So I had a rare combination of things from last chapter that spawned this one. I was gonna stop at one but I got some requests for a second chapter, along with an idea to write about, and some free time to write it, so here it is! Everyone please go tell everyone you know to get into this series and appreciate this adorable pairing! Fluff! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts.

Food Poisoning

Chapter 2

Midday sunlight sliced through the trees and slanted through the glass of the window of Alice's room.

She could feel the warmth on her back and she drearily opened her eyes, finding herself staring at the sleeping form of her Contractor at her bedside. His arm was lying on her side and his head was resting next to her collarbones.

She felt parched, and remembered the glass of water he had brought up for her earlier on and flicked her gaze up to the table where it sat. But it was too far away for her to reach and she did not want to move for two reasons; she did not want to wake Oz after he had cared for her like he had, and she just did not feel like it.

So she lay still for a while, feeling a bit self-conscious at the fact that his arm was placed protectively over her body. She contented herself with gazing at his light blonde hair. Somehow, he looked cold, and she felt guilty at having all the sheets on her bed while he had nothing. So she moved closer to him and rested her chin atop his head, since it was all she could do without shifting so much as to wake him.

She listened to the silence and stared out across the room, looking at the blank wall and watching the shadows of the tree branches dancing madly there. A dark vision of hysterically laughing dolls filled her head then, and for an instant, she found herself back in Abyss. But she gasped and blinked to find herself back on her bed, and she let out a sigh. I guess I'll be haunted no matter what.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt Oz stir and she felt the blood rush to her face, for she had not thought about how to explain her position to him. She quickly pondered the pretense of sleep, but Oz had already raised his head and blinked his eyes open. "Alice." He smiled, letting his arm slip from off of her side to rub his eyes with the back of his fist. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked, a tiny rasp from slumber lingering in his throat.

The girl had almost completely forgotten the fact that she had felt sick to her stomach just a few hours prior.

"Yeah." She nodded. "T…Thanks." She began to push herself up from the bed but Oz stopped her.

"Wait, let me check." He felt his own forehead and then hers, and Alice felt frozen under his touch once again. When he pulled his hand away he smiled. "You're all better now." He confirmed.

"Good." She huffed. "Because now I'm really hungry."

Oz laughed as he stood up from his chair to stretch, and she tossed the sheets off of her body and leapt onto the floor. But her movements were a bit too fast for her dizzy head and she stumbled a bit, leaning on Oz for support.

"Take it easy!" he caught her swiftly. "You still might be a little sick." He warned, helping her get her balance back.

"I'm fine." She grumbled bashfully.

"Right." He chuckled brushing past her to head for the door. The girl walked over to the table and picked up the glass of water, still cool. She was about to chug it down when she heard Oz from across the room, "Ah, I'm so thirsty…" he mumbled as he staggered out the door. Alice froze and lowered the glass, turned around and bounded after him before he left the room.

"Oz." she called out softly. He turned his body slowly back to face her, rubbing one eye again as a yawn escaped his jaws. "Here." She offered him the glass with one hand, the other occupying her hip in that sassy style of hers. Oz blinked once then grinned.

"Thanks so much, Alice." He took the glass from her and drained it in seconds. "I wonder if Gil's back yet…" he murmured to himself.

The girl followed him into the kitchen where he placed the glass in the sink and found that Gilbert was still absent. The sun was still well above the horizon, so Oz assumed Break and Sharon would be keeping him a while longer. He let out a sigh but it quickly morphed into a wide yawn. As his eyes closed, Oz felt light-headed and lost his footing and only avoided colliding with the floor because of Alice's fast reflexes.

"Oi, Oz! What's wrong? I knew you didn't look well…" she trailed off.

This time, she was the one to help him regain his balance letting him lean on her. Her mind suddenly went frantic, trying to recall how he had cared for her when she was feeling unwell. She helped him into a vacant chair at the kitchen table and leaned down, pressing her forehead against his. "I think you feel a little hot." She declared, pulling back.

"I must have caught a bit of your food poisoning." He guessed. Hearing the word 'poison' still sent a foreboding chill up Alice's spine and she had to shake it off to concentrate. "I actually feel a little cold." He admitted. "But it's not that bad."The girl could tell that he was not just saying that to try and hide anything, for he looked like his usual self aside from the look of effete on his face.

"Well…I could try that trick you used on me with the cloth…but once I take it off, even its dampened with warm water, it'd just cool off afterward anyway so I don't think that would work…" she thought aloud. Oz blinked in shock and looked up at her.

"Eheh…you know I was just thinking about trying that, but I never thought of the last part. You're absolutely right too…"

"See? It's a good thing you've got me here, idiot." She smirked playfully.

"Yeah." He laughed.

"You should get some sleep too." Alice told him, turning her back on him to hide the small blush on her face. She covered up her actions by fetching a glass for herself and filling it to the brim with water as she recalled just how thirsty she was. "Do you want some water? Or anything?" she asked in a small voice, as though her pride was hardly about to let the master worry about the servant.

"No thanks." He grinned. "I'll just get some sleep like you said." He pushed himself up from his chair groggily.

"Oi!" Alice dropped her glass into the sink and quickly rushed to his side. "At least wait for me to come help you." She scoffed, pulling his arm across her shoulders to support him, just as he had done for her prior on that day. "It's the least I can do…" she murmured under her breath, probably not intending for him to hear, but he did anyway.

"Thanks, Alice." He said sincerely.

She led him slowly to his room, her hunger completely forgotten, and realized it was the same situation as before, only their roles were reversed. She assisted him as he climbed onto his bed, and pulled the covers away for him. The only thing different now was that she had no chair to pull up so she took a seat on the side of the bed. She felt the shifting of the bed as Oz flopped down onto his pillow, lying on his side so he could face her back. '

She then felt a wave of dizziness overcome her again and slumped forward a tiny bit before catching herself and straightening up again.

"Alice," Oz's voice sounded from behind her. "Don't try to hide it. You're still sick too."

"No I'm not." She grunted over her shoulder at him. "Is there anything else you need? Are you still cold?"

"Mm-mm." He did his best to shake his head from side to side. "I'm not that cold anymore."

"Not that cold?" she turned around more to look down at him. "But you are still cold?"

"Ah, no, that's not what I-"

"Be quiet, Oz." The girl sighed.

"Alice, you should sleep too. But you look too worn out to make it back to your room-"

"Who ever said I was going to sleep in my room in the first place?" she asked with a small smirk.

Before Oz could reply, she had lifted the covers of his bed and lay down next to the blonde boy, on her side so that she faced him. She nestled closer to him with a red tint on her cheeks until her hands found his. She clasped hers over his and pulled them to her chest, letting him feel the slow beating of her heart. "Back then…you said I was warm, remember?" she murmured.

Oz was a little surprised by her actions, but a smile quickly formed on his face.

"Yeah. I remember." He agreed, closing his emerald eyes. "You really are warm Alice. Thank you." She too let her eyelids fall and let out a small yawn.

"Your welcome." She mumbled unexpectedly, and Oz's eyes flew open in shock and blinked once. "Now shut up and get some sleep, manservant. And that's an order." She said sternly, even though her eyes were closed and her face was so peaceful. Oz chuckled once.

"Right." He agreed, already feeling loads better than he had a mere minute ago.

He too shut his eyes and savored the feeling of her warmth next to him, and the feeling of her heartbeat under his palm.

Oz never could have guessed just how close a small case of Food Poisoning could actually bring two people.

A/N: A bit shorter than the last one, but still fluffy I hope? Let me know :3 Thanks to all of you who read both chapters!

Please review!!