(I usually do not write fluffy stuff, at least, I can but don't. This was a special request by a dear friend, however, so I hope you enjoy the sweetness and the comedy!)
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"ACHOOO!"
The sound rattled the windows in the kitchen of the Phantomhive manor, birds flew cawing from the surrounding trees in flocks, and from the other side of the grounds Pluto began howling.
"Wow, Bard," came a young voice, and Finni's head poked in through the doorway, "That sounded more explosive than your daily cooking attempts!" A clear, gleeful laugh followed on the boy's cheerful face.
The blond man grunted and rubbed his nose roughly with the back of his hand, sniffing. The next second he pointed an iron skillet in Finni's direction, his face stern as he spoke,
"Don't you put me or my cooking down! None of you can possibly understand the fine art of-ah-ah-ACHOO!"
"Bard!" Finni all but threw himself into the room, knocking over one long, empty table with a clatter and quickly righting again with one hand.
"It's nothing, I'm fine." Bard mumbled. Finni's huge teal eyes were suddenly inches from the big man's face, inspecting him closely with a serious expression.
"That sneeze didn't sound 'fine'. Are you sure you're not getting sick?"
Bard put a huge hand on Finni's forehead and pushed him away with an irritated sound.
"Keep off now! I told you I'm fine, and fine means-ah-ah-ACHOOO!"
Bard lurched forward from the force of the sneeze, and Finni seized him around the waist to steady him, holding on tightly.
"I told you keep off, Finni, you're choking me! I can't breathe you git!"
Finni let him go a second later. When the disgruntled cook turned to scold him, he was stopped in his tracks by the look on Finni's face. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and his lip was pursed and trembling. Before Bard could say another word, Finni began sobbing.
"Baaard, you can't be sick! What'll I do without you! Aaaaah!"
Bard groaned, scratching the back of his head and finally plopping his big hands on Finni's shoulders.
"Alright, listen up, stop that noise! I'm fine, I told you I—."
"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"Bloody hell, it's just a li'l cold, I'm not gonna die or anything."
Finni's sobbing stopped for a split second for a look of pure horror to grace his tear-streaked face, and then the crying began anew.
"I told you I'm not going to—"
"What on earth is all the racket in here? The young master is trying to take his afternoon rest and you're in here screaming!" Sebastian had strode through the open door, and was now standing with his arms crossed, glaring at them.
"Sebastiaaaan!" Finni flung himself at Sebastian and began sobbing on his chest. The butler gave a long-suffering sigh and neatly pried the boy from around him and held him at arm's length.
"What. Is. Wrong?" He asked in a clipped tone, enunciating each word clearly.
"Bard's go' a terrible coooold!" Finni managed to get out, and Bard just rolled his eyes at Sebastian, swinging his iron skillet.
"I'm fit as a fiddle, Sebastian, I promi—ah-ACHOOO!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! See, Sebastian?! He's really sick!"
"Shut up both of you!" Sebastian demanded, and even Finni silenced his sobs as the butler's face set into a no-nonsense expression. "Bardroy, do you feel you are coming down with something?"
Bard shrugged his shoulders and shifted on his feet.
"Well, I…I been sneezing for a while…an…me throat's a bit scratchy…"
Another sigh escaped Sebastian, while Finni whimpered, pressing his knuckles against his mouth to keep from crying loudly again.
"I can't have you preparing any food if you are ill, for risk of contagion." Sebastian said, "You can help with the washing up, but no more cooking."
"Wha?" Bard asked, his eyes growing large and unbelieving. "No… cooking?!"
"And what's a con-cajun?" Finni chimed in tearfully.
"Contagion, Finni. It means he might pass his illness on to others." Sebastian clarified, before turning to Bard. "You might need to take a few days off entirely if it becomes too severe. I'll check back in tonight."
As the butler turned to leave the gaping cook and the teary-eyed boy, he halted at the door.
"Keep an eye on him, will you Finni? I don't have the time right now."
Finni's eyes brightened, but he straightened up and saluted stiffly.
"I got it, sir, you can count on me!" He said, as though reciting. Sebastian raised his eyebrows and left, muttering,
"That would be the day."
By the end of the night Bard had a fever and had resigned himself to sitting on his bed and reading in the little bedroom he shared with Finni and Tanaka. Despite looking in on him every half-hour, Finni had his own chores that he couldn't just brush off no matter how worried he was for his friend. While it was uncomfortable to have a scratchy throat, a cough, and a fever, Bard thought about how long it had been since he'd been able to just sit like this alone.
"Bard? How are you? Is your fever any worse? Do you need some water? Are you sure you don't want to lie down?"
Well, almost alone. Bard gave a long-suffering sigh, continuing to stare at the page of his book.
"No, Finni, I don't need anything. I just have a li'l cold. I'll be fine by tomorrow, you'll see."
Finni dropped down onto the edge of the bed and observed him with uncharacteristically serious eyes.
"Colds don't just go away overnight, you idiot!"
"Oi! That was uncalled for!" Bard said, actually putting his book down now to glare at Finni.
"You are an idiot if you don't know how dreadfully dangerous a cold can be if you don't rest." Finni responded. "I grew up on the streets and I'm lucky I didn't die from a li'l cold like so many of me mates did. I don't wanna lose you too."
Bard's eyes softened a bit.
"Look, Finni, I do understand. I was a soldier, and I saw a lot of the same. I'm not about to play stupid with this, but it's really not that bad."
Finni held his gaze for a moment before his face shifted into an expression of determination.
"Well, I'll be here to make sure you don't play stupid!" He shot up from the bed and headed toward the door. He turned back for a second to say, "Don't worry, I'm make sure I do everything right!"
Then he was gone in a flurry of plaid and tawny blond hair, leaving Bard to stare at the door.
"Don't know what goes on in that kid's head." He muttered to himself, resuming his place on the page after a fresh round of coughs and sneezes.
Finni glanced around the hallways cautiously; making sure Sebastian wasn't lurking in the corners before he crossed to a large set of doors and slipped through them. While he was not actually forbidden to enter the library, he knew it was above his station to do so especially when he still had chores to finish. Nevertheless, Bard's continuing health motivated him beyond any scolding Sebastian could give, and he began quickly thumbing over the spines of various books, scanning the titles. He knew his chances of finding anything like what he wanted were completely—his eyes fell upon a title so perfect it could have been placed there for him purposefully.
"Caring for the Sickly…" Finni read out loud slowly, as it always helped him. Sebastian had taught him to read only two years ago, and while he had improved, he was still a rather slow reader.
He plucked the thin book off the shelves, wondering at how incredibly light it was. Apparently 'the sickly' must be a small group if instructions on caring for them could all fit into this book that looked to be about five to six pages long. Even the cover was thin, made out of a blue woven material.
Finni opened the book quickly, and began skimming over lines at random; meaning to pick up quick tips and then put the book back. He planned to return to it as he had need.
When handling the sick, always speak slowly as fever may dull the mind.
"I can do that." Finni responded to the first sentence he read.
If fever becomes too high, take drastic measures to ensure the patient remains cool.
"Hm…good thing there's snow outside…"
Physical contact is healing, pat the patient's hand to reassure them.
"How does that help anything?"
Finni stood there reading for another moment or two before slipping the little book into his shirt and leaving the library. He was not going to risk forgetting something, and decided it would be better to have the book on him when he needed it.
When Finni went to bed that evening Bard was already asleep, snoring softly with his book resting on the little table between their beds. It took Finni a while to doze off, and when he did manage to sleep he dreamed that Bard had infected everyone in the manor, and even Sebastian was coughing and sneezing uncontrollably. All because Bard hadn't rested properly, like Finni had told him.
The dream was interrupted by the sound of a groan. It worked its way into Finni's mind and then his eyes popped open. He stared at the dark ceiling above him, listening. Had he dreamed it? Another low groan, and he sat up, looking over at Bard. He had curled up on his side, the blankets tight around his body.
"Bard?" Finni crawled out of bed, stepping into his slippers to shield his feet from the cold floor. He padded over to Bard's bedside and looked down at him. "What's wrong? What hurts?"
Bard's blue eyes opened briefly before fluttering closed once more.
"Head." He said in a whisper. Finni frowned for a moment and then quickly drew the little book out from beneath his mattress, where he had stashed it earlier in the day. He kept his back turned to bard as he squinted to read the words in the dim light filtering in from the bright winter moon. After several moments of frantic reading, he tossed the book onto his bed.
"I know what to do!" Finni said, and shot out of the room like a bullet. He blundered half-blind around the dark kitchen, searching for a bowl in the cupboards. He jumped as he accidentally knocked over a tall and elegant teapot that rested in the counter, all prepared for use in the morning with the rest of the set. He gasped in horror, waiting for the all-too-familiar sound of yet another valuable thing breaking because of his clumsiness and strength. The expected crash did not come, however, as a white-gloved hand suddenly shot out and caught the falling teapot. Yet another managed to catch the delicate lid just before it hit the floor.
Finni drew in a sharp breath as he met a pair of intense red eyes.
"S-Sebastian…" He said, wondering why the butler happened to be here in the kitchen, at night, still in his uniform. Still, his thankfulness for the still-in-tact teapot outweighed his curiosity. Sebastian stood back up, placing the teapot back on its designated place on the counter before turning to look at the boy.
"Now, Finni, what in the world are you doing in here after hours?"
Finni didn't even hesitate, his concern for Bard too prominent to leave room for fear of punishment.
"Bard's feelin' really bad, Sebastian! He needs cool water for his headache and I came in here to get some for 'im."
If Sebastian was at all surprised by the brave, almost defiant look the boy was giving him he masked it perfectly. He sighed and a small, helpless smile spread across his face. He turned to the open cupboard and retrieved a large bowl from a high shelf.
"Now, Finnian," Sebastian said seriously, holding the item out to him, "this bowl is ceramic. Heavy duty but still heavily breakable to you in particular, so be very careful. Don't forget, Bard is the one who needs it the most so let that be motivation for you to keep it and its contents intact."
Finni brightened, taking the bowl carefully and nodding.
"I told you that I'd be the one to look after 'im." He said firmly, "I won't let either of you down."
So saying, Finni turned to the tap and ran the cool water before holding the bowl beneath it, filling it halfway. When he turned back around, Sebastian was holding a clean white cloth in his hand.
"Take this," He said, gently placing it over Finni's shoulder, "and be quick about it."
Finni nodded before heel-toeing slowly back into their room. He placed the bowl down and then lit the candle on the little bedside table. Bard groaned again.
"Too bright, Finni, for heavens' sake…" He muttered, rubbing his left temple with his fingertips.
"Shush." Finni said, dipping the cloth in the water and wringing it out. Then he leaned down to place it on Bard's forehead. Bard hissed a bit as it made contact with his heated skin, but then he sighed, relaxing.
"That help?" Finni asked quietly.
"Yea…yea a bit." Bard answered shakily. "'s long as I don't cough; that really hurts me head."
Finni stared down at him, feeling scared and determined all at once. He knew what it was like to have a bad headache. He consulted the book once more when Bard seemed still for a while. He found the section that he had been hoping to find, and scanned it before turning back to Bard. ;
"Lay your head back flat." He instructed after a moment or two.
"Why?" Bard asked, peeking at him suspiciously.
"Just do it." Finni said. Bard grinned weakly and rolled slowly to lay his head straight back onto his pillow.
"You can get mean when you're determined." He said, humor lacing his soft voice. Finni smiled to himself and leaned over the man, reaching out for his head.
"Whoa..!" Bard raised a hand, wincing as the movement hurt his head. "What're you…"
"I won't hurt you." Finni assured him.
"You sure..?"
"I'm sure, just trust me."
Bard lowered his hand and lay back again, looking a bit tense. Finni laid the pads of his fingers against Bard's temples, and gently pressed inward. So far so good; he hadn't smashed in Bard's skull…good first step. Finni then began moving his fingers in a circular motion, rubbing Bard's temples for him.
"This helps relieve the pressure, see." Finni said, remembering what the little book had told him.
"Hmmm…" Bard responded, and Finni couldn't tell if it was working or if Bard was still bracing for Finni to accidentally snap his neck. Eventually, though, Bard's body visibly relaxed and he hummed a bit in relief. Finni felt his heart soar.
"I'll just rewet your cloth." He said, lifting the damp cloth from Bard's forehead. Bard seemed close to being asleep now, and so Finni placed the cloth back, rubbed his temples a few more moments, and then his soft snoring erupted like music to Finni's ears. With a great sense of satisfaction, Finni climbed back into his own bed and blew out the candle, snuggling in to warm his own chilled body.
"Look, Finni," Bard's voice was even more gruff than usual the next morning, "I'm glad you're helping me out, but you've got chores to do and all. You can't just ignore your duties to-"
"I told Sebastian I'd take care of you!" Finni said, madly wringing out a cloth from the fresh water he had brought in that morning. "There aren't any big parties or guests coming for the next few days, so Sebastian can give me a break. Besides, if I get you back to health, that'll be double the manpower again!"
Finni all but shoved Bard to lie down again and plastered the wet cloth to his forehead, making the man gasp.
"All right! All right!" Bard croaked madly, "It's fine, just-don't do that again! It's too cold."
"That's because you have a fever." Finni said, as if this explained everything. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched Bard roll his bloodshot eyes at him. "Are you hungry at all?"
"Ug."
"Ok, then, broth it is."
"Finni, I don't want to eat."
"Yes you do, if you want to get better." Finni headed for the door, and Bard called after him in a weak, strained voice,
"You don't even know how to boil water, how on earth will you-"
"I'll manage, now you'd better stay right there or I'll…I'll pour that whole bowl of water on you where you lie."
"Oh yea," Bard muttered, "That'll help me stay still…"