Noodle was sitting upright in bed, a sleeping 2D cradled in her arms, her head resting on his. She looked up as Russel entered, giving him a tired yet warm smile, which he returned as he set a tray with two bowls down on the nightstand.
"How's he doin'?" he asked, indicating the sleeping singer.
"Better than this morning," she replied, slowly running her long fingers through 2D's hair, "but still very weak. It really took a lot out of him," referring to the unpleasantness earlier in the day.
2D had never been the healthiest guy in the world, and the time he'd spent on Plastic Beach had not been kind. Years of malnutrition, depression, toxic environment, and physical and emotional abuse had greatly weakened his already fragile immune system, to the point that nowadays he was sick more often than not. He could barely hold down even a part-time job, and even then he was constantly calling out. He supposed he should be grateful that he wasn't all that important to the company and he had a very lenient supervisor.
Noodle had come home a few days before with a slight case of the sniffles, most likely a bug caught from one of the kids she was giving guitar lessons, part of her own part-time job as a music tutor. It was barely even an inconvenience; she'd gotten over it in less than a day. But when 2D caught it, he rapidly came down with a horrible flu, which his bandmates were made aware of this morning by the sound of his vomiting echoing through their little flat. Noodle was at his side in an instant, holding his hair back and wiping him down as he retched, burped, coughed, and retched again and again. She'd been nursing him through it ever since.
Presently, Noodle brushed a lock of 2D's hair aside and planted a gentle kiss on his temple. "Toochiii~" she called in a soft, sing-song voice, waking him so he could attempt to get something in his belly. The blue-haired singer stirred, and as he groggily sat up he noticed Russel standing next to the bed. He greeted him with a weak wave of his hand.
"Made a big pot o' soup for ya, 'D," the drummer said, indicating the bowls he'd brought up. "Cut everythin' real small so it'll go down easier." It was nothing fancy, mostly broth with some meat and vegetables, but Russel was a big believer in the power of good food. The main concern was whether 2D would be able to keep it down.
"'Fanks, Russ," the singer said, yawning and rubbing his eyes like a little kid. Noodle giggled and kissed him on the cheek as she propped him up with some pillows. 2D's eyes were still bleary and he was having trouble focusing on anything. Russel bent down and gently bumped his fist against 2D's shoulder.
"Don't sweat it, man," he said, "We all know you've had it worse. I'm sure you'll get through this in no time." With that he stood up and made his way to the door. "I'll check back in an hour or so if ya need anything else." He decided to skip his usual nagging lecture about how they both needed to gain some weight. Noodle nodded her agreement then turned her attention to the blue-haired boy in her arms, reaching over for one of the bowls so she could help him eat.
Russel headed downstairs to clean up the kitchen; with 2D's failing health the band had all resolved to try and maintain a more hygienic environment, at least around the food. This was harder to get used to than it should have been, as the Gorillaz were long accustomed to any place they lived becoming a horrendous dump. Hell, they'd spent the first eight years of their career living in a haunted landfill, for God's sake!
2D's bowl rested on a pillow in his lap; Noodle cuddled up next to him and rubbing his back while giving him a few occasional words of encouragement as he ate. It was a slow process. 2D could only manage to bring one shaky spoonful up to his lips once every few minutes; between mouthfuls he could do nothing but stare around the room at nothing in particular. He had absolutely no energy. Noodle as always was very attentive, a napkin in her hand ready to wipe off his face if he didn't manage to get the soup where he wanted it to go. The rest of the time she simply held him, glad that she could be here to take care of him like she (almost) always had.
Inside, the singer was fuming. He felt so small and helpless; and he hated how foggy his mind could get, with or without his meds. The idea that someone as wonderful as Noodle had chosen to spend her life with a useless piece of crap like him, well, it bothered him at times. He supposed he should count his blessings, but right now his entire body ached too much to think happy thoughts.
After about half an hour, 2D pushed the bowl away; feeling that he couldn't handle much more. Noodle had been watching his face, she knew him well enough to know there were some dark thoughts going on behind those haunted black eyes. Then she got an idea.
"A nice warm shower might do you some good before you go back to sleep again." 2D pondered this a moment, then shrugged and began to drag himself up to a standing position. May as well. As he lifted his head he saw that Noodle had stood up as well, and was holding out her hand to help him to his feet. The pretty young guitarist took his hand in hers and led him to the bathroom.
When they arrived, 2D slowly began to remove his clothes. As he pulled his admittedly smelly shirt over his head, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Noodle was undressing as well. He perked up a bit when he realized he wasn't going to be showering alone.
As the last bits of her clothing slid to the floor, Noodle turned to get the shower started while 2D was fumbling with his underwear. Dampened though his senses were by sickness and medication, he was still dully able to appreciate her body; as always, she was gorgeous. When the water was nice and warm, Noodle held an arm out to 2D, beckoning him to join her. Once inside, she gently guided him to sit down in the tub, then sat down behind him and wrapped her arms around him.
They sat that way for a few minutes, just letting the warm water wash over them. Noodle even started to rock him back and forth the way she always did when he wasn't feeling good. 2D had to admit this was very relaxing; he took a deep breath and sighed contentedly, feeling better than he had in days. The guitarist took a small washcloth from a nearby hook and proceeded to slowly scrub away the dirt and clammy sweat from the singer's pale skin. As she did so she gently kissed his back and shoulders, adding to the intimacy.
Shuddering at the touch of her soft lips, 2D couldn't help releasing a quiet moan; this was wonderful. Noodle was always so sweet and affectionate with him; for about the millionth time he was struck by how lucky he was to have a girl like her in his life. Even back when she was ten years old, whenever he was at his lowest she displayed an almost motherly instinct to take care of him. Years later, a few details may have changed between them but the love was the same; she would always be there for him.
A few minutes later, Noodle shut off the water, and together they climbed out of the tub and toweled off. As they walked back into the bedroom they didn't even bother putting their clothes back on, crawling straight into bed naked and still a bit damp. In no time at all their skin began to get very warm and steamy, this was after all the best way to share body heat. 2D snuggled deep into Noodle's arms and rested his head on her chest, nuzzling against the warm, soft skin of her breasts. He felt a lot better than before; he still felt exhausted and gross inside, but his outlook had definitely changed. She was so good to him. He very badly wanted to make love to her, to make her feel good and thank her for everything she'd done for him. He began to think about some of her favorite things, wondering which one he would do first, but even as his loins began to stir a familiar throbbing started to build in his head.
Of course. Of course another fuckin' migraine had to worm its way into his skull on top of everything else. He tried to relax, to take slow steady breaths while listening to the beating of Noodle's heart. But it wasn't working. Even the dim light of their bedroom felt like knives being slowly pushed into his eyes. And with that, his recently buoyed spirits rapidly began to drop. It was so unfair; he was such a useless, broken piece of shit, and the universe just wouldn't let him forget it. He tried to push down the self pity; he tried so hard not to cry but his eyes started to burn with tears, and against his will he let out a frustrated, choking sob.
Noodle had known this was coming; she'd felt his head and neck tensing up in her hands, a sure warning sign that one of his ubiquitous headaches was on the way. The obvious solution was for him to take a few of his pills, but they wouldn't mix well with the medicine he'd already taken today. Another dose of anything would probably do more harm than good. So she simply tucked his head beneath her chin and held him tight. Over the years 2D had had many nervous and emotional breakdowns that Russel and Murdoc didn't know about, but little Noodle was always there for him, even if there was nothing she could do except hold him as he cried.
A little more than an hour after his last visit, as promised Russel headed back upstairs to see if there was anything else he could do for 2D. He'd left the bedroom door cracked when he left; he was about to knock when he heard a soft melodic voice coming from inside. He eased the door open just a little to peek inside, and smiled at what he saw.
The voice he'd heard was Noodle's; she was singing to 2D while gently rocking him and stroking his azure hair. It was in Japanese, so Russel couldn't make out most of it, but it sounded like a lullaby. In the years since they had fallen in love, 2D had been making an effort to learn the language so he could share more of the culture she was so proud of, but right now he was so messed up that he could barely understand English, let alone anything else. But he didn't need to understand; her gentle voice soothing him as his tired, aching body shivered against hers beneath the blankets. After every few lines she would brush a lock of his hair away and plant a soft kiss on his cheek or forehead. Soon she felt him begin to relax enough to fall asleep.
Russel eased the door closed and backed away as quietly as he could; he didn't want to interrupt such a sweet moment. He headed back downstairs to let them have their privacy. The drummer smiled again as he reflected on everything that had happened between the guitarist and singer over the years. They were meant for each other; it was no surprise to anyone who knew them when they had ended up together. Russel was proud of them, especially Noodle. That girl was going to make a wonderful mother someday.