I don't own the Gorillaz or any characters in this story!(I suppose it is mandatory to say that? Haha!)
I am only a 7th grader, sad to say, so I apologize for my limited worldly knowledge(what?) I will try my best with descriptions and stuff like that!
The thermometer went off, making a loud beeping noise. 2D wondered how something so small could be so...obnoxiously noisy.
He pulled the device out of his mouth and grimaced at the number.
"38.8..." He muttered, falling back onto his bed.
He lay there for awile, his mind bouncing from one thing to the next, and at some points he just stopped thinking altogether.
A knock on his bedroom door snapped him out of his trance.
"W-who is it?" 2D tried tried his best not to let his voice crack.
"It's me." Noodle replied, slowly opening the door. "May I come in?"
2D smiled and sat up. "'Of course, luv. Jus' don get too close, I don want ya gettin' sick."
The girl nodded and entered the room, closing the door behind her. Her purple hair was brushed away from her green eyes, a style she rarely tried. 2D noticed that she still wore some of the bandages around her forearms and ankles.
"Ya feelin' any better, Noods?" He asked her as she pulled a chair up to the side of the bed.
Noodle was silent for a moment, but then replied. "I guess..."
"Good." 2D gave her a phony smile. He hoped that soon the poor girl would be back to normal so he wouldn't have to be so...uncomfortable around her.
But even he knew not to get his hopes up. Noodle had been gone for nearly 4 years, of course she'd changed. She was less of a girl now, more like a young woman. 2D was still getting used to this, but it was getting better. But the thing he almost couldn't stand was her new attitude. Noodle hadn't smiled once since her return, even when she saw 2D and Murdoc for the first time in so long, and she barely spoke. 2D figured that this was normal, considering where she had been. At least she was out of her room now.
It had been about 5 months since Murdoc had rescued Noodle from hell, but 2D remembered the night very clearly, as if it were happening before him.
He had awoken at around 3am to the sound of loud screaming coming from somewhere outside his room. The noise level stung his ears and made his head throb. Groaning, he had staggered out of bed to grab some painkillers from the kitchen. He was still only half-concious when he left his room, but another piercing cry woke him completely.
"Wot the bloody 'ell?!" He cried, rubbing his black eyes. His head felt like it was about to explode, and each shriek only made the pain worse.
He stumbled all the way to the kitchen with his hands pressing against his temples. When he finally made it to his destination, he didn't try to turn on the light. He knew well enough which cabinet held the painkillers that he could, if he really tried, find them in the pitch darkness.
2D sighed with relief when he felt his fingers wrap around the palm-sized bottle. The screaming was much closer now, just down the hall. He frantically popped the cap off the bottle and swallowed an unknown amount of pills. The pain decreased a bit, not completely, but he could handle it.
Just as he started back to his room, something collided with him. There was a sharp 'ack!' noise as the two men fell to the ground.
After a few seconds, the lights flew on. Murdoc had managed to pull himself up and flip the switch.
2D groaned as he raised himself to a sitting position, and gasped when he saw Murdoc's appearance. Blood coated his clothes, but he didn't appear to be injured. He was carrying a heap of towels and a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
"W-wot's going on?" 2D stammered.
"Nevermind that, Dullard!" Murdoc hollered above the cries that still sounded from the other room. "Grab the rest o' those bloody towels and come 'ith me!" He grabbed at 2D's arm with his free hand and the vocalist obeyed.
The two hurried down the hall and into a room smaller-sized room. Murdoc led 2D to a pool dusty pool table.
2D heart sank when he saw what lay atop it.
She was a young woman with unevenly cut purple hair and green eyes, which were wide with fear. He back was arched in a weird way so that she was partially supported by her thin elbows. Soft, frail gasps escaped her gaping mouth in between her painful cries. Her clothes were so tattered that the sticky, wet blood was the only thing that kept them clinging to her small body. Black and red burns coated a good part of her limbs while deep purple bruises distorted her delicate features. She was barely recognizable, but 2D knew who she was almost instantly.
"N-noods.." He choked out, sinking to his knees.
"Don't jus stand there you ass!" The older man yelled. "You want to help 'er then help!"
2D nodded warily and did as Murdoc instructed. "W-wot do you want me ta do?" He asked in a shaky voice, rising ackwardly to his feet.
"We have to get 'er out of these clothes." Murdoc replied matter-o-factly. "So go get a shirt or somthing from yer room to cover 'er up."
2D pushed the thought of Noodle's bare body out of his head and half-tripped up to his room, grabbed a plain t-shirt off the floor, and hurried back down to where Murdoc and Noodle were waiting.
When he reached the pool table, Murdoc had already removed the girl's clothing and was pouring rubbing alcohol over her wounds. The sting of the chemicals made Noodle cringe and she proceeded to sob violently.
"I-I-I got the shirt ya needed, Muds." 2D used one arm to cover his eyes and the other to hand the older man the article of clothing.
"Put yer arm down, face ache!" He hollered, grabbing the shirt. "We're not 'ryin to save 'er dignity 'ere!!" He slapped 2D across the face with his free hand, making the vocalist gasp in pain.
The two men cleaned off her injuries and wrapped them up tightly in the towels Murdoc had provided. The bleeding had almost stopped, and Noodle was unconcious. The greenish carpet under her had now been dyed a deep red, and it was seeping through the table.
2D was quite worried. He has asked Murdoc to bring Noodle to a hospital, but he had responded with the negative.
"She 'asn't lost a deadly 'mount o' blood, so don't worry 'bout that. She'll be fine." Murdoc muttered. He pulled the t-shirt over Noodle's head and carefully slid her slender arms through the sleeves, grunting with frustration whenever he had to tug the fabric over a towel. "Jus help me get 'er up to 'er room."
The two carefully navigated their way up to the girl's room, which hadn't been touched since her dissapearance. 2D carried Noodle, while Murdoc led the way through the dark. He didn't want to turn the lights on for fear that if he did, the sudden brightness would wake the girl and make her cry again.
2D could feel Noodle's faint heartbeat against his chest, where his own heart was racing uncontrollably. The feeling made his blood rush to his cheeks, making him blush. He was thankful that the lights were out so Murdoc wouldn't see him.
When the finally arrived at Noodle's room, Murdoc cautiously opened the door. Everything was still neat and untouched. 2D stared in awe for a moment before gently laying Noodle down on the bed.
"I'm goin' to try to call Russel." Murdoc said after he pulled the bedcovers up around Noodle. "You stay 'ere, face ache. If she wakes up and starts makin' a fuss, hold 'er down and try to keep 'er calm, aw'ight?"
2D nodded and sat on the bed next to where Noodle slept. He waited for Murdoc to close the door, then positioned himself so he lay on his side, facing the girl. He brushed a stray hair away from her cheek and kissed her forehead, careful not to disturb her slumber.
"Welcome back, 'lil love." He smiled, then turned over to face the ceiling. Hot tears fell down his face, but he couldn't determine if they were happy that Noodle was back, or upset about her condition. The vocalist rubbed his blank eyes with his bare arm.
"Looks like I won't be gettin' ta sleep t'night." He muttered.
"Hello? Are you alright?"
2D let out a gasp of suprise and blinked a few times. "Wha...?" He turned to see Noodle leaning up to him, her hand pressed against his forehead.
"Your fever has gone up." She said. "I was worried. You were just sitting there staring into space like some sort of robot."
"'Oh, i'm sorry, love." 2D replied, obviously embarassed. "I wos just finkin'..Y'know, lettin' my mind 'ander."
Noodle raised an eyebrow in question, then shook her head. "I am going to get you some tea for your throat. Is that still bothering you?"
"N-not anymore." 2D lied, but the crack in his voice gave him away. "U-umm...'aybe jus a lil' bit..." He forced a nervous laugh.
The guitarist nodded, sat up, and started towards the door. After she had left, 2D fell back against his bed with a heavy sigh. He thought about how good things were before El Manana, before all this hell had started.
He wondered about Russel. Murdoc hadn't been able to make contact with him in the months after Noodle's rescue, but he still never ceased to call the drummer at least once every day. The vocalist missed Russel greatly. Though they'd never been really close, 2D still wanted him back.
Besides, maybe he could help get Noodle to talk to him, other than just the simple phrases she said when it was nessessary.
He hadn't noticed the sound of running footfalls back to his bedroom door and he almost screamed when Noodle came running back in, slamming the door behind her. She had a wide grin spread across her face.
2D was starstruck. "N-noods?" Yer smiling?" He slowly(and painfully) rose from his bed to talk to the girl. 'D-did somefink happen?"
Noodle nodded her head ferosiously and almost tackled 2D when she hugged him. "Russel called! He is coming back from America soon!" She squealed with delight, her tiny legs lifting off the floor.
"That's great!" 2D exclaimed, spinning the girl around. He almost forgot that he was sick, but a coughing spell reminded him. He set Noodle back down and waited for the attack to pass over. "Sorry, luv." He chuckled faintly. "I'll try ta get better before Russ get's 'ere."
Noodle led the singer back to his bed. "Should I call the doctor's office?" She sat down next to 2D and leaned her head on his shoulder. It had just occured to him that the girl wasn't much shorter than his 6' 2" frame. It was surreal how much she'd grown in 4 years.
2D shrugged. "I 'uess it can't hurt." He felt a blush creep across his cheeks when Noodle wrapped her slender arms around him, whispering a 'thanks so much!" in his ear.
It was only after she had left that he felt a pang of jealously.
Why would she be so exited at the mere thought of Russel's return, but not even give the faintest smile when she first saw 2D?
"Aw, well." The vocalist yawned. "At least she's back ta normal."
Meanwhile, Noodle sat indian-style in her room, thinking the same thing as 2D.
Then it hit her;this had nothing to do with Russel.