…Ugh…

The previous night's date had, on the whole been a good experience; of this Blake was sure, at least until she'd stumbled into the fountain. Maybe she had been a little bit miffed to find that Ruby, Yang, and Weiss had all followed her and Mina on their outing, but it had ultimately not been a problem at the time; they hadn't made trouble until right there at the end. All in all, it had been a good night. The trouble was, consequent of the fact that it had been a bit chilly last night, and the aforementioned spill into the fountain, she had woken up with a cold. Her teammates had done their best to get ready for class as quietly as possible, and Blake had groaned 'goodbye' before doing her best to get some more rest, ensconcing herself beneath her blankets once more.

She had a headache when she woke up again, as well as a sore throat and the sniffles, "I hate being sick…"

"Ah… Dearest, you are awake…"

"Huh…?" Blake blinked her eyes open, her vision still bleary as she turned her head in the direction from which Mina's voice had come, "Don't… don't you have class?"

Mina was still blurry, but Blake could make out the shrug as she spoke, "I obtained permission to miss today's classes to look after your health, Dearest,"

"You… did?"

"Naturally," Blake thought she saw Mina smile, her bright blue eyes flickering shut briefly as she did so, "I made you some tea Dear; would you like it now?"

"Um… Yeah, I-," Blake's jaw fell slack, "M-Mina!?"

Mina was not dressed in her school uniform. Nor was she wearing her combat gear or casualwear. No, Mina stood at Blake's bedside, holding a tray with a steaming mug on it, wearing her maid outfit…

Mina smiled slyly, "You like, Dearest?"

"I…" Blake would have blushed but for the fact that she was already flushed with a slight fever, "Yes…" She may have been mistaken, but it seemed that Mina was wearing her blouse such that the neckline was a few inches lower than usual…

Mina's smile broadened, and she set the tray down on her bedside table, then leaned in, slipping a hand under Blake's back and lifting her into a sitting position, propped up by her pillow, and then she offered Blake the mug, "It is jasmine tea; I do hope that is alright?"

"Yeah…" Blake gingerly accepted the warm mug, taking a hesitant sip, though she never took her eyes off of Mina, presently bent rather pleasingly forward... "You uh… forgot to put on a bra…" Blake sipped the tea, feeling her face heat up further… or was that the fever?

Mina's smile broadened into a smirk, "I forgot nothing…"

"You didn't?" Blake gulped, hiding as much of her face as she possibly could behind the little black mug which Mina had provided.

Mina reached over to brush Blake's bangs aside and kissed her on the forehead, "I do believe the phrase goes that 'one good turn deserves another?'"

Blake stared into her steaming tea, "You mean last night then…"

"A certain omission on your part was quite accommodating indeed…" Mina stepped back, holding the tray flat to her stomach, standing at ready attention, "So today, it is my turn to accommodate… You must needs only speak the words and it shall be so; you are not too lift a finger until you fully recover, Mistress,"

"M-Mistress?"

Mina bowed, meaningful smirk not faltering, "I have taken the liberty of bringing you breakfast as well, should it please you to eat at this time,"

"You got me breakfast in bed?" Blake asked, voice cracking as her throat was sore.

"But of course," Mina bowed again, "Though I must nonetheless beg your pardon; I was unable to prepare it personally…"

Blake shook her head, "No! It's okay… I am kind of hungry…"

Mina smiled more innocently this time, bowing yet again and offering yet another very accommodating view, "Of course Mistress; if you will but excuse me a moment,"

"Sure,"

As Mina showed herself out, Blake sipped her tea again, sighed, and lowered it down to her lap. This was nice… Even if she was sick through it all, she'd never been pampered like this… and if she was completely honest with herself, she kind of liked it… And the outfit certainly didn't hurt…

No Blake; thoughts out of the gutter…

The outfit reaffirmed an impression that Blake had only really realized last night on their date: that Mina looked really good in a dress… The skirt just seemed more feminine… not that she needed help in that area. The corset had a similar effect, now that Blake took the time to consider it, and it had the nice benefit of highlighting Mina's figure for her enjoyment, and then there was that top… She knew that Mina didn't where that white blouse quite so low on the job, but today there was plenty of cleavage on display…

Pure thoughts Blake… Pure thoughts… Being sick is no excuse… She shook her head adding in a slap of self-reproach to wipe the dopey smile off of her face, But it's such a nice gutter though…

Blake was jolted from her guilty thoughts as the doorknob turned again, signaling Mina's return, "I am back Dearest; I do hope it will please you…"

The tray which Mina then set upon her lap was laden with a plate of bacon, a glass of orange juice, two eggs sunny-side up, and a short stack of pancakes with butter and maple syrup, "Wow Mina… Thank you…"

Mina resumed her attentive position by Blake's bedside, "Do enjoy Dear, and do not hesitate to ask should you desire anything else,"

Nodding, Blake tucked into the spread before her with relish. Her sense of taste was dulled on account of the cold, but it was all still good, and while she didn't usually eat this much, she wasn't about to let Mina think that she wasn't grateful for the gesture, and it was important to keep one's strength up when ill. Thus, about twenty minutes later, Blake had cleared all of the plates and downed the orange juice.

Mina stepped forward to collect the tray as Blake leaned back against the head of her bunk, "I trust that it was to your liking?"

Blake nodded languidly, "Yeah… I think maybe I should get sick more often…"

Mina chuckled mirthfully, "You needn't be ill if you wish for such service…"

"Maybe not," Blake allowed, "But I might get weird looks if you did this with anyone around… I'd rather not deal with that…"

Mina offered another very distracting bow, "As you will Mistress-,"

"Could you not… call me that?" Blake asked, "It kinda weirds me out,"

Mina raised an eyebrow, "Well alright then, though I think there might be some confusion if I referred to you as 'Princess-,"

"I don't need a special nickname just for today," Blake shook her head, chuckling herself, "Don't get me wrong, I really, really like the outfit… probably a lot more than I should… But you don't need to role-play my maid…"

Mina's shoulders drooped a bit, "Very well… I will see to these dishes and then I will change out of-,"

"I… um… I didn't say that…" Blake stammered, embarrassed, "No need to be that hasty…"

Mina smirked, perking up again, "As you will it Dearest,"

As Mina headed out again, Blake sighed and finished her tea, "I… could get used to this…"

Glancing over at the clock, Blake saw that it was half-past ten. It was a weird feeling, still being in bed and nightgown this late in the morning. She didn't get sick often, and when she did, she would generally just work through it; letting herself simply spend the day in bed was something completely new. It was nice to just relax once in a while, but the oddity of it all was only highlighted by the currently empty state of the room. It wasn't so long ago that the solitude at least would have been the norm, in her time between leaving the White Fang and coming to Beacon, but now… even in the brief period of Mina's absence she was feeling a bit lonesome… maybe that was just the cold making her exceptionally needy though…

A cool wave of relief washed over Blake as Mina returned for the second time, the tray having been left behind now. A sympathetic, somewhat sad smile on her face, Mina came over to sit beside Blake on her bed. She reached up with one hand, brushed Blake's hair aside and laid three fingers across Blake's forehead. Her hand felt cool to the touch as she slipped her other hand into Blake's as well for a comforting squeeze.

"Hmm… Your fever seems milder now…" Mina observed in a mellow tone, "I hope that you will pardon the intrusion, but I took the liberty of judging your temperature likewise while you slept earlier,"

Blake shook her head, "It's fine Mina, really; thank you for caring,"

Mina's smile looked somewhat less worried at that, "Naturally; I rather regret that our date should have resulted in your falling ill…"

"That wasn't your fault," Blake assured, reaching up to clasp Mina's hands in her own, "It was Yang who surprised me…"

Mina's expression took on a wry look, "Mmmm… And just when we were getting to the good part…"

Blake cleared her throat, face turning red as she looked away bashfully, "Well… I uh… won't disagree…"

Mina nodded, though her usual touch of sardonicism was gone, "Much as I would love to pick up where we left off, your health must come first now, and you need your rest. Is there anything that I can do to help you relax? More tea perhaps?"

Blake took a moment to think about it before sheepishly answering, "Could you… massage my ears?"

"Of course Dearest," Mina answered smilingly, "It would be my pleasure,"

Blake shifted on her mattress to allow Mina some more room, and Mina obliged, cozying up closer. Mina began by running her fingers through Blake's hair in an effort to tame her sickly lover's slight bedhead and fully expose her velvety cat ears before moving her fingers to the task at hand. Blake drew in a contented, if slightly sharp breath as Mina's cool fingers gently brushed over her ears, which twitched somewhat excitedly beneath her ministrations, and Blake allowed her eyes to settle shut as she enjoyed the feeling.

"Mmmmm…." Blake purred.

Gradually, Mina's hands drifted down from Blake's ears to massage her shoulders and then her back until, to her slight disappointment, Blake felt Mina's hands pull away. Blake felt her body grow flushed all over again as she felt Mina press closer to her back though, and never had she been quite so aware of how thin her nightgown was, or Mina's white blouse, for that matter… Still, the sensation of Mina's body softly pressed to her own was an enjoyable one nonetheless, and she wasn't about to complain as Mina reached around to clasp her hands in her lap.

Blake felt the press of Mina's chest against her back grow firmer as Mina leaned further forward to whisper into her ear, "Did that satisfy you Dearest? If not, I could be more… intimate…"

Blake's mouth felt dry as she half-whispered, half-moaned, "Yes please…"

"As you wish," Came Mina's sultry reply, her hands separating again, "Whatever will help you relax…"

Blake took in a deep, shaky breath as Mina's hands moved over her body now, Mina's silken touch bringing shivers of pleasure wherever it went. It seemed to Blake as though her nightgown had become a non-object under Mina's touch, as her skin went like gooseflesh even despite the interloping fabric. Though she felt momentarily disappointed as Mina pulled away from her back and repositioned her up against the headboard once more, Blake was only too delighted when Mina moved in front of her now, reaching across to place her hands against the headboard to Blake's either side as she leaned in for a long, slow kiss. She made a feeble play at resistance, but was ultimately happier for it when she felt Mina's tongue slide past her lips and over her own. Through all this Blake was only dimly aware of the way that her hands reached up for Mina, one running along the smooth curve of Mina's back whilst the other tugged hungrily at the low front of Mina's blouse in unrestrained and undisguised lust for-

Blake awoke again with a start as the door shut again behind Mina as she returned.

"Wha-?" Blake groaned in drowsy, disappointed confusion.

"I have returned Dearest…" Mina whispered gently, "Though it seems that I have woken you… I apologize…" Mina looked somewhat upset with herself for having bestirred Blake from her brief slumber, "Did you have a nice dream?"

Blake blushed furiously, and lied, "I didn't have one…"

"Oh… a pity…" Mina lamented innocently, "I suppose that five minutes would hardly be time enough…"

"Y-yeah…"

"Is something the matter Dear?" Mina asked with concern, "Did the food upset your stomach?"

"No," Blake shook her head, "It was good… I just… I'd like to get some more sleep… You know… so this cold will blow over…"

Mina nodded her understanding, "Very well; I shall leave you in peace then-,"

"Don't leave…"

Mina cocked her head in puzzlement, "Will I not be a distraction?"

Blake shook her head more vigorously this time, "No! In fact…"

"In fact what?"

"Would you um… come cuddle up?" Blake stammered it out whilst staring into her lap, embarrassed with herself, "I mean… I shouldn't be contagious… It's just a little spring cold…"

Mina smiled, coming to Blake's bedside and lowering her back down into a resting position again, "As you wish Dearest," she said as she first seated herself on the bed, and then slipped under the covers beside Blake, "Anything to help you feel better,"

"Anything huh?" Blake asked, propping herself up on an elbow, "Well then… my pillow isn't terribly comfortable…"

"Then I shall fetch a replacement forthwith,"

As Mina made to get up again though, Blake grabbed hold of her by the arm and shook her head, "I didn't mean it like that… lay back down…"

Mina blinked a few times, but obeyed, "What then-?"

Before she could finish the question, Blake had wrapped herself around Mina, arm embracing Mina tightly and her head nuzzling to find the softest resting position on Mina's breast, "I meant like this…"

Mina chuckled, and then relaxed, reaching up to stroke Blake's hair and cat ears, "Of course Dearest; whatever pleases you,"

Had she not been so tired, Blake might have taken some flustered notice of the way in which her affectionate snuggling was displacing Mina's blouse, but she was honestly too tired to care now… and Mina was so warm and cozy… The hazy observation would just have to inform her next dream… Although… that probably wasn't a good thing given the present sleeping arrangement…

"Hey Mina…"

"Yes Dearest?"

"Remind me never to read Ninjas of Love cover to cover before bed again…"

Author's note: Okay, so admittedly the whole sick-fic thing has been done by everyone and their dog, but given how the last chapter ended, it just sort of fit, in my opinion, and besides, I wanted to write a little bit more fluff, and maybe a partial (if temporary) role-reversal in Blake and Mina's relationship. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed it, and as always, feel free to leave your opinions & and reviews.