"Jess, you awake?" Berto whispered and Jessie snorted, burying her face into the pillow. "That's...not an answer." He muttered, leaning over her. Feeling the brush of his lips on my forehead I sighed, cracking open my eyes to see him looking down at me.
"Hey." I muttered, giggling when he kissed the back of my neck. "That tickles. Not that I'm not enjoying this but...aren't we supposed to be resting?"
"This is resting. No bad guys to fight for you, no work for me. Plus we are alone...in my dorm room." Berto whispered and I gripped the blanket, gasping when his tongue flicked into my right ear.
"Berto...slow down." I muttered as he tongued my ear and I have to admit it felt so good I groaned. "Wait...I still have the flu." I stammered, trying to ignore my heart beating faster and the flutter through my stomach.
"So what? I have it too." Berto whispered, his teeth gripping my earlobe. "Besides I'm feeling better...how about you?" He asked, flicking the inside of my ear with his tongue and I groaned. "Pretty good right?"
"Berto, leave my sister alone." Shock growled, detaching from me. For once he was left speechless, his green eye going wide as I moved towards Berto.
"Shock, he's not hurting me." I muttered, trying to convince Shock while Berto nuzzled the nape of my neck. "Definitely not hurting me."
"Now what is he doing?" Shock muttered, glaring at Berto.
"How should I know? I do have my back to him right now. You tell me." I grumbled, not expecting Berto to lean in. When he started to lick my neck my head jerked, a gasp making Shock stare. "Stop that." I mumbled, turning until I was face to face with him.
"Just having a little fun." Berto chuckled, resting his forehead against mine. "You enjoyed it."
"Alright maybe I did. Forgot about my cold for a few minutes." I admitted only to cough, turning my head just in time. "Oh...no." I sneezed right then, silently grateful I had my head still turned away from Berto.
"It's okay. You haven't been sneezing much lately and I was kind of hoping you were getting better." Berto said as I coughed again, rubbing at my itchy eyes with a scowl on my face.
"Looks like it's more rest for you two and more medicine." Shock said and even Berto frowned at that. "You can blame Jessie for that. She's the one who turned you into an ice sculpture." He added and Berto managed a weak laugh, followed by a loud sneeze.
"Yeah...sorry about that, Berto. Guess Forge's right and I need more practice." I muttered, burying my face into the pillow. "But I'll make it up...to you...I promise." I yawned, closing my eyes.
"Jessie, do you need anything?" Shock asked, rolling his eye when I snuggled against Berto who drapped an arm around me. "Well I'll get the medicine and maybe a bottle of water."
After Berto heard the door closed he kissed my neck and I sighed opening my eyes to see him staring at me with a smirk on his face. "What's up?" I mumbled and he grinned, nuzzling the nape of my neck again. "Berto?"
"He'll be gone for a while." He whispered, keeping his voice down just in case and I gave him a weak smile.
"You're hopeless you know that?" I muttered, turning over and he leant over. "Still...I like that idea." Feeling his warm lips brush against mine I sighed, drapping my arms around his neck as he kissed me. The kiss only lasted a few seconds when our eyes went wide and we broke apart, both coughing heavily. "O...okay. That was a bad idea." I coughed, turning my head when I started to sneeze.
"Maybe you're right. Oww...my throat hurts." Berto complained, rubbing his throat with an open palm. With a weak grin I lay on my right side, watching as Berto lay beside me with his head facing me. "Guess we should wait until we're over our colds, huh?" He asked, chuckling when he noticed Jessie had already fallen asleep.
"Hey guys, I'm back." Shock called as he opened the door, a bottle of water wrapped in each arm.
"They might be asleep." Blair commented, carrying a bottle of medicine in one hand and a spoon in the other. She stepped through the doorway after the Ultralink a slight smile on her face. "Looks like I was right." She whispered as Shock hovered over Jessie then Berto. "I'll leave this here for them."
"Good idea. I'll do the same then I'll...huh?" Shock muttered as Jessie whimpered. "Maybe a bad dream again?"
"Ugh...so hot." Jessie gasped as Blair moved to her side. After she touched Jessie's forehead she blinked and moved to Berto's side of the bed next, doing the same.
"They're both burning up. I'll grab a cold compress for them while you give them some more medicine, one mouthful each." Blair told Shock, popping open the medicine bottle before she handed it over. As she hurried out the door, Shock gently shook Jessie and Berto's shoulders.
"Come on, guys. Up you get." He called and I groaned, vision blurred. "I have something for you both."
"If it's more of those awful tablets you can keep them." I grumbled, pushing myself up by my elbows.
"Nope, cough medicine instead so quit complaining." Shock said and I rolled my eyes as Berto opened his. "Here." I hesitated, staring at my best friend then the spoon. "Come on, it's not that bad."
"Says the one with no tastebuds. Why don't you take it?" I muttered, forcing myself to stay upright. After getting a blank stare from Shock I finally conceded defeat. "Alright, alright. Hand it over." Taking the spoon from him I swallowed the mouthful of what I assumed was cough medicine. "Hm...okay it's not bad. Tastes like strawberries."
"Your turn, Berto." Shock said as I leant back and Berto frowned, eyeing the spoon like it was on fire. "Huh, you don't like taking medicine do you?"
"I never said that." Berto protested and I giggled, reaching under the blanket towards his chest. Once he felt my fingers tickling his chest he started to laugh. "Hey! Stop it!" He laughed and Shock took the opportunity to shove the spoon into his mouth. It worked though I broke off laughing when Berto stared, the end of the spoon sticking out of his mouth."Oh very funny, guys." He grumbled, pulling the spoon out.
"Got you to take your medicine didn't it?" I giggled and he shrugged after a moment, handing the spoon back to Shock. Who cringed as he took it from my boyfriend. "Was someone hear before? I heard your voice and someone...else."
"Blair was here but she said she'd be right back." Shock answered, setting the spoon down on the table beside my bed. "Here she is now." He added, the door slowly opening to find Agent Blair standing in the doorway with something in her hand.
It took me a few seconds to clear my watery eyes as Blair cleared the room and by that time I could see properly again. "Hey." I said and Shock rolled his eye. "What?"
"How are you two feeling?" Blair asked and I rubbed my nose, fighting back a sneeze. "Not so great, huh?"
"Not really, no." I muttered, scratching at my nose. "Yeah...sorry." I mumbled, noticing the eyebrow raise Berto was giving me.
"You don't need to apologize. You're both sick right now so you're allowed some sympathy." Blair answered, handing both Berto and I a slighty damp cloth. When I stared at it, my eyebrows raised she laughed. "It's for your fever."
"Oh yeah...that." I answered, pressing it against my still very warm forehead. It was a little cold at first then I relaxed. "Give me a break I'm sick, remember?" I said, glaring at Shock who just shrugged.
"Okay I'll give you that." Shock answered as he hovered beside me. Without warning he glowed, scanning me and I blinked. "Your temperature's gone down so that's good. Plus your heart rate's normal again.
"Could you warn me when you're going to do that?" I grumbled, earning a laugh then a cough from Berto who lay back beside me. "My throat still hurts."
"Tell me about it. Hurts to talk." Berto muttered, curling into a ball. "Just gonna sleep now." By the time I made myself comfortable, in a space of a minute or so, he was asleep. Reaching over I gently stroked the top of his head.
"It's not your fault you know." Blair said as I adjusted the cloth on Berto's forehead with a frown. "It was an accident."
"I know but I should have been more careful. This is why Commander Forge wants me to train so much...I need the practice." I answered, closing my eyes as they welled again. It wasn't until I felt a hand on my shoulder that I opened my eyes.
"Jessie, just take a deep breath. You need to get better, okay?" Blair said, giving my shoulder a light squeeze and I gave her and Shock a tiny nod. Lying back I turned around and now lying face to face with Berto I finally let myself sleep.
Once Shock realized Jessie wasn't going to wake up, anytime soon at least, he pulled the blanket over his two friends. "You really care about them, don't you?" Blair asked, watching as Shock brushed a stray lock of Jessie's hair from her face.
"Yeah. Jessie's my only family since we destroyed the rest of Makino's Ultralink army. Max thinks of Steel as his brother and I think of Jessie as my sister, even if we're two different species." Shock explained, listening to Jessie as she sighed. "And I guess I'm stuck with Berto since Jessie seems to like him so much." He added, grinning at the young genius as he snuggled against Jessie.
"He's not that bad." Blair laughed as she turned towards the door. "Now I have to get back to work but I can check on them if you'd like."
"That would be great, thanks. Maybe I'll get them some tissues...wherever they are." Shock answered, heading after Blair as she opened the door. "Hope they feel better soon."
"Having the flu isn't fun but they should bounce back pretty soon. In a day or so." Blair replied, stepping into the corridor with Shock not far behind her.
The day passed and even with Blair and Shock both checking up on us, Shock mainly to prevent me from overloading, I didn't stir awake until I heard a voice. "Huh...what?" I mumbled, opening my eyes to find Berto sitting next to me. "Did you say something?"
"I asked if you're hungry." Berto repeated, rubbing his eyes as I sat up. "I think the medicine's kicked in because I feel pretty good."
"I wish I could say the same. Still I am kind of hungry." I replied, watching Berto climb from the bed. "I'll come with you."
"Okay but if you don't feel well tell me." Berto asked as I climbed from the bed. Opening the door Berto stepped aside to let me through first and I nodded, a smile on my face. We walked into the hallway and after he closed the door, Berto led me by the hand towards the cafeteria.
I didn't let on but my head still felt like it was in a fog and I wasn't sure why. The medicine Blair gave us should have kicked in by now so why did I still feel so...out of it?
I gave up thinking about once we reached the cafeteria, thinking about food once I caught a whiff of something cooking. Berto let out a laugh as my stomach made its presence known and I rolled my eyes. This time I went to get our meals, leaving Berto to find an empty table. Which wasn't a problem and I paused in front of the soda machine, wondering why it was so quiet.
Normally something's happening around here, mainly Max and Steel playing Turbo Tag. What's going on, I thought to myself. I soon found out when I heard a growl behind me and I jumped, the cup of soda spilling all over the floor. "Metal Elementor!" I yelled as he towered over me and he grinned, a buzz saw way too close to my face.
"You are mine now, J-Shock!" He roared and I jumped, trying to dodge the buzz saw only to whack the back of my head on the wall behind me. As I fall on my backside, seeing stars, the buzzsaw slammed into the wall getting jammed. Growling, Metal struggled to rip it from the wall as I lay there dazed.
"Jessie, move!" Berto yelled and Metal spun around as a chair hit his face. Which just made Metal angry and he snarled, rushing towards Berto as I struggled to stand. "Oh...no." He muttered as Metal's buzz saw flew at his face.
"Berto!" I shouted, sitting up so fast my vision blurred for a few seconds. Still half asleep, Berto opened his eyes to see me panting eyes wide as I stared at the wall.
"Jessie, what's going on?" Berto mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. "Jess?" He repeated, sitting up this time.
"S..sorry. Going back to sleep." I muttered, hurriedly wiping my eyes. I should have known Berto wouldn't let it go and when he drapped his arm around my shoulders I sniffed, turning my head. "It's nothing."
"Jessie, if you have a nightmare you should tell me." Berto told me and I managed a weak smile, grateful. After I told him in detail he sighed and I chewed my bottom lip, wondering what he was thinking. Finally he leant in close, kissing my forehead and I broke into a grin.
"Thanks, Berto. You always know what to say...or do." I whispered and he grinned back, resting his forehead against mine. Seconds later I yawned and Berto chuckled, giving me a quick squeeze. "Guess I should get some sleep. Stupid nightmare." I muttered, lying down beside Berto. Lying in front of me, running his fingers through my hair, I sighed falling asleep before his eyes.
Waking to one green eye and I groaned, Shock staring at me. "Good morning to you too." Shock said as I struggled to sit up, Berto's arm slipping from my waist. "How are you?"
"Better, thanks. I think my fever's gone away because my head doesn't feel so funny." I replied, finally managing to sit up. Not even noticing Shock hovering there, Berto sleep on and I grinned at him. "I think Berto's better too." I added, running my fingers through his hair.
"You two look better. I came by to check on you two and link with you. It's been over seven hours and..." Shock trailed off the moment my eyes glowed green and I blinked, straightening so he could link with me. "Sorry to scare you like that, Jess."
"That's okay, Shock. I've been kind of distracted lately haven't I?" I replied with a weak grin as he detached, hovering above Berto's head. "Shock, Berto needs rest too." I sighed, giggling when Shock jabbed Berto's head with his hand.
"Ugh...haga el favor de irse, Shock?" Berto groaned, getting another head poke for his trouble and he finally cracked open his eyes.
"Good morning, Berto." Shock said, crossing his arms as Berto sat up glaring at the Ultralink. "That's a nice thank you for saving your girlfriend from a fatal overload." He complained and Berto slowly blinked, eyes on me now.
"Don't worry about it. It's a common problem with me. So how are you feeling because I'm feeling pretty good." I asked, not expecting Berto to kiss me so hard it left me speechless.
"Does that answer your question, Jessie?" Shock asked, rolling his eye as Berto grinned. "Hello? Earth to Jessie?"
"I think I broke her." Berto replied, chuckling as I blushed. Crossing my arms against my chest I snorted, cheeks still red as Berto and Shock laughed.