-July 12th,

2014-

It was an overcast day in Lavryn Town, the sky clouded in white. It wasn't atypical weather for the area— despite the summer sun, the town was right by the coastline, after all, and regardless of the prevalent imagery of sunny beaches in movies and cartoons, what that actually meant in terms of weather was a lot of fog. So, nothing all too notable in terms of weather. It was a respite from the sun for some, perhaps, or a dreary change in pace for others. Nevertheless, it was the sort of afternoon that would be considered quite mundane by most.

And on this boring afternoon, Bones was not feeling well. Not at all.

He wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to get sick in the summertime. Wasn't winter the season for this sort of thing? No one he'd spoken to recently had been ill, either— at least, not obviously so. It all confused his sluggish brain even more so than it already was. What could've caused this?

Despite all of his wondering, the only real explanation he could settle on was bad luck.

"Yes," he thought to himself. "Today's just been really, really unlucky."

At that exact moment, the door burst open, and in the next instant, slammed shut violently. He flinched hard, the noise aggravating the pounding of his head. He looked up from his place on the couch, confused, only to see Natallia.

In hindsight, that made sense. He didn't know anyone else who would just barge in like that.

A strange buzzing noise followed her arrival. At first, he thought he was imagining it— just another side effect of the loud sound of the door making his head spin— until it faded, and he watched his good friend and home invader sigh with relief. Her shoulders slumped a bit as her tension visibly faded.

"Hey, buddy," she greeted, too distracted by peeking out of his peephole to look at him. "Sorry for just coming in, the bees were after me again. And, um, before you say anything, yes, I know that I was being stupid, I'm sorry, won't happen again, but in my defense, Al lost his keys and as much as I don't like the guy I wasn't just going to leave him locked out of his house to die— and look, it might've been dumb to try shaking trees to find them, but I don't know what that dude gets up to in his spare time, he totally could've thrown them into the branches for all I know. Before you ask, don't worry, I was way ahead of them, so none of them got in. Anyway, on a completely unrelated note, you don't have any windows open, do… Uh…"

As Natallia neared the end of her long-winded explanation, she shot a glance at him, only to immediately trail off, freezing. The blue-eyed girl blinked at him owlishly, taking in his state.

Bones shifted, uncomfortable. He was feeling pretty bad, so he knew however he looked, it couldn't have been good. He'd been coughing almost nonstop, his nose was stuffy, his eyes were watery, and no matter what he tried, he couldn't stop shivering. Not to mention that he hadn't bothered changing out of his pajamas. The longer she stared at him, the wider her eyes got.

He tried to greet her properly, but was interrupted by a sudden fit of coughing. He cleared his throat, and tried again. "H—"

"Hold on," she interrupted, barrelling over his attempt to speak, only to immediately turn and leave. He barely even had time to blink before she was gone, the door shutting hard behind her.

"I didn't even get to say hi…" He thought to himself, dejected. Despite being in no state to hang out with her, he really had been happy to see her. Watching the one good thing about his day so far disappear so quickly almost made him want to cry in his delirious state.

"I must've been right after all. Today really is just… Bad luck…"

He slumped back into the couch, feeling even more miserable than before.

"Bad luck… It's just been bad luck, after bad luck, after bad luck…" He lamented internally. Because, indeed, his bad luck hadn't ended with his mysterious illness alone.

He groaned to himself, all too aware of the irony of his situation.

Just a few weeks ago, after Natallia had gotten distracted by the meteor shower and hurt her leg, he'd told her off for failing to keep herself stocked up on medical supplies… Only to then forget to stock up on his own afterwards.

He almost wanted to hit himself, but he knew it would just aggravate his headache. Something else instead, then. Maybe he could grab his past self and headlock him until he got sick too, as revenge for putting him in this situation. In the state he was in, it sounded like quite a nice plan.

He felt queasy, and miserable, and he was in pain. In short, he felt downright terrible. And he didn't even have anything to properly soothe the pain.

He'd tried to muster up the strength to make himself some soup, just like his mom would do for him, but it hadn't gone too well. He didn't feel well enough to deal with all of the food prep needed for that— and he didn't have any of the canned stuff, either. Though he certainly wouldn't deny it if it were offered to him, he usually had higher standards for that when preparing his own meals, despite popular belief.

He had a reputation for being a bit food obsessed— which, to be fair, he was— and yet, for some reason, people were always surprised whenever they learned just how much he loved cooking and how much effort he usually put into even day-to-day meals. He wasn't sure why. Wouldn't it only make sense for someone who loved food to care about it so much?

But, in hindsight, not keeping much canned food in the house was a pretty big oversight. Since he loved cooking so much, it never really occurred to him that he'd be in a situation where he didn't want to— or even, couldn't— do it. He wasn't sure how he'd gone so long living alone without putting that together.

So, instead, he'd just choked down some oranges and felt sorry for himself. Despite his usual love of fruit, it wasn't particularly pleasant, especially considering the way the juice burned his sore throat. But it was better than nothing, he supposed. Besides, Vitamin C was supposed to boost the immune system or something, right?

… He was getting off track again. The truth of the situation was staring him in the face. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but it was clear as crystal. He'd been resting on his couch for a couple of hours now and he didn't feel any better. So, there was only one thing to do.

He was going to need to get actual medicine.

He sighed. It was his only hope, really. His meager meal hadn't helped much, if at all. So he had to get something to deal with his symptoms properly.

And then, he needed to get actual food in him. He knew better than to think just fruit was going to be a good enough meal when he was this sick. No, he needed proper nutrients. Vitamins, all that. And, most importantly, something warm to soothe his aching throat. And, again, he couldn't cook properly unless he felt better, and he couldn't feel better without medicine.

But he… Really, really didn't want to go outside. Not like this. It would be downright embarrassing, and he could get someone sick. And he didn't even want to think about how miserable the trip itself would be, trying to get all the way up the hill to Nook's store to get medicine and then trek all the way back…

Yet, there wasn't really any better option he could think of. So, with little else to do, he sat up.

The door slammed open again.

He let out a startled cry, clutching at his head.

"Agh— Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry—" His home invader said, in progressively quieter whispers. She shut the door gently, with one last little apology, before turning to face him.

He blinked slowly, taking a moment to process what he was seeing.

Her arms were riddled with grocery bags. He could count at least four, which was seriously impressive. She had a determined look on her face.

Suddenly, it clicked. He could almost sob with relief.

She'd never abandoned him. She went to get him medicine.

A million praises rushed through his head at once. "Thank you, you're the best, I appreciate you so much, you're a godsend, I'm so lucky you're my friend, I'm sorry for doubting you, you're an angel—"

What ended up coming out of his mouth was a strangled, "Thank God."

Natallia let out a startled laugh. "Ah, geez, that bad, huh?" She asked, moving to drop the heavy groceries on his kitchen counter. She started to dig through them, clearly looking for something, but didn't seem able to take her eyes off of him fully for more than a second.

"Yes," he said, hoarse voice strained with emphasis. "Fuck. Yes."

Her expression immediately dropped, until all of her humor was gone and nothing but an intense worry remained.

"Oh. This is really bad. Oh, man, you should've called me sooner!" She exclaimed, frantically fetching a glass from the cabinet and filling it with water.

"It's not… Ugh…" He struggled, breaking into another brief coughing fit. "I-It's not that bad. And I didn't wanna get anyone else sick…"

"Dude, bullshit!" She immediately interjected, rushing over to him and practically shoving the water into his hands. Along with it, she passed over a bottle of pills. He could swear the world got brighter, birds and angels singing in a perfect chorus. "You look awful!"

He struggled desperately with the childproof cap. She gently took it away, opening it and passing him one pill. "One of these every six hours," she advised as he swallowed it down with an animalistic gulp of water. He took in a deep breath, coughing a bit.

"... It looks worse than it is," he gasped. She stared at him incredulously.

"... Dude," she said. Her tone alone was enough to make him look away, ashamed. It was really rare for her to sound so stern…

"Please, next time you're sick, call someone, okay?" She said, her face pained. "I hate to think of you suffering alone and miserable like this… Even if everyone else is worried about getting sick, I'll help you. I don't care if it's wintertime allergies or the black plague, if you need my help, I'll be there."

At this, the dog couldn't help but bark out a hoarse laugh. She blinked. "... What?" She asked.

"It's just… I totally thought you abandoned me earlier, yip yip…" He admitted. "So hearing you say all of that is… Haha, it's nice."

"What?! I would never!" Natallia cried. "Didn't I tell you I'd be right back?!"

"Not really," he replied. "You just said, 'hold on', and bolted. Didn't say anything else."

"... Really?" Natallia frowned. "Ah… Man, that's… Sorry, I should've explained what I was doing better. I guess I panicked," she said with an uncomfortable shrug.

"It's okay," he smiled. "I'm just glad you're here."

His friend smiled back at him. "Of course. Always."

They fell into silence for a moment, before Natallia's concern seemed to return.

"Have you eaten?" She asked.

"Well, I had, like, three oranges," he answered.

"... Oranges?" She frowned. "Why?"

"I didn't feel like cooking, and they're rich in Vitamin C!" He tried to justify pathetically.

She frowned harder. "... Well, fair enough. Can't say I would've done much better. Still, we're fixing that."

"Okay," he nodded.

"... Or, rather, I'm fixing that. You're staying here and waiting. Sorry in advance," Natallia said. "My cooking is awful, but… I'll do my best to make something edible for you."

"Thank you," he said, too exhausted to argue. He felt himself fading fast. "If you need a recipe, there are cookbooks on the shelf. And if you have questions, let me know."

"Sure," she said.

"I'm… Gonna take a nap now…"

"Alright," she said. Then, under her breath, added, "geez, I know the bottle said it might make you drowsy, but that was fast-acting…"

"Oh, I think I'm just tired," he yawned. "And besides, now that you're here, I know I'm safe…"

And with that, he passed out before he could see her response.


He woke up, groggy, to a hand shaking his shoulder. He blinked open his eyes, still heavy with sleep, groaning.

He had no idea how long he'd been out for. He'd slept like a rock.

His bleary vision adjusted, and he saw Natallia, standing nervously with a small bowl.

"Heyyy, buddy…" She greeted, wearing her kid-in-trouble smile. It caused a distant spark of worry in him, but he was feeling too sleepy to pay it much mind. "Food's ready."

He sat up with minimal complaint, adjusting so he was sitting on the couch properly. She quietly passed him the bowl, along with a napkin and a spoon. He settled it in his lap. It felt warm, but not enough to burn. It looked absolutely wonderful to his hungry eyes, and he was sure the scent would've been mouthwatering, if his nose wasn't too clogged to smell it.

"Sorry…" Natallia mumbled, sounding almost ashamed. He shot her a questioning look, but she provided no further explanation, instead anxiously avoiding his gaze.

He blinked back down at the soup.

He shrugged, before taking a bite.

The first taste he registered was pepper.

A lot of pepper.

He struggled a bit to swallow it, caught off guard. His throat burned faintly. He heard Natallia take in a sharp breath through her teeth, probably wincing.

He hummed, before taking a long sip of water. Then, he went in again.

From his peripheral vision, he saw her blink, but he was focused on the soup. Though the peppery taste was pretty overwhelming, when he focused, he could also taste a slight hint of salt, garlic, and an underlying chicken-stock base. It seemed she'd gone for chicken noodle soup— a classic, truly—, and when he tried another bite with both ingredients included, they seemed to be cooked well.

It certainly wasn't the best soup he'd ever had— seriously, how much pepper had she put in there?—but overall…

"It's not bad!" He smiled. "Pretty solid."

"Thank god," Natallia sighed, tension leaving her shoulders. "I was so worried I was gonna poison you."

He laughed. "C'mon, have more faith in yourself! You did pretty good, for someone who claims to not know how to cook."

"Ah, well… I was pretty worried how it was gonna turn out, considering…" She trailed off, looking over his shoulder towards the direction of the kitchen.

He blinked.

"... Natallia, what did you do to my kitchen?" He asked, deadpan.

"Don't worry about it!" She laughed nervously. "Nothing's broken! Just… I'll clean it up, it's nothing you need to be concerned about."

He went quiet for a moment. Judging by her reaction, he could only imagine the state of things, but…

"Okay," he shrugged, eating another spoonful of soup. He honestly didn't have the strength to worry about whatever the deal was with that, and even if he did, it wasn't like he'd be able to do much of anything to fix it in his state.

With that, the two lapsed into silence for a bit, Bones eating his soup and Natallia standing idly by. The more he adjusted to the peppery taste, the more he found himself enjoying it.

"... Oh, do you want bread or anything?" Natallia suddenly piped up. "I know I like bread with my soup."

"Sure," he smiled. She nodded, leaving and making her way back to the kitchen. A minute later, she returned with a few slices of bread.

"Thanks," he smiled.

"No problem."

They went quiet again.

Natallia watched him intensely. He didn't comment.

He ate a bit of the bread. It was nothing special, but it was nice.

He took a few more bites of the soup. There were little bits of carrots, celery, and peas included. They seemed hastily-chopped, but tasted nice nonetheless.

Why had she tried to chop the peas, anyway? Oh, whatever…

He sniffled, feeling his sense of smell return to him a bit.

"Ugh, my sinuses…" He groaned, placing a weary paw on his snout. "I think all of the pepper is knocking the snot right out of my nose…"

"Gross," Natallia commented, bouncing on her heels. "Let me get you some tissues."

"Okay…"

Natallia left, returning to the kitchen to fetch a box of tissues from one of the many grocery bags she'd brought. It occurred to Bones he already had tissues somewhere in his bathroom, but it was too late to tell her that now. He'd already gone through the box he had on the end table, anyway, so they'd still be helpful.

Belatedly, he wondered just how many random supplies Natallia had picked up to help him…

She came back with the box shortly after, and he decided it was probably best not to worry about that for now.

"Thanks, doc," he grinned, grabbing a tissue and blowing his nose. At least his sinuses were clearing up… They'd been alternating between horribly stuffy and irritatingly runny all day, and as miserable as both states were, he decided he greatly preferred the latter.

"Of course," she nodded stoically, as though she were some kind of knight who'd sworn to protect him with her life. It was all unusually serious, especially by her standards.

He wasn't sure what to do about that. He just kept eating his soup for a while. Natallia wasn't saying anything.

Wondering about the unusual silence, Bones glanced up.

He noticed his friend shifting nervously from foot to foot, seemingly unsure of what to do.

"... How long was I out for?" He asked.

"Oh, a couple of hours," Natallia answered.

"Hm…" He thought for a moment. "... Wanna watch a movie or something?"

"Yeah, sounds good!" She smiled, brightening up. "What do you wanna watch? You get to pick, since you've got the plague."

"I've got Frozen on DVD. Does that sound okay?" He proposed.

"Mhm! I'll get that set up, then!" She nodded, and all at once, it clicked that she was relieved to have some sort of task to do.

How strange… Natallia didn't usually mind silence or inactivity so much— sure, she wasn't the best at sitting still or keeping quiet, but she wasn't usually so anxious about it. He guessed it must've been because he was sick. Judging by her unsureness, she probably didn't have much experience taking care of people when they were ill.

She must not know what she should be doing. Maybe she was waiting for some sort of indication of what to do next from him.

He hummed to himself lowly, considering.

She must really, really want to do a good job taking care of him.

His heart warmed, a huge smile spreading across his face involuntarily.

That was… Surprisingly sweet, coming from her.

Seeing how hard she was trying, and how invested she was in his wellbeing was incredibly touching. He really was lucky to have such a wonderful friend.

He watched, slightly awed, as she set up the movie. She settled on the far end of the couch; neither of them wanted her to get sick, after all. She'd grabbed one of his spare blankets and swaddled it around herself, passing over the popcorn she'd made for both of them. He gave her a warm smile, more grateful than he could express aloud.

She returned it happily.

With that, she started the movie.


An hour and a half later, Bones had fallen asleep. Natallia couldn't help but stare at him for a while, until the credits of the movie finished up and they were left in silence. She quietly turned off the TV and stood up, careful not to wake him. He needed all of the rest he could get, after all.

She moved a bit closer, gently settling his blanket over him. It seemed to have slipped off at some point.

She stood there for a long moment. Unconsciously, she brushed a hand against his forehead, soft fur warm against her hand.

Natallia swallowed harshly, pulling away.

She silently made her way to the kitchen, wincing at the sight of it.

It… Wasn't good.

The sink was piled high with dishes, far more than there should've been from making a simple soup. Pepper was scattered across the counter, cupboards flung open haphazardly. She let out a long sigh.

… Well, at least the soup had turned out edible, she guessed. She couldn't really complain. Especially considering what an ordeal it had turned out to be to make it.

"... 'Season to taste'? What does that even mean? Of course I know to put in enough seasoning to taste it…" She had mumbled to herself, wielding the bottle of pepper with unearned confidence. "There's a lot of soup, so I guess I better put in a lot!"

With that, she'd given the bottle a few hearty shakes. One shake, two shakes. On the third, the lid had flown off, luckily narrowly avoiding falling in the pot.

"Fuck—!" She'd cried. Overwhelmed with panic and the drive not to ruin the soup with pepper, she'd tossed the bottle across the room.

At the memory, she winced again.

… Well, no one's fault but hers, she supposed.

With that thought in mind, she began to work on the long job of restoring Bones' kitchen to its former glory.


A/N: Hi again, everyone!

Here's the Obligatory Sickfic chapter! Based in part on ingame events, of course. It's always so sad to see your favorite villagers get sick... So as soon as it occurred to me I COULD do this, I knew I had to, lmao.

I haven't really read a lot of sickfics, so I'm not entirely sure what makes a good one. Honestly, I don't entirely understand the appeal. Something about trust and relying on other people, even in your most vulnerable moments, I guess. Regardless, I did my best to make it good, and to think about what people probably like about sickfics in general. I mean, it's a got a whole genre. There must be something about them that people really enjoy. So, hopefully I captured that well enough, and that it hit all of the criteria for a good Character Being Ill chapter.

On an unrelated note, if anyone has any advice on how to realistically write terrible cooking, lemme know, lmao. I was tempted to add a whole segment about Natallia absolutely fucking up that soup, but I didn't really know how to do that. Hopefully the glimpse we got into the madness that is her in the kitchen was entertaining nonetheless. The mental image of her just chucking a bottle of pepper across the room is incredibly funny to me, at least.

"Season to taste? Of course I'll add enough seasoning to taste it" has the same energy as "you're telling me a shrimp fried this rice?" to me. I don't know if I came up with that myself, or heard it somewhere else and forgot. Credits to whoever came up with that one if it already existed, lmao.

Anyway, the next chapter is going to be... Interesting. Let's just say it'll be familiar to readers of the original version. It's an old tradition of mine to write really incomprehensible dream sequences every six chapters, and not counting the prologue, well, we're at six, so... Let's just hope that'll be fun, lmao. Just keep in mind that (almost!) nothing you'll see there will make sense or be canon. I'm telling you that now, since it was always my intent for these dream chapters to be very obviously not real, and for them to occur on a predictable schedule, so that's not meant to spoil the surprise or anything. You're already supposed to know that, so it's cool! The content itself is still a surprise, anyway, so don't worry.

That said, I don't think there's all too much else to comment on. I just hope you guys liked this chapter, and that the next one will be fun for you too! It might come out a bit late, since I'll be going back to school on the day it comes out. I might have to slow down the update rate, since I'll be busy with that, but nothing's set in stone yet. I'll keep you all updated on that. For now, I'll see you later, I guess! :)