Note: I just wanted to drop a quick thank you to everyone who's taken the time to review so far here, since so many of you are anonymous and I couldn't reply to you directly. Thanks!


The Gorillaz medicine cabinet was vast and mysterious, and visited often by all but one of the members of the band whether they were looking for something as necessary as Russel's anti-psychotics or for something a little more interesting. Noodle alone stayed away from it, keeping a few bottles of over-the-counter aspirin and cold medicine and the like safely tucked away in her room for times when she needed them.

So it was rather surprising that when he went to fetch her to begin filming the Feel Good Inc. video, the two lovely women he'd chosen to have slobbering over him in the vid hanging off his arms, he found her frowning at a pill bottle with its label torn off, others scattered around her where she'd left them while digging through the cabinet.

"What are you after there, love?" he asked, making her start; apparently she hadn't noticed he was there.

"Stomach medicine; mine is gone," she said shortly, glaring at the women which wasn't at all like her. Usually she was the one charming the pants off any guests they had working with them, like she felt she needed to make sure they walked away with a good impression of the band in case they were turned off by spending the rest of their time talking with a moron, a mentalcase, or Murdoc.

"Right, you two go wait on the set, I'll be there soon," he told the girls, taking a hint. Then he reached over Noodle's head, standing close enough that she was trapped between his body and the open cabinet, to nab a bottle off the top shelf. "Here's what you need."

She twisted around, proximity leading to her body sliding pleasantly against his as she moved, so she could give him a dubious look. "Do not take this the wrong way, Murdoc, but I know you too well to accept any pills from you."

He rolled his eyes and stepped back far enough that he could rattle the container in her face. "They're Tums, love. Says so right on the pills, if you don't trust the packaging."

He felt a little insulted when even once she had a couple of the antacids in her hand she still looked at them doubtfully, but in the end she tossed them back. Honestly, even if he would drug Noodle-which he wouldn't-he'd never try it straight before they filmed a new promo. That would just be asking to make a giant mess of the production.

"You shouldn't let those women stay so close," she said abruptly, once she'd chewed up the medicine and swallowed it down.

"Er... you know that would go a bit against the plan of the video, Noods," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Even so, you don't need to keep them near you when we aren't filming," she told him, crossing her arms across her chest with an expression that would be practically pouting if it weren't so annoyed. "I'm sure they've brought sickness with them; my stomach began feeling ill almost as soon as you picked them from the group and they got near us. I was fine before then!"

His other eyebrow joined the first and he almost chuckled out loud, only holding back because he knew it would redirect her annoyance straight to him. Well well, he never would have expected Noodle to turn out to be the jealous type. It was a charming enough trait on her for the moment, seeing her all flustered and bothered over him even if thought it was just a sudden stomach bug, but it was one she'd need to let go of if anything were ever to happen between them. He'd be happy enough to have an ongoing fling with her instead of a one-night stand-time had already proven her to be one of the few girls that he could see day after day without getting sick to death of them-but if it happened she'd have to accept that he still had plenty of wild oats to sow. She could grown up to be absolutely gorgeous, as beautiful as any woman could ever want to be, but there would still be plenty of other gorgeous women in the world and he didn't plan on settling down yet. Or ever, for as long as he could still use his fame to attract willing twat.

"I could always choose another pair, love. Send those two on their way," he said, just to see how she'd react.

She frowned harder than ever, her eyebrows drawing together. "I doubt that it would help. None of them look like people you should get near; I don't know why Passion Pictures chose them. We could change things so they're just near you instead of on you. Such a small adjustment won't upset things much, even at this late stage."

He did chuckle then, low in his throat, and stepped close to her again. "You could always take their place if you're so worried about my health, Noodle love."

She blinked at him, her arms falling to her sides. "Ehh?"

"Just having them 'near' me could throw off the whole vibe you were trying to get in my part of this promo, now wouldn't it? But you're the only girl here who we know takes good care of her health, boosters and all. We'd have to bullshit a new explanation for your part in the video but that wouldn't be too hard. Say, hanging about dirty old Muds brought part of you down into the filth with the rest of us, but you still managed to keep some of you out of it and puttering around off on your island."

"Don't joke around, Murdoc," she said, laughing shakily but with a blush rising high in her cheeks. "That would go too much against the message I wish to convey. Besides, I wouldn't want to make a video telling the world that you've done anything wrong by me." She laughed again, stronger this time, and reached out to pat his arm with a light touch. "You are a terrible, terrible, influence, Murdoc, but I would never say that you've ever 'brought me down.'"

"Then stop worrying about the other girls," he told her, reaching out to rest his hand on her head and half ruffle her hair, half slide his fingers through them, a caress that she could see as merely friendly or not depending on how she wanted to take. "But I'll make you a deal, Noods. I won't bring any of the skags home after we're done filming, not even as far as the Winnebago. You won't need to worry about them making anyone sick there. Now, stomach feeling better."

Her face relaxed a little, and she nodded. "I do feel a little better suddenly. The medicine must be starting to work."

"Then let's go film a promo the fans'll fall all over themselves to see!" he said, nudging her towards the door.

And then he could see what the set offered in terms of convenient supply closets or unused rooms. He might have promised not to bring any of the women home, but he never said a thing about not finding a quiet spot to make time with one or two of them between takes.