porch swing, Pina near her head as a guard, not that there was danger on the house property. A few quick messages to Asuna and Kirito before he was picking her up once more, this time in his arms. Both the Undine and Spriggan had given permission for him to enter the cottage, while Asuna went so far to send her key to him.

She blinked and opened her eyes as she felt the couch beneath her as Jun carefully set her down, breaking into coughs. "I'm….fine...n-now. Thank you for…for bringing me. I'll be fine on m-my own…"

Pina brrrrrd her protest to the statement as Jun looked at Silica and grinned. "What are you talking about? I'm already here, so I'm going to help you get better!"

Silica blushed yet again, she was pretty sure that this did nothing to help the fever. "But-"

The boy shook his head, cutting her words off. "No buts, I'm staying! Now, do you want warm milk or tea?"

"Tea," She paused to cough. "P-Please." Like it or not, the girl was stuck with a very determined caretaker. Though the part of her mind that wasn't muddled with a headache or feeling sick, which was a very small part, was quite sure that she liked it.

Jun flashed another grin and covered her with a blanket before taking Pina with him to help with the tea.

Yes, being taken care of while sick was better than being alone, Silica decided as she drifted off, barely acknowledging the noises from her dragon and the boy working together to prepare a cup of hot tea.