He woke up feeling unrested, still tired and already tired of the day to come. He was supposed to attend a 2-days convention during the weekend and the previous day emptied all his energy and motivation. if it wasn't for business, he would have gone home; but his boss sent him to represent the company and take notes on interesting new devices' designs. He liked the theme and enjoyed himself -the first hours, at least- but he had an increasing headache, thanks to a long week working night and day on an ambitious prototype he wanted to present at the end of the month. Besides, he didn't feel good among big crowds and the event was pretty huge, gathering international science's leaders. He took off in the evening, when everybody was departing. He took a taxi to his apartment, ready to welcome a good night of sleep since his boss gave him the next day free -bless him-. He spent the afternoon feeling relatively bad but now bad was an understatement: his ears were ringing, and he felt slightly nauseous. He thanked and paid the taxi driver for the ride before walking to the building's entrance. He did not go far, however, since feeling the world spinning made him stop and sit, as to avoid vomiting or passing out. He stayed like this a little while, then attempted to stand. Unfortunately, the pain came back with force at every movement he made, so, he gave up. He curled up and remained motionless, hoping the shooting pain would subside and he could go sleeping in his bed instead of on the disgusting floor next to a dumpster.
She came home rather late, but she didn't mind; a day at the lab wasn't a chore for her as she enjoyed herself in what she did. She was ready to change into her pyjama's pants when she saw the bin was full. She couldn't wait the next day's rubbish collection. She went down quickly, eager to take a quick shower and find her comfy bed. She pushed the door and grab it fast when she became aware there was someone sitting on the stairs. "Sorry, I did not want to frighten you" She apologized but the man didn't say anything nor move -rude-. She frowned but dumped her things and turned around to go inside. She paused; the man was still in the same position and it worried her a bit. "Are you alright?" No response. "Hey I'm talking to you" she said touching briefly his shoulder. "What?" He said, raising his head just a little, without looking at her. "I asked you if you were alright", she fought the irritation. "oh... yeah" He breathed, then hided his head again. She was going to reluctantly go and leave him alone when a car driving really fast suddenly braked to slide into a corner. She heard the man hiss and saw him grit his teeth and dig his fingers into his skull. Enough-she thought. She kneeled before him and placed a hand on his shoulder: he flinched and lifted his head, but the move made him dizzy, so he put his head in his hands again. A flood of panic crept in her "You're not okay, I'll call help". She took her phone and began to dial the service, but he looked at her in the eyes and for the first time she saw his eyes. It was dark but she could see they were blue and pretty but what surprised her was the emotion in them. She saw fear. "Don't. Please", he pleaded her. Come on how could she say no to him? "Alright but we are moving from there. It's getting cold and it stings", she ordered giving him a hand to stand up. She waited a minute then he took it and slowly stood, closing his eyes all the way. "It's okay, I'll guide you" She assured him. "Thanks" He mumbled. She took his arm and let him lean on her to go inside. She guided him to her apartment; it took a while but they succeeded. She let him go when they were in front of the couch and pushed him gently onto it. She observed him: his forehead was sweaty and his breathing was fast and shallow. She grabbed his hands, put them on his knees and replaced them with her own to take his temperature. He was burning; he really was not fine. Not knowing what he suffered from, she decided to take care of decreasing his fever. So, she whispered him she would be back and ran to the bathroom to grab a washcloth. She, then, went to the kitchen where she took a bowl that she filled with cold water and placed everything on the coffee table. She kneeled in front of the couch before him and called for his attention. He looked at her the best he could and seemed panicked, disoriented. She explained him they were at her apartment and that she knew what she was doing since she was a doctor. She helped him to lie down and he kept his eyes firmly closed all the way, which proved her previous assumption that he was suffering. She didn't wait any longer to dip the washcloth in the water and place it on his forehead. He flinched a little but did not open his eyes, he just exhaled, and his body relaxed just a bit. after five minutes, she did it again, and again for forty minutes, until his breathing was calm and the creases on his forehead were gone. She told him everything was okay, and he relaxed completely and fell asleep rapidly. She freed the air she kept inside while she was nursing him, reassured he was better. She picked up the washcloth and stood up slowly. She took the risk to remove his shoes and placed a blanket over him. He looked peaceful and she felt proud of herself; especially since she was not a real doctor. She stayed at his sides a couple of minutes to be sure everything was good, then closed the lock of the door and wrote a quick note to his neighbour in case he woke up before her and started panicking taking the unknown environment in. Finally, she went in her room to sleep.
Fitz woke up mid-night due to his headache resurfacing and opened his eyes: he did not recognize the environment and sat to identify it. He was in a well decorated living room. He saw a note on the table and grabbed it in order to read it. "Hey, don't panic! You're in my home, I am your neighbour. I helped you diminish your fever. You can stay the night" He smiled: what a nice person! Sawing the water bottle near him, he remembered his medication in his backpack: he grabbed two of it and drank it. When it was done, he decided to lie down, the migraine and tiredness stronger than the angst of being in a stranger's home.
She heard the bee-beep of her alarm clock and automatically turned it off. She sighed and sat; no need to waste time in bed. She pushed the cover and slowly stood. She put on her slippers and made her bed then sighed, satisfied. She took new clothes and went to the bathroom to shower, like every morning. When she was done applying her nude make up, she headed to the kitchen to drink some coffee to stay awake on this workday. She paused when she entered the living room: there was someone on her couch! What?! Oh yes, Fitz! She totally forgot. she pinched her lips and observed him from her spot: he slept peacefully on his left side with his mouth slightly opened. She admitted he looked quite adorable. Anyway, she had to go to work so, debating with herself for less than one minute, she turned away, wrote a quick note for him, grabbed her stuff and went out.
Fitz awoke when the sun was up. He felt good, the headache was almost completely gone. He stirred and turned on his back. He didn't recognize the ceiling, but he remembered he wasn't home. What he didn't think about was when he would wake up and face his neighbour. He thought about how to get out without making any noise, but the apartment was still. He searched his phone in his pocket; 9 am. She must be at work; it was Monday after all. He waited thirty seconds then stood up. He folded the blanket and put it on the end of the couch then put on his shoes, which he didn't remember removing. Once he was ready, he went to the door but stopped to read the new note hung on it. "Hi, I had to go to work but once you get out, please close the door and give the key to Ms Hobbs. Hope you're feeling better, have a nice day!" Wow that was a long note... She really was a nice person, nicest than all his building, nicest than him for sure. He did what he was told and thought of a way to thank her once he was in his apartment. He sat on his couch and thought. He was hungry but his fridge was probably empty, and he wasn't motivated enough to do groceries and even less call to be delivered food. So he waited in the same position for a long time until he found himself dozing off. He sighed; the drug always made him tired, that's why he took it only when he felt awful. But not as awful as the day before, it was his mistake to have waited as long. He lied down, giving up on trying to be productive. Minutes later, he was asleep.
She was having a good day, not enough work for her taste, but good. She sure had plenty of time to think about his neighbour. She saw him less than 10 times since she moved in one year ago, and only yesterday she heard the sound of his voice. He seemed like someone mysterious and reserved and she thought that she wouldn't mind to know him better.