A/N: Sorry, sorry for the delay – I have had exams and then super-stress waiting for my results that told me whether or not I could get into university. Then I got my results, and they were good – but that's brought more stress. It's a long story – but I hope this chapter is okay. If anyone's still reading, that is :P
"I kind of want to get the both of them and put them in quarantine."
"You're telling me," Azusa sat beside the kettle, a phone pressed to her ear, "Spirit keeps on complaining about having man flu."
"The poor souls. Stein begrudgingly pulled himself out of the bed and had to bring the quilt with him because he was a little chilly." Azusa could basically hear the roll of her best friend's eyes and she laughed.
"It's a cold. They're going to live." Azusa remarked.
"Mmhm, and I'm sure they're going to give it to us – and then they'll complain about having to look after us." Marie replied.
"I almost want to go home and just leave him here to fend for himself." Azusa sighed.
"Well, I live here. Admittedly, Stein sneezes like a twelve-year old girl, which is kind of fun to experience." Marie explained. Azusa gave a small smile as the kettle boiled, and she glanced to the side.
"I'd best make this lemon drink and force it down the plague-ridden one." Azusa stated.
"And I have to get the immovable object to have a shower." Marie replied.
"Well, good luck. I'll see you later." Azusa replied finally before hanging up the phone. She poured the boiled water into a mug with the lemon mix and stirred it, walking into the bedroom where Spirit was bundled under covers, snivelling.
"You're looking better." Azusa remarked facetiously, and Spirit grumbled and sunk further into the bed.
"No, I'm not." he said, his voice gravelly and sullen.
"Well, drink this. It should make you feel better." she handed him the mug, and a hand emerged from underneath the quilt, taking it from her.
"Thank you." he managed, taking a gulp of the drink and recoiling.
"What is this?!" he hissed. Azusa sighed.
"It's lemon drink. It'll clear your head up." Azusa replied, and Spirit put it down on the bedside table and sunk back under the covers.
"I don't want it." he groaned, and Azusa crossed her arms.
"You're a petulant child trapped in an adult body, aren't you?" she asked. Spirit sunk back further and furrowed his eyebrows.
"I want a juice box." he remarked, and even through the thick of his illness he managed a smirk, and Azusa rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"You need to rest. I'll check on you later, yes?" Azusa asked, and Spirit sighed and pulled his legs out of the bed.
"Maybe I'll go out into the living room with you." he mused, and she rolled her eyes, hearing the rustling of fabric on fabric behind her as Spirit pulled the quilt along with him, wrapping it around himself like a plush cape.
"You're walking too fast." he whined, and Azusa sighed.
"Maybe you could move faster if you hadn't brought half of the bedding with you." Azusa remarked, and Spirit groaned as Azusa sat down on the couch, and he plonked himself down next to her and sighed, snivelling loudly. Azusa glanced sideways as the same moment as Spirit scooted over to lean against her, pulling his legs up onto the couch.
"Please, feel free to lie all over me. Be my guest." she remarked.
"Thanks, Yumi." he murmured, and Azusa sighed and shook her head, not seeing Spirit's hand snake out from the quilt to grasp hers. She looked down at his wide blue eyes.
"Thank you." he mouthed, and Azusa sighed and gave a small smile.
"It's alright. How'd you survive before I was here?" Azusa asked, and Spirit sighed.
"I don't know." he remarked, and Azusa squeezed his hand gently.
"Just rest." she sighed, and Spirit relaxed against her, shutting his eyes. Eventually, his hand fell away from hers, and she sighed.
She'd never felt the overwhelming, instinctual and constant urge to protect or care for anyone in her life. Marie was the only person she'd really felt protective of, but Marie was older than her, and protection was her game. She protected everyone, especially Azusa. However, Azusa had not yet felt that desire to protect.
Glancing down at the ill Spirit, though, finally - Azusa felt it.
Azusa had bumped into Marie walking down the corridor with Stein, whose zombie impression rivalled Sid, a tissue clenched in his hand and his nose red.
"You're looking well." Azusa remarked.
"I'm not. I'm not contagious so I came back anyway." Stein replied, his voice hoarse and his eyes half-lidded.
"You're a trooper, Stein." she feigned enthusiasm, and Stein rolled his eyes. Marie put her hand at the small of his back and sighed.
"You've only got two lessons today, and they're with me. You're gonna be okay." Marie remarked, and Stein sighed, dropping his eyes.
"I feel ill." he stated, and Azusa rolled her eyes.
"What else? Are you irritable? Are you crampy? Do you feel like you perpetually want to cry?" Azusa asked, and Stein glanced sideways at her.
"I don't like it when you get smart." Stein remarked.
"And I don't like it when you mope around when I have an ill Spirit at home. You'll live. You're a doctor – how many people have you seen that have died of a cold?" Azusa asked.
"Twelve." he narrowed his eyes, and Azusa raised an eyebrow.
"Now who's getting smart?" Azusa asked, and Stein gave a tiny, tiny smirk. At that moment, they all turned into the faculty room, and saw Sid.
"Stein, you feeling better?" Sid asked. Stein groaned and sat down, and Sid knew.
"Marie didn't let you stay home?" Sid asked. Marie scoffed.
"Excuse me. I said he should stay home, but he decided to be a martyr." Marie crossed her arms, and Sid turned around, holding a mug in his hand.
"It's scientifically proven that men get sicker than women." Sid remarked, and Stein's eyes flicked up frantically, as if to tell Sid that what he said could not have been worse. Instead, Marie and Azusa looked at one another and laughed, a laugh full of mirth and sleep deprivation.
"Oh, goodness, that… that explains it all, Sid. Thank you." Marie held her stomach and Azusa removed her glasses, wiping the tears from her eyes. Stein glanced from side to side, completely flummoxed at the situation, and he looked up at Sid.
"What did you do?" Stein asked.
"So, you're definitely better?"
Spirit tilted his head all the way up, drawing the razor up from his neck to his chin whilst surreptitiously listening to Azusa in the shower.
"I could breathe when I woke up. I figure that means I'm good, right?" He grabbed a hand towel from beside the basin and wiped the residual shaving cream from his face.
"It should do." Azusa replied, and Spirit turned around to lean against the sink, hissing as he did, the towel wrapped around his waist slightly too low to prevent his back from touching the cold ceramic.
"I feel better." he remarked.
"That's good." she managed, her voice obscured slightly by the exhaust fan and the running water.
"I'm sorry I've been running you down so much." Spirit said, and Azusa sighed.
"It's fine, Spirit. It really is." Azusa said, and a smirk appeared on Spirit's face.
"So, I s'pose you'll want to be sleeping tonight, right? Make up for the sleep I made you lose?" he raised an eyebrow, and after a second, a head popped out of the shower.
"What are you saying, Albarn?" Azusa asked, and Spirit's eyes flicked over her face. Her hair hung slightly lower wet, and some of it stuck to her face. She blinked droplets of water out of her eyes that fell from her lashed, and other droplets rolled off of her cheeks to the tiled floor below.
He walked forward and pressed his lips against hers, one hand breaching the shower curtain and being permeated with steam.
"I think you know what I'm saying." he pulled away for a second, and dropping his towel to the floor, he stepped into the shower.
"Spirit, you already had a shower."
"I missed a spot."
And the sounds of the water and exhaust fans were drowned out by giggles and each others' names.
"She's sick too?"
"Yeah, Curled up on the couch, keeps falling asleep." Spirit flicked the switch on the kettle, and he heard Stein sigh on the other end of the line.
"I almost feel bad." Stein admitted.
"Shit, you really are in love with her." Spirit remarked, pulling a mug out of the cupboard, phone still pressed to his ear.
"Caring is awful. Why do we do it?"
"Sex. Let's be honest here." Spirit picked the kettle up and mixed the boiling water into a lemon concoction and let the spoon rest against the edge of the mug.
"But they're ill. The last thing you want to do when you're ill is have sex."
"We do it because our ladies did it for us. And because we care. I'm so proud of my little meister, caring about a lady." Spirit grinned, and Stein groaned.
"I'm not little."
"You're always going to be little to me, Stein. It's how it works. Just like we're always gonna want to take care of the ladies in our life. It's hard to explain." Spirit replied.
"I hate feelings. The things I'm doing for Marie because my brain is telling me that if I don't I'm a bad person."
"It's because you love her. It's shit you're capable of because you've got Marie who's showing it to you. And if there's one thing you can do, it's retain stuff." Spirit said.
"… It's awful when you're right."
"It is, isn't it?" Spirit glanced over at Azusa and she coughed, prompting him to wind up the conversation.
"Alright, gotta go take care of my patient. Good luck, man." Spirit said, quickly.
"Mmhm. You too." Stein replied, and Spirit hung the phone up and picked up the mug, walking out into the living room.
"Yumi… Yumi, you up for this?" Spirit held the mug out, and Azusa turned her head and groaned.
"I don't want it. Icky." she mumbled, and Spirit smirked.
"Who's a kid in an adult body now?" Spirit asked, and Azusa sighed.
"Me. Get me some crayons." Azusa managed a tiny smile, and Spirit sighed, watching as Azusa sat forward and made room for him on the couch.
"Come here." Spirit said, pulling his knees up. Azusa nestled between Spirit's chest and his legs, and she gave a small moan as he pressed his cool hand to her warm cheek. He clicked his tongue.
"I'm sorry I said all that stuff when you were sick. This is awful." Azusa groaned. Spirit grasped Azusa's hand and brought it to his lips.
"It's fine. Just get better." he said, and Azusa sighed.
"I'll try." she said, and Spirit nodded.
"Good. Because Marie's sick too, and I think it'd be pretty great if I could make you better before the doctor makes Marie better." Spirit said, and Azusa raised an eyebrow.
"Is this just a competition to you?" she asked. Spirit shook his head.
"No! Getting you better is the priority. If you happen to get better before Marie… it's like a bonus." Spirit grinned, and Azusa rolled her eyes.
"You're an idiot." she remarked, and Spirit laughed.
"I try, Yumi, I try." he murmured.