A Nobody's Christmas
Summary: Axel comes down with the flu on Christmas. Luckily, he has two best friends to take care of him.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Kingdom Hearts nor am I making any money by writing this.
A/N: Again, I apologize if the spacing is messed up. All blame is placed on Microsoft Word. Sorry, this took me a bit longer to post than I wanted. It turned out to be a lot longer than I first thought. And to think, this all started while I was stuck in traffic with my dad going to pick up my grandma for Christmas dinner. I'm sorry if the details are off at all. It's sort of been a while since I've come down with the flu. I don't remember what it's like. How pathetic is that?
The Christmas Flu
Demyx woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of Axel vomiting in their shared bathroom. Groaning softly, Demyx got out of his nice warm bed and went into the bathroom to see if Axel was okay. What he found when he got there was Axel hanging limply over the toilet.
"Axel?" he asked softly, stepping forward. Axel looked up, his face immensely pale. "I'll go get Vexen."
Vexen was understandably crabby when he was woken up in the middle of the night, but then again, Vexen was always crabby no matter what time it was.
"What's going on Demyx?" he asked.
"It's Axel," Demyx explained. "I think he's sick. He's really pale and he threw up."
"All right. I'm coming," Vexen said irritably.
He followed Demyx back to the bathroom where they found Roxas, dressed in his pajamas, kneeling beside Axel, gently rubbing the redhead's back. Judging by the acrid smell in the room, Axel had just vomited again. Vexen stepped forward and started examining Axel. Silently, he vanished through a portal, and came back with a couple things. He listened to Axel's breathing with a stethoscope and frowned.
"What are you doing?" Axel croaked as Vexen pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and took a cotton swab.
"I'm doing a throat culture. Now hold still," Vexen ordered. He stuck the swab in Axel's throat, causing the redhead to gag. "I'll be back. While I'm gone, get him back in bed." He pointed at Axel. Without further ado, he vanished through a portal.
"Are you done vomiting?" Roxas asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Axel answered weakly.
"All right then." Roxas looked satisfied.
He and Demyx helped Axel up and dragged him into the bedroom. With much difficulty, they lifted him up and got him into bed. Axel groaned and closed his eyes, willing himself not to vomit again. Roxas pulled the covers up and gently brushed Axel's bangs out of his eyes. Fifteen minutes later, Vexen came in through another portal that vanished behind him almost immediately.
"Well?" Roxas asked quietly.
"It's influenza," Vexen answered. "Nothing to be concerned about. Just keep him in bed as much as possible and keep him hydrated."
"What about his fever?" Roxas asked.
"Keep your eye on it, but unless it gets over 103 degrees, we shouldn't worry," Vexen said.
"Okay." Roxas nodded. "Anything else I should know?"
"He should try drinking ginger ale to help settle his stomach," Vexen said.
"I'll go get some," Demyx volunteered. He vanished through a portal.
"What do I do to take care of him?" Roxas asked after Demyx had left.
"As I said before, keep him in bed, and make sure he gets as much rest as possible. And make sure you keep him hydrated. That's the most important thing you can do. Whatever happens, do not let him become dehydrated. It will not be easy because of his element."
Roxas nodded. "Right. Because of his affinity with fire. He loses water fast."
Vexen almost smiled. "That's right. The other major thing you have to do is watch his fever. A low grade fever will not be harmful. In fact, it's actually helpful." He received a blank look from Roxas. "It's the body's way of dealing with intruders. If the fever is too high, however, it can be damaging to his tissues. With Axel, it's even more important you watch him carefully."
"Right, going back to the whole fire thing," Roxas mumbled.
"If his temperature gets above 103 degrees, come and get me right away," Vexen said.
"All right," Roxas said.
"I'm going back to bed," Vexen said. He vanished through a portal.
Roxas sighed softly and turned to Axel. "How are you doing?"
Axel groaned. "I feel like shit."
"You'll be okay," Roxas said softly, gently touching Axel's face. His skin burned under his touch.
Demyx came back with a glass of ginger ale, which he gave to Roxas.
"Thanks," Roxas said quietly. "You can go back to sleep. I'll stay up with him."
Demyx shook his head. "I'm not gonna be able to sleep anyway. I might as well stay up with you guys. I'm sure you could use the company."
"Okay," Roxas said with a smile. "Help me get him into a sitting position so it's easier for him to drink."
Demyx nodded. Roxas put the glass of ginger ale on the small table next to Axel's bed and the two of them hauled Axel into a sitting position.
"I could have done that myself," Axel muttered. "I'm not an invalid."
"I know," Roxas said. "Just shut up and let us take care of you."
"Fine." Axel rolled his eyes.
Roxas handed him the glass. "Be careful when drinking."
"I know," Axel said in a raspy voice.
He took the glass and slowly drank it. Some of the fizz got up his nose and he started coughing, spilling a good portion of the drink on his shirt. Roxas rolled his eyes and vanished into the bathroom to grab a towel. He brought it out and dabbed at the damp part of Axel's shirt to try and get some of the liquid dried off. Axel continued drinking. Once the glass was empty, he handed it back to Roxas and lay down. He rolled on his side and tried to sleep the best he could.
For the first part of the night, Axel was vomiting and experiencing diarrhea in the bathroom. It was hard for Demyx and Roxas to listen to it. They waited patiently for him to be done and drag himself out of the bathroom so they could help him back to bed.
He didn't say anything, which was very unusual for him—Axel was usually so talkative. They knew he wasn't feeling good because he wasn't his usual talkative self. As the hours went by, Axel only seemed to be getting worse. His fever was higher and he was more and more out of it.
"Should we call Vexen again?" Roxas asked worriedly.
"Let's see what his temperature is first before we call him," Demyx answered, glancing at the thermometer sticking out of Axel's mouth.
Roxas nodded. "How much longer does that need to stay in for?"
"Only about a minute," Demyx answered. "I've got it covered."
He looked at the clock on the table next to Axel's bed, waiting for the luminous numbers to change. Finally, the end number flipped from an eight to a nine. Demyx took the thermometer from Axel's mouth and looked at it. After staring at it for a few moments, he looked up at Roxas.
"Roxas, I need you to go find Vexen. Now." He was amazed at how calm his voice was. "Find him now, okay?"
"All right," Roxas said. He exhaled softly and created a portal to Vexen's lab.
Vexen wasn't there.
"Now what?" Roxas muttered.
The answer was obvious: he had to find Vexen. The only question was where to look. He started wandering around. He had never been in Vexen's lab before; it was a sacred place. He knew he was going to be yelled at by the Chilly Academic not only for penetrating his sacred place, but also for waking him up for the second time. But he had no choice. He would rather risk Vexen's wrath than let Axel's condition deteriorate any more. The other major problem Roxas faced since he had never been in Vexen's lab before was that he had no idea where the hell he was going. He figured he could wander around for a while and if he got too lost, he could always portal back to his room and try again.
"What are you doing here?" a voice asked from behind, causing Roxas to jump. He whirled around.
He saw a very disheveled-looking Zexion standing there, a far cry from the neat and tidy man Roxas was used to seeing. He was dressed only in a pair of black pants, his silver hair tousled and his cerulean eyes hazy with sleep. Roxas stared at Zexion's nicely sculpted chest for a few moments before hastily looking away; Zexion was glaring at him.
"What are you doing here?" Zexion repeated.
"I'm…I'm looking for Vexen. It's Axel. He's sick and he's only getting sicker," Roxas stammered.
Zexion frowned. "What's wrong with him?"
"He has the flu," Roxas answered. "Vexen was in earlier and told us that he had the flu. He told us to come get him if Axel's temperature got above 103 degrees."
"Do you know his temperature right now?" Zexion asked.
"Not exactly," Roxas answered with a shake of his head. "Demyx was the one who took Axel's temperature, but when he saw it, he went pale and told me to find Vexen right away. He sounded urgent. He wouldn't have sent me if it wasn't bad. Axel looks really bad. He's barely conscious and he's so hot."
"Take me to him," Zexion ordered. "If he is as bad as you say he is, then there's no time to go find Vexen."
Roxas nodded and created a portal back to Axel's room. Zexion followed. Roxas stopped short, his eyes wide in horror; Axel looked so much worse. Demyx turned and looked relieved.
"Thank god you're back," he breathed. "Did you bring Vexen?"
"No, but I brought Zexion. He's just as good," Roxas answered.
"Let me see Axel," Zexion said, stepping forward.
Demyx's eyes widened at Zexion's half-dressed state and turned away, blushing madly. Zexion ignored him and moved to Axel's side. He placed a pale, slender hand on the redhead's forehead and then turned to Demyx.
"Is there a thermometer I can use?" he asked.
"I took his temperature about five minutes ago," Demyx said. "It was 105 degrees."
Zexion swore softly. "Go and get me a washcloth. Dampen it with cold water and make sure it's completely wrung out. Hurry!" Demyx nodded and hurried into the bathroom. Zexion turned to Roxas. "Help me get his clothes off."
Roxas came forward and helped Zexion peel Axel's clothes from his sweaty body, which was no easy task. Demyx came back carrying a washcloth that he handed to Zexion. The Cloaked Schemer immediately put it on Axel's forehead. Axel groaned and turned his head away. The washcloth slipped off. Zexion immediately picked it up and put it back on Axel's forehead.
"We have to do everything we can to get his fever down," Zexion said.
"What do we need to do to help?" Roxas asked.
"Draw a bath," Zexion answered. "Make sure the water isn't too cold. It needs to be warm, but not hot."
"I'll go," Demyx volunteered. He disappeared into the bathroom.
Zexion sighed softly and brushed his bangs out of the way, tucking them neatly behind his ear so his entire face was visible, which was a rare sight.
"Zexion?" Roxas asked softly. Zexion turned to him. "Axel is going to be all right, isn't he?"
"It's hard to say," Zexion replied. "His fever is dangerously high and if we don't reduce the fever soon, he will most likely suffer from tissue damage." Roxas flinched at Zexion's brutal honesty. "However, Axel is a stubborn jackass with a penchant for surprising us, so I won't be surprised if he pulls through without any complications." He walked over and gently touched Roxas's shoulder, a gesture that surprised the younger Nobody. "Don't worry, Roxas. He'll be fine. Help me get him into the bathroom."
Roxas nodded and moved to the far side of Axel's bed. He and Zexion grabbed Axel's arms and got Axel sitting up.
"Roll him toward me," Zexion ordered. "I'll get him on my back and then you can help me drag him into the bathroom."
"Will you be okay?" Roxas asked worriedly. "He's just so freakishly tall. You might hurt yourself."
"I'll manage," Zexion answered.
He and Roxas carefully started rolling Axel toward Zexion.
"Wha's goin' on?" Axel stirred slightly.
"We're going to give you a bath," Roxas answered.
"A bath? Why the hell do I need a bath? I hate water. You know that, Rox," Axel said.
"I know. It's gonna help you feel better. Right Zexion?" Roxas said. He gave Zexion a glare.
"Yes," Zexion said.
"Wha? Zex is here?" Axel slurred. "Wha's the pipsqueak doin' here?"
"I'm taking care of you," Zexion scolded. "Now stop being stubborn and let us help you."
"Fine," Axel muttered. "Doan have ta be so snippy 'bout it. Oh by the way, Zex, did you know you're practically naked?"
"Yes," Zexion said coldly. "I was sleeping when I senesed an intruder in the lower basements of the castle and went to investigate. I came across Roxas, who was searching for Vexen. There was no time for me to change, as Roxas insisted your condition was serious."
Zexion somehow managed to get Axel onto his back. He grunted underneath all the weight. Roxas quickly came around to the other side of the bed and grabbed one of Axel's arms. He lifted the redhead up with much difficulty and somehow managed to get one of Axel's arms around his neck. The two of them dragged Axel to the bathroom. Demyx was there, anxiously checking the bath.
"Demyx," Roxas called out softly. Demyx turned. "Can you help us?"
"Yeah, of course," Demyx said, abandoning the bath at once.
He rushed forward and helped Roxas and Zexion drag Axel to the tub. They lifted him up with extreme difficulty. They stripped Axel's boxers off and put him in the tub. Axel groaned as his skin touched the water.
"Shh, Axel. Relax," Roxas said softly. "The water isn't going to hurt you." Axel mumbled something incoherently. "I know. It's going to be okay."
Axel thrashed around, trying to get out. Roxas held him down the best he could. Still, Axel thrashed around and got water everywhere.
"This is gonna be a long night." Roxas sighed.
Several hours later, Axel had calmed down considerably and no longer thrashed around. The floors were now slick with water and Zexion and Roxas were drenched. Demyx, having an affinity for water, managed to keep himself dry.
Now, he was cleaning up the water on the floor, returning it to the tub with gentle sweeping motions. He looked pretty content. Zexion had stripped off his pajama pants and gotten in the tub with Axel to keep him above the water so he wouldn't drown. Roxas was keeping an eye on Axel's temperature.
"Okay," he said softly. "Time to check it again." He moved forward and put the thermometer between Axel's lips. "Keep the thermometer between your lips, okay?" Axel mumbled a response. Four minutes later, Roxas took it out. He stared at it for a few moments.
"Well?" Zexion asked quietly.
Roxas sighed. "It's 100.3."
Zexion exhaled softly. "It's rapidly decreasing. That's good. Let's get him out of the tub."
"I'll get some towels," Demyx said. He bustled off, abandoning his water cleaning duties.
Roxas pulled the plug and watched the water swirl down the drain. Demyx came back with an armload of towels. He spread some of them on the floor.
"All right. Let's get him out of here," he said.
Zexion and Roxas lifted Axel up. Demyx wrapped a towel around Axel's waist, blushing madly. They laid him on the towels on the floor and started wrapping him in even more towels.
"Here," Demyx said, holding out a towel for Zexion, who had crawled out of the tub and now stood in his boxers, shivering slightly. The Cloaked Schemer stared at it. "You look like you could use it."
Zexion nodded and took it. "Thank you." He wrapped it around himself.
"No problem." Demyx smiled. "Do you know what time it is?"
"I'll check," Roxas volunteered. He went out into the bedroom and came back. "It's nearly eight."
"Wow, already?" Demyx wondered.
"It will be time for breakfast soon. The two of you should go and get something to eat. Axel is sleeping and he'll probably remain like that for a while. I suggest that while he's sleeping, you take advantage of it, and grab something to eat. He'll be all right on his own for a while," Zexion said.
"We're just gonna leave him on the bathroom floor?" Roxas asked angrily.
"Yes," Zexion answered bluntly. "There's no point in moving him and waking him up. It's just easier to leave him for now. He's pretty comfortable under all those towels Demyx put down for him."
"All right," Demyx said. Zexion vanished through a portal without a word. Demyx turned to Roxas. "Come on. Let's go and get some breakfast."
Roxas shook his head. "I'll be fine."
"Rox, go get some breakfast," Axel croaked.
Roxas stared at him. "I thought you were sleeping."
"I'm only half asleep," Axel replied, smiling weakly. "I insist you and Demyx go get something to eat. I'll be fine for half an hour by myself. I'll probably drag my ass back to bed."
Roxas reluctantly went with Demyx to get something to eat. The dining room was vacant with the exception of Xigbar, who was setting up for something.
"You guys missed the present opening this morning," Xigbar commented, moving several chairs out of the way with a lazy flick of his wrist."Axel too. And Zexion."
"Demyx, Zexion, and I were up all night with Axel, who's sick," Roxas explained. "He has the flu."
"Boy, that's a real bummer, dude," Xigbar said. "Being sick on Christmas and all. How's he doing?"
"Better," Roxas answered.
"That's good to hear," Xigbar said. "I know you dudes don't want to be away from Axel for too long so I'll make you some plates to go. I'm doing a buffet breakfast so everyone can just grab whatever they want. I've got pancakes, eggs several different ways, cold cereal, hot cereal, waffles, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, yogurt, a ton of different pastries, toast, muffins, basically all the different kinds of breakfast food. Oh and there are drinks too. Just let me know what you want and I'll get it for you."
Roxas and Demyx told him what they wanted and he vanished into the kitchen. He came back with two plates of pancakes and sausages.
"Here you are," he said, handing the plates to Demyx and Roxas.
The two boys thanked him and made a portal back to Demyx's bedroom.
"Why are we in here?" Roxas asked, looking around in confusion.
"I don't want to upset Axel's stomach with the smell of the food. We'll eat in here and then go back and see how Axel's doing,' Demyx replied.
"All right." Roxas nodded.
They hastily ate and returned to Axel's room. The redhead was sleeping peacefully, dressed in only a pair of black boxers. Demyx and Roxas made themselves comfortable. An hour or two later, a dark portal appeared on the other side of the room. Axel had woken up and watched as Zexion stepped out, now fully dressed in the standard Organization garb.
"Vexen sent me to check on Axel," he explained at the confused glances the three Nobodies gave him.
"Vexen couldn't come himself, the self-righteous little…" Axel growled.
"I wholly agree with you," Zexion cut him off. "Now hold still and let me examine you." Axel groaned but held still while Zexion examined him.
"Have you tried to eat anything yet?" Zexion asked.
Axel shook his head. "Thinking about food makes me sick."
"You have to eat something," Zexion said. "Something bland, like toast."
"All right," Axel caved.
"I'll go bug Xigbar for some toast," Demyx said. He vanished through a portal.
"Ugh, I feel like death." Axel groaned.
"If it's any consolation, you look like death too," Zexion said.
"Yeah, I bet." Axel managed to chuckle weakly.
Demyx returned to the room with a plate of toast. Roxas and Zexion helped Axel to sit up and he slowly ate the toast. Luckily, he managed to keep it down without a problem.
"That's a good sign," Zexion said. He put a hand on Axel's forehead. "Your fever is lessening. That is also a good sign. It's almost back to normal. I'm going to consult Vexen. I'll be right back."
He vanished through a portal. When he returned half an hour later, he looked pale and drawn.
"Are you feeling okay?" Roxas asked.
"I'm fine. I'm just a little tired," Zexion answered. "Vexen says that we shoud just keep an eye on his fever and make sure it doesn't start going back up. Also, he needs to be kept hydrated. Stay in bed and rest. You'll feel better in a couple days. You already look a lot better."
"That's good." Axel chuckled. "Because you look a hundred times worse."
Zexion glared at him. "Reassuring as it is to hear your humor…" He swayed, looking sick.
"Zexion?" Roxas asked. "Zexion!" He rushed forward and caught the Cloaked Schemer as he fell. Axel cussed.
"Dem, go get Vexen. Now!" He shouted.
Demyx nodded and hurriedly vanished through a portal. Axel slowly pushed the covers back and got out of bed. It was hard work because he felt so weak. And sick. Still, he managed to get himself out of bed.
"Let's see," he murmured, crawling over to where Roxas sat with Zexion on his lap. "Boy, he looks really shitty. Maybe he got what I have. Boy that would suck. It's not fun at all."
A portal appeared and Vexen hurried out, followed by Demyx.
"What's going on?" Vexen demanded.
"It's Zexion," Roxas answered fearfully. "He passed out without any sort of warning. He has a fever and his skin is covered in sweat."
Vexen rushed over and kneeled down. He did a quick examination and started muttering to himself. Then, he straightened up.
"I'll be right back," he said.
He disappeared through a portal. When he came back, he had Lexaeus with him. Lexaeus silently walked over to where Roxas sat and bent over.
"I'll take care of Zexion now," he said softly so only Roxas could hear. "You take care of Axel."
Roxas nodded and didn't resist when Lexaeus easily picked Zexion up. The Silent Hero silently carried him through the portal that still was swirling on the opposite side of Axel's bedroom.
"Will Zexion be all right?" Roxas asked as Vexen prepared to follow Lexaeus through the portal.
"He'll be fine," Vexen answered coldly. "He has the same virus as Axel. He probably picked it up while treating him. Get Axel back to bed. I'll be back later to check on him."
Then, he vanished through the swirling portal.
A/N: Wow, that turned out a lot differently than I had planned. Actually, when I first started writing it, I wasn't really sure what I was planning. XD No, I'm not gonna just leave this. There will be a sequel. The suffering shall continue. I'm going to try and have at least one more update by Christmas Day. Maybe two if I squeeze really hard. And if not, Merry Christmas to all and all that jazz.
12/15/10: The typos I found have been corrected and several breaks have been added in so it's not as overwhelming to look at.