Achoo!
"Slainte." Merida repeated for the twelfth time that hour, grabbing a tissue from the box on the couch cushion next to her and passing it to Rapunzel. After their trip to the park, they realised just how cold Rapunzel had been, despite her waving it off. The snow that had melted on her during her fall had frozen her clothes to her body. She claimed she didn't even feel it, and there was no sign of her shivering then. That day had passed, and now she sat curled in between Merida and Hiccup, wrapped in a blanket and shivering. She had already finished off the fever pills (there wasn't even that many at all, either), and Jack had insisted on driving to the store to buy more.
While he was gone, the three figured they could sweat out the fever from her body by curling up against her.
"The problem is that I shouldn't have this fever." Punzie murmured from beneath the blankets.
"Being cold for so long makes you susceptible to bacteria. So, yes, you should have this fever." Hiccup raised his hand up to her forehead. "You're still really hot. You should probably stay home from school tomorrow. I'll go get you some water." Hiccup stood up and left the room to Rapunzel and Merida.
"Hiccup, that brainiac. He always knows exactly what to do in these kind of situations." Rapunzel turned to look at Merida quizzically, finding that a corner of Merida's lips were pulled up into a smile. Her eyes flickered from Merida's blue eyes, to her smile, and back again. A small light flickered on in her mind.
"You like him, don't you?" Rapunzel grinned teasingly. Merida tensed up against her, a light flush appearing on her cheeks.
"What? No! I was just… making a comment." Merida scooted a little further away from Rapunzel, turning away to hide the pink that filled her cheeks. "I was just stating what we were both thinking. You know how much of a brainiac he is." Rapunzel 'mmhmm'ed and nudged her shoulder with her own. I see how it is, Merida. I see.
Hiccup came back with that glass of water he talked about and settled in again next to Rapunzel. Handing over the water, he grabbed the remote that rested on the couch arm and turned the TV on.
News, news, discovery channel, racing, and more news. The three of them continued to sit there as they let the news play over. Punzie sipped at the water, staring blankly at a spot on the TV, not necessarily watching, a specific memory running rampant through her mind.
"You had to go and get yourself sick…" Jack had noted how fretfully she slept on the floor in front of the couch after he woke up, a sheen of sweat covering her brow caught his eye as well. "You should have told us you were getting sick." He forced Rapunzel out of her position on the floor and pulled her onto the couch. Hiccup had woken up with Jack's constant moving and bumping, and he presently awoke Merida.
"I felt fine earlier…" Rapunzel continued to shiver violently with the fever.
"Hiccup, where is the medicine kit?" Merida had already walked out of the room when Hiccup replied with the location of the medicine.
"I'll go get another blanket and the thermometer." Hiccup also walked out, leaving Jack and Rapunzel by themselves.
Jack placed a blanket around her shoulders and wrapped it tightly around her.
"Jack, I can't move." She struggled against the binding, but she was unable to get out. A smile crept up on his face as he watched her futile attempts.
"That's the point, Blondie. You have to sleep and rest. You can't be moving about. It'll help you get better." He continued to work on tying the blanket, securing it to prevent her from moving. As soon as he was content with his handiwork, he moved his face close to her own.
She stopped breathing in that moment, his face getting ever so closer. "Jack, what-" their foreheads touched. He was cold on her own heated skin, his breath cooling her cheeks as the air rolled across her face. A blush immediately crept through her, and she stared at his closed eyes which were only an inch from her own.
"You have a fever. Just as I thought. You have to take better care of yourself, Punzie." Their faces remained close together for what seemed to be an eternity, just until Merida came back carrying the med kit. They swiftly pulled away from each other, blushes plaguing both of their faces.
"I found a couple of Advil pills, but I don't know what the rest of this is."
"How many Advil is in there?" Jack walked over to Merida, taking and opening the bottle, dumping its contents into his hand. Two burnt-orange pills fell out. Jack appeared to flinch at the meagre amount.
"I found the thermometer and-"
"Hiccup, I need to borrow your car." Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows at Jack's sudden statement, wondering. "I need to drive to the store down the street. We need fever medicine."
"Uhh, sure, okay. The keys are by the front door. Don't wreck it."
That was almost twenty minutes ago. The store wasn't that far, was it? How long did it take to find the right medicine?
Rapunzel continued to stare dazed at the TV, shivering slightly and feeling the heat of the fever reach her head. Her eyelids felt like lead, threatening to close and cast her into unconsciousness.
When will Jack be back? Is he alright? I hope nothing bad happened to him.
"Punzie, are you okay?" Hiccup tilted his head towards her, placing the back of his hand against her forehead. "It feels it's gotten warmer." His mumble was barely audible to Rapunzel, already zoning out.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just... tired." Leaning back, Rapunzel allowed her eyelids to close. Before she drifted off into sleep, for a moment, she thought she heard the sound of an engine hum up to the house.
A/N: I hope you darlings liked this chapter (I managed to write this whole thing in an hour or so but i spent the last few days thinking up this scene gomen)! So, school is starting soon for me, but I will try to pry out as many updates as possible during the school year just bare with me here! ^w^
And thank you for all the wonderful reviews! They really make me happy when I hear that you like my story! Thank you all!