Chapter Fourteen
It was her sneeze that made him scowl at her.
At first, he thought it was just a harmless 'achoo' which by the way, looked incredibly adorable coming from her. But as soon as the seventh one came, he knew something's wrong with her. He put down the milk bottle he was downing and made way to the kitchen, catching her wipe her eyes tiredly as she absentmindedly washed the plates. He silently wrapped his arms around her into a hug and nuzzled onto her neck, earning him a soft, cute mewl. "Are you alright..?" He whispered as her head rested against his. Her breathing became labored, until the cough came.
Shizuo couldn't take it anymore. He didn't give her a chance to say no when he already picked her up and ignored her whimpers as he carried her to their room, 'bridal style'-ing it like a boss. He then softly lay her down on the warm bed and began covering her with a blanket. "Shizu-chan…" Noelle's face is red, because of both the embarrassment and the fever now taking over. Her body fell limp as he tried to make her comfortable.
The pressure from work made her feel totally uneasy and unwell. She rarely talked throughout the day, odd coming from someone as cheerful and innocent as her. Initially, Tom and Shizuo didn't mind it, and it only became difficult to express when she couldn't find the words to sweet talk a client. Seeing that she may be just tired, Tom gave her the day-off and the blond told her he'll be back when they're finished. It took her long enough to actually find her way home, save for Celty. The Dullahan saw her loitering near Shinjuku and offered to give her a ride home, where a very worried and angry Shizuo met her later on the afternoon. She didn't know she wandered around the city and out the city for the whole day; it's a miracle that she didn't get ambushed by thugs. Celty told her (after typing it in blur-fast motion) that she needed to stay in bed but the brunette refused. It was one thing she's too stubborn for. The headless rider urged her again but agreed to keep the matter from her boyfriend. That's very typical of Noelle to beg for promise and Celty to promise. They're like sister, Shinra once commented.
Shizuo took her hand and gripped it tight, not too tight, but not too snug either. "Are you ever going to tell me what happened to you this morning? You're like a zombie." He asked her questioningly. When she came home, he pressed all kinds of questions towards her, but gave up when she insisted nothing was wrong. "I don't know… Maybe sometime tomorrow..?" She said as she felt a cold towel on top of her already blazing forehead. The two could practically hear the sizzle coming from it until it finally stopped and silence fell. Shizuo wanted to insist, but he knew she was just tired from work. Her temperature is extremely high, too high. He better call Shinra.
~0~0~
"Don't worry about it! If it turns another notch higher, call me again or go to the hospital. I'm sure it's just a normal fever. She'll be okay in the next three days." The underground doctor said through the phone while the bartender winced from his voice. It was exceptionally annoying coming from him.
"Yeah, thanks." Although Shinra can be such a pain in the neck, his knowledge about the medical field is very valuable in their situation. The young man stretched his arms as he took a peek inside the bedroom. He sighed in relief to see her sleeping with that serene smile on her face. God, how he loved that smile so much. It was one of the things he loved about her. Shizuo closed the door quietly and shuffled to the kitchen to get a bottle of milk. Their fridge is stocked up to the brim with dairy and cakes, all for the two of them. Despite his sweet tooth, he shares his cakes and sweets with her whenever they're home. That girl just loved to be shared.
He opened up said fridge and took the first bottle he sees. He liked it cold and never warm or too hot; another thing he knew about himself. It reminded him how calm he is whenever he drinks milk. Shizuo wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he went to the balcony and took out his box of cigs. Another thing he knew about himself is that he will get lung cancer sometime in the future. He and Noelle talked about this and he won, naturally. He can't live without his smoke, and when he was questioned about him by her, he didn't answer. He took a long slow drag, thinking about her.
As if it's not much of a problem already, many people thought that he may be some kind of an old lolicon or a pedophile. Or worse, some even asked him if the girl's his daughter. Sure, Noelle looks childish with her doll face, figure, and actions, but it's just so irritating it made him want to chuck multiple street signs at them. She's really small, about 4'8 while he's 6'1. Her brown hair has grown so long it went beyond waist length although he didn't want to get it cut. The brunette just tied it into a long braid with loose tendrils at the side. She's happy living with him, and he in turn is happy living with her. She's always there for him when things get out of hand, and he's always there to protect her from danger/Izaya.
For a moment the sky seemed restless as dark clouds blocked the glory of the moon. Shizuo stared hard at the storm coming as he crushed his cigarette by his foot and went back inside, locking the balcony doors in place. His sensitive ears could pick up the sound of his name coming from their bedroom, calling out to him in a faint whisper. The blond popped in a breath mint as he walked over to said room and chuckled, "I'm coming Noelle."
Darth Zannah, thank you for the reviews. Please note that I will be updating a lot less since I have school to attend. But of course, I won't forget to update so please bear with me and once again, thank you for reading.