Dinner for Two

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with the WWE!

Summary: Oneshot. They were supposed to have a dinner date. But when she comes down with a bout of the flu, he decides to bring the dinner to her. Dean Ambrose/Paige.

Characters: Dean Ambrose and Paige

Pairings: Dean Ambrose/Paige

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance

Author's Note: All righty, I'm back with the third installment in this saga of Dean Ambrose and Paige! If you'd like to read "Ducks" and "Of Monster Movies and Burnt Popcorn" first to see how this relationship got its start, feel free to do so! But this oneshot can also stand alone. Read and review if you'd like, just no flames please. Hope you enjoy! :)

Paige sneezed from where she was buried under the pile of blankets she had on her bed in her hotel room. A couple, she had to admit, were pilfered from Emma's bed, but she also knew that her roommate and one of her best friends wouldn't miss them while dancing and wrestling at the NXT taping in Tampa that night. A groan then escaped from her hoarse throat, sounding slightly muffled due to how stuffed up her nose was, as she snuggled more into the soft pillow beneath her burning head.

The raven-haired woman couldn't remember the last time she had felt quite this miserable or why she had even come down with the flu. The seasons were beginning to change in Florida, granted, but with no real winter weather to speak of, the colder months weren't that unbearable. But with as difficult it had been to get out of bed that morning, and with how wakeful she had been throughout the night, Paige should have known that she was getting sick.

However, she hadn't been planning to let the minor ailment stop her from going to the NXT taping, and she had been up and getting ready to head out before Emma stopped her. The Australian Diva had claimed that her face was much paler than normal, aside from her flushed cheeks, and had insisted that she just stay in the hotel room and rest up. Paige had protested at first, but it didn't take long before she realized just how little strength she actually had to argue when a spell of dizziness came over her, causing her to nearly fall. After that near incident, Emma had put her straight back to bed, and she had to admit, no matter how much she hated it, that she really didn't mind her friend's actions. Her entire body was sore as though she had wrestled too many matches, her nose and sinuses were completely stuffed up, her throat was raw from coughing, she was burning up with a fever of one hundred degrees, and her stomach had been feeling turbulent throughout the day to the point where she didn't think she could hold much of anything down. She knew that the other woman had been right in saying that there was no way that she could go to the show that night, and what she needed to do was exactly what she had been doing all day– lying in bed and resting. She had fallen asleep quite a few times, though she couldn't really recall just how many, but it was always restless and never lasted long. Though sleep was something she definitely needed.

Paige was just about to doze off yet again when a quiet knock on the hotel door reached her ears. Though it was soft, the sound seemed amplified to her pounding head, and she pulled the blankets closer in around her to try to block it out. Maybe if she ignored it, the noise would stop.

However, she was out of luck when a second knock on the door forced her to open her heavy eyelids. Who would even be at her door at that time of night? Then again, she really had no concept of what time it even was since she had been in bed all day, so it might not have even been that late. Her first thought, though, was it was Emma coming back from the show. But that didn't make any sense, because not only did she not know if the NXT taping was over or not, but she also had a card key to get in the room.

Finally, on the third knock, which still sounded much louder than it actually was, Paige groaned as she pushed aside the few blankets she had burrowed under and dragged herself out of bed. Even though she was wearing a pair of gray sweatpants with socks and a black hooded sweater, she was still freezing as she slowly began to make her way across the room. She had to briefly pause when another dizzy spell caused her to nearly lose her balance, and she shook her head slightly to clear it before she reached the door.

"Go away..." she muttered as she pulled it open, not really in the mood to be bothered. Who she saw on the other side, however, made her eyes widen slightly.

The United States Champion, Dean Ambrose, raised an eyebrow as he looked back at her, his gaze passing over the layers of clothing she wore to her disheveled black hair and finally to her pale face and flushed cheeks. "I'd make some sort of snappy comeback to that, but damn, Paige, you look awful," he said bluntly.

Paige sighed and leaned against the doorway, crossing her arms. As sick as she was, she really was happy to see the man who was technically her boyfriend, though it was something she hadn't really called him yet, and she also knew that his appearance meant that the NXT taping was over since he had had a title defense that night. But then, she groaned quietly and passed a hand over her face as she dropped her gaze and cursed quietly under her breath.

"I'm sorry, Dean... I forgo' tha' we were supposed to go ou' for dinner after the show..." Her sentence trailed off when she had to clear her throat, causing her to cough a few times.

Dean, however, just sent a small smirk in her direction. "It's okay. Emma told me that you were sick," he assured her. "That's why I thought I could bring the dinner to you."

It was then that Paige noticed the plastic bag he was holding in his hand, and a small smile appeared on her face. "You didn' have to do tha', Dean..." she began.

"I know, but I wanted to," Dean replied. "There are some things in here that I think you'll appreciate. Besides, we don't have to cancel our date this way."

Paige's smile lingered, but she still shook her head. "I don' wan' you to ge' sick, too," she told him in a last attempt to have the night to herself. She did want to see him, and she was glad that he had thought of her, but she was so miserable that she didn't think she would make the best company, and she also didn't want to pass the flu bug on to him.

Dean didn't seem fazed in the least as he simply brushed her words aside. "Ah, don't worry about me. It's you I'm more concerned about." Then, without waiting for an invitation, he stepped past her into the room and slipped his shoes off.

Shaking her head slightly, Paige shut the door and walked over to where he was now standing by the counter. "Since you barged in so rudely, wha' did you bring?" she asked.

"I knew you'd be curious," Dean answered with a quiet chuckle. "I stopped down by the shop and the café in the lobby downstairs, and I got you some of these." He pulled out a bag, and he couldn't help but smile when Paige eagerly took it from his hand and opened it immediately.

"Oh, my God. Dean, you're a lifesaver!" The younger, raven-haired woman proceeded to reach inside and pull out one of the honey-lemon flavored cough drops, unwrapping it and popping it in her mouth. It was strong, but at least it would help. "I' fees like I've been coughing nonstop since las' night. No joke."

Dean nodded in understanding. "Yeah, the flu is no fun," he agreed, digging around in the bag a little more. "At least those will give you some relief. I also picked up some cold and flu medicine for night time, which will hopefully help you sleep. Emma had mentioned that you were pretty much up off and on all night."

Paige smiled herself as she took the bottle of syrup from him. "I swear, you're way too good to me," she muttered with a quiet sniff, setting it down on the counter to take a little later. "When I feel better, I promise I'll make this up to you with an actual date of some sor'."

"Ah, don't worry about that right now." Dean reached out and lightly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "I like you, and I want you to feel better soon."

"I like you, too," Paige mumbled, snuggling into his chest as she returned the embrace. It felt good to have him so close with not only how cold she still was, but his hugs were something she always loved.

Dean leaned down and softly kissed the top of her head. "You really don't sound too good, my dear," he commented.

"I' will pass eventually," Paige told him as she glanced up at him. "Bu' there's nothing here tha' really makes this much of a date."

"Well, since you mentioned it..." Dean gave her a quick wink before he let go of her and turned his attention back to the counter where the plastic bag still sat. "I picked up some of this from downstairs. It should also make you feel slightly better. At least, that's what I've always been told."

Paige watched as he pulled out two small styrofoam bowls and plastic spoons before lifting out a cardboard drink carrier with two steaming styrofoam cups. "And this is?" she wondered, leaning forward on the counter next to him.

"Patience," Dean playfully chided, lifting the lids off the bowls to reveal the contents. "Chicken noodle soup, and there's chamomile tea in both the cups. The lady who runs the café downstairs said they were good to have if you're sick. So, I thought we could both have some for our dinner date."

"Well, I haven' really eaten today..." Paige began quietly, setting a hand over her stomach. "I haven' been hungry, and I haven' really been able to try."

Dean looked at her with concern. "You need to eat something, Paige," he said. "You're tiny as it is. And soup and tea isn't too difficult to get down."

"I know. I promise I'll try my bes'." Paige glanced up at the man beside her, deciding to let the tiny comment slide. "You know, chicken noodle soup and chamomile tea was no' wha' I pictured for our meal on our firs' official date."

"Well, I'm not really a fancy restaurant type of guy anyway," Dean replied with a chuckle as he picked up one of the bowls of soup with a spoon along with one of the cups of tea. "To be honest with you, if we actually went out to dinner tonight like we planned, I probably would have taken you to a fast food joint or something like that."

Paige chuckled quietly as she grabbed the other bowl and cup. "Finally, a man who actually has the same priorities I do," she muttered. "So, uh, we can si' anywhere..."

Dean shrugged slightly as he walked over to the bed closest to them, knowing it was his girlfriend's due to the pile of blankets bunched up on top of it, and sat on the edge. He set the styrofoam cup down on the nightstand between the bed he had claimed and the one Emma was using, chuckling quietly when he saw the small plastic garbage can in front of it was filled a little over halfway with Kleenex with a couple on the floor around it.

"Don' mind the mess." Paige sat down on the bed next to him after setting her own tea down on the nightstand, snuggling as close as possible. "I think I've started mastering basketball with how many I'm throwing away."

"Well, you missed a few shots, but other than that, it looks like you're getting pretty good," Dean said, taking a small spoonful of his still hot soup and eating it. "This is pretty good, too. I think the lady said it was homemade, but I'm not sure. Have you tried some yet?"

Paige shook her head. "No, no' ye'," she replied. "My stomach's been too upse' to really eat anything, bu' i' looks really good." She took a spoonful of her own soup, which mainly consisted of broth but had one noodle and two small carrots on it, and cautiously ate it since she had finished her cough drop. She smiled slightly when she found it to be as good as he did, but also that it was slowly starting to warm her up a little from the inside.

"Yeah, i' does taste homemade," she confirmed with a quiet sniff, taking another small spoonful. So far her stomach hadn't rejected it, but she knew she couldn't eat it too fast. "It's good. Thanks for bringing this, Dean."

"You're welcome, Paige." Dean smiled slightly as he ate some more of his as well. "If the café wouldn't have had any, I would have made some myself. Though that would have been out of a can."

Paige laughed, groaning quietly when her head pounded as a result. "Well, I still would have appreciated the gesture..."

Dean's gaze faltered slightly as he looked back at her for a moment before he reached out and set the back of his hand on her forehead. "You're pretty hot there, Paige," he muttered.

"I already knew tha', bu' thank you for confirming i'," Paige told him with a smirk before eating another small spoonful of mainly broth.

"Well, that's not exactly what I meant. Though you are, don't get me wrong." Dean returned the look before it softened into a smile. "I should have made sure that the flu stuff I got had a fever reducer in it..."

Paige grabbed his hand when he started to get to his feet, lightly pulling him to sit back down. "Don' worry abou' tha' righ' now. You've already done too much for me, Dean," she insisted. "Besides, I'm sure it's fine. Finish eating firs'. You don' wan' your soup to ge' cold."

Dean nodded slightly before he showed her the contents of his bowl. "I'm almost done." Then, he leaned toward her a bit. "How are you doing on yours, Paige?"

"Pretty good." Paige showed him her bowl, which was still about half full.

"You're not eating your chicken," Dean stated, arching an eyebrow.

Paige hesitated slightly. "I'm a bi' hesitan' to try i'," she admitted. "My stomach's handling the noodles and vegetables all righ', bu'..."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, it's okay. You don't have to eat it if you don't want to." He finished eating the last couple noodles and pieces of chicken before finishing off the broth and tossing his empty bowl into the garbage can filled with Kleenex balls. He then picked up his tea and took a small sip so he wouldn't burn his mouth before offering the second cup to the dark-haired woman.

"Sure, thank you." Paige took the cup from him, also taking a small sip before handing it back. "This is pretty good, too. Though I admi' I'm no' a big tea drinker."

A look of mock surprise passed over Dean's face. "But you're English!" he said.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Dean. Tha' is a stereotype," she replied.

Dean chuckled. "But don't you guys have like a time dedicated to tea or something?" he wondered. "I thought I'd heard that somewhere."

"I' doesn' mean all of us do i'. And you know my family isn' wha' you would exactly call conventional," Paige countered before she turned her head away from him and coughed.

Sighing, Dean reached out and rubbed her back. "I wish you felt better," he muttered.

Paige looked back at him with a sniff, giving him a feeble smile. "I wish I fel' better..." She then took a couple more small spoonfuls of her soup before shaking her head. "I don' think I can ea' anymore."

"Here." Dean took the bowl from her loose grasp and set it on the nightstand. "It's okay, you don't have to. You don't want to force it." He then gave her her tea again, holding his up between them. Paige smiled slightly, lightly tapping her cup against his before they both took a sip of the hot beverage, and she let out a quiet sigh as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Dean glanced down at her before wrapping his free arm around her and pulling her a little closer before resting his head on top of hers. "The soup didn't hurt your stomach at all, did it?" he asked.

Paige shook her head. "No, I'm no' much more miserable than I was before you came over," she answered. "Could you hand me a Kleenex and a cough drop, please?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Dean turned slightly, pulling a Kleenex out of the box on the nightstand before grabbing a cough drop from the bag and handing both items to her.

Paige rose her head from his shoulder and handed her cup to him before she leaned away from him a bit and blew her nose, tossing the Kleenex into the garbage before opening the cough drop.

"Nice shot," Dean muttered with a chuckle. "You really are getting good at that."

"Thanks..." Paige put the cough drop in her mouth before groaning and putting her head in her hands.

Dean sighed, setting both of their teas on the nightstand. "Why don't you lie down, Paige?" he suggested. "I didn't mean to keep you this long."

However, Paige just smiled slightly. "You can stay for a little bi' if you wan'," she told him. "We can watch some TV or something..."

"Are you sure?" Dean asked with a slightly raised eyebrow. "I enjoyed our little dinner, but you should really get some sleep. You'll feel better."

"I've been doing tha' all day." Paige simply brushed him off as she rose to her feet, slowly making her way over to the counter where the cold and flu medicine he had gotten for her still sat. She picked up the bottle and looked over the label for a long moment, quietly coughing a couple times before she smiled. "No need to worry abou' this, Dean," she said. "This does have something for fevers. Along with everything else I'm feeling."

"Well, at least that's one thing I no longer have to be concerned about." Dean stood and pulled back the blankets on the bed a little before tossing the uneaten soup into the garbage as well. "But if you're sure, I'll stay with you until Emma comes back."

"Tha' sounds like a good plan to me." Paige opened the bottle of night time medicine and poured the proper amount into the small cup that came with it before drinking it, and Dean couldn't help but laugh a little at the look that passed over her face. "God, tha' is horrible..."

"At least it'll help. And it'll probably knock you out, too." Dean then picked up the remote from the nightstand as Paige once again burrowed under the covers, turning on the television as he began to go through stations to try to find something to watch.

"Tha' is more thank okay with me," Paige muttered, her voice muffled since her face was buried in her pillow.

Dean chuckled as he crossed the room and turned off the light before making his way back to the bed, climbing under the covers next to the dark-haired woman. He glanced down when Paige curled up and snuggled close to his side, and he wound his arms around her and held her close. "There, that should warm you up a bit, too," he said quietly.

Paige nodded in agreement as she lowered the blankets a bit so she could see the television screen. "So, wha' are we watching?" she wondered curiously, resting her head on his chest.

"Well, I haven't decided yet." Dean continued to go through the stations. "See anything that you like yet?"

"No' really..." Paige stared sleepily at the screen, not even really fully reading the words. "I'll le' you pick something..."

Hearing the weariness in her tone, Dean smiled slightly as he finally selected a stand-up comedian with puppets on Comedy Central, hoping that it would at least be something entertaining for his sick companion. "How are ya feeling, Paige?" he asked.

"Honestly, my head is still heavy, my sinuses are burning, my throa' is scratchy, and I'm freezing," Paige answered quietly with a yawn. "Bu' I feel a little better with you around."

"Well, that's good at least." Dean lightly ran a hand up and down her back, lightly kissing the top of her head before he chuckled at a joke that was made on television. "Y'know, it won't hurt ya to close your eyes for a little while."

However, he didn't get an answer from the younger woman. Dean looked down, his smile broadening slightly when he saw that Paige's eyes were already closed, her breathing light and even. The cold and flu medicine he had bought for her worked quickly, but at least she was getting the rest that she so desperately needed. He made himself a bit more comfortable against the pillows behind him, keeping his girlfriend close to him as he continued to watch the humorous routine on television and tried to keep his laughter quiet so he wouldn't disturb Paige.

"... I like you..."

Dean glanced down again when he heard her mumble, and a quiet chuckle escaped from him as he brushed his fingers through her dark hair. "I like you, too," he said quietly. "Get some sleep now, okay, Paige?"

"... Mm-hmm..."

"Good." Dean rested his head against hers, running his hand up and down her back again as she coughed a couple more times before snuggling into his chest again and falling back to sleep. His own eyes started to droop as the minutes passed, tired from the show earlier that night, until he started to doze off himself. It might not have been the dinner date that either one of them had imagined, but he had enjoyed it just as much if not more than actually going out somewhere with Paige. And there would always be more opportunities for them to have a night out.

However, he was woken almost an hour later by a sudden sneeze escaping from him. It was the dreaded first sneeze of an impending cold, he was sure of it. Dean groaned, laying his head back against the pillow behind him. The only up side to this situation, he realized, was that he had bought enough cold medicine for the both of them.

The End

Author's Note: Well, that's it! Just another cute little oneshot for these two. Hope you guys enjoyed it, and another one will be up soon. Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!