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Keith’s head hurt, and so did his arms, and his legs, so basically everything ached.
He had classes today. He should probably go to them, but he wasn’t sure he would be able to get out of bed, much less walk all the way to class and then stay awake. He just groaned and stayed. Gwen usually snuck in anyway to wake him up. If he could just stay in bed forever, it’d probably be okay.
His roommates had already gotten up and made their way to breakfast, leaving Keith alone.
“Keith?” Gwen knocked on the door quietly, like always. He just gave a little groan as she opened the door. “Hey, hon.” She came over, “Time to get up.”
“I can’t,” Keith whined. “I’m dying.”
Gwen gave him an exasperated smile. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sick,” he told her. There was no point in glossing over it. “I feel like shit.” She gently placed her hand on his head, feeling his temperature.
“You’re really warm, Keith. You might have a fever.” She continued to feel his face.
“I’m cold, ” He complained.
“That would be a symptom of a fever, Keith,” Gwen replied, giving him a patient smile. “C’mon. You’re not going to classes. I can go down and grab you breakfast?” She offered.
“You’re my hero,” Keith said. “Also, can you get Scrags to feed Hermann for me? He knows what to do.”
“Of course.” Gwen took the little gecko and perched him in her robe pocket. “Hermann and I are best buds, babe. We’ll be back.” She blew him a kiss before disappearing.
“Be good, Hermann!” Keith called after his gecko. Gwen’s laugh could be heard down the stairs. She came back after a half-hour, Hermann now on her shoulder.
“I talked to Professor Slokhnvo. I got out of classes. Yeah, I’ve got work, but no classes. She was all concerned for her poor Mr. Swanson.” She smiled, putting a plate of breakfast down on the bedside table and Hermann back in his tank.
“Yes!” The thought of lying in bed alone all day, feeling this miserable, was a horrible one. At least Gwen was going to stay with him and make it a little less miserable.
“Alright, eat up, Swanson.” She pointed to his plate.
“Okay, mom .”
“I’m going to go to classes if you call me Mom.”
Keith shut up and ate what he could. Which wasn’t much, but at least he was getting something in his system. Gwen was playing with Hermann, who she’d taken back out of his tank to let the gecko climb all over her.
“The rest of the Squad say hi, by the way,” Gwen added as Hermann climbed over her shoulder, “I mean, Scrags does. I didn’t see E at breakfast. Or Jane, now that I think of it.” She laughed softly.
“Huh, weird.” Keith went back to picking at his food.
“Babe. You remember Jane and Esther are together, right?” She asked as Hermann settled in her hair for a moment. “They were probably off in a broom closet somewhere.”
“Wait, what?” Keith’s eyes widened. “They’re together? That makes so much sense!”
“Did you forget? This sickness must be getting to you. They’ve been dating since second year for us, fourth for Jane.” She smiled at him. “I know why you’re not in Ravenclaw then.”
“Hey!” Keith complained. “That’s mean.”
“Finish your breakfast, Swanson.” She pointed at the plate. For being his girlfriend, she acted a lot like his mom.
But it really didn’t do any good to argue with Gwen. She always won.
“Alright, good, babe.” Gwen smiled when he ate almost all of it. She took the plate and put it back on the table. “Now, what hurts?”
“Mostly my head,” Keith admitted. “It’s killing me.”
“Do you have a facecloth?”
“No?” Keith really wasn’t into the whole ‘skincare’ thing.
“Do you literally have any towel?” She took her wand out, fiddling with it. Keith watched before replying.
“I mean, probably. I have no clue where it is, though.”
“Where’s your shower shit? Please tell me you’ve showered at some point during your time at Hogwarts.” Gwen looked momentarily disgusted.
“What, of course I have!” Keith protested. “It’s….over there somewhere.” He pointed vaguely towards his pile of stuff that he hadn’t put away yet. He’d used it like, two days ago, then just kinda tossed it back on the pile. Gwen sighed before finding it and mumbling “Aguamenti” to make it soaked.
“This should help a bit.” She mumbled, folding it and draping it across his forehead. “I’m getting you facecloths for your birthday. You’re welcome.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled, moving closer to Gwen, who now sat on the edge of the bed. “That feels good.”
Gwen just rubbed his arm, “Let’s try and get some rest, okay? Sleep it off, stuff like that?”
Keith didn’t argue with her. He just closed his eyes. Keeping them open was a lot of effort anyway.
When he opened them again, Gwen was lying next to him, reading out of one of her textbooks. Her hand was in his hair and he just stayed quiet and pretended to still be sleeping. He shifted so he was lying even closer to her, Gwen’s warmth welcome, because he was still cold.
Gwen seemed to know he was faking it, but she just sighed and draped an arm around him, continuing to read her book.
“Gwennnnn.” He whined after a few minutes, “I’m cold.”
“Still?” Gwen checked his forehead again.
“Yeah..” He snuggled up to her.
“Welp, your fever hasn’t gone down. That’s not good.” Gwen studied him with concern. “Maybe I should go get something from the hospital wing to help.”
“But then you have to leave,” he whined again. Gwen just shrugged and covered him with her robe, even under the blankets.
“I’ll be right back, promise.”
It felt like hours before Gwen returned with an awful-looking medicine bottle. He shook his head and hid it under her robe.
“Keith,” Gwen chided. “We need to bring that fever down.”
“Disgusting.” He mumbled. He didn’t care if he was acting like a baby. He could blame it on his sickness.
“You don’t know how it tastes-” Gwen began.
“Uh-huh. That’s the one Mum makes me take. It’s rotten.”
“Well, you’re gonna take it because I said so. Hermann also thinks you should take your medicine. Right, Hermann?” Gwen lifted him and set him on her shoulder. Hermann made a little noise, probably more at being disturbed from his nap. “Hermann agrees.”
“Hermann, you’re supposed to back me up here,” Keith complained.
Gwen ignored him, pouring out a spoonful of the syrup. He closed his mouth tightly. If he could keep his mouth shut, that wouldn’t be going in his mouth.
Gwen leaned over and gave him a kiss. After she pulled away, Keith gasped happily, and then, a second too late realized his mistake. Gwen slid the spoon into his mouth and poured the syrup down his throat. He coughed and sputtered, making a face.
“Fuck you, Gwen.”
“Promise?” She grinned, making him laugh. He may have been feeling like shit, but she was the best medicine around.