A/N: To the anon who asked me for an update, hope this would make you feel better about last night's episode. And please, have a little faith for the Valkubus ship. I know (and we all know) it's probably not gonna be the end game or whatever, but it's not sinking, at least not yet.
Chapter 38 - Learn To Enjoy It
8:15am - Bo and Tamsin's Apartment
Awakened by the alarm clock, Bo moaned vaguely as she snuggled to Tamsin's side. "Turn it off..." she whispered, still half asleep.
Bo waiting for Tamsin to jump off the bed, turn off the alarm clock, give her a kiss and then rushed into the shower, like always. To her surprise, instead of moving immediately, Tamsin just let out a painful moan which sounded like a fuss, and rolled to her side.
Bo had no choice but to turn off the alarm herself. Then she shook the blonde's shoulder lightly. "Hey, if you don't get up now, you'll be late for work."
Tamsin groaned, opening her eyes. Then she groaned again and buried her face into the pillow.
Bo chuckled and forced Tamsin to face her again. She kissed her on her forehead, and immediately frowned. She touched Tamsin's forehead with the back of her right hand, and said, "whoa, you are having a fever."
"What?" Tamsin murmured in disbelief. Then she heard how husky her voice sounded. She swallowed hard to ease that burning soreness in her throat, before she hesitantly laid her hand on her forehead. "Shit…" She cursed, "I am having a fever."
8:30am - Bo and Tamsin's Apartment
"102.1 degrees," Bo said as she read the thermometer. "That and a sore throat, headache and-"
"Soreness every fucking where," Tamsin added in a grunt.
"Well, I'm not a doctor, but I'd say it's flu," Bo concluded as she carefully tucked the blanket under Tamsin.
"I don't have flu," Tamsin hissed, feeling too sore to sit up. "Flu is for weak people and humans like Kenzi. I probably just inhaled too much of that nasty smoke and it hurt my throat."
"What nasty smoke?" Bo asked.
"Dyson and I were investigating a case, and we went to this old hour. The dumb wolf swayed his ass and knocked off a chest, a crate or some shit like that, and it released some smoke. It smelled nasty and-"
"Ugh huh," Bo said. "Inhaling some smoke gives you a high fever? It's flu, Tamsin."
"Valkyries don't get flu!" Tamsin protested. "Valkyries don't get sick."
"Well, you are a Valkyrie, and you are sick," Bo said, kissing the blonde on her temple. Then she took a good look at the Valkyrie, before she chuckled again.
"What, Chuckles?" Tamsin grunted.
"Nothing," Bo replied as she played a lock of Tamsin's hair with her index finger. "It's just that...I've never seen you this weak and defeated."
"I am warning you, Bo," Tamsin growled. "You use words like weak, or defeated in front of me one more time, you are gonna get punished."
"Oh really? Hmmm...are you even capable of giving me any punishment right now?" Bo teased.
Tamsin growled in anger as she topped Bo. "You are gonna get your ass kicked right now," she hissed.
"You know..." Bo said softly, her right index finger running slowly along the blonde's chest line. "I'd be much more turned on...if you didn't have a running nose."
"Fuck!" Tamsin cursed as she collapsed on bed in frustration. Then she smashed Bo with a pillow when the brunette laughed out hard. "Weren't you supposed to be working on your stupid PI cases or something?" She asked in anger.
"I think I can afford a day off taking care of my sick Valkyrie," Bo said. She quickly got off the bed, before she got hit by the pillow again.
"Do not challenge my patience!" Tamsin hissed, her teeth clenched. "And I don't need you to babysit me, Bo."
"Okay, okay, Valkyrie Grumpy," Bo said in chuckles. "How about I get you some breakfast?"
9:00am - Bo and Tamsin's Apartment
"Waffles. Fresh berries. Hot chocolate, made with real chocolate and milk, with whipped cream and a cocoa powder heart on top," Bo said as she served Tamsin breakfast in bed. "And here's your maple syrup and butter."
"Since when do we allow food in bed?" Tamsin grunted as she picked up a blueberry and ate it.
"Since my Valkyrie woke up sick?" Bo said, dipping her finger into the hot chocolate to scoop a little cream out. Then she fed it to Tamsin.
"I think I can handle eating my breakfast on my own. Go away. Get outta my sight," Tamsin said as she slapped Bo's hand away.
"Fine," Bo replied as she got off the bed. "I'll go make you some fresh squeezed orange juice, 'cause some extra vitamin C is good for you."
10:45am - Bo and Tamsin's Apartment
After breakfast Tamsin tried to get some sleep, but with her temperature so high and her pounding headache, she kept waking up from her shallow, vivid dreams. She rolled to her side, closing her eyes, groaning in pain.
Bo, who was reading something on her laptop, immediately turned to check on her.
"What are you still doing here?" Tamsin hissed with a low voice.
"Emmm...taking care of you?"
"I am just sick. It's not like I'm dying," Tamsin fussed, facing away from the brunette.
"Yeah, I know, which is why I am holding your hand instead of crying my heart out right now," Bo said teasing as she laid a kiss on the blonde's hand. When she heard another grunt, she asked, "what?"
Tamsin opened her mouth a little, but she swallowed back what she actually wanted to say. Instead she answered, "...just headache."
Bo chuckled. "Well, you know, having a Succubus as your fiancé, you don't just get great sex, you also get..." She said as she gently massaged the Valkyrie's forehead with her fingertips, "...side effect free pain relief." With her voice soft and seductive, Bo sprinkled some charms on Tamsin's skin. She watched the blonde glow, her furrowed brows relieved, and her face softened.
"I can handle it myself, Bo," Tamsin murmured. "It's not like the pain is unbearable."
"I know, but your grumpy attitude is very unbearable," Bo replied.
8:20pm - The Dal
"How's the whole searching for your brother thing going?" Trick asked Bo as he handed her a drink.
"We've got some leads," Bo said. "That facility he was sent to, burnt to the ground two years later. He was reported missing, and most people who were there at that time were dead. We've been tracking down the survivors, but they either passed away already or have left no contact information."
"So no luck huh?"
"Well, we've made contact with a professor who was working there when my brother was there, so...probably gonna pay him a visit soon," Bo said. "Hopefully he can tell us something useful."
"Good to know," Trick nodded. Then his phone rang, and he went to answer it.
Bo took another sip from her drink, when someone's arms wrapped around her neck. "Bobolicious," Kenzi's voice came, with her lips on Bo's cheek.
"Hey yourself," Bo greeted her, laughing. Then, they both sat down beside the bar. Kenzi snatched a bottle of liquor behind the counter when Trick was not watching. She poured herself some, before she offered that to Bo.
"Nah, I think I'm done tonight," Bo said.
"Oh," Kenzi said. She raised the shot glass to her lips, and looked around. Then she asked before she downed the drink, "Officer Valkylicious is not with you tonight?"
"No, she's sick. Apparently when she's sick, she is very grumpy and she hates people," Bo said. "So she is staying at home."
"Tamsin's sick?" Kenzi murmured in surprise.
"Yep," Bo replied. "Flu."
"Really? Flu?" Kenzi exclaimed. "She got ass kicked by flu?!"
"Yeah, I advise you not to use phrases like ass kicked by flu in front of her," Bo said. "She's really sick, but she can still kick your ass, and mine."
Kenzi huffed. She wanted to make another joke, but got interrupted by Trick.
"It was Dyson," Trick said to Bo. "He's not gonna be here tonight."
"What? He told me that he was gonna stop by and give me some background check I requested," Bo said.
"He said that he left them on his desk in the precinct. Feel free to get them whenever you want, but he is probably gonna take a day or two off."
"Oh," Bo said, nodding. "Something's up?"
"Nah, he's just sick," Trick said.
"Dyson's sick? Like r-rabies sick?" Kenzi asked.
"No," Trick replied, amused. "He's received vaccines for that. It was just severe flu."
"Huh," Bo and Kenzi said simultaneously as they looked at each other, their brows raised.
"Anyway," Trick said. "He's not coming, and I have a bunch of customers coming through the door."
After Trick went to attend other customers, Kenzi snatched another bottle behind the counter, and said, "Dyson and Tamsin both got flu? Dude, that must be an omen, like the apocalypse is coming or something."
"How is it even possible? I've never seen them sick. I mean, Dyson had ear mite once-"
"-and your fiancé probably has suffered from chronic liver damage for the past millennia."
Bo chuckled as slapped Kenzi's shoulder playfully. Then she said, "seriously though, a Valkyrie and a Wolf were both taken down by flu? Something's not right."
10:00pm - Bo and Tamsin's Apartment
"Told you I am not weak! Something's doing this shit to me and I swear to all the damn Gods that if I-" Tamsin exclaimed ,lying in the bathtub with Bo's arms around her waist.
"Tamsin," Bo said, her fingers running along the blonde's arms, sending her some charms to make her sore muscles feel better. "Why are you so against the idea of you being sick?"
"Because Valkyries don't get sick," Tamsin fussed.
"Well, I'm sure even the strongest, most powerful Fae get sick sometimes," Bo said. "It's just...normal."
"Not for Valkyries," Tamsin emphasized. "Getting sick is a sign of weakness."
Bo chuckled, but when she noticed that Tamsin wasn't deadly serious, she paused, rubbing her nose gently against the back of Tamsin's neck. "Valkyrie Academy Trainer talking much?"
"Getting sick is for weak people, for humans, not for warriors," Tamsin said, uncomfortably moving in Bo's arms like she was trying to get out.
"Did they tell you that when they trained you, that you are not supposed to get sick?" Bo asked. "And if you did, they'd punish you?"
"It's not punishment," Tamsin said. "They'd keep you isolated from the others in a solitary until you-"
"Sounds like punishment to me, Tamsin," Bo said. Her heart hurt a little, as she wondered how lonely it must be for someone who was sick to be forced to stay away from the others. "It's okay. You don't have to suffer through that anymore-"
Tamsin moved against Bo's embraced again. "It's just a flu, Bo," she said. "I am not dying, or incapable of doing shit. Can you just get out and let me bath on my own?"
Bo paused for a few seconds, startled. She licked her bottom lip, before she slowly got out of the tub. She hesitantly put a clean towel on the side table next to the tub and left.
Fuck. Tamsin cursed, wanting to kick herself in the ass. She threw her head back on the edge of the tub and closed her eyes in frustration.
8:35am - Lauren's Lab
"Huh...I don't know what I am seeing..." Lauren mumbled as she looked a the samples Bo and Kenzi collected from Tamsin and Dyson under the microscope.
"The beginning of the apocalypse? The end of all humans and Fae? The proof that aliens exist?" Kenzi drawled with a low voice, mostly teasing but still a little bit concerned.
"Hmmm..." was Lauren's answer to Kenzi's questions. She was too focused on the samples to give a proper explanation.
Bo looked at Lauren, concerned. "Is it something really serious?" She asked, not sure if she should start to panic.
"No, oh no, no, it's not. It's definitely not," Lauren said. "It's just influenza virus."
"Oh," Bo relieved a little, "but you just said you didn't know what you were seeing. If it was just flu virus, you've definitely seen it before, right?"
"Indeed I have, just not with this...," Lauren said. "This particular virus strain is...very powerful and...unique."
"Is dangerous? Fatal?"
"Dangerously contagious, yes. Fatal, nah. It's just flu, a severe one but still, just flu," Lauren answered. "The symptoms to go away in a week or two."
"There's absolutely nothing to worry about? No apocalypse?" Kenzi asked.
Lauren smiled and shook her head. "No apocalypse for sure, at least not caused by this, however, something is definitely wrong."
"What is it?" Bo asked, concerned
"I...have no idea," Lauren replied. "Well, I mean, not that I don't have any idea. I am sensing something Fae. This is mostly likely carried by a Fae related to disease, sickness, and illness. It's just that there are so many, and I need time to identify what exactly it is. So-"
"-while you are working on your magic, Kenzi and I will go talk to Trick, see if he knows anything."
"Yep, that's what I was about to say," Lauren said.
10:00am - The Dal
"Fae related to disease, sickness and illness?" Trick asked. "That is a long list."
"Well, just give us that list, and we'll work from there," Kenzi replied.
Trick nodded, and took out his thick, heavy Fae book. He started to look through it and make the list. Kenzi watched him for a while, until she got bored and excused herself to a table with a bottle of liquor.
"Hey, Trick, can I ask you something?" Bo asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, of course, anything you want to know, dear," Trick said, his left index finger tracing the words on the page and his right hand writing things down on a piece of paper.
"Emmm...is it like...being sick is a big deal to Valkyries?"
"Oh, it used to be a huge deal, especially during the wars when resources were limited and the environment was harsh," Trick replied. "The sick ones were condemned among the Valkyries, and left behind to survive on their own. They were also taught to associate sickness with-"
"-weakness," Bo said.
Trick nodded as he took a glance at Bo, a little surprised. Then he went back on copying the item and added, "most Valkyries consider being sick shameful. To them, it's as embarrassed as losing a battle…."
Bo nodded, frowning a little. Well that would explain why she was so against the idea of being sick. She thought, but why is she suddenly pushing me away again?
1:00pm - Bo and Tamsin's Place
Tamsin woke up with her throat parched and her nose stuffed. She groaned, sitting up, thinking about getting off the bed to get some water.
Then, she noticed that on the nightstand, there was an empty glass, a big bottle of water, a small bucket of ice, and a cupcake, dark chocolate, her favorite
Tamsin paused for a few seconds, before she put some ice in the glass and poured herself a full glass of water. She gulped it, gasped and downed a second glass. Then she picked up the chocolate cupcake and peeled the wrapper off.
Taking a bite, Tamsin felt that bittersweet taste exploding in her chest, leaving a painful sensation to seize her heart.
2:30pm - The Clubhouse
"Akurojin-no-hi," Kenzi read a name from the list Trick gave them.
"Akurojin-no-hi...Akurojin-no-hi," Bo murmured, reading with Kenzi, "ghost flames, whoever sees it becomes ill...wait, it only appears at raining night-"
"-which we haven't had in weeks," Kenzi said as she crossed that name off the list
"Amazake-babaa," Bo read the next. "A.k.a the sweet sake lady-"
"Wooo, sweet sake, me likey," Kenzi said.
"Apparently Amazake-babaa likey too," Bo continued. "She would come to the door asking for it, but anyone who answers her request would become ill...I don't think it's her. Neither Tamsin nor Dyson drinks sake, and they sure won't give it to some stranger in the middle of the night."
"Well, goodbye Amazake-babaa, helloooooo, Maro deivės," Kenzi said. Then she shook her head before Bo even read it. "If it was her, we'd be all dead by now. And the entire city would be wiped..."
"Oh, and there's Acheri," Bo read the next, "wait I think it only dwells in mountains. They haven't been to the mountains for months."
"Okay, what about Aerico?" Kenzi asked.
"Aerico," Bo murmured. "Normally dwell in the air and can not be seen. Sometimes takes human form...is described as appearing and disappearing like a light colored smoke..." She frowned, before she said, "hey, smoke. Tamsin said she and Dyson inhaled some nasty smoke when they were investigating some old house a couple of days ago. Maybe that's it! Maybe they've encountered a Aerico."
"Okay..." Kenzi said. "How are we gonna catch it, kill it, or...ya know, stop it from hurting other people?"
"Well, I guess we can talk to Lauren and Trick, and figure it out."
4:00pm - The Old House
After discussing with Lauren and Trick, Bo and Kenzi went to the old house with Lauren. Dressing in hazmat suits, they searched for the Aerico in the house, but found nothing.
"It was definitely here…" Lauren said after she briefly analyzed some readings from her handheld monitoring device.
"But?"
"Not anymore," Lauren said. "Aaricos are airborne. They turn into a puff of smoke and travels in the air, and...when it's gone, it's just...gone."
Kenzi pointed at her helmet to Lauren, acting like she was suffocating. The doctor nodded at her, before she went back to looked at her device again.
"Whoa!" Kenzi exclaimed, taking her helmet off. "So what are we gonna do?"
"Nothing," Lauren said. "There's nothing we can do."
"So we just sit back and relax?" Bo asked.
"Well, I'll have to report formally to the Fae CDC." Lauren paused for a second or two, before she added, "it's the standard procedure, you know."
"We just let the Aerico wander outside somewhere?" Bo asked again.
Lauren shrugged. "This is all we are able to do. We have no way to trace it."
"There's nothing we can do?"
Lauren sighed and shook her head. "Well, good news is, the pathogen an Aarico carries is never fatal, because if they kill the host, they can't feed off the sickness they caused, so...welcome to the flu season."
6:10pm - Bo and Tamsin's Apartment
Tamsin got up with a growling stomach, thinking that she was gonna order some take-outs. When she entered the kitchen she smelled something. With her stuffy nose, she had to sniff a few times to make sure it was the pot roast Bo would make that she absolutely loved.
The brunette wasn't home, but the roast was still warm in the oven. Tamsin got herself a big bowl and filled it with the tender, juicy beef, some potatoes and carrots.
Sitting in front of the table, she huffed. Damn Succubus. She thought as she devoured her food.
9:20pm - Bo and Tamsin's Apartment
Bo spent some time working on her own PI cases. Then she enjoyed a few drinks with Kenzi in the Dal. She sent the Russian girl home, before she went home.
The lights were off, and the bedroom door was closed. Bo hesitantly went into the bedroom. She saw the blonde's silhouette in bed and she sighed. She wanted to go over, kiss her, and ask her how she had been doing all day, but didn't know if it would upset the blonde again.
Bo was about to close the door and leave, but she heard Tamsin say "are you gonna get in and close the door?" The blonde raised from the bed and turned on the lamp on the nightstand.
"I thought you wanted to be left alone in the dark," Bo said teasingly, leaning against the door frame, with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Well I'm out of ice, and cupcakes," Tamsin said. "And I'm hungry."
"There's pot roast in the o-"
"All gone," Tamsin replied with an eye roll.
Bo opened her eyes wide. Then she couldn't help but chuckle. "Geez, Tamsin," she said. "I am sure that pot can feed an entire Fae army."
"Yeah, well, I can take down an entire Fae army, so…."
"I'll order something for you," Bo said, smiling. Then she walked to the bedside and wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulder. She gave her a kiss on her forehead, and the Valkyrie melted.
11:00pm - Bo and Tamsin's Apartment
Bo turned off the light, and held Tamsin under the blanket. "So, are you gonna tell me why you were such a bitch today?" She asked.
"Aren't I always?" Tamsin countered, unconsciously running her fingertips along the brunette's arm, her face buried against Bo's shoulder.
"No, well, I mean yes, but not like that," Bo said. "Is this how all Valkyrie behave when sick? Or is there something I should know about?"
Tamsin huffed. She snuggled closer to Bo, before she said, "it's just…."
Bo patiently waited for the blonde to continued, but after a while she realized that she had to push for the answer, like always. "Just what?" She asked.
"Just-" Tamsin said, sighing. "Just forget it, okay?"
"Ugh huh," Bo said. "Truth, Tamsin, or endless tickle with my charms on your most ticklish spots."
Tamsin rolled her eyes and went quiet for a long time. Then she hesitantly whispered, "it's just that...I was born a Valkyrie, and I've been trained to-"
"-be a bitch?"
"I would prefer awesome, fearless warrior, but whatever," Tamsin said. She huffed out a sigh in the dark, and inhaled Bo's scent, before she continued, "as a Valkyrie, I learn things the harshest way, and-"
"And?" Bo pursued.
Tamsin took a deep breath, and gripped Bo's fingers, like what she was about to say needed a lot of strength. "I learn not to enjoy certain things."
"By certain things you mean your fiance being nice to you when you are sick?" Bo asked. "Why?"
"Because I'm afraid that...one day I'll be left-"
"Alone and wanting?" Bo completely her sentence, feeling painful inside.
Tamsin mumbled some grunts, like she couldn't wait to end the discussion. She tucked herself closer to Bo's side and sighed, tapping her index finger on Bo's chest.
Bo held her tighter. "Learn to enjoy it, " she said. "Don't push me away. If you do, no cupcakes for you next time when you are sick and-"
Tamsin smashed her with a pillow. "I will not get sick ever again! Valkyries don't get sick!"
