#this looks garbage but i'm too feverish to care

[putuponpercy]

clowning around instead of working

[faytelumos]

Into the Black With a Matchstick, pt2

@those-damn-snippets @thepotatoofnopes @robin-parravel @invader-mint-tea

cw: drug use (barely described)

previous

---

It wasn't waking up from cryo that had Doctor Adina Ramirez clutching a sick bag for dear life. The massive headache that came from being a freeze-dried raisin person and the feverish, wholistic hunger were nausea-inducing, of course, but her stomach was stronger than that. It wasn't even the ship's interface blandly informing her that there was an intelligent, non-human body attempting to establish a communications line. Even walking up to the console and seeing that the four biologists (including both astrobiologists) who had failed to wake up before her hadn't quite been enough to bring her to her knees with a sudden cold-sweat.

It was the mission clock.

26,008,372 years, 217 days, 8 hours, 36 minutes

She had checked four times to make sure that was million, and not thousand. Maybe if it was thousand, she wouldn't have needed the bag.

Doctor Johnathan Harrison sat at the table with his hands buried in his hair, leaning forward on his elbows, the rehydration pouch sitting in front of him. He hadn't punctured it yet. Adina had unfortunately almost finished hers.

The agreement had been that if and when space travel technology advanced, a crew would catch up to The Solstice and update everything. Maybe even wake the crew and check up on everyone. But almost fifty times the length of recorded human history had passed between the launch and this wake-up call.

Humanity was dead. Even if the sun was still alive (she thought it should be), there was simply no way that humans still existed on that planet. Just as terrifying, perhaps humanity had completely collapsed back to the stone age and rebuilt from scratch, hitting a second space age and setting off into the sky without any kind of record of The Solstice to recover.

She wretched again.

"You're gonna make me sick," John whispered shakily.

Adina coughed and spat, then wiped her face and pulled the bag away with trembling hands. She closed it off and carefully placed it in the receptacle.

"Okay," Adina breathed, though her voice was scratchy and uneven. "Aliens. We have to talk to the aliens." John laughed, suddenly and unsteadily.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" he joked, "Your entire planet is probably dead and there's a real alien ship knocking on the door — have a Slurpee!" Adina laughed, too, even though it made her head scream and her guts ache harder than ever.

John got to work setting up the channel. The frequency the aliens were using was unorthodox, but easy to replicate. But Adina felt like the entire ship was spinning like a top, her badly dehydrated and starving body wobbling all around her. God knew how much more time the aliens were going to give them to talk — for all she knew, the initial message was, "You're trespassing, respond immediately or we'll turn you into space dust."

And then the computer had asked for a confirmation, then proceeded to wake up five pods in careful succession, then handed out a lunch pack, and then finally informed Adina that there had been a message.

"I can't do this, I'm gonna pass out," Adina breathed. Holy shit, she felt like human garbage. The word "dizzy" came nowhere near this sensation. John watched Adina with bloodshot eyes and shaking fingers.

"I, I know of something that'll help."

It took ages, but they finally ended up in the medbay, and John pulled a small bottle out of a hiding spot so out-of-the-way there was no way in hell he hadn't been the one to stash it there.

"Doctor Harrison?" Adina said cautiously as John found a syringe. "Did you smuggle drugs onto an international, interstellar spaceship?" John looked at her like he was confused, eyes wide and lips parted as he held his items. He blinked once, and for a moment he looked every bit like a kid caught breaking the rules red-handed.

"It's a performance enhancer."

---

The aliens looked like exactly what would happen if a lion and a hyena had a baby and it came out a dinosaur.

There was no sense of size with the video feed, but she could tell by their eyes that they were huge. Her guess was a meter and a half at the head, which was well bigger than both Earthly carnivores. The scales on their bodies were thick and healthy, with Paxie's being a glimmering maroon and the other's some kind of iridescent purple-green. Both monsters had jaws that were definitely designed to crush sturdy bones, but Paxie was bigger and had longer teeth. The other one's shoulder spikes were thicker, and its head was more aerodynamic.

These drugs were something else. Adina almost couldn't feel her body right now, which was exactly what she needed. Her brain was running on overdrive and she could feel it, but she was keeping pace like a thoroughbred. These aliens were large carnivores with adaptations for high levels of sunlight, dry air, blunt force trauma, fast-moving targets, and strong prey. Something like this and smart enough to have an instant universal translator could do whatever the hell it wanted with The Solstice and still have time for lunch afterwards.

God, Adina was starving.

"Captain Ramirez, Lieutenant Harrison, please excuse us," Paxie choked before turning off the translator. The other one said something in their unfiltered language.

"What do we do?" John whispered.

"They're trying to be friendly," Adina uttered. "Hopefully they mean it."

"Are we betting the last members of humanity on that thing's friendliness?" John said.

Adina watched Paxie. Their appearance set off alarm bells all across Adina's brain. But she couldn't tell how much was basic instinct and how much was logical caution. And if she was being honest with herself, she'd probably never in her life been this mentally compromised. High on some weird stimulant and staring an honest-to-God intelligent alien in the face while the death of her entire species was pounding on the walls, she knew if there was another choice in leadership, she'd have to tap out immediately.

But she was the first biologist lucky enough to wake up, and she'd finished her thesis a year before John.

"We don't have a choice," she breathed shakily, trying to school her expression. She was the leader of the human species right now.

She was not ready for this.

"No matter what happens, we're at these people's mercy," she whispered. "The best we can do is appease them until we get our bearings." John sighed raggedly, and Adina could see from the corner of her eye that his hands were shaking badly again. Hers probably were, too. She couldn't look at them. She just kept watching Paxie, because she was in charge now, and everything she had ever known depended on her getting everyone through this alive.

---

Paxie tried to keep their breathing even as the shuttle hissed and trundled towards the alien ship. Both sides had agreed that there was no need for the ancient ship to adjust its course; the Xoixe vessel could adjust and keep pace with it without any trouble. Paxie thought it a clever enough resolution, since the composition of the ancient ship's fuel was so foreign it wasn't yet clear if anyone could make more.

Paxie wasn't scared. Of course not. These creatures, unnerving as they were, posed no threat. They were small and their machinery, upon closer inspection, was in a bad way. And it was no wonder, with how long they'd been adrift and asleep. But Paxie would be lying outright if they said they weren't intimidated by the task of assimilating these things. Of course it would turn out that when they finally got a chance to make first contact, they got the most unusual creatures in the universe. It was just their luck.

The boarding party was comprised of three individuals. Paxie had flexed their authority to afford themself a seat with only a hint of shame. The second person was another Xoixe, Ensign Kime, a xenomedic. The third individual was the most important of the group.

Sergeant Klte was a Qomo, one of the smaller species in the Xoixe's catalog of allies. Given the delicate and relatively defenseless physiology of the new aliens, Paxie had determined that Klte would be the best received as the face of the alliance. Klte, like all of its kind, stood on four thin legs, each ended with three hooked claws. It rose up on an elegant, slim torso, four thin arms with four claws each sprouting from reedy shoulders. Its head was sleek and mostly featureless, its face consisting only of a thin, lipless line for a mouth and a pair of large, black eyes. The pale skin that looked much softer than it felt completed the look of a spindly, almost harmless individual.

Paxie was quite proud of themself. Klte was downright cute, and the aliens would surely warm up to its lanky and pale appearance. Especially since the two species shared compatible atmospheric needs.

The boarding ship rotated slightly and decelerated, then made a low-pitched rattle. The clamps were secured. A moment later, there was a brief, deep hiss, and the airlock doors unlocked and slid open.

Captain Ramirez and Lieutenant Harrison both stood in the hall, and they had to look up to meet Paxie's eyes. Paxie dipped their nose respectfully before speaking, and the translator repeated their words in a small speaker on the outside of their environment suit.

"May we come aboard?"

Ramirez and Harrison looked at Paxie and Kime with wide eyes. But when Harrison noticed Klte, they… flinched.

And then Ramirez gasped quietly.

Paxie glanced back at Klte, concern worrying at their stomach. Perhaps these weren't fear responses. As a prey species, these newcomers could have mannerisms a Xoixe simply didn't understand.

"Please, follow us," Ramirez said, and both of the small creatures turned and walked into the ship. Paxie was going to lead, but the tunnels in this vessel were… tight. Being a carrier, Paxie was about as big as Xoixes got, and they weren't confident in their ability to move around in such a claustrophobic space, especially with their full environment suit on. They turned to Klte.

"Go ahead; I might have trouble."

"Aye, sir," Klte hissed in its rasping voice. It clicked forward, and Paxie also allowed Kime to pass before finally stepping in and bringing up the rear.

Paxie couldn't see well over Kime's shoulders, but they heard the moment when Klte popped the seal on its helmet. Ramirez gasped again, something struck the metal floor, and Kime halted abruptly.

"What happened?" Paxie barked, perking their ears against the inside of the helmet.

"Nothing, we're all fine," Ramirez replied. Kime tried to look backwards, but there was no room in the tight hall. Paxie shifted, trying to get any kind of view, but their helmet just smacked against the cable routing in the top of the hall. They gritted their teeth.

"Admiral," Kime uttered, and she had turned off her translator. Paxie did the same.

"Yes?"

"I don't have a good understanding of their chemical biology yet, but these creatures are exhibiting signs of extreme stress."

Paxie watched Kime's back as they all clamored through the corridors. "You're my eyes, Ensign."

"Their muscles are tense, eye movement is rapid as far as I can tell, hypersensitivity to sound and visual input, and I may be detecting altered blood-flow."

Paxie held back a self-deprecating sigh. They had truly thought Klte's appearance would be soothing, but there must have been something about it that set off the new aliens. Paxie couldn't help but wonder what possible characteristic a Qomo had that was unsettling.

"We'll see if distance with Sergeant Klte will make a difference," Paxie said. "Hopefully our new friends will be comfortable enough joining us to tell us what's happening here."

---

next

[prompt-master]

I- I'm sorry to ask cause I feel you have a lot of stuff to do, But I can see all the survivors (thh) caring for each other when one's sick,, and was wondering if you had any specific hcs. I live for sick fics/sick hcs

Do NOT be sorry lil fella 💛💛!! You should never feel sorry for sending me good ideas and topics! I'm not sure how to organize this because theres a lot of direction to take this and this could get really long. I think I'm going to with seperating by survivor, who will be the sick one, and listing a few headcanons!

Naegi Makoto

Gets carried around a lot, especially by Hina and Hagakure.

He's the kind of guy to push himself while sick without telling anyone so they don't find out either until he crashes or Kiri's detective skills catch him in the act

He loves to sleep against the others when he's not feeling well but he won't ask for it unless delirious

Asahina sneaks him sweets behind the others back because she understands only eating bland sick food can be kind suckish.

Fukawa will completely ease up on insults while he's sick and try to help from a distance because she gas a garbage immune system

Typically him being sick causes the most worry because he's kind of the glue between them all

Kirigiri Kyoko

The quietest when sick

Clings to Naegi in her own way, she just wants to be around him.

Typically gets bad coughs

Has Hina tie up her hair for her when she's sick. It's always such a nice relief

Hagakure is always willing to give his jacket to the girls when sick because they're always in damn skirts/shorts so it makes them chilly af when sick

Continues to try and be useful, but everyone just wants her to relax

They end up making a day off just for her so everyone can relax together

She really appreciates all the care...she may not get sick often at all but they still care so much. You'll notice a little smile on her face when no ones looking.

Togami Byakuya

Bad headache means he can't read well. He ends up having either Fukawa, Naegi, or Kiri read for him. This really helped Fukawa's stutter improve.

You know he's sick when hes not wearing glasses and his hair is messy

Will wear just a button up instead of the jacket and tie.

He's the most embarassed about being sick and will try to just lock himself away, but everyone always catches him because they're worried

Very very grumpy and irritated. He complains about every little thing but...you can hear him mumble a thank you under his breath

Hagakure stays with him telling him stupid stories so Togami can jokingly mock him for them

Asahina decides FINE she will be nice to Togami just this once

Naegi always has the best luck getting close to Togami and caring for him without trouble. No Togami does not like Naegi what do you mean. No Togami is absolutely not enjoying Naegi caring for him

He's so used to just popping a fever reducer and moving on so he kinda sucks at handling it, but he will not show that ever.

Enjoys a nice cold shower when all feverish.

They spend a long time trying to convince him to like wear sweatpants like a normal sick person but he'd rather die

Asahina Aoi

She just wants to lay down with someone so badly

Does she end up in Kirigiri's lap? Yes. And what of it?

She's pretty easy to figure out when sick, she's open about how bad she feels

A little whiney but can you blame her?

Gets sniffily and really annoyed when one nostril is completely clogged

Plays board games with Naegi and Hagakure while resting against Kirigiri

Lets her ponytail down

Feels more emotional than usual when sick, she just wants to curl up and sleep and its easy to make her cry

Curls into Hagakure's jacket

Doesn't eat as much which really concerns everyone

Fukawa will bring her easy to eat food because she doesn't like watching her just laying there miserable

Very shivery

Togami doesn't do much, but he does leave her things like cold compresses, pills, and a blanket so that Naegi can give them to her

Gets coddled by those caring for her but she loves it

Gets home sick when shes given sick foods

Fukawa Toko

Gets sick the most often

She has terrible luck and ends up sneezing a lot which leaves her switching between Syo way too much

Shakes like a damn leaf

Asahina coddles her the most, she's completely fretting

She usually ends up in bed by herself only letting Komaru and Togami in. The others understand she feels more comfortable alone so they knock and leave her things

Naegi gives her food and books he thinks she'd like

He also gives Syo a doujin he found on the street. He figures she'd get more enjoyment out of it than him...

Kirigiri always just takes one look at her and says "go lay down"

Fukawa always huddles under like 5 blankets. Shes completely buried, you can't even see her head. Under it she has a fake crystal ball that Hagakure gave her that lights up. It helps her with her fear of the dark

It's moment like these that...Fukawa remembers that Komaru is NOT her first friend. Komaru is the first person she truly has healthy romantic feelings for but...she has so many people that geniunely care about her, even with her bad habit of pushing them away.

Hagakure Yasuhiro

The most homesick. He just wants his mom man.

Very very very whiney. He complains SOOOO often

They have to make sure he eats well because otherwise he'll survive on junk food thats easy to open

Will cling to the shoulder of anyone nearby. Anyone.

He does kinda get on their nerves but then they'll remember that hes just feeling crummy and try to help him feel better like hes done to them in the past

The good thing is he's usually pretty easy to take care of. His mom was a nurse after all so he'll just tell you what he needs for help

But be warned because then once youre helping hes going off on several conspiracy theories and scams

LOVES how being sick means he doesnt have to work

[voidstilesplease]

By the Angel, TALK

Warning: THIS IS AN ANTI-CLARY AND JACE SPOILER RANT because I need an avenue to let out some of the steam I've been holding off since starting City of Fallen Angels. So PLEASE SKIP AHEAD because I don't want to burden you all with my reading woes.

This thing centers on the beginning of Chapter 9: From Fire Unto Fire and a little bit of Chapter 8. About eight pages of bad, bad romance set me off.

To start,

The rest is under the cut, so you can go away now.

So, what's been happening to Clary and Jace thus far?

This book introduced them now as an official couple, picking up from the end of TMI Book 3: City of Glass. I don't remember their every scene since then to the point in Chapter 9 where I stopped, but basically, they're having relationship issues early on. They're less than two months into their relationship, and the drama is too frickin much. 

Jace has these weird dreams about murdering Clary and waking up guilty about his subconscious thoughts, so he goes angsting about it and avoiding her, snapping at her, being a total dick, and still question why people think they are on the brink of a break-up. 

So, Jace goes with Simon in the next few scenes, in his plight to get away from her as far as possible, yet still be somehow close by being around Clary's best friend to "protect" him, so his distant behavior will be reasonable and forgivable. Yeah, make that make sense. 🙄 But of course, one way or another, they're going to have to get to the confrontation part (that I still wish had been equivalent to an actual break-up), and so that's when Chapter 8 & 9 enters.

Chapter 8: Walk in Darkness pp. 185-186

Almost instantly, the light went out of them, and the remaining color drained out of his face. "I thought --- Simon said you weren't coming." ¹

[...] "So you only came because you thought I wouldn't be here? [...] Were you ever planning on talking to me again? [...] If you're going to break it off, the least you could do is tell me, not just stop talking to me and leave me to figure it out on my own."

"Why does everyone keep goddamn asking me if I'm going to break up with you? [...]²

First, what an asshole?! 

[1] So Jace finally in-your-face's Clary and confirms that he has been keeping his distance like Clary has the plague. He then has the audacity to [2] be annoyed for being questioned on his intentions of keeping the relationship that he has been actively evading for days!

I get that Jace sucks in romantic relationships and has been fucked up by his daddy-issues, but he has the Lightwoods. Heck, Alec is his parabatai. He sees working relationships, so he has to have known that you don't just stop talking to people close to you and have them not question the behavior, whether you're trying to pull away from them or not. Otherwise, then Jace is dumb for all that he's marketed as the "best" Shadowhunter in his age. Screw that.

---

“You talked to Simon about us?" Clary shook her head. "Why? Why aren't you talking to me?"

"Because I can't talk to you," Jace said. "I can't talk to you, I can't be with you, I can't even look at you."³

[3] Way to make a girl feel special, Jace. Oh, no, yeah. He's trying to do the opposite and push her away with some teenage boy angst that doesn't make any sense. Like, who says that, though, aside from dramatic love interests that can't make a better excuse for going emo? 

That line IS TOO DRAMATIC that it hurts, ugh. 🤮

Anyway, so Clary walks out after that. I don't sympathize with her, but I'd do the same. Who wouldn't? Unless you freeze in the ridiculousness of the situation, that is, which is also likely.

Chapter 9: From Fire Unto Fire pp. 190-195

Now, here's the real shit. I want to quote this entire six-page scene back to Cassie and scream at her.

Clary reached the door and burst out into the rain-drenched evening air. [...] and was about to race across the street against the light when a hand caught her arm and spun her around.

It was Jace. [...] "Clary, didn't you hear me calling you?"

"Let go of me." Her voice shook.

"No. Not until you talk to me."⁴

[4] DUDE, what even happened to your I CAN'T TALK TO YOU, I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT YOU speech, huh? Be consistent for once, apart from your douchebag routine. Make up your mind, Jace.

---

Still holding her by the arm, he half-dragged her around the van and into a narrow alley that bordered the Alto Bar. ⁵

[5] Man, I love a bit of rough loving in my literature, but I'm so pissed at you, Jace, don't even. Lay the hell off.

---

"I was going to tell you that I was trying to help out Simon. [...]

"And you couldn't tell me? Couldn't text me a single line letting me know where you were?"⁶ [...]

[...]

"I think," he said slowly, "that I thought that the closest thing to being with you was being with Simon. Watching out for him. I had some stupid idea that you'd realize I was doing it for you and forgive me---"⁷

[6] Addressing the lack of communication, that's a great path to follow. These two need to talk so bad. [7] But this line? Sucks Balls. You could be with her, Jacey, and save all the readers your drama if you only pull your head out of your ass and try to communicate. It's like you're allergic to it.

---

She took a step back, blindly, and nearly tripped over an abandoned speaker. Her bag slid to the ground as she put her hand out to right herself, but Jace was already there. He moved forward to catch her, and kept moving until her back hit the alley wall, and his arms were around her, and he was kissing her frantically.⁸

[8] Not only is this achingly cheesy, but it's also totally not the way they should be going off about their situation. They were already talking -arguing, yes, but they're still using words to reach out, and their relationship absolutely cannot be healthy without them. Thus far, they have spoken so less in comparison with the times they've spent canoodling. They're not solving anything by having drama on one second and getting it on with dramatic kissing on the next.

I don't care what Clary says about being so lost in love with Jace. He's treating her like shit. The least he can do is give her answers that she has the right to demand from him. Kissing is not an answer. But, well, maybe to Clary, it is because the next parts from page 192 to 194 are spent on softcore porn in a dark alley under the frickin rain. I bet that's a very romantic setting in their minds, huh.

---

And now this part:

It was nerve-wracking. She could feel the feverish heat that came off him; her hands were still on his shoulders, but it wasn't enough. She wanted him wrapped around her, holding her tight. "W-why," she breathed. "can't you talk to me? Why can't you look at me?"

He ducked his head down to look into her face. His eyes, surrounded by lashes darkened with rainwater, were impossibly gold.

"Because I love you."⁹

[9] Is that supposed to make me tingle? SET ME ON FIRE, but that is the lousiest I love you in books that I have ever read. AND IT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, at all!

Shut up with this, can you please. It's not romantic at all. It's a dumb excuse and an even dumber love from the two dumbest people in this whole frickin series. Oh my god.

Clary, realistically, will frown at this answer. She will pull the hell away and spat him in the face with how demeaning his love is if it can make her sick to the stomach with thinking he has already gone bored and is only cooking the perfect way to cut off their connection. He hasn't given her a sound reason, only desperate declarations of love like he's trying to convince them both that it's true. And it doesn't make sense how she's still plastered around him in the cold, trying to convince the readers that every word from Jace has deeper meanings that she understands no matter how gibberish they are. I'm not buying that, okay? Stop selling your larger-than-life connection bullshit because that isn't real.

You've only been together for two months, okay? The strongest you can feel for each other is lust. And it's showing.

---

His hands slid down to her waist and he kissed her, long and lingering, making her shudder.

She pulled away, "That doesn't make any sense."

"Neither does this," he said, "but I don't care. I'm sick of trying to pretend I can live without you. Don't you understand that? Can't you see it's killing me?"¹⁰

She stared at him. She could see that he meant what he said [...] Her desire for answers battled the more primal part of her brain, and lost. "Kiss me then,"¹¹

[10] NOBODY THREATENED YOU UNDER BLADE TO DO THAT BULLSHIT, so shut the hell up with the whining. [11] and Clary, I am so disappointed. You've both just drained me, and I'm dry inside like a raisin.

The next paragraphs describe their very erotic kissing against the wall. Jace, propping her up and her legs around his waist bull crap. Seriously? Am I supposed to believe these two are, what sixteen?- up until Isabelle thankfully ruins their moment by kicking a garbage can that would look better with Jace and Clary in it tbh.

---

And the nastiest horseshit of all:

Clary looked at Jace. At any other time, they would have laughed together at Isabelle's moodiness, but there was no humor in his expression, and she knew immediately that whatever they had had between them ---whatever had blossomed out of his momentary lack of control--- it was gone now. [...]

"Jace---" she took a step toward him.

"Don't," he said, his voice very rough. "I can't."¹²

And then he was gone [...]

[12] No, I frickin CANNOT. His actions keep on contradicting his words, and he's fickle and can't decide which mood to settle, and it's so exhausting, honestly. He wasted a few pages for a cosmic, meaningless declaration of feelings. They're empty words. At this point, I believe the writing only strives to convince the readers that these characters care for each other but is shitty at showing it.

It's not love, because they say it is love.

---

I was already gaining hope for this book, and then one simple few-pages scene with clace squishes it, smearing the innards on my face.

Honestly, TALK OR TAKE A BREAK. This back and forth can't continue throughout the rest of the book or -heaven forbid- the rest of the series. Or at least, put these characters in the background if they really must drag on this problem, because I care not a lick.

Bye.

[lalainajanes]

a part 2 for your "Klaus and Caroline own a restaurant" AU where Klaus makes Caroline soup because she's sick (or anything really, I love that drabble so much. Well actually anything you write but I'm getting off topic hehe)

Ooh, I like that one too! Thanks, Sara!

Food (And) Fights - Part Two

Klaus iscareful to keep his steps quiet, to avoid the creaky spots in the floor. He’slearned the hallway to Caroline’s office well in the last two years and he hasa sneaking suspicion that she’s hiding in her office this morning for a reason.

It’s aThursday, one of their busiest evenings of the week. Their reservation list isfull and service starts in a few hours. Klaus hasn’t seen Caroline yet which issomething of a first. Her assistant, April, had popped into the kitchen tocheck on things periodically. Klaus had never thought much of the timid mouseof a girl – she tended to avoid him – but he’d been reluctantly impressed byher stealth. He’d only ever noticed her as she was slipping out the door, if he’dknow she was there at all.

It wasalmost as if she was purposefully avoiding him.

Klaus wasfairly certain he knew why.

He’d spentthe previous evening at Caroline’s, she’d fallen asleep on the couch, farearlier than she usually did. When he’d carried her to bed she’d seemed warmand he hadn’t been able to resist laying a hand on her forehead to check if shewas feverish. That had awoken her and she’d managed to pry her eyes open enoughto glare up at him, bat his hand away, and mutter something he hadn’t been ableto decipher (though the prickly tone had been unmistakable) when she rolledaway to bury herself in her pillow. Klaus had retreated to the living room,finished his wine and scratched out some menu ideas until he’d been tiredenough to sleep.

Sleep hadturned out to be elusive, his bed partner restless and throwing off an insaneamount of heat. Klaus had been kicked more than once, and Caroline’s breathinghad grown audible as the night wore on, becoming hoarse scratch as she tossedfitfully.

He’d readiedhimself to fight a battle in the morning. Caroline had never taken a sick or personalday in the two plus years he’d known her, too much of a control freak to let alittle thing like mere illness stop her from running the restaurant. Gettingher to take regular days off was enough of a challenge and Klaus had resortedto blackmail and bribery (though, to be fair, he benefitted from thosearrangements enormously) often to push Caroline into a little rest andrelaxation. Convincing her to stay home and recuperate was going to be achallenge, Klaus had known, even though she was quite obviously taking ill.

Unfortunatelyhis preparations had been for naught.

When he’dawoken he’d found the bed empty, a note from Caroline in the kitchen saying she’dgone in early to get a start on the day.

A tacticalretreat and a sign that she knew her position was weak. Klaus just needed topick his moment. He’d gone through his usual routine, made a pit stop at themarket on his way to the restaurant, and headed directly to the kitchen insteadof barging into Caroline’s office.

Carolinewould relax, let her guard down, and think she’d won. Klaus barked a few ordersbut was content to let the prep cooks handle things while he set up his own stationwith the ingredients he’d bought, and got to work.

A fewpeople had flitted in to ask him if Caroline was all right, Marcel, who ran thebar mentioned that she’d actually cancelleda meeting with a vendor, a sure sign that her mind over matter approach onlywent too far, while Caroline’s good friend Bonnie had popped in the vent herfrustrations about Caroline’s stubbornness, and told Klaus he’d better have aplan to get her to go home.

It waspossibly the most cordial she’d ever been to him, despite the fact that he andCaroline had passed a year together awhile back, and Klaus had strenuously resistedthe urge to comment and ruin it, had merely gestured to the chopped veg on hisboard, the chicken stock building on the stove, and assured her he’d take careof it.

The thingshe did for Caroline Forbes.

Once thesoup was finished – chicken noodle with a few embellishments, no need to messwith the classics – he’d packed it up in a To Go container, along with a loafof just baked bread, and headed to Caroline’s office.

He pausesjust outside the door, it’s cracked a bit and he can hear her moving around.His timing is fortuitous and Caroline’s soon letting out deep, hacking coughs, grittingout, “Nope, no. I refuse,” once she’sdone.

Klausnudges the door wider with his foot, “Talking to yourself is not a good sign,love. A sign of insanity, is it not?”

Caroline’swide eyed when she glances up, and Klaus notes the shadows and redness marringtheir usual bright blue unhappily. Her office is warm but she’s wearing one ofhis sweaters, a thick wool thing, and he’s fairly certain she’s got severallayers additional layers of her own on underneath. She clears her throat,attempts a smile, “Hey. How’s set up going?”

“Perfect,as always. How’s trying to pretend you’re not sick and miserable going?”

He can tellshe considers arguing, mouth thinning. But a shudder wracks her frame, aviolent sneeze tearing out of her and her eyes water as she reaches for atissue. Klaus sighs and enters the room fully, closing the door behind himwhile watching Caroline expectantly. She deflates slightly, leaning back in herchair and tossing her pen aside. She rubs her temple with the heel of her hand,“Ugh, my head is killing me. But we have that magazine profile scheduled nextweek and…”

“Not untilWednesday, plenty of time,” Klaus points out, cutting her off. He sets the baghe’d brought on her desk, circling it to come up behind her. He lifts her hair,laying a hand on her neck, finding it sweat damp and hot to the touch. Sheleans into him with a sigh, “Mmm, your hands feel nice. Cold.”

“They’renot. You’re just feverish.”

“Fevers arefor losers,” Caroline mumbles.

He huffsout a laugh, leaning forward to press a kiss to the crown of her head as hepulls her chair out from her desk. “Fevers are merely a sign that you need toslow down. It’s not going to go away if you ignore it, Caroline.”

She’s stillreluctant, her movements sluggish as he urges her to her feet, “What, did youget a medical degree, Dr. Klaus?”

“Do youwant to go to a doctor?” Klaus asks reasonably. “Because I’d be delighted totake you and have the opportunity to say I told you so when he tells you totake a few days for recovery.”

That would irritate Caroline like few other things.

She makes asoft noise, half grumble half growl, and turns to face him. “One day. Tops. Ican’t miss a weekend.”

Klausrefrains from arguing that she very well could– her staff was excellent, well trained and more than capable of handlingthings without Caroline’s direct supervision for a bit – knowing that it wouldonly get her back up and he rather thought he was winning at the moment. Noneed to spoil it.

Heretrieves her coat, holds it open and assists her in shrugging it on. He tipsher chin up to look into her eyes, “I made soup, it should help. Drink some teatoo, will you? Josh is going to run you home since I’m sure me leaving now willonly make you worry more even though I’d be back in plenty of time for service.”

Caroline’sblinking up at him, warmth and something like shock softening her gaze, “Youmade me soup?”

He’s unsurewhy that’s giving her pause, “I make you food all the time.”

“Yeah,because you kinda get off on watching me eat it, Chef Perv.”

It’s saidwith a tiny smirk and Klaus can’t deny it. “You make the most delightfulnoises, sweetheart.”

“Which you’llmiss when I eat your soup. Though I’m a gross sweaty mess and probably not allthat tempting.”

He rollshis eyes, “You’re not a mess. The farthest thing from gross. Just a bit wornaround the edges. The soup will help and that knowledge is more than enough forme.”

She wrapsher arms around his waist, cuddling close and resting her forehead against hisshoulder. “Thank you,” she mumbles, pressing a chaste kiss just above his collarbefore she straightens. Seemingly resigned for now, she sighs and glancesaround her office, “You’ll call me if anything explodes? And fill me in on allthe non-life or death things later?”

“Tomorrow,”Klaus says firmly. “Because you’ll be asleep when I get to your place.”

“You don’tusually stay over on Thursdays,” Caroline says, sounding puzzled.

Slightlyexasperated Klaus shakes his head, “I do when you’re sick.”

She studieshim for a long moment, Klaus doesn’t try to hide his concern. Finally she nods,“Okay, then. I’ll see you later.”

“You will. Eatthe soup. Drink…”

“Some tea,”Caroline finishes with a teasing smile. “I know you think it cures everything,as long as it’s the right tea and not my weird tea. What was it you called thelast box I bought? Fruity garbage, I believe.”

It’ssomething they bicker over frequently and Klaus lets her tease him, gentlyushering her out of her office and towards the door that will lead them to thesmall parking lot at the back of the restaurant. Josh is waiting, ready to goas Klaus had asked. Klaus sees Caroline shiver and opens the door of the carfor her. “In,” he tells her, ignoring her annoyed sigh. “Text me when you gethome, yeah?”

“I thoughtI was the worry wort in this relationship,” Caroline grumbles, bucking herselfin. “You’re supposed to be Mr. Cool and Laconic Moody Pants.”

Klaus doesn’ttake the bait, knowing that bickering will only delay her departure and thesooner Caroline’s comfortable in her flat the better.

He won’tdeny her little peevishness, not when he’d won.