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Usually, Zoey loves being in bed. It’s her favorite thing to sink into her ultra-soft memory foam mattress after a busy day of classes and curl up with her girlfriends in a cuddle pile. She’s worked hard to make her dorm room super cozy, with the turtle-shaped string lights hanging on the walls bathing the room in a warm glow, and her bed a throne for her extensive Squishmallow collection. She can happily spend hours here studying, or listening to Mira rant about her professors, or quizzing Rumi with her flashcards. It’s her safe space.
But tonight it feels empty and lonely. She knows it’s for the best, of course. She woke up this morning with a miserable cold and spent the day quarantining herself in her room, not wanting to spread germs in her classes.
But it also meant that she didn’t get to get breakfast in the dining hall with her girlfriends like usual, or to bring Rumi coffee after her lab, or to curl up with them for evening cuddles. And with a blocked nose, a pounding head, and a throat that feels like it’s on fire, Zoey is definitely not feeling her best. She would love to be wrapped in Mira’s or Rumi’s arms – or both. But she would feel terrible if she infected her girlfriends with whatever misery she’s been cursed with, so she knows she’ll just have to wait it out alone.
Zoey hugs her cow-shaped Squishmallow to her chest, muffling a cough into the soft plush. This is the worst. She hopes she can just fall asleep soon and wake up feeling better.
She’s just drifting to the edge of sleep when there’s a quiet knock on her dorm room door. She startles awake, pushing herself up on an elbow and squinting through the dim light. She has no idea who’s at the door, but the knock comes again, so she groans and sluggishly stumbles out of bed. Her hair is probably a tangled mess and she’s wearing her old turtle pajamas that she’s had for years, but she’s too exhausted to care. She just wants the noise to stop and to go back to sleep.
“Whatissit?” Zoey mumbles, cracking the door open and rubbing sleepily at her eyes. Then her eyes widen once she clears her vision and realizes who’s waiting in the hall.
“Aww, jagi,” Rumi pouts sympathetically, already pulling Zoey into a hug. “You look so sick.”
“I – what?” Zoey blinks several times to make sure she’s not having a fever dream. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Uh, we’re your girlfriends?” Mira says, smiling a little. She wraps an arm around Zoey’s shoulders and steps in the room to guide her back to bed. “Ru’s right, you sound like shit. Let’s get you back in bed.”
While Mira helps Zoey get settled in bed, Rumi unpacks a giant tote bag onto her desk. It looks like she bought half of the campus pharmacy, laying out an array of medicines, tissue boxes, and juice options.
“I already ordered baesuk and ginseng soup,” Rumi announces, glancing at her phone. “It’ll be delivered in ten minutes. Do you want the regular medicine or the one with cough syrup in it, Zo-Zo?”
Zoey’s head is spinning, and she’s still struggling to catch up to the sequence of events. Her eyes bounce between Mira, who’s sitting on the bed next to her, stroking her hair, and Rumi, who is rearranging her extensive stockpile of medicines and supplies.
“Why are you guys here?” Zoey asks again, coughing when her voice catches thickly. “I’m sick.”
“Yeah, that’s kinda the point, baby,” Mira smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’re here to take care of you. You didn’t think we were gonna leave you all miserable and alone, did you?”
“I mean…kind of?” Zoey admits, blushing a little. She hugs her stuffed cow to her chest. “I’m all gross and germy.”
“Aegiya.” Rumi’s voice is soft and her eyes even softer. She sits down on the bed, a dosing cup filled with purple syrup in her hand. She offers it to Zoey and leans down to kiss her forehead. “Of course we’re gonna take care of you when you’re sick. We’re your girlfriends and we love you.”
“Yep, mandatory girlfriend duty,” Mira chimes in with a smirk. “We gotta pamper you and tell you how adorable you are.”
“And make sure you take your medicine.” Rumi glances pointedly at the plastic cup still held in Zoey’s hand. “It’s the drowsy kind, babe. That way you can get some sleep.”
Zoey drinks the syrup, then chases it with some orange juice Rumi hands her. “Thank you,” she murmurs, reaching for both her girlfriend’s hands. “You guys are really sweet.”
“Not as sweet as you.” Mira lays down, pulling Zoey into her arms in one smooth motion. Zoey immediately relaxes, resting her head against Mira’s shoulder and tucking her face into her neck.
“Shit, you are burning up, Zo,” Mira mutters, pressing a kiss to the crown of Zoey’s hair. Rumi frowns, reaching out to gently trail her fingers over Zoey’s cheek.
“The meds should help.” Rumi laces her fingers between Zoey’s and rubs her thumb soothingly over her knuckles. “I brought some cold packs too.”
“You don’t need to do all that,” Zoey mumbles sleepily, tucked warmly into Mira’s side. “Jus’wanna cuddle.”
“We can definitely do cuddles,” Rumi smiles, laying down on Zoey’s other side. She snuggles up against her side, throwing a leg over hers and pressing her lips to her cheek. “But you’re still gonna have some soup when it comes, ‘kay?”
Mira nods. “And no classes, baby. Not until you’re better.”
“Okay,” Zoey agrees easily. She feels safe and warm, held between the two people she loves most.
“We love you.” Rumi kisses Zoey’s warm temple. “You never have to be sick alone, jagi.”
“Yeah, no more holing yourself away,” Mira says, brushing her nose over Zoey’s hair. “Next time you don’t feel good, you tell us right away.”
“I love you both so much.” Zoey smiles happily, nestling in close to both her girlfriends.
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