Love-Sick

Cicilia lay wrapped up in her thick bed-sheets quaking heavily with chills, her body wracked with a terrible fever... Every breath seemed to be a soft moan in pain, her joints in constant aches with every little movement she tried to do from squirming in just the sheer pain she was in to simply breathing... She had come down with something a few days ago and it'd only got exponentially worse over that time, forcing Cicilia into a bed-ridden state of which she hadn't left since day two...

It started innocently enough: A little headache here, some exhaustion there... Nothing that couldn't be managed. Given that she was feeling quite off that day, she stayed home, just lounged around on the couch, playing a few games, spending time with Sayumi... Things that made her happy... It was her hope that she'd recover from all this all lickity split, able to get back to training with her lover and ONLY her lover as soon as possible! The symptoms only got worse as the day went on. Cicilia's headache grew into something much more painful, her brain feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds in her skull. It felt so cold in her apartment all of a sudden despite the thermostat reading room temperature and her body had started to ache... Upon Sayumi's request, she had went back to their room to turn in early... She just caught a cold or something... It couldn't be THAT bad, right? It'll be better tomorrow...

Cicilia woke up in the middle of the night with a raging fever, her breathing heavy as if she'd ran a marathon. She shook and quaked in her sheets, tightening them around her before suddenly throwing them off, the mix of her chills and her fever confusing her of what kind of temperatures she needed. Pain stabbed into her shoulders, spine and neck every time she moved forcing tears to run down her face before long... draining precious water she needed to work through this... She had stayed bedridden and completely wasted, slipping from agonizing consciousness to aching unconsciousness all throughout the day.

Day 3 and the German hadn't gotten any better... She gasped for air as her fever punished her relentlessly, nausia now adding to the various symptoms that made up her new hell... It was only early morning and she'd dry-heaved at least twice now, only to return to her sheets, quivering and crying... Cicilia was never one to handle being sick well... She had the immune system that could best be described as a wall: Virtually impenetrable to invaders but if they DO get inside, she's completely helpless and now she was at it's mercy...

Sayumi hadn't ever had to take care of another person who was sick before. Nor had she ever actively slept on a couch since her youthful runaway days. Still, she couldn't risk catching whatever Cicilia had. Whatever it was, it seemed bad. The internet even seemed to think it could her terminal. She decided to maybe not put to much thought into webMD after googling about it all on her phone.

She had woken up early, making sure Cicilia had some water waiting for her on the end table before leaving the apartement. She had to go get a few things from the grocery store. Soup, chicken broth, some cold/flu medication to help the boxer sleep, tissues, vapor rub, herbal tea, some lightly salted crackers and something for herself. Everything else she needed was. Already at the apartment.

The kitchen had become a staging ground for the containment of the apartement. She was taking no chances as she dawned a surgical germ mask. They were incredibly common in Japan after all. Not only was it proper manner to wear one if you went out in public while sick, but people wore it as a preventative measure, a way to remain socially unavailable, or even as a fashion statement.

With the growing whistle of the tea kettle she scrambled to work, pulling the water off the heat before it grew loud enough to wake the possibly sleeping Cicilia. She gathered up a few items on a fold out dining tray. Tea, freshly brewed, another glass of water, two nondescript pills, a box of opened tissues and an old timey thermometer she had tucked away with medical supplies from her apartment.. She would inquire about the food in time. She wasn't sure if her girlfriend even had an appetite.

She quietly moved to the bedroom, stopping to balance her load on a knee as she knocked gently. "Are you up?"

Cicilia was awake for certain, the pounding in her head making it impossible for the sweet, sweet grace of sleep to even stop by for a moment. Much to her distaste as well, Sayumi had been wearing some kind of surgical mask every time she came in their room like she was some kind of diseased monster or something... Even in her sicked, weakened state, she knew that this wasn't the case... She just didn't want to get sick but that didn't help her feel any better to see her lover walk in there in full sick-proof body armor!

She was probably just being childish, but she didn't like her lover sleeping in the other room either... She one thing she felt that would make her all better was to snuggle up against her lover and have her divine warmth burn away all the sick inside. It hurt her more than her body aches to feel her lover was now afraid to even touch her at this point... But she understood... If she was in her shoes, Cicilia wouldn't want to catch this if she could help it... The German glanced down from the ceiling she was staring out as she heard a knock at the door, her lover's voice quite muffled asking if she was awake..

"M...mhm..." She replied weakly, unsure if her voice even got past the door but it was the best she could do right now. Her throat was too sore to make speak any louder.

Sayumi had pressed her ear to the door after knocking, listening any sign of life. She heard... Something. She wasn't sure if it was a groan or a word but she took it as an acknowledgement she was awake. She opened up the door, letting in a brief flood of light before slipping inside with the door closed behind her.

"Hey beautiful." She smiled behind her surgical mask, while her lips were hidden, her eyes gave away what she was doing. The room reeked of sickness. That scent  of stale air and medicinal products that lingered within the closed space. She moved quietly to the bedside. Along the way she checked a small bucket and trash can seeing if either needed emptying. Nope. Thankfully.

Sayumi set the bed tray down gently on the nightstand. "How are you feeling?" She had the quiet sober bedside manner of a doctor dealing with a terminal patient. She raised a hand pressing the back to Cicilia's forehead to get a rough estimation of her temperature before even making use of the thermometer.

"I brought you some things to help. I have some tea and ibuprofen..." She glanced back to the tray, setting the tissues on the nightstand before picking up the thermometer. "I can make you some light food too, if you are hungry. Chicken soup... Water crackers?" She gave the thermometer a shake with the flick of her wrist, slowly  bringing it too Cilicia's lips. She still had it in her mind this should be done like an airplane landing. Thanks Momma Arai.

"Open wide, keep it under your tongue please." She'd plop it into her girlfriend's mouth if the girl was complying. She'd quietly count the time in her head as she offered her hand to Cilicia to hold. She wasn't too worried about touching her, Sayumi was a hygienic person by nature. Having sickness in the house raised her aware level even further. She's be sure to properly wash before touching anything else.

Once enough time had passed, she's pluck the thermometer out from Cicilia's mouth to squint at the little red bar. She had to get pretty close to see it in the dim light filtering in through the curtains.

Cicilia couldn't help but smile as Sayumi slipped inside with all her medical stuff in tow, her heart fluttering a little as she was dubbed "beautiful". There she went again, taking Cicilia's pet name for her for her own... It felt so good to be called that, even though she knew how she must've looked let alone SMELLED right now... The lack of sleep probably caused bags under her eyes to form, the sweat making her skin all wet and clammy and smelly... It only made her lover's care touch her even more that she'd dare approach her when she was so... unapproachable... When she asked how she was feeling, she smiled at her awkwardly, as if she just asked if the sky were orange. Given how she was coughing her lungs out, looking like a decaying corpse and smelling like one too, the answer should've been obvious! She refrained from the temptation of sarcasm as much as it seemed appropriate.

"...Better now that you're here..." She mumbled softly, closing her eyes as the lavender beauty graced her forehead with her hand. She enjoyed her lover's touch, even now as the sick terrorized her system... Her gentle, almost cautious touch, her fingers sending soft jolts of pleasurable electricity through her. She wished Sayumi didn't ever leave her like this... Her presence gave the boxer strength... It made her smile when this sickness took them all away... She glanced down as she saw her lover offer her hand to her, Cicilia snaking one of her arms out from under her covers and shakily grasping her palm... She smiled a little wider, hearing what her sweetheart had offered her... She HATED tea... but at this point, even sick and maybe delirious, she knew she needed to take all the help she could get... Tea was supposed to be some kind of home-remedy or something, right...? And the Ibu... whatever was genuine medicine... She was just all smiles as she stared into those beautiful blue eyes of her sweetheart, giving her hand a gentle squeeze...

"Nnh... Maybe some soup...." She groaned, the thought of ANY food making her stomach turn... but then she'd probably die if she didn't eat anything... She opened her mouth obediently letting the thermometer slip under her tongue. Once a suitable amount of time had passed, Sayumi would extract it from her mouth, looking over it... No doubt she'd see that her temperature was as high as ever, perhaps even a little higher than before... Still, the German grinned, looking up at her lover, hopeful.

"...Am I getting better, doctor...?" She laughed weakly, her giggles devolving into a heavy coughing fit... She groaned loudly as her head SCREAMED with every cough, leaving the room spinning and pulsing, agony with every heartbeat...

Cicilia looked terrible. There was no real way around that. The closest thing she had ever witnessed to this was the boxer with a gnarly case of bed head and some dried drool in the corner of her mouth. Now? She looked like she was in a train wreck and spilled off an overpass into oncoming traffic that then sent it hurdling off a cliff into the ocean. She wasn't someone who wore sickness well.

Creaky voice, puffy sunken eyes, her hair was unkept, lips chapped,even listening to he breathing made Sayumi feel like she had respiratory issues as well by proxy. Cicilia needed her. Actually needed her. While there was no doubt in her mind she had been able to help Cicilia through issue, and still did, none of them had been physically debilitating like this.

She smiled at the complement, nodded at the food request, and didn't make much conversation. She could tell by her voice the coughing fit the night prior had taken a toll and didn't want to overwork her sore vocals. At a touch she had felt the girl was hot. She wasn't sure how bad it was, which only made the wait that much more grueling. When she finally was able to pluck the thermometer out, she eyed it carefully, brow furrowed.

She was worse. Her worried showed as she glanced between the temperature readout and Cicilia. If it got much higher she was going to have to take her to the doctor... Neither of them had a car. Maybe if she called Mariah, she would give them a lift? This could just be the final stand for Cicilia before the fever broke... She would keep her options open.

"It's not great." She couldn't bring herself to lie, even for Cicilia's benefit. She was prepared for the fight though. She set the thermometer aside to help prop Cicilia to sit up in bed, even fluffing pillows for her. She set up the tray over her legs, offering her the glass of water and the pills. "The tea should help with your throat... These are general pain relief. When I make the soup I can bring in the cold and flue medicine I bought. It should help you sleep."

Well... So much for false hope. Sayumi seemingly tried to let her down easy saying "It wasn't good" rather than a flat-out no, but it really didn't do much for the boxer. Sure, she guessed on some level she appreciated the honesty, but being told she was going to be okay might've just kept her spirits up at the very least! Today was just full of big ups and downs, weren't they...? Still, the German kept up her smile for her lover's benefit, showing no fear or more weakness than she had to. Just thinking about her sweetheart worry day and night about her broke her heart and if her keeping up appearances would help her lover cope then so be it!

"Oh well..." She sighed, wincing as her chest stabbed in pain. "It won't be long now until I'm better..." With her partner's help, Cicilia was able to lift herself into a sitting position, wrapping the sheets around her tightly as the contact with fresh air froze her feverish body. Her head spun with the change of direction, a vicious wave of nausia flashing over her, turning her pale face a light shade of green. Moving was such hell... Breathing was hell... But with Sayumi here with her...? She might just be able to bare it... Saying she needed her was like saying a fish needed water. Before it was all about love but here? She depended on her for emotional support... For her strength and will... Her being here was just about the only thing that made her sickness bearable and gave her something to fight for.

And so she smiled for her, made it look like she was getting better despite the evidence to the contrary.

Cicilia's heavy eyes fell upon the tray placed on her legs, taking the water and pills she was offered with shaky hands.

"...Thank you..." She brought the medicine up to her lips before taking a PAINFUL sip of water, very nearly coughing it all back up! She shivered and her lids drooped, nearly passing out... but she clung to life, forcing her way through the sick-induced drowsiness and reaching for the tea after setting her water aside. After taking a sip, the German's face scrunched up with distaste but the fluid went down decidedly  more smooth than the water, causing her to take another sip. Hey... it wasn't that bad actually... Cicilia held the mug in her hands as she kept sipping, taking careful pauses between each one to make sure if her stomach and throat would cooperate.

"...Thank you so much, Sayumi..." She whispered, wanting so badly to kiss her despite her disgusting state. "...I love you..."

Sayumi smiled quietly behind her mask, gently combing her finger through Cicilia's hair. A soothing show of affection and a polite way to make Cicilia more presentable to... well, nobody really. Part of her knew that looking better wasn't the same as feeling better, but maybe it helped in some way? She hoped her girlfriend would get better soon. She didn't like seeing her like this. Clearly in pain, trying to tough it out like it wasn't a big deal. It was okay to be weak and just accept it. She knew Cicilia didn't want her to worry, but that just made her worry MORE. What if it was something not so obvious? Would she hide it from her then as well, supposedly to save Sayumi the grief?

She lowered herself lightly to set at the edge of the bed with Cicilia, waiting on her to finish the tea. It seemed she was taking to it well enough. She hoped that it would help with her throat. "I'm going to get you cold compress, and make you some soup okay? Then maybe we can take some medicine to get you back to sleep. Rest is going to help you out a lot." She didn't mean to sound like she was talking to a child but the only way she knew how to handle taking care of someone was in a motherly way. She was more or less just parroting her actual mother at this point, like when she was sick. She had consulted her relationship for dummies guide and it didn't even have a single page about taking care of your partner. What a ripoff.

Once Cicilia had finished her tea, she exchanged the clean glass of water with the one that had been out since early this morning on the tray, carefully lifting it back up as she stool herself up. "Did you want more tea? Anything else?"

Cicilia let out a soft breath as her lover's fingers graced her hair, her eyes fluttering closed at her gentle touch. She was in love with it, some of the only comfort she's had in days... the German drank up any and all positive sensations her lover invoked in her like an addict, making a silent vow to NEVER take them for granted again. Her sweetheart taking care of her, trying to make her look presentable despite her decrepit state and generally just be there for her despite the risk of being infected herself only made Cicilia love her so much more. When all this was over and she and the house were clean, she was going to show her just how much love she put into making her better. After a long while, Cicilia had managed to finish her tea, the warm fluid nestling comfortably in her stomach... Another soothing feeling invoked by her lover... The taste wasn't the best but she was glad to have something in her at least... She was so tired of her stomach flipping and flopping between starving and nauseating... On the plus side, it actually DID soothe the inflammation in her throat a great deal actually. Swallowing was still painful, but it was now more of a dull throb than an agonizing burning sharpness... She stared up at her goddess of a girlfriend with a certain magic in those Sanguine eyes, smiling genuinely as her mug was replaced with a fresh glass of cool water. She really WAS divine... Cicilia had no other way to explain how mere tea could soothe her suffering so greatly! Now if only they could do something about this headache and fever, she might just be able to walk around on her own.

"...Okay, mom..." The german laughed weakly, a surprising amount of endearment attached to that word considering her past. Sayumi was acting in the way a loving caretaker SHOULD act... the way her mother should've acted when she got this sick...

"No... I'm... better thanks to you..." She smiled a little more before taking a very small sip of her water, the cool fluid able to go down easier thanks to that tea. "...I'm sorry I got sick..."

She blushed slightly behind her mask, allowing it to go unnoticed in the dark room. Cicilia was on to her, though she didn't seem to mind which was good. This was the only way she knew how to deal with these sorts of things. Taking care of another living human while they were incapacitated, at least by sickness, was ranked up there for her like any other monumental adult tasks. She found it far more stressful than moving had been. "Shush, no laughing. That's an order." She didn't want the boxer going into another crazy coughing fit. This officially became a no fun zone as a result.

She tilted her head while picking up the tray, giving Cicilia a baffled look. Was the boxer to blame for getting sick? Maybe. She certainly was far too active for her own good. Not enough sleep, mingling with all sorts of people at the gym and at the restaurant she worked. It could have been from someone else, or just exhaustion catching up with her finally. Still, no reason to apologize. Nobody active tries to get sick like this.

With a soft sigh she spoke. "It's fine Cicilia, no need to say you're sorry. Nobody wants to be sick." She smiled behind her mask, her eyes again letting her girlfriend know it was genuine and there despite being hidden away. "I'm going to go get you that stuff." She quietly let herself out, leaving the door cracked slightly to make getting back in easier. She hadn't been gone for long, with a water pitcher and a cool water soaked washcloth. She placed the folded cloth down on her girlfriend's forehead and refilled her glass of water before departing again.

Soup was easily enough made. Straight from the cans she bought at the store, though she added extra chicken broth and some chopped up carrots that were in the fridge. She made more than enough for several helpings, figuring it would be easier to reheat as needed. Once it was done, she pulled an ice cube from the freezer, popping it into the poured bowl of steaming soup, to help cool it down to a edible temperature so Cicilia wouldn't have to wait forever to enjoy it. Just in case, she put a few crackers in a smaller bowl next to it all. She set a bottle of NyQuil and the small plastic cup it came with on the tray for when she was done with the soup.

After about fifteen or so minutes she returned. Checking the trash can and bucket again before setting Cicilia's tray up to make it easy for her to eat. "Here we go. Smells good, right?"