Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours
"I wish I could stay, baby," North mumbled into my hair, his strong arms holding me securely against him.
"I'll miss you, too, North Star," I said, smiling against his neck while breathing in his delightfully musky scent. "Be careful."
"I always am," North stated as he pulled away, looking down at me with those deep, brown eyes. His features were scrunched in confusion, probably because he found it preposterous that I would assume he'd ever be anything other than careful. Mission or not. "I should be worried about you."
"I'm just going to be home," I assured him, my smile widening at his frown.
"Exactly," North's dry tone made me giggle as his eyes flickered behind me. "Leaving you and that clown home alone should make me worried."
"Relax, little brother!" Luke laughed, not moving from his place sprawled on the sofa. His legs were bouncing to the beat of a laundry detergent commercial on TV, possibly caused by a high sugar intake, and I admired the way his blonde mane was bopping along. A bag of Twizzlers was poking out from behind the weathered couch pillow, but I hoped North would ignore it. I wanted my own helping of the tasty treat before he hid them. "We'll be on our best behavior."
"You have nothing to worry about, North," I cut in when North's mouth opened to argue. Placing my hands on his wide shoulders, I tried tugging North around to face the door. It was a testament to how much the boys humor me that he let me move him at all. "It'll be a quiet night, then everyone will be at Nathan's tomorrow for the barbeque!"
"I'll be at the diner for the early breakfast shift, but I should be at Nathan's around ten," North responded, taking his eyes off Luke to look back down at me. "I'll meet you guys at his house. Kota should be stopping by here in the morning, though."
"We don't need a babysitter!" Luke whined from the couch, making me smile in amusement up at North who just rolled his eyes.
"It's just to make sure you're up and ready for Nathan's. When was the last time an alarm clock woke you up, Luke?" North asked as he placed both hands on my hips and squeezed gently. I blew him a kiss as Luke snorted.
"I might not wake up to annoying robots screeching, but I wake up just fine to Sang kisses!" Luke boasted, a grin plastered on his handsome face.
"Luke," I chided, leaning around North to give him an unimpressed look. "Behave."
"Oh great. You sound just like North, Cupcake," Luke groaned, dramatically shivering as he sunk further into the couch, the grin sliding off his face. "Next thing I know, you'll be hiding my chocolate chips and lecturing us all on the benefits of lettuce."
"Hey, not only is lettuce highly nutritional but it has a healthy amount of Vitamin C and lactucarium which helps with insomnia," North countered sharply, turning his gaze to focus on Luke as well. His eyes might've been a little less friendly than mine, though.
"And now North is being possessed by Kota," Luke sighed, shaking his head against the couch as his golden locks fanned out around him. He brought a hand up to cover his fake yawn before scratching the back of his neck as I fought a giggle. "Cover your ears, Cupcake! Don't listen to this blasphemy."
"Come on, Luke! Salad isn't so bad," I reasoned, laughing at his outraged face. Stepping closer to North, I leaned against his chest as I brought both hands up to gently cover his ears. His grip on my waist was firm as I looked over to whisper-yell at Luke, "but we all know candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup are the four main food groups!"
"Hey, chocolate should get its own group name!" Luke complained, frowning as he focused on the floor. His hand was still absentmindedly scratching the back of his neck and it made my own neck feel a little itchy.
"Sang?" North grunted, looking down at me with an expression that could only be described as unamused.
"Oops," I giggled, letting go of his ears. I placed a soft kiss on his chest in apology before intending to back away, but right as my lips made contact with his shirt he pulled me closer in a hug.
"Watch it," North grumbled quietly, taking a deep breath with his face buried in my hair. I returned the favor, getting a nose full of his musky scent while wrapping my arms around his torso.
"Okay, okay, you said goodbye. Now hurry along and let me get my Sang time," Luke called from the couch, and I could picture the pout taking up residence on his face.
"Shut it, Lucian. You get all night with her," North countered as he pulled away and turned to Luke. "And what the fuck are you scratching? Stop that!"
"Oh," Luke blinked, pulling a hand away from his neck and looking at it in surprise. "I didn't even realize…."
"Do you have a bug bite?" I asked, walking towards the living room and leaning against the couch's arm beside Luke. "I know a few ways to help them stop itching."
"Nah, I don't think so," Luke answered, cautiously running his fingers over the back of his neck. "Geez, it itches like mad, though."
"Poison ivy?" North questioned, coming up behind me.
"Maybe. Nathan and I explored the woods a bit this afternoon. But no, I would've realized," Luke's nose scrunched adorably as he began scratching again.
"Stop!" North and I cried, starting to reach towards him but Luke jumped backwards.
"Relax!" He laughed, leaning back against the couch and bringing his arm down. "Yeah, it's probably just a bug bite. I'll stop scratching."
Luke's eyes looked genuine, but I'd known the boy long enough to question his clever wording. From the look on North's face, I knew he was suspicious, too.
"You promise?" I asked slowly, holding out a pinky finger and wiggling it at Luke. "No more scratching? I can try and help lessen the itch, if you want."
"I promise," Luke rolled his eyes, leaning forward and sloppily hooking our pinkies together.
"Call Kota if you need some ointment or something," North said, still looking at Luke unsurely. "Anyways, I really need to get going."
"I hope you have fun tonight, North," I smiled, reaching out for his hand and walking towards the door. He entwined our fingers, and I held back a sigh of contentment.
"Watch over Luke," North said quietly as we approached the door.
"Of course I will," I answered, shaking my head at our overprotective bear.
"And Sang? Get to bed at a decent hour," he said as I pulled the door open.
"We will," I said slowly, a little puzzled as to why North was bringing up my bedtime.
"That means that bag of Twizzlers better not be more than half empty tomorrow morning," North said pointedly, and I ducked my head in both guilt and a little embarrassment. Of course North noticed.
"It won't be," I mumbled, unable to stop my smile as North leaned down to gently kiss my cheek.
"Behave," he muttered against my cheek, allowing enough time for me to get my own peck on his cheek before he towered over me again.
"You behave, too!" I ordered, grinning as North turned around and walked over the threshold. I already missed his warmth, a stark contrast to his dark exterior, but I tried to shake it off as I let the door swing shut and walked back to Luke.
"You ready to get this party started, Cupcake?" Luke grinned, pulling the bag of Twizzlers out with a flourish as he presented them to me.
"Let me get the pancake mix!" I grinned, grabbing a piece of licorice and running towards the kitchen.
I woke up to an empty bed and a head that felt like it was full of cotton. Groaning, I stretched my limbs as far as possible while digging my face further into the pillow. It felt surprisingly nice, so I rubbed my face against the pillow again, sighing in happiness. Since when did this feel so good?
As I finished stretching, my calves rubbed together and I almost purred in delight. My head was aching, but for some reason the friction relaxed me. I had barely enough time to realize how odd this was before a grunting sound pulled my attention towards the attic door.
That's where I found Luke, furiously sliding his back up and down the wall as he panted. His eyes were closed, mouth wide open with a groan.
Cautiously sitting up and scratching my scalp to get rid of the bed hair, I got a better look at Luke. His face was twisted with something along the lines of pleasure as he rubbed against the wall, hands furiously sliding against his thighs in a clawed grip. My eyes widened as I wondered if this might be a way that boys...pleasure themselves.
But then I saw the spots.
Covering Luke like a dalmatian, they popped up everywhere. There wasn't a two inch radius on his skin without the alien marks, and my jaw dropped in surprise.
"Luke?" I croaked, looking down to realize I was scratching my own arms without realizing it. Luke responded with a North-like grunt without stopping his frantic movements.
"Luke?" My voice came out a little more distressed as I ripped the covers off my bare legs.
Spots.
Spots everywhere.
"Must...scratch," Luke gritted through a clench jaw, sounding exhausted as I watched sweat drip down his brow. How long had he been awake scratching?
"Luke, stop!" I cried, stumbling off the bed and rushing towards him. I grabbed his shoulders but wasn't strong enough to stop his movements. My skin felt like it was on fire, and I glanced longingly at the wall space next to me.
"Sang, make it stop!" Luke cried in frustration, frantically scratching his neck and chest. "I can't take it anymore!"
"We have the Chicken Pox?" I meant to say it, but it came out as a question. I was pretty sure we did, but I'd never actually seen these spots before.
"We've been cursed," Luke declared, turning his head sharply and rubbing his cheek against the wall. "We're going to die!"
"Luke, we need to stop scratching," I forced out, watching helplessly as my traitorous fingers started rubbing against any skin they could find on my arms. The effect was mindblowing.
"Oh," I moaned, sinking down to sit on the floor. The cool wood felt good against my overheated skin, and I began rubbing my legs back and forth against it. "Oh, yes."
"Oh fuck," Luke groaned, rubbing his cheek harder against the wall. "Right there."
"This feels amazing," I sighed, trying to comprehend how the feeling of rubbing my legs against the floor could feel so good.
"Guys?" A hesitant voice called through the closed door with a few accompanying knocks. "Hey, are you...busy?"
"Kota?" I called out in a strangled voice as I found a particularly stubborn itch on my elbow.
"Oh geez, sorry," Kota called back, sounding flustered. "You're obviously busy. I'll come back...later. Or not. We could meet downstairs. Unless you want to meet up here? Oh god. Ignore me. Carry on. I mean...shit, I'll be downstairs."
Luke finally opened his eyes when Kota cursed, and we shared a surprised look.
"Kota, wait!" I panted, starting to feel a slight cramp in my side from all of the movement I was doing. My brow was caked with perspiration, and I just couldn't force myself to stand up to get the door. "Come here!"
"What?" Kota exclaimed, his voice slightly shrill. "In there? Like...join you? No, no. I can't...what? I really don't think-"
"Put on your big boy pants and get in here, Kota!" Luke demanded in a hoarse voice, rolling his eyes at me. "We're decent!"
I watched as Kota slowly opened the door, unable to stop myself from rubbing against the floor and scratching at that god-forsaken spot on my elbow. My other hand twisted around awkwardly to reach the spots on my cheek and I couldn't decide if I was in Heaven or Hell.
"Sang?" Kota called in alarm once he'd fully opened the door and saw me flailing about on the floor. "Luke? What has gotten into you...oh."
"Yeah, we got the pox," I whined pitifully, pouting up at him as his eyes flickered between us in concern. "Oh no, now you'll get them! Run, Kota! Run!"
"They'll just follow you! You're cursed now, too!" Luke called out madly, his eyes looking slightly glazed over.
"No," Kota shook his head, bending down and gently grabbing both of my arms. He sat down on my legs, causing me to huff as I wasn't able to move them anymore. "I've already had them, but you two seriously need to stop scratching. They'll take longer to heal and leave scars if you don't stop."
"Screw these fiendish little fun-sucking devils," Luke bit out, roughly rubbing his arms and face.
"Luke, stop!" Kota commanded, using his Team Leader voice that bended even my own will. Luke responded with a strangled, animalistic sound while slightly slowing his movements. I tugged against Kota's hold, but his grip was too strong. The fire on my skin was getting too hot to handle. "That's it. Downstairs, right now."
"You can't give me hours for this, Kota!" Luke argued, pushing off the wall but continuing to scratch anywhere he could reach. I stealthily leaned closer to Kota, eyeing the nails on his hand that was facing me. They were blunt, but it looked like they could get the job done.
"I'm not giving you hours, just go down to the couch. Sang, stop!" Kota cried, turning back to me as I nuzzled my cheek against his hand. It was an awkward angle, but I got a tiny bit of relief as his nails grazed over my spots.
"Kota, please," I begged, rubbing more frantically before he pulled back and hoisted me up into his arms. My hands were still locked together in one of his while his other hand cupped my bottom as he held me in a sort of backwards piggyback ride. Unable to stop myself, I started rubbing against him anywhere are bodies were touching, and he pulled to an abrupt stop behind Luke at the door.
"Sang," Kota warned through a clenched jaw, his grip tightening on both my hands and bottom. "You doing that is giving me my own itch to scratch, so please stop."
Twenty minutes later, Luke and I found ourselves confined to the couch with oven mitts duct taped to our hands. Kota had put me in a pair of thick sweatpants that were duct taped at various parts of my legs so I couldn't rub against them. I was wearing an oversized sweatshirt that was impossible to scratch in as well, and Luke was in a similar getup. Kota had caked calamine lotion all over our skin, but the fire still wasn't extinguished.
"How long do we have to live like this?" I asked softly, looking from Luke sitting beside me to Kota who was carrying two bowls of cereal into the room.
"Most likely a couple days," Kota answered calmly, placing the bowls of Captain Crunch on the coffee table in front of us. "But if you stop itching now, it won't last as long as if the scabs needed to heal again."
"Kota, oh fuck," Luke cursed, rubbing his oven mitts furiously against his thighs. "Shit, you don't understand. My dick itches so bad!"
"Luke!" I exclaimed, my eyes bugging out of their sockets.
"Sang, I'm not even sorry. This is torture," Luke whined. "This is worse than the time North rubbed poison ivy over the inside of my boxers."
"North did that?" I blanched, surprised that North would ever pull a prank on Luke.
"Well, it was after I put itching powder in his before one of his football games," Luke shrugged jerkily as he continued rubbing.
"Luke, stop!" Kota repeated for the hundredth time, sitting on the coffee table and picking up a bowl. "You need to calm down. I brought some breakfast for both of you. You'll need more energy after what you've expended this morning."
"I don't need you to feed me, man," Luke pulled his head back as Kota held out a spoonful of cereal to him. I leaned forward slightly, opening my mouth expectantly for him. Kota smiled as he brought the spoon just out of my reach.
"You need to stop scratching first," Kota instructed softly, nodding towards my lap when I stared at him in confusion. Looking down, I was surprised to see that I'd been rubbing the oven mitts against my thighs without even realizing it.
"Sorry," I apologized quietly, forcefully keeping both mitts still as I opened my mouth again. Kota slowly gave me the spoonful, and I happily munched as he scooped up another helping.
"Doc says he can't get here until his shift ends at noon," Kota informed us, placing the next spoonful in my mouth which I devoured.
"Oh no, we've ruined the barbeque," I mourned, frowning at Kota.
"Relax, Ten," he smiled, tapping the spoon against my pout. "I've texted everyone saying you're sick, and we'll reschedule the barbecue."
My frown deepened. So much for getting to spend a fun day swimming with all of my boys.
Over the next few hours, I realized that I had worried for no reason. The boys had trickled in one by one, and almost everyone had joined us in the family room already. Nathan came over with some movies to watch, North brought fruit from the Diner, and Victor brought a light pink snuggie for me to wear. I'm not sure where he found such a high-quality snuggie, but the material was softer than any silk I've felt. Dr. Sean brought some painkillers and fever reducers, which I was incredibly grateful for. He also had a small lecture on Chicken Pox, which he spiced up after saying that kisses held healing powers in the cases of pox. He demonstrated on my arm, working his way up from wrist to shoulder while explaining that each individual poc would be magically healed after his lips touched them. This theory stopped when Luke held out his arm expectantly to Dr. Sean.
Silas brought a new book for me to read, an English version of the bedtime stories his mother used to read to him. I made him promise to stay the night with me and read them together.
Kota announced the bad news before lunch. With Luke and I dozing every hour or so and the barbeque cancelled, some of the boys decided to take up a mission now so they could all be free next weekend. Nathan, Victor, and Silas headed out while North started making lunch in the kitchen and I did my best not to pout.
Erica had just left after bringing us some fruit smoothies in sympathy when the door flew open and Gabriel came barrelling in.
His eyes zoned in on me right away and he came rushing across the floor. Grabbing my shoulders in a tight grip that almost caused me to sigh with perverse pleasure from the pressure on my pox, he started rambling in alarm, "Sang, what's wrong with you? I got Kota's text saying you were sick. What the fuck happened? Are you okay? Shit! Where's Doc? DOC! WHAT'S WRONG WITH SANG?"
Gabriel's frantic eyes had focused on Dr. Sean before his body went completely rigid and he turned back to me slowly.
"What the fuck are you wearing, Trouble?" Gabriel's voice was deadly calm as his eyes dropped down to my frumpy outfit before his glare shot towards the other boys. "Which one of you motherfuckers let her wear this?"
"Gabriel, calm down," I said, holding my breath as he brought a hand up to smooth down my hair. It was wrong, I know it was, but I wanted to cry with joy and start kicking my foot in excitement as he put pressure on my scalp. His hands were gentle and light, but I felt just the tiniest bit of relief as his hands skimmed over my pox. If he could just get a little...closer….
I stifled a groan as his hands fell away.
"Meanie, wait-" I gasped, wanting that hand back. "I think you messed up my hair."
Gabriel gave my hair an intent stare before looking at me like I was certifiable. "No, I didn't. I fixed it, Trouble."
"No, it feels poofy on the left side," I insisted, trying to flip my head back a little to move the hair.
"Stop, stop! What the fuck are you doing?" Gabriel cried, stepping forward and grabbing my head to make it stop moving. "Fine, I'll fix it."
"Thank you, Meanie," I gave him a small smile then took a deep breath to prepare myself for his touch. These pox were bound to send me to the nuthouse.
"Gabe, stop," Kota's commanding voice rang out from across the room and everyone froze. I meekly turned to look at Kota as everyone else turned towards me and Gabriel, who still had his hand in my hair.
"What did I tell you, Sang?" Kota asked, his face not the least bit amused as he looked down at me from meters away.
"No scratching," I admitted softly, unable to refrain from pouting a little.
"Oy, what the fuck is going on?" Gabriel asked in confusion, plopping down on the couch next to me and letting his magical hand drop from my hair.
"Sang and Luke have the Chicken Pox," Kota explained, gesturing towards Luke on the couch as well, who'd fallen fast asleep an hour ago and continued to sleep through Gabriel's yelling.
"Well, shit," Gabriel exclaimed, turning back to me and tugging lightly on a lock of hair. "Trouble, you know I'm here for you and all that, but there is no excuse for wearing shit that is fucking duct taped to your legs. Even in sickness, I won't allow it."
"I think we would all prefer that Miss Sorenson remains comfortable. Wouldn't you, Mr. Coleman?" A smooth voice spoke from the foyer, and I looked to see Mr. Blackbourne quietly closing the front door with his eyes on us.
"No," Gabriel mumbled under his breath before slinging an arm around my shoulder.
"Owen, so nice of you to join us!" Dr. Sean grinned, patting the side of the armchair next to his beanbag. "We're just about to start the Disney portion of our movie marathon."
"Ah, my personal favorite," Mr. Blackbourne responded dryly as came to a stop in front of the couch. I met his gaze hesitantly, feeling wholly embarrassed and out of place in my sweats and useless oven mitts. He met my gaze just as cautiously, reminding me once again of the multitude of spots and pink lotion caked on my face, before he reached forward and lightly caressed my cheek. A smile blossomed on my face, and I didn't fight it as I saw his returning one. "How are you feeling, Miss Sorenson?"
"I'm okay," I whispered, watching as he crouched down in front of me and his gaze roamed over my face. "It's itchy, but the lotion helps. Dr. Sean gave me some medicine, too. Everyone has been so helpful."
"I'm sure they have," Mr. Blackbourne's millimeter smile appeared again and my eyes were riveted to it. I wanted to bottle it up in a jar and carry it with me everywhere. "I know you've probably heard this enough today, but do you need anything else? Anything at all?"
"No," I shook my head quickly, placing my hand on his arm before I realized the oven mitt was in the way. Mr. Blackbourne didn't seem to mind, so I kept it there. "I just like having you all around. That helps the most, I think, the distractions."
"Then I will stay as long as you need me," Mr. Blackbourne decided, nodding his head at me.
"Oh, no! I don't want to make you…," I trailed off unsurely, biting my lip. "I mean, you don't have to stay if you don't want to."
"I want to," Mr. Blackbourne answered simply, placing a soft kiss on my sweaty forehead before standing up to his full height. He missed my full blown smile as he turned around and walked towards the armchair, but Dr. Sean's wink and Kota's chuckle told me they saw it.
"Oy, can we start this shit now?" Gabriel's voice boomed in my ear, causing me to jump slightly. He pulled me tighter against his side, kissing the top of my head in apology as I relaxed against him.
"Which movie first?" North asked as he came into the room with a few plates of food.
"Mulan!" Dr. Sean called out quickly in excitement at the same time Gabriel yelled, "Aladdin!"
"Don't look at me," I raised my oven mitts helplessly after they all turned to me with expectant faces. "Wake Luke if you want a sick person to pick, but I don't like deciding."
"It's just a movie, Sang," Kota sighed from his chair, smiling at me. "It's okay that you can't decide between us. We like that, but I think you can pick a little movie."
"No!" I moaned, sinking further down the couch and against Gabriel. "Somebody else pick."
"I'll do it!" Dr. Sean shouted and popped up, racing to the dvd player as Gabriel started to get off the couch next to me.
"Dibs on the next one," Gabriel grumbled in defeat before cuddling back against me.
North dimmed the lights as he handed out plates of lunch and the screen lit up with the opening credits for Mulan. The itching had mostly subsided and my headache was gone. I was still exhausted, leaning against Gabriel as he lightly rubbed my arm before stopping and lightly cursing himself.
Every once in awhile, I grabbed Luke's oven mitts when he started scratching in his sleep, but the rest of the afternoon was spent dozing, laughing with my boys, and watching a wide array of movies.
It was after dinner, and I had woken up in the middle of some movie about bugs in a circus. Snuggled between Gabriel and Luke, I yawned and saw a movement in the corner of my eye. Turning to the side and blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I watched Mr. Blackbourne bring a hand up and cautiously scratch a spot on his forearm.
His gaze flickered over to meet mine, and my hand flew up so an oven mitt could hide the beaming smile I felt stretching across my face.
Mr. Blackbourne would need a nurse for the next few days, and I knew just the girl who'd be up for the job.
A/N: Hmph! It was originally going to be The Three Amigos all getting the Chicken Pox, but then other things happened and yeah. This came out.
Also, Luke was crossing his fingers behind his back during the pinky promise. Even though I think the pinky party technically trumps that, Sang and him can argue about it later.