Achoo
Summary: Baron's sick. Haru's sick. How did everyone get sick? Common colds or not, these two will face it together. AN: I suck at humor. But I tried for the fun of it. (BARONxHARU)
Chapter 2:
"Achoo." Once again, another sneeze erupted from our sick girl. After about two minutes of awkwardness settling into their systems, Haru and Baron were now sitting on the sick girl's bed, their back against the wall as they proceeded to sneeze and cough most of the day away. No one could really tell who was in a worser state than the other, but it didn't stop the colds from making their way into the open space that made up Haru's room.
Baron's eyes were closed shut tightly from the headache pounding against his skull as he breathed heavily, his head resting against Haru's temple. Normally, Haru would've been shocked beyond words as to how close she was to Baron, but considering how terrible she felt, both physically and mentally, the brunette could care less how close they were since they were both already sick. It was a s if their day couldn't get any worse than it was right now since Toto had taken his leaved back to the Bureau for something important. More like he didn't want to stay in a room with two sick people. Germs can easily spread.
"Achoo." Baron sneezed, accidentally to his right and upon Haru. Haru froze for a moment before wiping the sneeze away from her face as she grabbed a tissue from the box in between their bodies. She held it up to Baron, and he slowly took it from her, blowing his nose. The dapper cat looked back at the human girl.
"I'm terribly sorry for sneezing on you, Miss Haru." He apologized. She just waved her hand in front of her face. "Don't worry about it, Baron. It's not as if I could get any worse. Unless you count pneumonia." She said, a small laugh coming out. The brunette noticed the panicked stricken fear that made its way onto Baron's facial features. He was also slightly shaking from the thought of Haru having pneumonia. But he could just chalk it up to the shivers his body was feeling. She gritted her teeth in worry.
"I'm kidding, Baron. It's a rarity for anyone to come down with pneumonia from a simple cold." She quickly added. She didn't want to worry the gentle-cat anymore than he already was. What the brunette didn't expect was for the cat to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pull her body into his chest, and lay his chin completely upon the top of her head.
"I do hope you are correct. If anything were to happen to you, as unlikely as it sounds, I wouldn't know what to do with my life anymore." He confessed. The cold had to be messing with his thought process; which meant the Creation probably didn't know, or would remember, what he just said. But, that wasn't what was on the brunette's mind at the moment.
Haru could feel an intense heat rise up in her face. It actually helped to offset the shivering she was emitting from the cold air swirling around in her room. She never thought that Baron could care for a human like her as much as she just heard. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she disentwined herself from Baron's embrace and set her mind to something else. Baron opened his eyes to the empty feeling he had in his arms and torso, noticing that the sick girl had moved to the edge of the bed.
Baron felt slightly confused by the girl's actions. He wondered if he had said something to offend her in any form. His thoughts halted as two sneezes escaped from his nose; his ears twitching as he faintly picked up the sound of Haru blessing him. He didn't even care that he used his sleeve to wipe his nose. After a few seconds of inner thoughts, he shuffled to the edge of the bed, next to Haru.
"Are you alright?" he asked. A few coughs erupted from the girl as he placed his hand on her upper back before she turned to look at him. she looked redder than she did before.
"Yeah, I'm fine. No worries. It was just getting a little too hot for me when I was in your arms." She replied. If it weren't for the fur, others would probably see Baron's whole face turn red in embarrassment. He brought his hand to the back of his head before a few coughs came from him this time. Both of them were in really, terrible condition.
Feeling a little too cold, Baron pulled his coat closer to his torso as he felt the shivers return into his body. Noticing his actions, Haru pulled one of her spare blankets off her bed and placed it around the cat's shoulders; situating to wrap his body completely. Baron nodded and smiled at the girl for the kind gesture before they went into another flurry of coughs and sneezes. The small silence continued on until the door to Haru's room creaked open. There, standing in the doorway, was Haru's best friend, Hiromi.
"Hiromi… what are you… (cough)(cough)… doing here?" Haru asked. She couldn't comprehend why Hiromi was in her home instead of being with Tsuge, considering she had a date with the boy tonight. Hiromi just smiled at the darker brunette's question.
"Well, seeing as you weren't feeling well at school, Tsuge and I decided to pay you a visit and maybe help take care of you. I, also, feel guilty for getting you sick." She responded. That's when Hiromi noticed who was sitting next to Haru.
"Oh hi, Baron." She greeted, raising her hand and waving to him. the dapper cat smiled softly and tipped his top hat towards her before a sneeze escaped for the umpteenth time that day. The lighter brunette just blinked at how terrible the half-cat looked.
"Are you sick too, Baron?" Hiromi asked, noting the cat shivering intensely.
"Unfortunately… (cough)(cough)(cough)… yes. Although, I don't think I have the same cold as Miss Haru does." He stated softly. He was on the verge of drifting into subconsciousness from how numb he felt. The numbness is what made him feel tired all day. Hiromi just let out a sigh before she turned to the hallway outside the door.
"TSUGE!" she called out. Haru and Baron winced at the volume of her voice. It sounded rather shrill in their minds. Before they knew it, a spiky black-haired boy was right behind the lighter brunette.
"Is everything alright, Hiromi?" he asked, his attention focused solely on his girlfriend and not noticing the two sick people in the room with her. Sometimes, Haru thought that Tsuge could be a bit dense at times that really mattered. At least he treated her best friend right.
"See for yourself." Hiromi gestured towards the two sickies. That's when the boy finally noticed who else was in the room, but he looked confused as his eyes scanned them both.
"I thought you said only Haru was sick. You didn't say anything about Baron being sick too." He stated. Hiromi just sighed for a second time. A small laugh made its way out of Haru's mouth while she thought back to the time when she had introduced her two friends to Baron.
Back then, Hiromi had kept on pestering Haru about the secret she was hiding. She never gave a moment's peace before she brought Tsuge into the mix; bombarding the darker brunette with questions, comments, and concerns about the possibility that she could probably be in trouble, and they just wanted to help. It had been going on for weeks until one day she let out an exasperated sigh; deciding to ask Baron if she could trust a few more people with their secret. At first, when she brought up the matter, Muta wasn't on board with the whole thing. He ranted on about "not needing any more chickees running around the Bureau." But when she mentioned that Hiromi was a great cook, his attitude readjusted itself like a light switch; probably thinking about all the cuisine he might get to taste. Toto didn't mind one bit since they were friends of the human girl he was fond of visiting whilst flying over her neighborhood; a feat he shamelessly did almost on a daily basis. And Baron made sure that she was certain about her decision. It wasn't only her life that was in jeopardy, but he would never put his life before others either way. So when she answered, complete honesty in her words, it made him smile, which in return sealed the deal for Haru.
By the end of the week, Haru had begun leading Hiromi and her boyfriend throughout the Crossroads and down the long, twisting, path that Muta took every time. Once they met the Bureau members, she was surprised by both the fact that they didn't react like her mother did, and because of how they actually reacted. The pair stood still as statues for a long time, not noticing that all three humans had shrunken down to Baron's height via the magic in the stone archway, before Haru snapped them out of their stupor. She dreaded the after-effect; unaware of what might happen next.
What the darker brunette didn't expect was Hiromi instantly pouncing on Baron and proceeding to squeeze the living daylights out of him, going on about how handsome and cute he was all at the same time. Tsuge reacted a little better and just understood what Haru was hiding and why she wanted to keep it a secret. He also bonded with Toto after noticing a little quarrel going on between the crow and the oversized white cat.
After he promised to keep the secret too, Haru was happy that she could trust her friends with this incredible experience. When she turned to look at Hiromi and Baron, she noticed how the gentle-cat looked a little blue in the face. That's when she realized Baron wasn't breathing. Hiromi was squeezing him too tight. It took a few seconds for her and Tsuge and to pry Hiromi off of the Creation, but they finally managed to do so. Baron was balancing himself on his knees, taking in as many deep breaths as he could to acquire the necessary oxygen into his lungs. He may be a Creation, but he still needed to breathe like everyone else.
The thought of that day had Haru reminiscing for a few seconds before she realized that she, subconsciously, laid her head on Baron's shoulder. But she didn't care. She was sick, so she didn't really think about her actions as she usually did. And it looked like Baron didn't care either, as he didn't really pay much attention to the added weight on his sore shoulder. But he did look at the girl however and smiled softly as their eyes met. Baron then felt a sensation come from his feet. When he looked down, he took notice of Hiromi slipping his shoes off his feet.
"Sorry Baron. It's a Japanese custom (AN: not actually sure if it is or not) that shoes can't be on while in the house." Hiromi said. Baron just nodded his head in understanding; allowing the girl to proceed before another sneeze issued its way out of his mouth.
Hiromi extended her hand out to Haru, the darker brunette looking at it for a moment before stretching her arm out. Once she grabbed her friend's hand, the sick girl was pulled to her feet while Hiromi rested the arm around her shoulders as she the both of them out of the room. Tsuge had done the same thing with Baron, and the two pairs headed downstairs. On the ground floor, Baron could smell something divine wading its way into his nostrils. He sighed at the smell, noting that his stomach lightly grumbled also, and Tsuge just chuckled at the cat's behavior.
Reaching the living room, the four figures noticed that Naoko was setting the table; plates and bowls on top with spoons to the side while flowers decorated the center. The redhead noticed them approaching her and her eyes drifted to the extra guest.
"Oh, Baron. I didn't know you were here too. Not to mention human size to boot." She stated. Baron tipped his hat in her direction and smiled.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, madam." He responded before a few coughs came out. He angled himself away from anyone so as to not get them sick. Naoko wondered if he was sick too.
"He came here with Toto about a few minutes ago, mom. He's also sick." Haru explained. Naoko just smiled; confirming her suspicions.
"Well then. I'd better prepare another bowl of soup, so that he can join us." She stated as she made her way back into the kitchen. It was a bit crowded with only five people, but Haru didn't mind having the company she was presented with as of this moment. Hiromi and Tsuge placed Haru and Baron in two of the chairs, next to each other for obvious reasons, while the lighter brunette took the cat's shoes to the front door where all the other pairs remained. Tsuge took the extra bowl out of Naoko's hands, the woman thanking him in the process, and placed it in front of the cat as gently as possible. The smell sifted into Baron's nose, and he sighed in pleasure from the wonderful aroma he was met with. Baron uttered a thank you to the boy and received a nod as acknowledgment. Within a four minute timespan, everyone was now seated at the table.
"Now then, since we are here to take care of BOTH of you," Naoko gestured to Haru and Baron, punctuating the word "both" with emphasis, "why don't we all dig in?" Everyone was in agreement as they gave their thanks for the food. It may have just been to soup to most people, but it was a gift from the heavens in the minds of two sickies in the room. The moment the hot broth reached their mouths, they sighed in ecstasy. It was a little hot, but it didn't stop neither Haru nor Baron from spooning the broth into their mouths at a continuous pace; respectful manners still in play.
Naoko smiled at their antics, knowing they were enjoying their meal, especially while being sick. She knew that Haru already loved her cooking whenever she got the chance to do so, but to see Baron enjoying it the way he did was enough to warm her heart at the sight. Before anyone could comprehend it, the pair had just finished their bowls before everyone else could get halfway through it. Smiling a little sheepishly, Haru glanced at her mother; noting how Baron's tail curled around one of the leg chairs also.
"Would it be possible to have seconds?" she asked shyly. Naoko just chuckled at the question.
"Of course. I made plenty." She responded before grabbing the bowls and heading into the kitchen again where she filled them up with more soup.
"Though if you two eat any more than at least a third serving, you'll probably leave the rest of us without any portions. Not to mention having a stomachache to worry about also." She stated. Baron just weakly smiled at the light teasing between mother and daughter as the bowl was set in front of him once again. As he picked up his spoon and bringing it to his mouth, the cat, for the first time of the entire day, felt like he was in heaven. What made it better was the darker brunette sitting next to him. Though he stopped his thoughts before his mouth had a chance to mention anything out loud. That was an ordeal for a later time.