Prompt: Chell wakes up with a cold.

Wheatley had heard that inhuman sound before. Well, not exactly inhuman, as only humans did that weird thing where they pulled their head back and closed their eyes, nose curling up as they went "ahhhhhhhhh" before bucking forward and letting out spit and mucus out of their mouth.

Gross.

And Chell was doing it practically every minute that morning!

She had woken up with a hacking cough and sneezed no less than twice before getting out of bed at a slower pace than usual.

Wheatley was, therefore, more concerned than disgusted, especially when Chell could barely get up and rather, collapsed back onto the bed. He asked what was wrong, gently reaching a hand out to stroke her hair.

Chell replied after she coughed again, saying that it was "just a cold".

"What does that mean?" Wheatley cocked his head to the side and didn't know what to make of the word. "You look like you're sweating buckets rather than freezing and in need of a blanket."

Chell pondered the question for a moment, trying to figure out how to describe it, and in the process coughed again, causing Wheatley to become even more concerned. Humans didn't do this regularly, at least, not that he saw in his day-to-day life. And Chell most certainly didn't do this often, either.

"It's like… the human body is fighting off a virus."

Wheatley reeled and bit his lip in horror. Viruses were one of his worst fears, even if Chell told him that he couldn't be infected on the surface.

"And… how do we get it out? Is it going to hurt?" Wheatley's voice began to rise in his panic. "Will you need to go see a doctor right now? Dear- sweetheart, is it fatal?!"

Chell weakly smiled, and shook her head. "No. I just need medicine. Or I wait it out, my body will get rid of it by itself."

Wheatley stared in surprise, stunned that the human body could do something like that. Then, she coughed again and asked if he could get her a glass of water. Pulling away from trying to figure out how the human body could even have the defensive systems to get rid of a virus, Wheatley kissed her forehead before getting up to grab the cup of water Chell requested, and to grab the computer.

Within a few moments, Chell was drinking a glass of water while trying to get up again, and Wheatley was on the laptop, looking up things about caring for a significant other when they were sick.

"Dear?"

She looked to him, letting him know that she was listening.

"You're calling your work to tell you that you're not coming in today, right?"

She blinked, as if the thought had not occurred to her. She coughed again, and Wheatley instantly turned away from the computer to feel her forehead.

"Luv? This doesn't feel good. You're really hot. And you haven't got coolant to make you better."

Chell merely shrugged it off, but Wheatley knew that something was wrong. Chell was still having trouble getting up. She seemed much weaker, and wasn't as quick when she did finally get out of bed.

With that, Wheatley firmly knew that he had to keep her home. When he followed her into the kitchen, and found her weakly reaching for cups.

Wheatley decided that, this time, he was going to put his foot down, and said, "No, luv, you can't do this on your own. Plain and simple."

He stepped over, hooking one arm under her legs, the other behind her back, and scooped her up.

As he carried Chell back into the living room, she began protesting, kicking her legs and squirming, but Wheatley held firmly onto her, refusing to let go until he placed her on the sofa.

"Luv," he said stubbornly, placing a finger on her lips when she tried to speak, "If you'll call work and tell them you're sick, I'll- I'll take care of you. Just tell me how. Please darling. You've done so much for me. Please just let me take care of you."

Chell stared back, almost as if she was going to just simply get up and try again, but instead, she let out a resigned sigh and flopped back onto the sofa.

Wheatley practically skipped as he went to grab her phone, and she called after him.

"Pillows and a blanket, too, please."

Gathering everything together, he built up a small mound behind her and laid the blanket on top of her, while she dialed her workplace and told them about how she wasn't coming in. Wheatley thought the coughs and sneezes were reason enough, honestly.

With a huff, Chell settled back into the pillows, placing her cellphone on the sofa arm. She would have preferred to go into work that day, but Wheatley was completely willing to help her.

If she had to stay home from work that day, at least Wheatley was excited about it. He was thrilled at the prospect to take care of her.

Maybe one day of him worrying about her wouldn't hurt.