"Winter Slumber"

I don't own FMA.

Chapter 5: Cough, Hack, Cough

When Marta, she was greeted by a grinning Dorochet. Great. Just great. What did he do now? Then she realized she was still in Greed's bed. Oh yeah…

"Why are you here, Dorochet?" she asked, fearing what he would say next.

"To make sure you're okay. Greed's orders. Roa will be here with dinner any minute now." he replied, still smiling.

"Where is he?"

"Greed? Don't know. He just left without saying anything."

"What happened when I blacked out?"

He made a strange noise that sounded distinctly like the squeak of a mouse. A red tint appeared on his face- He's blushing!

"Dorochet…?" He looked at her as if to say something, but no words came out of his mouth.

Knock, knock

Dorochet sprinted out the door. Damn, he's fast. Roa came through the door with a tray of food, watching him run like hell. Shaking his head, he set the tray down in front of Marta and sat in the chair that Dorochet previously occupied.

"You asked him what happened, didn't you?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah… What's with him?"

"Do you really want to know what happened?"

"Yes…."

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. Just lemme get one of the women to explain it." He left, then came back a minute or two later with one of the women that took up residence at the tavern. (It was the newcomer, whose name is Eliza.)

"Alright, what happened?" asked Marta, getting impatient.

"Well, right after you collapsed, Greed…eh…freaked out. He ran to the door to get you, but me and a few others got there first. Don't worry; we didn't let him in right away."

"That's good…I guess…How much of me did he see?"

"We got you into your underwear before he ripped the door open. Dressing someone without looking is really, really hard."

"Underwear meaning both bra and panties?"

"Yes, though he barged in the second you were covered. Then he just picked you up and carried you to the bedroom. Dorochet ran in with the rest of your clothes a minute later, but Roa came and dragged him out, so I guess Greed was the one who finished dressing you."

Oh, that's great. Just GREAT.

"So, did anything else happen?"

"He didn't let anyone see you; he just sat outside the door, like he was guarding an awesome treasure or something. It was kinda creepy, actually…" she trailed off and gazed into space for a few minutes. By then, Marta had finished eating, so Eliza took the tray and bid her goodnight, leaving her alone in the bedroom.

Didn't know he'd get so protective… Marta thought wearily. I guess Roa was telling the truth, then… She pondered this for a few minutes, until guess who opened the door.

"Feeling better?" Greed asked, masking his emotion with a cheerful façade. For some reason, he was angry with himself. I mean, it wasn't his fault that Marta was knocked out, but he felt like it was. Why didn't he run in the second he heard her pain? Because she'd be mad at me for respecting her privacy… not that that matters anymore…

"Actually, I'm feeling much better now," she lied. "Thanks for asking, though." She felt bad enough about worrying everyone; she didn't want to make it worse. "And…I'm sorry for what I said earlier; I didn't mean it."

"Hmm?"

"I said I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean what I said earlier, and I didn't mean to worry everyone…" she repeated. What, was she speaking French? He smiled. It wasn't his usual smirk, either. Oh, no. It was an actual smile, something that was pretty rare to get from Greed.

"I forgive you. Just get better, alright?"

"Alright."

"Good. Now get some rest." He closed the door as quietly as he could, seeing that Marta was struggling to stay awake as it was. Yawning, she laid her head on the pillow and passed out almost instantly.

KAFF! KAFF! KAFF, KAFF!

Gag. Choke. Disease.

Once again, Marta was rudely awakened, though this time it wasn't because of Greed, who was asleep next to her.

KAFF! KAFF!

She sat up to ease the pain of the coughing fit, giving herself a bit more room to breathe. After a minute or two, Greed woke up as well, giving Marta a sleepy glare. If she wasn't busy coughing, then she'd probably see it. But she didn't. (Although she did acknowledge his presence.) Finally, the coughing stopped.

"Why did you lie and say you were better?" he said bluntly.

"Because I didn't want to worry you…." she whispered softly. He stared at her for a second, then forced her down, pulling her towards himself, receiving a startled squeak from her.

"You'll sleep better if you're warm."

"…you're just taking advantage of me while I'm sick!"

"Yep. Get used to it." She sighed, but gave in, making herself as comfortable as possibly in the protection of his arms.

Wasn't too hard for her.

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Oh yeah, before I do anything, let me say this: Don't mind Kyoko-chan over there; she's just a jealous fangirl. (Kyoko: Hiss!)

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