I wonder how many of these I have to write before people start calling me "that girl who writes gay Punch-Out! fanfiction".

Anyway, this is my birthday gift to my dearest Seagull. Have a good one girly :)

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Punch-Out!.

4:37 pm

It was a chilly sort of day; a reminder that winter was a lot sooner than it seemed. Heike Kagero, with a cozy scarf wrapped around his neck, was preparing himself a cup of tea in the kitchen. He was careful to sprinkle in just the right amount of cinnamon and mix it with just enough sugar to get that delightfully sweet tang he loved so much. Yes, he was a bit of a tea snob, but why should he settle for just okay when he had the means to make it perfect?

He took his drink to the living room and curled up on the pullout couch with a mandala colouring book. He loved breathing a bit of life into the seams of the dull black-and-white pages. Outside, a harsh wind blew by as rain began to fall. Heike jumped a bit at the sudden sound. If it were any colder outside, why, it would be snowing. He was grateful to be inside, where it was warm, dry, and cozy.

He was just finishing a sky-blue flower petal, listening to the rain beat down, when he heard the door slam shut. Heike was a bit puzzled; he didn't remember anyone going out. He went to check things out, but before he made it all the way to the entryway, Narcis Prince knocked into him on his way in. He was soaked to the skin, trembling from the cold and-were those? Yes, they were; little chunks of snow in his hair.

"Is it snowing already?" Heike glanced at the window. "It's only November."

"Yeah, it's snowing," grumbled Narcis, "and it's bloody cold out there too."

"You didn't bring a coat with you?" Heike cocked an eyebrow.

"It was hardly even frosty this morning, I thought a sweater was enough." Evidently, it wasn't, as Narcis was completely drenched and shivering like mad.

Heike took his boyfriend's wrist and felt for a pulse. "I can still feel your pulse," he said, relieved. "Come on, let's get you warmed up." He led Narcis to the laundry room, careful not to let him slip on the water dripping from all over him. Once inside, he rifled through a basket and handed him some clean clothes. After stepping out for a moment to let Narcis dry off and dress in privacy, Heike reentered and held his head over the sink to pick out all the snow, which annoyed him a bit. After this, he opened the dryer, which had just finished a plot-convenient load of towels and blankets. Heike bundled Narcis into the thickest blanket in the load. Narcis let the heavenly warmth wash over him and quietly thanked Heike; as snooty as he was, he at least minded his manners.

5:03 pm

Heike was back to his tea and mandalas, just with Narcis by his side. Narcis was supposedly napping, but he looked a little too prim to be fully asleep; he had his head perfectly elevated and his hands folded neatly over his chest. Was looking his best seriously still his top priority? Why, he could have hypothermia, for all he knows! ...Does he? Even with the heavy blanket, he was shivering. Heike got up and fetched a thermometer. Now was the concern of getting Narcis to agree to have his temperature taken. He could be very stubborn about these kinds of things. Perhaps it was easiest to get him to open his mouth without waking him. But how? Narcis never fussed, snored or talked in his sleep. In fact, he always looked like, dare Heike say, a prince when he was sleeping. So much that he couldn't help but gaze at him, with a twinkle of awe in his eyes.

Eventually, Narcis's eyelids fluttered, and he woozily blinked his eyes open. He looked around the room with a dazed look in his eyes; another bad sign. Heike gently nudged him. "Come on, love, wake up. I need to take your temperature."

Narcis recoiled into the blanket. "I…'m not sick. Jus' cold."

Heike was miffed. For reasons unknown to him, Narcis abhorred head colds. Heike couldn't understand what the big deal was; surely they weren't that bad. He had to try a different tactic to get Narcis to cooperate. Luckily, he had the perfect trick staring him in the face; literally! "Are you sure? You've gone completely red in the face."

"What?!" Narcis's head darted around, looking for some sort of mirror. Heike pulled a compact from his pocket to show him. Sure enough, his nose and cheeks were glowing a gentle garnet red. He was mortified; he was already very appearance-conscious, but nothing upset him more than his beautiful face being disgraced. He whimpered a bit seeing it. Heike offered up the thermometer again, and this time, Narcis didn't argue.

"My heavens," said Heike when he got the results, "you must be very cold indeed." Even though he was now dry and wrapped in a thick, cozy blanket, Narcis's temperature only came to 36.4℃; a full degree lower than normal.

"Don't look at me," whimpered Narcis, hiding his face under the blanket. "I'm hideous."

"Oh, darling, it's only blush," said Heike. "It'll go away." He wanted to put his arms around him and hold him tight, but thought it was best not to touch him in this condition.

Narcis didn't budge. "I hate colds."

"Why?" Now was the perfect time to tease the answer out of him.

"Because I…" Narcis trailed off, and made a strange face. Before either of them knew it, boom went the dynamite. "Esshhoo!"

Heike jumped back a bit. He didn't know anyone who could sneeze that loud. And boy, if Narcis wasn't red in the face before, he certainly was now. That must be why he hates colds; he was a very ugly sneezer. Heike decided not to say anything about it, and instead went to look for something else to bundle Narcis into. There were still freshly-dried blankets in the dryer. They were starting to lose their warmth, but that didn't matter; as long as it would bring his temperature up. When he came back, Narcis was hiding under the first blanket, weeping with embarrassment. "My poor, beautiful face…"

"Oh, there, there," cooed Heike, coaxing him out. "You're still beautiful."

"You don't understand," mumbled Narcis. "I look like a baby doll."

Heike was taken aback quite a bit. He had always known Narcis was very particular about his looks, but surely he cared about his health more? But then he thought. Maybe this was connected to his health; his mental health. Perhaps he had spent a lot of time feeling like he wasn't pretty, and now in the present, having that beauty tarnished hit much harder than it would for someone else. "Now, now, my sweet, it's not permanent. It'll be gone before you know it."

Narcis sniffled, evidently unconvinced. Heike sighed and wrapped him up in the second blanket. Narcis weakly raised a trembling arm. He didn't say it, but Heike knew exactly what he was asking for; some snuggle time. He moved closer and gently put his arms around his love. That seemed to calm him down.

6:36 pm

Later into the evening, Heike had prepared hot vegetable soup, hoping that it would help heal his dear, sweet chum. He had decided that dinner would be on him, so it would keep the other guys off Narcis's back; they weren't exactly big fans of his vanity. He fixed two bowls, one for himself and one for Narcis. The second had less in it, since Narcis had always had a small appetite, and Heike wanted to ensure that he would finish his plate (well, bowl).

"James," he whispered, gently patting his shoulder. "I brought you some soup."

"I'm not hungry," mumbled Narcis, who was still very moody. However, his rumbling stomach begged to differ.

"The tummy always tells," teased Heike. Narcis sighed and sat up. Heike handed him the bowl. He was a bit hesitant to try it at first, but figured that the heat was more important than the taste, and once he had some, he found that he rather liked it. Heike sat perched next to him with his own soup. They ate in relative silence, and much to Heike's relief, Narcis finished his food.

Seeing as it was already dark outside, and Narcis's eyes were drooping, Heike thought it was best to put him to bed for the night. He rustled him up, blankets and all, and brought him upstairs to his quarters. Just to make sure he would stay cozy throughout the night, he took off his scarf and gently wrapped it around his neck. "Now, if you need something, you tell me, alright?"

Narcis seemed to understand. He still looked upset, so Heike stayed by his side and held his hand until he drifted off into a gentle slumber.

7:13 am

"Don't engage. You don't want to get stuck taking care of Nimrod Prince."

Heike awoke to Super Macho Man's voice.

"Knock it off, Brad. But seriously, keep your distance. Colds spread like wildfire in this house."

Once the voices died away, Heike pulled himself out of bed and went to Narcis's side. He was in for a bit of a shock when he came in; Narcis was a mess. His hair was wild, he hadn't slept a wink, his face was still as red as a cherry, and there were a few stray tissues scattered across the bed. He looked absolutely miserable. Heike was a little afraid to approach him. Nevertheless, Narcis needed him, so in he went. "Are you awake, my sweet?"

Narcis looked up at Heike with crestfallen eyes. Heike shook his head and picked up the thermometer he left on the bedside table. Then he realized; who brought Narcis the tissues? He hadn't done that. He shrugged and popped the thermometer into Narcis's mouth. Now he had the opposite problem; he was running a fever of 39.3℃. Heike wasn't happy about this, but he figured that it was better that Narcis was too warm than too cold. Besides, he was still huddled into a bundle of blankets, so he must still feel cold. He put his hand on Narcis's shoulder. "Is there something I can do to cheer you up?"

Narcis sniffled and picked up a hairbrush off the bedside table. Heike sighed and sat next to him to brush his hair. "Darling, did you once believe yourself to be less than stellar? Like you weren't absolutely stunning?"

"Don't be silly," said Narcis, "I've always been gorgeous. Until now." He put a hand over his forehead. "I've become a flushed, snotty mess."

Heike shook his head and continue to untangle Narcis's messy blond hair. Narcis wasn't insecure as a child; rather, he was just incredibly dramatic. "Oh, hush now, Jamie. Why, you're like a scene out of a painting."

Narcis brightened a bit. "I do?" He rather fancied the idea of being the subject of a sophisticated painting. He melted into the role almost instantly. "Tell me; will I ever be beautiful again?"

"Oh, of course," said Heike, acting like a doctor. "Provided nothing else is wrong." Which, thankfully, there wasn't; Narcis was simply feverish and very sniffly.

Narcis smiled. "You truly are magnifi…" There came that face again. Heike snatched a tissue from the box and pressed it under his love's nose. Narcis breathed a sigh of relief as his urge to sneeze disappeared. He plucked the tissue from Heike's hand and blew his nose. "Magnificent. That's what I was going to say."

"I could say the same about you," said Heike, wrapping his arms around Narcis. They hugged each other and were relaxed...until that urge to sneeze came roaring back with a vengeance. Narcis sneezed so hard, he would have dropped Heike off the bed if Heike didn't cling to him for dear life. They both looked at each other, surprised, and Narcis blushed a bit. However, Heike simply laughed. "I'll have to keep an eye on you until you can regulate your own body temperature again!"

And now that it was over, Narcis found himself giggling along. He laid back, content, as Heike nuzzled into the crook of his neck. Maybe having a cold wasn't quite so horrible. If Heike could look past his flushed face and horrendous sneezes, then perhaps it wasn't really that bad. He yawned and closed his eyes; he was ready for a long nap.

Hopefully this gets some traffic, since this is a pairing that people actually ship.