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chestcongestion · 7 months ago

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Losing Your Grippe- Ch.2: Ha//zbin Ho/tel

Chapter two, here we go. Had a lot of fun and I plan on pacing myself with these chapters so no single chapter is too huge, meaning this will probably end up being a bit longer than D-to-D was.

Word Count: 4,233

Content Warnings: Contagion

Husk ended up falling asleep in the middle of his liquor inventory, not even having the opportunity to leave the bar and head to bed, instead opting to curl up on the floor behind the bar counter- something he had never done sober until that night.

While sprawled out on the floor, snoring occasionally, Husk’s sinuses grew irritated and swollen, a trickle of watery mucus running from his adorable feline nose and forcing him to breathe through his mouth, his tail unconsciously waving back and forth as he slept.

Still unconscious, Husk took a sharp inhale and coughed, his sleeping face shifting to an irritated frown as the tickle in his throat moved downward into his lungs. Husk took a second, much shakier inhale, and coughed again, and again, and again.

Husk slept until around sunrise, occasionally bursting into short coughing fits as his nose continued to run, his joints and muscles became plagued by a dull aching, and the skin under his fur grew hot. Husk’s deep slumber was only broken when a hard object hit him in the back of the head, forcing him to pry his eyes open and stare blearily at the figure above him.

Unable to make out the shapes due to being half-asleep, Husk didn’t even notice that he was sprawled out on the floor at Alastor’s feet, who heard Husk’s coughing while he was in the kitchen preparing his morning coffee, and hoped that hitting Husk in the head with his microphone would shut him up.

“Mmm? Who ‘s it?” Husk croaked, his already deep and heavy voice sounding gravely from his constant coughing throughout the night, “Mm… ‘m tryn’a sleep.”

“Not feeling well?” Alastor asked teasingly as he poked Husk’s cheek with his microphone, refusing to touch Husk with his bare hands.

“No… not really- SnRRKK!... KHFF-khff!- Mmm,” Husk complained drowsily, holding his chest to soothe the aching in his ribcage that he felt when he coughed.

Alastor stuck out his tongue, thoroughly disgusted by his ward and opting to deal with the situation in a way that put him at the least risk possible. Thinking quickly, Alastor grabbed Husk’s tail and dragged him along the floor through the hotel lobby before tossing him into the linen closet and barricading the door shut with a piece of wood that he placed under the doorknob.

Finally truly awake, Husk looked around him and panicked, realizing that he was trapped in a small windowless room full of towels, toiletries, and Niffty’s cleaning supplies.

“Alastor you son of a bitch, I know you’re out there, open the door- kHFF-KHFF!- fuck!” Husk exclaimed, aggressively wiggling the doorknob and banging on the door as hard as he possibly could with his fists.

“Hmmm… I’d rather not, it’s far safer for me if you’re nice and isolated instead of filling the air with your-” Alastor shuddered, suppressing the urge to gag, “Exhalations.”

“Alastor I am not in the mood to play with you- Snrkk! SnRkK!- Euch! Lemme out!” Husk said, his tone demanding as he struggled to get his bearings.

“I warned you that this would happen, you didn’t listen, and now you’re paying the price for it,” Alastor said, his tone matter-of-fact as he poked Husk with the pointy end of his microphone staff through the crack under the door.

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about?!- Khff! KHFFF!” Husk asked, indignant as he continued to jostle the doorknob, struggling to get a quality breath of air in the confined space of the linen closet, especially with his slightly stuffy nose.

“I’m in no mood to be exposed to your pathogens, Husker, so for my sake I’ve elected to secure you somewhere so I can guarantee your mitts won’t be touching everything,” Alastor replied.

“Y’know what you motherfucker? My ndose is runnin’ like a faucet down mby face- snrrk! SnRKk!- my throat hurts, and mby entire body is tired and hurtin’ worse than anythin’ I can remember, including you torturin’ me for kicks when you’re bored!” Husk said, his raspy voice adding to the seriousness of his bitter grumbling, “I am not putin’ up with your bullshit today- KHhHFF khff KHFF!- when I get outta here I’m gonna sneeze in your fuckin’ face! Lemme out!”

Alastor rolled his eyes, “I don’t think so,” he said, casually inspecting his fingernails and leaning against the linen closet’s door.

“KHFFF-Khfff!” Husk’s coughing was audibly coming from deep in his chest, in spite of it being unproductive and dry. Each hack sounded like it hurt worse than the last one, and Husk’s ragged gasp for air once he was done coughing only made them sound worse. “Alastor… I will break this door down, let mbe out!” Husk threatened, pacing in a tight circle as he attempted to muster up what little strength he had left.

“Oh please, even at your best you’re no match for me, and now you’re weak as a kitten,” Alastor said, chuckling to himself, “This door isn’t budging and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Husk got as far away from the door as he could before throwing himself at it, causing the wood of the door to warp from the impact and the wooden plank under the doorknob to crack from the pressure. Alastor, who had been leaning against the door during his taunts, was knocked off of his feet, sliding across the hallway after the initial impact.

“Hmph! Well that was a bit dramatic, but I suppose I underestimated you, the amount of power your size commands appears to make up for your lack of energy,” Alastor scoffed.

Husk threw himself against the door again, collapsing against the shelves after his escape attempt still yielded no results, “Lemme out- khff khff-KHFF!,” he begged, staring at the linen closet door with bleary eyes as pain radiated through his body.

“Alright, alright, I’ve had my fun,” Alastor sighed, “I’ll release you on one condition: you have to promise that you won’t leave the closet until I’m out of the room.”

“I’m not promisin’ you shit!” Husk yelled, hurriedly jostling the doorknob again and attempting to force it open, only to be slapped with the reality of his predicament when his struggle- once again- proved to be fruitless.

“Do we have a deal?” Alastor asked, smiling from the other side of the door as he heard Husk’s defeated whine.

“Okay,” Husk replied, his voice noticeably weaker and more docile as he slumped against the shelves and tried to ignore the aching in his back, “I’ll wait, I promise… just lemme out…”

Alastor hurriedly kicked away the plank of wood holding back the doorknob and swung the linen closet door open before rushing many paces away, holding his breath. When the linen closet opened, Husk took a few steps until he was out of the doorway, before succumbing to his exhaustion and quietly collapsing to the floor, resting his head on his arms.

“Husker… the point of ‘waiting to leave until I left the room’ did still carry the expectation that you leave,” Alastor complained, approaching Husk’s reclined form with cautious steps, poking him with his microphone and feeling a twinge of concern when the jabbing did not produce a reaction.

“Mmm… Khfff-KHFFF! Koff- KHFFF!,” Husk whimpered in between his violent cough, struggling to keep his eyes open.

“This is ridiculous… Husker get up, you’re just being silly,” Alastor whispered, nudging Husk’s face with his microphone again, ruffling his eyebrows with indignation, “Husk!”

“Can’t get up… m’ whole body hurts- Khhff- khfff!- just leave me here, I’ll get up eventually,” Husk mumbled, shivering slightly as his face flushed a pinkish red and his nose dribbled slightly, triggering a damp sniffle that only exacerbated the pain behind Husk’s eyes.

Alastor scoffed, washing his hands of the matter and walking away, grumbling to himself about Husk’s refusal to humor him.

Once Alastor left, Vaggie- freshly awake and heading downstairs to make herself some coffee and something halfway close to breakfast- entered the hallway, stopping in front of the linen closet upon seeing Husk’s body.

“Husk?”

“Mmm?”

“What are you doing on the floor… halfway in the linen closet?”

“Alastor… shoved me in… SnFf-SnFF!... ‘m over it, can’t get up,”

“Did you hurt yourself?” Husk shook his head, his nose twitching desperately before he unleashed a wet and spraying, “HrRR’SCCHOO! HhrRR’SsCHUHH!” into the air.

“Ohhhh,” Vaggie snickered, kneeling down and pressing a hand against Husk’s forehead, “You’ve got the flu.”

Husk nodded weakly, coughing into his fist.

“If I help you, d’you think you’ll be able to stand up so I can get you to bed?” Vaggie asked.

Husk nodded, grimacing in pain when Vaggie grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet, steadying him by wrapping an arm around his waist, “Don’t think… I’ll be able to make it upstairs to get in bed,” he croaked, still shivering.

“Hmm… I’ve got an idea,” Vaggie said, carefully walking Husk into the parlor and propping him up against the back of the sofa while she set to work, moving cushions and draping them with blankets and pillows until the large sofa in the parlor looked more like a comfortable pull-out bed with two levels, one on the actual sofa and another on the floor in front of it, “There we go.”

Husk blinked slowly, focusing on remaining conscious and upright, when Vaggie gently tapped his cheek to make him focus, “Hm- hmm?” he hummed, his vision growing fuzzy.

“Where do you keep your pajamas?” Vaggie asked, resting both hands on her hips.

“Mm… HhRr’SSCHUUH… hNK’TSSHUHH!- snFF!- Mm.. in my nightstand drawer,” Husk mumbled, dragging the back of his wrist under his nose before wiggling it to stave off the persistent itch.

“I’ll be right back, try not to fall over and die, please,” Vaggie sighed, hurrying upstairs while Husk swayed back and forth on his feet, steadying himself with the back of the sofa and shivering like an anxious chihuahua, his teeth chattering.

While Husk waited for Vaggie to return, he was suddenly startled by Niffty and Angel, who walked into the parlor from upstairs- Niffty still in her nightgown and Angel dressed and ready for work.

“There you are, was wonderin’ where you were when I didn’t see you head to bed last night,” Angel said, “Fell asleep at the bar?”

Husk nodded, massaging his eyes with the heels of his palms in an attempt to combat his throbbing headache.

“You hungover?” Angel asked, raising an eyebrow.

Husk shook his head, wobbling a bit on his feet, “ ‘m sick,” he mumbled, twitching one of his ears and trying to stave off another irritating dry cough.

“I knew it!” Niffty giggled, climbing up Husk’s back and clinging to his shoulder as she massaged his glands with her tiny fingers, “I knew your snoring sounded stuffy!”

“Quit starin’ at mbe while I sleep- Khff! Khff!- I don’t trust you,” Husk said, narrowing his eyelids.

“Awwww, that’s no fun, you’re so cute when you sleep, sometimes you paw at the air like a little kitten!” Niffty said jovially, poking Husk’s nose and massaging his cheeks, giggling when Husk weakly tried to swat at her.

“Niffty, leave Husk alone, he’s contagious and he’s not in the mood to put up with your shit, get off of him,” Vaggie ordered, appearing at the bottom of the stairs with Husk’s pajamas folded over one arm and a drowsy Charlie clinging to her in the other.

Husk pulled on his striped pajama bottoms and removed his bow tie before fumbling with his hands in an attempt to fold his slacks and suspenders.

Vaggie rolled her eyes, taking the pants from him and guiding him to the lower level of the makeshift sofa-bed, helping him sit down and get comfortable against the cushions and sheets, “Don’t worry about it, for fuck’s sake, you’re sick as a dog, I will fold your pants for you,” she instructed, setting Charlie down on the upper level of the sofa-bed and quickly folding Husk’s pants.

“Husk I’mb so sorry I got you sick- Hh-KHFF KHHFFF!” Charlie apologized, taking a shaky gasp of air before tucking her face away into both hands, “khff- khff khff! KOFF-Khfff khfff!”

“No hard feelings, kid- snff!- it was gonna happen eventually anyway,” Husk said in reply, his words melting together a bit as he tried to remain coherent while exhaustion tugged at him, “Feelin’ any better?”

Charlie shook her head, “Everything hurts so mbuch- SnRKK!- Owwww,” she whined, massaging her temples, “I can’t- kHFF khff!- stop- KHhhff!- coughing, either.”

Husk hummed as a solemn reply, his eyelids threatening to close before Vaggie smacked his left cheek until they snapped back open, making Husk groan, turning away from Vaggie’s hands only for her to grip his cheeks with three fingers and turn him back around to face her.

“Poor baby,” Angel crooned, gently scratching behind Husk’s ears, “I’ll bring ya’ somethin’ when I get home later, I gotta get to work.”

Husk weakly waved Angel goodbye, a soft smile on his face in spite of Vaggie’s slender fingers still holding his jaw.

“I gotta get back to cleaning! Husk’s germs are all over the bar and all over my stuff in the linen closet!” Niffty said, rushing out of the parlor to grab a bottle of disinfectant and a rag.

Vaggie let go of Husk’s cheeks, feeling his forehead with the back of her hand while he was distracted, “And I have to check your temperature,” she said, “Open your mouth.”

Husk obliged, letting Vaggie slide the thermometer under his tongue and waiting patiently, trying his hardest not to shiver until the thermometer beeped.

“103.5,” Vaggie read, cleaning off the thermometer and setting it down on the table next to the sofa, “Either of you need anything to get more comfortable?”

“Could I have another glass of apple juice, please?” Charlie asked weakly, her teeth chattering slightly from the onslaught of febrile chills that wracked her body.

“Of course,” Vaggie replied, kissing Charlie’s forehead, “Think you could also manage a cookie? You need something in your stomach.”

Charlie winced, thinking of swallowing the harshly textured cookie and feeling a phantom scraping sensation against her already-raw throat, before shaking her head.

Vaggie smiled, but rolled her eyes, “Alright, I’ll think of something else,” she said, gently smoothing out a piece of Charlie’s hair before leaving the room and coming back with a glass of chilled apple juice and a plastic cup of butterscotch pudding, “will this work?”

Charlie nodded eagerly, accepting the pudding cup and accompanying spoon and slowly eating small spoonfuls, “Thanks, Vaggiee-E-Eh’KSssSHEW! E-eih’kSschhew!” she said, quietly wiping her nose with a folded-over tissue from her pocket.

“No problem,” Vaggie replied, turning to face Husk, “Are you sure you don’t need anything?”

Husk blinked slowly, huffing and brushing her off, “I’m fine,” he said with a firm tone, scrubbing at his nose with a finger, “Hh! HRrr’SHOO! HrRR’SsCHUHH!”

“Husk, I promise no one’s trying to coddle you, I get it, you’re strong enough to handle this by yourself, good for you,” Vaggie explained, gently grabbing Husk’s shoulders, fighting the urge to shake him, “But work with me man, you are very sick and you’re only going to get sicker, pick one thing that would make you more comfortable that I can do before I go upstairs.”

Husk’s previously skeptical expression softened, his narrowed eyelids relaxing as exhaustion washed over him. He shivered, rubbing his upper arms with his palms and shakily breathing through his chattering teeth.

“HRrR’SCHHUHH! HrR’SsSHOO!- snFF!- maybe just a blanket?” Husk asked, his low voice sounding pitifully vulnerable as he vibrated with febrile chills, “I’m freezing….hH! H-huhh…HnK’TsSHOO!- KHFF khfff!”

“Definitely, I’ll be right back,” Vaggie promised, wandering out of the parlor and coming back with a fleece throw blanket which she draped around Husk’s shoulders and inspected to ensure that it covered as much of his shivering form as possible.

“Th-thank you- snFF!- feels mbuch better….SnFF!,” Husk replied, nestling into the comfort of his blanket with a sigh of relief, still shuddering slightly from his fever.

“Good, I’m glad, I have to go upstairs and make some phone calls, but you guys rest up okay? Let me know if you need anything,” Vaggie said, planting a kiss on Charlie’s feverish cheek and scratching Husk behind his left ear before leaving the room.

“Husk?” Charlie croaked from her position on the sofa bed.

“Mhm?” Husk replied.

“I’b so tired, but everythi’g hurts too mbuch for mbe to sleep,”

“I know-” Husk paused to yawn, in spite of the act irritating his sore throat, “Mmhh… y’wanna watch TV?”

“Mbaybe- SnFF! Snff! E-Eihh’KkTsShhiEW! Eihh’KSHHEW!- yeah,” Charlie said, grasping around for the remote to the slightly-larger cathode ray television that sat in the parlor after a bit of negotiating with Alastor about a larger screen being better for the eyes than squinting at the old one.

Flicking through channels, Charlie eventually settled on a channel that regularly showcased footage from the nursery at the Pentagram City Zoo, and all of the adorable bumbling underworldly baby animals.

“That’s weird… all the animals must be hidin’,” Husk commented as he shuffled slightly to get comfortable.

“Aw, wait- ‘Due to a shortage of zookeepers, our regular broadcast is currently on hiatus’- this sucks!” Charlie complained, folding her arms as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, “KHFFF- Khfff- KHFFF!- gasp- KOFFF! KHHhFF!”

Husk glanced up at Charlie, watching her rub her chest as she panted to catch her breath, her cheeks flushed a deep red alongside the patch of sweaty and flushed skin brought on by her fever.

“It’s alright, we’ll find somethin’ else to watch,” Husk said, gently bicycling his feet from underneath his blanket in an attempt to soothe his throbbing muscles.

Charlie flicked through a few more channels, sighing in frustration when nothing interesting seemed to be on, until she accidentally spammed a random channel number after sneezing.

“Heyy, I know that backdrop anywhere- HRr’SCHUHH!- it’s a poker table,” Husk said, his voice slightly disoriented by drowsiness, “They’re playin’ Omaha Hi/Lo, damn…Khff-khff!”

“What’s Omaha?”

“Biggest city in Nebraska,”

“Where’s Nebraska?”

“Earth, Princess, it’s on Earth,”

“O h hhh… is it the capital?”

“No, Princess,”

“Why is it that so many of the biggest Earth cities are never the capital?”

“Eh, I think that’s just America, everywhere else the capital’s the biggest by a long shot,”

“Oh! That’s good, thanks for explaining,” Charlie said with a relieved smile, shivering slightly as sweat trickled down her forehead, “I’m cold…”

Husk frowned, shuffling in an attempt to stand up, pain and fatigue weighing down his arms and legs as he moved, “I’ll go getcha a blanket, Princess- Hh! HhnK’TSHOO! HrR’SCHUHHH!- snff snff!”

Husk managed to slowly pull himself onto his feet, swaying a bit and wincing in pain, his breathing heavy and his vision growing fuzzy at the edges, only for something to hit him in the head right before he attempted to take a step forward. “Ow! What the fuck?!- KHFF khfff!” he yelled, rubbing his head and scowling upon seeing that he’d been hit with Alastor’s microphone.

“Bad kitty, no leaving the area of containment,” Alastor scolded, gently rubbing behind Husk’s ears before playfully tugging on one, while handing Charlie the pink throw blanket from her and Vaggie’s bedroom, “There you are, my dear.”

“Thanks Alastor- snFF!- we can still get up if we have to use the bathroom, right?” Charlie asked, draping the blanket over her legs and smoothing it out.

Alastor bit back the urge to roll his eyes, “Of course you may, your doting divine partner simply wanted to make sure that neither of you were exhausting yourselves unnecessarily,” he said, straightening his lapel and shooting an unamused glance at the television screen.

“Oh, okay,” Charlie said with a yawn, sniffling a bit before pinching her nostrils shut in an attempt to fend off the building itch, “Ehh…e-ehh… EeiiH’KSsHIEW! Eh’KsSHhEW! Eh’KsShiEW!”

Alastor blinked, biting his tongue as he watched the spray of infectious mist glistening under the room’s lighting, biting down harder upon noticing the patch of damp speckles littering his suit jacket, “Gesundheit,” he said with a tight smile, gently petting Charlie’s head with his microphone.

“SnFF!- Sorry Alastor,” Charlie said sheepishly, dabbing at her nostrils with the same folded-up tissue from her pocket.

“Not to worry, I completely understand, it was an honest mistake,” Alastor said through clenched teeth before dropping a box of tissues next to Charlie and handing a separate box to Husk, “There we are, do either of you need anything else before I head out?”

“Could I have a glass of water?” Charlie asked, turning away in an attempt to cover another violent, hacking cough that left her cheeks noticeably redder and her breathing heavier.

Alastor gently waved his microphone in front of the end table next to Charlie, and a glass of ice cold water appeared on the table when he moved his microphone away again.

“Thank you,” Charlie said, taking a few eager gulps before setting the glass back down, “Where are you off to? KHhHff- khff khff!”

“I’m off to pick up my outfit for the summit from the tailor’s, then I’m going to visit Rosie to ensure that we matched colors effectively, and then I have a brief meeting with Ms. Carmilla to return a book of hers I borrowed,” Alastor said with a nonchalant huff, “Just a few errands, I’ll be back soon.”

“C-could you tell Ms. Carmine that I won’t be able to make it? I wanted to call but I don’t have her phone number and every time I tried to call the factory I got disconnected,” Charlie requested with a pleading look in her tired eyes before turning away to cough.

“Of course, I’ll be sure to let her know, rest assured you’ll still be invited to the next one, and I’m certain that your father will be more than happy to promote on your behalf at this summit when he attends,” Alastor said reassuringly, gently petting Charlie’s scalp with his microphone again.

“Why do you keep rubbing my head with your microphone?”

“While you’re in such a pitiful state, I feel inclined to provide you with some comfort, but you are also riddled with germs, so touching you with my hands is out of the question,”

“Oh… well thank you- SnFF snff!- that mbakes sense… have fun with your errands, Alastor,” Charlie said with a weak smile, pulling her blanket further up so that it covered her waist, “KHhFF- Koff KOFF-gasp!- KHhHhfFF! KhHFF- khff khff!”

Alastor winced, patting Charlie on the back with his microphone, “I’ll try, they’re quite boring errands, but I suppose anything can be ‘fun’ with enough effort,” he said, turning to face Husk, “Do you need anything before I go?”

Husk yawned, glancing over at the bar longingly, “Mind grabbin’ my bottle of scotch from the bar?” he asked, gently wiggling his nose to fend off an itch, ultimately failing, “HRrR’SCHOO! HrRR’SCHHUHH!”

Alastor shook his head, “Anything else?” he asked.

Husk raised an eyebrow, “Hey, I paid for that bottle damnit- snFF!- I can drink straight from it if I want,” he argued, letting out a low growl in frustration at Alastor’s refusal.

“Of course you can, however,” Alastor said, bending down and pressing the back of his hand to Husk’s searing forehead, “While you’re this feverish, dehydrating yourself with alcohol isn’t exactly ideal.”

Husk grumbled, folding his arms indignantly, but ultimately relenting, “Fine- snFF!- can I have a glass of orange juice then, please?” he asked, swallowing and trying not to wince at the throbbing pain in his throat.

Alastor smirked, snapping his fingers and placing his hands proudly on his hips when a glass appeared in Husk’s hands.

“Alastor this is a cup and two oranges,” Husk said, unamused, “hHRr’SsCHUHH! HRr’SCHHUH!”

“Alright, alright, I was only amusing myself,” Alastor snickered, waving his microphone over the glass and the oranges, pulling it away to reveal a chilled glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice sitting in Husk’s hands, “Voila.”

Husk took a sip, licking his lips and setting the glass down on the coffee table in front of him, “Thank you,” he yawned before trying and failing to fight a violent febrile shiver, his cheeks flushing darker, “Fuck, ‘m so hot but I feel so cold.”

“You’ll be alright, the chills will sort themselves out,” Alastor said, gently patting Husk on his achy shoulder with his microphone, “Well then, I’m off, try not to do anything ill-advised before your supervision returns from upstairs.”

“We won’t,” Charlie promised with a weak and shaky thumbs up before settling back into her cushioned level of the sofa-bed, tugging her blanket further up on her body and watching the poker match on TV, “Husk, how do you play the Omaha version of poker?”

“It ain’t that different from a traditional game of Texas Hold ‘Em, only difference is-”

Alastor rolled his eyes at Husk and Charlie’s drowsy conversation, turning on his heels and leaving the hotel through the front door, still wincing a bit at the memory of infectious droplets spritzing the front of his jacket. Taking a deep breath, Alastor shook the unsavory memory off, and headed to the tailor’s to pick up his outfit.

So much to do, so little time… and certainly no time for the flu.

#ha/zb/in ho/tel #snz #snz fic #illness kink #gingey.rtf #F i nally finished it #I think I'll try to get two chapters done next time #So I can have them to post at my disposal without worrying about writing them one at a time

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