His head was feeling funny. Groaning. Duo blinked his eyes open wondering just why did he woke up when nothing disturbed him for a change. Finally after debating with himself to move an inch or not he reached over to search blindly for his watch.
'Damn, where is that piece of shit?!' The young pilot hit something to the floor but finally found his watch. Squinting his eyes he tried to read the illuminated numbers. Still they came out kind of blurry. 'Probably because I'm so goddamn tired.' He grumbled under his breath before finally making out the numbers.
'Christ, 2.16am.' Duo moaned while dropping the watch back on the table. He rubbed his eyes with his hands. 'Why does that always happen to me? Can't I just sleep peacefully for once? I'm a hardworking person after all. Blowing up Ozzies and handling annoying five year olds is not an every day job.' He pulled back his cover and sat up in a swift movement.
'Fuck oh fuck.' Duo hold his aching head. He blindly grabbed to his small night table but the damn thing kept moving so he hit his hand instead. Duo let himself fall back onto his bed hitting the headboard in doing so.
"Auuuwww." He moaned in agony. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He hissed glaring at the headboard. To his surprise though he could look straight through it.
"Oh wow, it's snowing outside. Cool. Is it winter already?" Duo frowned. Something was definitely weird a little voice in his brain told him. He tried to sit up once more though very slowly this time. Having managed that he rubbed his aching mucsles. 'God, I'll never ever go down to town again. Damn that stupid bus to hell.'
The braided teen pushed himself slowly up staggering out of his room across the corridor to the bathroom where he knew Quatre kept some asperin. He popped in two just to speed up the result and found himself looking in the mirror.
'Whoa, kid you look like shit.'
Duo nodded in agreement at the figure behind him in the mirror. "Nothing I can do about it, Solo. What are you doing here anyway? Isn't it enough you keep coming back to me in my dreams?" Duo splashed some water in his tired face.
The boy behind him frowned. 'Hey, I'm offended. What's that supposed to mean? Don't you like me anymore?' The blonde whined.
"Stop whining already my head hurts enough."
'Duo, you should be a bit more polite to your friends even if they're just halluzinations. Don't you remember what I taught you?'
"Oh, Sister Helen, you're here, too. Wow, what a party!" Duo staggered out of the bathroom when he heard whining from the last room in the dark corridor.
"Geez, what's this tonight?!" Barely being able to hold himself upright he shook his head to clear the grey from the edge of his vision and followed the noise.
'Oh my poor boy, I think you're running a fever. You really shouldn't take walks out in the rain. It's not good for your health.' Helen said.
Solo shrugged walking straight through the closed door. 'Nothing what stops Shinigami, ne?!' He grinned at Duo.
"Nah, it's just a puny fever." In his delirium though Duo totally missed that Wu Fei had stepped out of his room taking in Maxwell talking to himself.
'What is he doing now? And just who the hell is he talking to?!' Wu Fei shook his head and followed the Deathscythe pilot in Heero's (now Kenji's) room and stopped short. There was Duo obviously arguing with someone Wu Fei deemed invisible if it's a good idea to open the window or not. Only clad in his string pants with his tousled braid and his slightly swaying step he looked pretty like someone who had looked to deep in a glass.
A moan beside him caught Wu Fei's attention. He leant over Kenji who lay sweating in his bed having kicked off his covers. Touching his forehead the small boy groaned.
Fever. And looking at Duo the baka probably had one too. The Chinese was about to order Duo into bed when he suddenly had the urge to sneeze. "Haaatschi!!"
Duo swung around blinking at him like an owl. "Hi Wuffers, didn't see you there. Caught a cold?"
Wu Fei frowned at the grinning Duo. What was so funny about a cold?
Duo swaggered over to him. "Aw, now would you look at that Solo, does our Wuffie-kins doesn't have a lovely red nose?" Duo cackled, Wu Fei glared and Kenji coughed in his sleep.
"The little bugger is sick, you know?! I was just explaining to Solo we have to keep the window closed even if it's so freaking hot in here meaning I payed attention in class." Duo grinned at someone only he could see before he plopped down on Kenji's bed.
"I can see that. And obviously you're running a fever as well." Wu Fei scowled.
"And who's fault is that? All yours!!! Solo is agreeing with me so you havta take care of me and my little buddy here." Duo said and let himself fall beside Kenji wrapping his arm around the smaller body.
Wu Fei raised his eyebrows at this and shrugged. "Stay there. Don't move." Wu Fei left the room.
"Hey kid, wake up I want you to meet some of my friends." Duo poked the sleeping child in the side.
'You should let him sleep, my boy. The little one is quite exhausted.'
"Yeah okay. We had quite a trip yesterday."
Solo jumped to him on the bed. "Che. Who's so crazy as to walk up that freaking hill in the middle of a downpoor anyway?" Solo blew his bangs.
"You should ask that the dragon master over there." Duo snorted pointing at Wu Fei who had just entered the room with some medicaments.
"Here take these." He offered Duo some pills.
"No, can't." The braided teen waved his hand in Wu Fei's face.
"And why not?" Wu Fei asked between his teeth. Duo was crazy enough with all his senses intact but with a fever he was even more off track.
"Sister Helen says I already took asperin meaning I can't take those." Duo pushed himself upwards. "Ya know Wuffers how about you let me do this? Looks like you never dealt with sick people before. Or are you actually trying to get rid of me?" Duo raised his eyebrows and tried to grab hold on Wu Fei but unfortunately the Chinese didn't stop moving. "Fuck Chang, would you stop being such an asshole and stop moving around already. Just because Shinigami is taken down by a fever means you can make fun of me."
Wu Fei frowned at the long haired boy and dragged him upwards. It wasn't that he moved rather it seemed that Duo's senses were a bit off. 'Better not saying anything. He looks pissed enough. Looks like mood changes come along with the fever. Shit. Where is Quatre when you need him?' Wu Fei sighed and let Duo pass.
Deathscythe's not-so-healthy pilot staggered back to the bathroom where he opened the cabinett over the sink once again. "So Sister Helen, I need your help now. What should I give the little bugger?"
'Mhm, there's no real medicin for the child in there.' Helen scratched her chin behind him frowning in thought.
Solo showed Duo slightly in the side to get a better look. 'Hey, make a bit space there. Lemme see.' He scanned the various bottles and packages and finally pointed at another package of asperin. 'You should take half a pill of those. It should be okay for his age.'
'That's a good idea. It'll keep the pain and fever at bay. I wonder why you don't have a fever thermometer here.' Helen said.
"Oh you see." Duo scratched his head in thought. "We usually don't have to deal with stuff like that. Burns, shot wounds, lacerations and deep cuts are usually our forte." He prepared the half a pill in a glass.
'Oh.' Helen looked a bit perplexed.
Solo looked nonplussed. 'Well, good sister. They're in a war after all.'
Duo carefully brought the glass to Kenji ignoring Wu Fei who frowned at him. "Just what are you giving him? I hope you're not trying to poison him after all what we've been through yesterday."
Duo carefully made the half awake boy drink the contents. "Even if. First it would be your fault for getting him sick. Secondly Quatre's, since it's his task to freaking take care of him BUT he deserted us which he and Trowa will regret once I'll get a hold of them." Duo closed his eyes rubbing them.
"You should be in a bed yourself, Maxwell. Just tell me what I should do."
But Duo waved. "Nah, don't bother. Solo says he's one of us and he would never let me live it down if I abandon Kenji. Sister Helen would be mighty disappointed too. So you see. Can't do that. Though I'd appreciate it if you could fetch me a bassin with cold water and a couple of rags. Wu Fei walked out the door doing as the Deathscythe's pilot had asked. When he came back Duo was once again laying next to Kenji.
"Duo?" Wu Fei asked hesitating.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm up up already." Duo sat up on the bed and took of Kenji's pyjama and started to wrap the cold rags around his legs and arms. Another he put on Kenji's forehead and the last he used to cool his own head as well as wipe Kenji's neck and chest from time to time.
Wu Fei sat on a chair watching the two figures on the bed. "Are they still there?"
Duo looked up startled. "Who?" He asked dumbly.
Wu Fei tugged nervously at a strand of his hair which had fallen out of the ponytail. "Well, Sister Helen and Solo."
Duo stared for a moment at him before shaking his head. "No. They are sleeping now." He fell silent. After awhile Duo said. "Sister Helen said we should give him after six hours the other half of the tablette and keep his body cool." The teen let out a grin. "And I had to promise her and Solo that I'd rest as well."
Wu Fei nodded. "Then do that. The best is if you stay here in Kenji's bed so I can have a look over you both."
Duo let out a relieved smile. "Ah Wuffers I knew you're a softie under all this justice raving madman." He closed his eyes so he didn't see Wu Fei's half scowl half smile directed at him. "Wu Fei, you don't think now I'm crazy, or?!"
For a moment Wu Fei didn't know if Duo really had spoken but in the next moment two dark indigo eyes blinked open. Glazed with fever they were waiting for an answer. Slowly Wu Fei shook his head. "No you're not Duo. We have all our ghosts." Duo gave him a last grateful smile before closing his eyes. Wu Fei leant back in his chair watching the pair.
Ten minutes later.
"Wu Fei?"
"What?"
"Can't sleep."
"You will. Just count to hundred."
Ten minutes later.
"Doesn't work."
"Maxwell, you're exhausted. You should fall asleep instantly just what did you take?"
"Asperin."
"Same like Kenji's?"
Silence.
"No. The other ones."
Sigh.
"Great. You idiot took the ones with vitamin C."
"So?"
"Vitamin C works like caffeine."
"Aha."
Silence.
"You know Wuffers. Since I can't sleep and you're my "nurse". How about you tell me a good night story?"
"SHUT UP MAXWELL AND GO TO SLEEP ALREADY."
"Che. What a nurse. I was only asking."
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Hi everybody, this chapter was a mix of things what have been happening when I was sick. I'm having a fever very seldom and when I had it last year I actually could see through walls. Don't know how it worked though. Overimaginative mind I guess. The next chapter will probably be the last chapter in the safe house and Q and Tro will contact Wuffers and Duo. The part with Duo seeing and talking to Solo and Helen is inspiried by the Irish writer Jamie O'Neill. He wrote 'At swim, two boys' which is a tender lovestory between two boys in Ireland in 1915/16. Read it it's very good. I hope you all had nice holidays! Happy new year!