Grell's eyes widened. "Are you sure? Not even an hour ago, you looked at me as if you wanted to tear my head off when I asked you to come inside."
You nodded. "I would go outside, but I feel really tired now," you replied honestly. As much as you wanted to go back out and play with leaves, the idea of laying down in your warm bed sounded more than appealing. While it wasn't terribly long before your usual bedtime, you hoped that your mother would allow you to go to bed soon. Not only were you drowsy, but your body began to feel fatigue as well.
"I see…" Grell continued to give you a strange look. "Well, if that's the case, go on then. I'll put your dinner away in the fridge. You barely touched it. Are you feeling alright?" She asked as you stepped down from the chair.
"Yes, I promise," you insisted. You left the kitchen. Just when you were about to ascend the stairs, you heard your mother call out to you.
"Hold on, (Y/N)!" She said as she quickly approached you. With a smirk, she said, "You didn't think you could just turn in without kisses and cuddles first, did you?" She then pulled you into a firm embrace. You felt her kiss the top of your forehead. She also brought her hand up to your neck and the top of your head, as if she were feeling for something.
"Good night, (Y/N)," you heard Will say as he walked past the both of you.
"Good night." You made sure to reply this time.
"Now give kisses and cuddles to your father as well!" Grell said when she released you. Both you and Will froze.
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Will finally said. You were grateful.
"But-" Grell began to whiningly protest.
"Don't push it, Grell," Will said. While your mother was busy pouting, you took that opportunity to head the stairs to finally engage in a slumber phase.
Grell and her husband went off to carry on their routine of watching television together. They both picked a show that was interesting to both of them. But half an hour had passed and Grell hadn't been able to pay a second of attention to it.
"Are you alright, Grell?" Will asked when he noticed that his lover was completely silent since they sat down. "You've been quiet. It's not really like you."
"I'm just worried about (Y/N)." Grell sighed. "My motherly instincts are kicking in. This is the first time that (Y/N) went to bed as early as (Y/P) did. (Y/P) also barely touched (Y/P) dinner tonight! This has never happened before. I can't help but feel like something is wrong."
"Hmm…" Will honestly hadn't noticed nor was paying much attention. He had mostly alternated between listening to the redhead's ramblings and being in his own head. "I wouldn't think anything of it yet," he said comfortingly. "I'm sure there are days where anyone would feel less hungry or more tired than usual. Even if (Y/N) is feeling unwell, perhaps (Y/P) just needs to sleep it off."
Grell sighed again. "I suppose you're right." She settled on the couch, trying to relax. But with each passing minute, the anxiety continued to linger. It was impossible to ignore no matter how much Grell tried.
"I'm going to go check on (Y/N)," she declared.
Will glanced over at her. "If that helps give you some ease, then go ahead." Before Grell stood from the sofa, Will gave her hand a couple of gentle squeezes. Grell headed up the stairs and saw that your room was slightly open. The light was still on too.
"(Y/N)?" She crept up to the door and slowly opened it, only to see you completely passed out on your bed, with your feet hanging off the side edge. You were still in your day clothes.
All you remembered after you went up the stairs was entering your room and taking a seat on your bed. At this point, your eyes had gotten heavier to where you could barely keep them open. You had laid down, intending only to rest your eyes for a few moments only to completely doze off, not waking up again until you heard your mother saying your name.
You very slowly opened your eyes.
"Darling, you haven't changed and your lights are still on," your mother pointed out.
"S-sorry…" you said tiredly, using your fists to try to rub the drowsiness out of your eyes.
Your mother chuckled softly. "No need to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong." She walked over towards you and gently held your chin up so that you were looking up at her. "You do feel a bit warm…" She frowned. "Why don't you get changed, brush your teeth, and then get yourself properly settled in bed? I'll come back to check on you soon."
"Okay…" you tiredly nodded. You scooted towards the edge of the bed until you dropped down onto the floor. Grell dug into one of your drawers and handed you a set of pajamas. You took them and headed to the bathroom. Once your teeth were brushed and clothes were changed, you padded over back to your room. Although you had forgotten to turn off the light, you crawled into your bed, pulling the blankets up to your chin. By the time that your mother came back to check on you ten minutes later, you were fast asleep.
Unfortunately, you didn't feel any better the following morning. You woke up more exhausted than before you went to sleep last night. Your limbs lay heavy, aching all over. Your throat hurt and itched, causing you to fall into a coughing hit that lasted for a full minute. Despite your warm pajamas, chills took over your entire body. Attempting to warm yourself despite being hot to the touch, you held your blanket on you for dear life.
Judging by the amount of light that was shining through your window, it was an indicator that it would soon be time to wake up. But getting out of bed to get ready for school was the last thing you wanted to do. You closed your eyes, attempting to sleep just for a little longer in hopes that it would make a difference to your exhaustion, but you ended up falling into another coughing fit instead.
You heard your door open. It was your mother walking in.
"I thought I heard you coughing," she said as she reached down and felt your forehead. "You definitely have a fever. You poor thing…" She gave you a sad look and took a seat on the edge of your bed.
"I'm not sick!" You debated in a hoarse voice. "I'll get ready in a moment for school."
"YOU are not going anywhere," Grell said. "Honestly, what makes you think you're going to school in THAT condition?"
"But-"
"Don't even try to argue with me on this one, darling! Mother knows best, you know. You're staying here." Grell was silently surprised at how much she was behaving more like a typical mother at this moment. She could hardly recognize her tone of voice.
"I'm supposed to be line leader today…" You said sorrowfully.
"I'm sure you'll have another chance at being the line leader." Grell rolled her eyes. While her statement was technically true, someone else in your classroom was going to have to replace you as line leader today. Since various roles within your class rotated each day, that meant that you had to wait another month before you had another opportunity to be line leader, which was your favorite role. To your young perspective, that felt like ages from now.
When Grell saw how you were laying there with a melancholy look on your face, she sighed and ruffled your head with her fingers. She said nothing more. Instead, she ended up lost in thought. During her time as a temporary daycare supervisor, the most she had encountered with sick children were those that came in with the sniffles. In those situations, she had wiped mucus off some of their nose and faces, all in which Grell was doing everything in her power to not refrain from gagging. She only did it so that she wouldn't get in trouble with the parents, which would put her at risk of completely losing her job.
But now it is different. She wasn't just dealing with some child with the sniffles at daycare. She was dealing with her own child who possibly had the flu. Now, how would a deadly efficient reaper like herself help you in this situation? She supposed that she could take the day off and figure it out from there.
But she ended up having a better idea.
"Stay put, darling. I'll be right back," she told you before she stood and left the room. Several minutes had passed and by the time you were beginning to doze off, she returned.
"Alright, my dear," she said as she took a seat on your bed again. "Your father will stay here and look after you today."
Eyes widened, you stared at your mother in disbelief. Not only were you missing out on being line leader, but you were stuck with Will all day long? The best case scenario in this situation would be that his dullness would lull you to sleep.
"No!" You tried to shout. But your vocal cords were weak. "That's not going to happen!"
"Honestly, what's wrong with having your own FATHER stay home and take care of you?" She sounded irritated.
"He's not my father!" You furiously pulled the blanket over your head, burying yourself away from the world as you began to throw a tantrum.
Grell rolled her eyes and groaned. "Oh, stop being so DRAMATIC!" Scowling, she grabbed the blanket that you were clutching over your head and yanked it off you. With your chills, the world was much colder without your covers embracing you. That fueled your fury. You growled and launched forward, delivering a sharp bite to Grell's arm, making her shriek. Completely thrown off by the sudden assault, she had lost her balance, stumbling backwards before catching herself in time.
Unable to control yourself, you bit as hard as your young teeth could.
"OW! What the devil has gotten into you, you feral child!?" Your mother yelled as she flailed her arm, trying to fling you off. When it proved useless, she used her free arm to grab you roughly by the back of your shirt. Since she was much stronger than you, and much stronger than she looked, she managed to pry you off and tossed you back on your bed.
You gracefully landed on your mattress. As you were breathing heavily, Grell was examining her "wound". There was a crystal clear bite mark on her bicep. It was a miracle that your bite didn't pierce her skin. She shot a glare at you, which immediately made you snap out of your sudden episode. It was then that you realized what you had just done and bowed your head in shame.
"S-sorry…" you mumbled.
With a sigh, she said, "I'll let it go this time. But remind me to wear protective gear when I come near your sick arse. But I'll tell you this…" Grell knelt down low enough in front of you so that you were face to face. Eyebrows furrowed and eyes locked into yours, intense energy was radiating off of her. Even if you dared to speak, your vocal cords had frozen and deemed useless.
"I've been more than patient with you since the moment you arrived. Like it or not, Will is my husband. He co-signed the papers for your adoption which makes him your father. Thus, I suggest you treat him with respect." Grell spoke a low, stern tone in such a way that made you wish that she simply yelled at you.
"He is how he is, but he's been nothing but decent towards you yet you are choosing to make things more difficult than it needs to be," Grell continued. "Now, you are going to do as I say and drop the bratty act and accept the man as my partner and your father. If I hear that you behaved like an awful hooligan tonight, I will have a chat with your teacher, saying that you detest being the line leader and to never assign you to be one again. Is that clear, (Y/N)?"
All you could do was nod slowly. Her threat regarding the privilege of being line leader taken away sent a chill down your spine worse than the ones you were already experiencing from your illness.
"And besides…" Grell stood up. Her voice had finally softened and she was instantly back to her casual demeanor. "He is actually a much better caregiver than I am, which means that he is more fit to care for you while you're ill. Perhaps after today, you'll be surprised at the sort of things you learn about him." She grinned. When you said nothing while looking down on the ground, she chuckled and kissed your head.
"I promise you everything will be fine," she told you reassuringly. "I'll be home anyway sometime this evening, maybe earlier. But for now, try to rest, darling."
"Okay," you responded. You laid back down on the bed. Your mother placed the blanket back over you. She left the room and returned once more to place an ice pack on your head before your fever before leaving again. You weren't going to see her again until she got off of work.
Your mother said Will was a decent caregiver, more so than she is. But even then, you weren't sure what to expect when it came to spending the day alone with Will.