Summary: Carlisle loves Siobhan. Siobhan loves Carlisle. But they're just friends, right?

"Carlisle, you can't wear jeans under that uniform. Aro will kill you," Siobhan chuckled, reaching over and pushing his damp hair off his face. She failed to notice his temperature and the way he held his stomach.
"He won't notice; the stupid cloak is too long anyway…" he mumbled, trying not to stand on it as he walked. The Volturi assembly was the last thing he wanted to be part of, but it was compulsory for all members; to Carlisle, the prospect of standing in front of that many people was petrifying. The only good thing to come out of it was that his best friend had come with him.
"Don't be nervous, honey, you'll be fine," she assured him, straightening the collar of his shirt.
His face flushed as she touched him and he bit his lip, suddenly forgetting what he was supposed to be doing.
She ran her fingers through his hair, messing it up a bit and making it fall straight. "You can do this, Carlisle."
He swallowed hard and nodded, desperately wanting to kiss her to kiss him but knowing that it would end their friendship.
When she hugged him he forgot how to breathe and was dizzy with the scent of her. "Anyway, you look cute all dressed up in black and everything," she smiled.
He shakily returned the gesture but all he could think about was how soft her skin was.
"Good luck."
"T-thank you," he stammered, blushing again.
"Come on, Carlisle, hurry up," Demetri yelled.
He sighed quietly before slowly going over to the others, taking his place next to them.
"Nervous?" Aro asked as he passed.
He nodded, refraining from adding the mixture of nausea and dizziness he also felt.
"Good." He stood in the middle, beginning the presentation.

About half way through Carlisle knew there was no way he was going to last until it was over.
"Marcus…" he whispered anxiously, sliding his hand over his mouth.
He wasn't heard over Aro's speech.
"…Please…" His stomach rolled but he managed to force the bile back down his throat. It burnt and brought tears to his eyes. Black spots swam in his vision and there was a loud ringing in his ears. "…Siobhan…" he whimpered, starting to fall as the world went black.

Everything seemed to hurt and the light stung his eyes. His stomach cramped again and again and he only just managed to keep his stomach contents down. Instead he curled into himself, trying to smother the pain by squeezing his waist. He whimpered against his will, in complete agony.
"Shh, it's alright," she murmured, holding her hand against his forehead.
Before he could answer her, he threw up over the side of the bed, narrowly missing her lap. Mortified and in pain, he was unable to stop the hot tears that slipped down his cheeks.
"It's okay, Carlisle. Sit up for a moment, okay?"
He meekly did as she had asked, fighting the ripples of pain and the way the room spun.
She sat beside him and wrapped her arm around his waist. "You can lie down again now."
He lay down without thinking, loving the coolness of her.
She gently wiped the tears off his face. "Shh, take some deep breaths, you're alright."
"I'm s-so sorry," he cried, trying to get a grip.
"Don't be sorry, just relax," she murmured comfortingly, desperate to give him any relief she could. She tried to pull his arms away from his middle but he was reluctant to do it. "Is your tummy hurting?" she asked softly. She slid her fingers through his hair, shifting it off his face.
He nodded hesitantly.
Siobhan smiled teasingly down at her friend. "Well, since you're seeming to lack a girlfriend-" he rolled his eyes at the topic, knowing that the only person he wanted to be his 'girlfriend' was sitting right next to him and a puddle of his vomit, holding his hand while he cried. "-That means I'm going to have to take care of you!" She couldn't deny the fact that she was a little excited by the prospect that he would be completely reliant on her. That she would have to stay with him until he was better. That she would have to stay close to him.
"No- Siobhan that won't be necessary," he protested, hating the idea of it. He tried to sit up to prove that he could take care of himself but ended up throwing up again.
She held a container in front of him just in time. "See? You need me. Come here, lie down."
Having no choice, he did as she said, immediately curling up again.

"Can you stand? Are you still feeling dizzy?" Siobhan asked, carefully helping Carlisle sit up on the edge of the bed.
His vision became dark and he struggled not to be sick. "I t-think so," he stammered unsurely, tightly holding onto her hand.
"Come on, I'll take you home. That's enough for one day." She wrapped her arm around his waist and helped him slide off the edge onto the floor.
His stomach cramped and the room spun. "Siobhan…I think I'm going to be sick…"
"That's okay. Just tell me if you need to sit down, alright?"
He nodded, whimpering involuntarily.
Their progress down the hallway was slow; each step was agony for Carlisle and he struggled to keep from crying. They were about half way there when a sharp stab forced him to double over, hugging his waist tightly. His throat burnt and he knew what was coming next but couldn't stop it.
Again she held the container in front of him, rubbing his back while he coughed and choked. When it was over she hugged him tightly, holding him upright, worried by the silent sobs that shook his body. She wanted to cry too; seeing him in pain and not being able to do anything. "It's okay, Carlisle. It's alright." She kissed his cheek, letting him rest his head against her shoulder.
The gesture, although purely friendly, make him warm all over and he couldn't meet her eye. They stood together until he was able to move again.

"Lie down," she murmured softly, sitting him on the edge of the bed and gently pushing him flat.
He sucked in a sharp breath and curled into himself, trying to squeeze away the pain. It had seemed to have taken hours to get back to his flat and he was giddy with relief at the thought of not having to move for a while.
She reached over and wrapped a blanket around him, sitting next to him and stroking the side of his face until he could breathe normally again.
Even though he could barely think straight, having her so close to him seemed to help.
"Do you want something to eat?" she asked skeptically. "You haven't had anything since breakfast." "…it wouldn't stay down…" he mumbled timidly.
Siobhan chuckled and wrapped her arm protectively around him. "Don't worry; I won't make you if you don't want to. Not tonight."
He cuddled into her side before he could stop himself, absolutely desperate for comfort.
Siobhan's smile faded as a twinge of longing passed over her. Pushing her luck, she rearranged herself to lie beside him, still with her arm around him.
Almost immediately he came closer to her, already starting to fall sleep.
She slowly rubbed his side, hoping to ease some of the pain. Within minutes she too felt her eyelids become heavy, and before she could stop herself fell asleep as well, happily cuddling into him.

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