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Tinges of red lined Cube's vision. It permeated throughout them. Their breathing, their pulse, seeping out through their skin in patches of scarlet. It seemed like every move they made to prove their existence only swallowed them further into the crimson haze.
As their insides churned and growled, they had to suppress coughs and gags as the coagulated crimson continued to shoot up their throat. Despite everything, they kept their mouth shut, as so not to make their disease known. The last thing they'd want is to confirm that they truly were sick. It would feel like a defeat to admit to it.
Yet, despite their best efforts, Square was still startled awake by the few audible coughs that came from Cube. Square rose from their pillow and turned to observe their friend, who, at the moment, was attempting to chug water to ease their throat.
"Cube..?" Square finally broke the silence. Cube looked back at him, shooting a smile and wave, and tried to clear their throat to say "good morning," but was halted by another coughing fit.
Square's eyebrows furrowed as they swung his legs around to the other side of the bed, now fully facing his friend. "Are you alright?"
All Cube could do was silently shake their head as they hacked up more scarlet. When they took their hand from their mouth and saw that it was a deeper shade than usual, their eyes widened in worry.
After putting a hand on the wall and slowly dragging themselves up, Cube attempted to make their way to the bathroom with shaky legs. However, right as they got to their feet, their nausea spiked up again, and they immediately lurched over and gripped onto the bed frame for support, cursing mentally.
Square immediately jumped to his feet, dashing to Cube and held their shoulders. "Woah, hey there, sit down you look like you're going to fall." He spoke as calmly as he could, but his voice still quivered with worry.
As he helped Cube sit back down on their bed, Square couldn't help but fixate on the blood on their hand. "... We should get you to a doctor." He finally forced his eyes off Cube's hand to meet their eyes, "How long has this been happening?"
"... Can't remember. I'm sorry." Cube managed to force out a sentence, but their voice was beyond hoarse and barely audible. "It comes and goes in waves."
(A/N I've said that exact sentence far too many times at the doctor's)
(Other A/N: Real.)
With a hand on their stomach area, Cube sat hunched over on the bed, waiting for the nausea to pass. "It's never been this bad before... has it? I can't remember... I'm sorry."
Square shook his head, "Don't apologize." Square thought for a moment, then looked back up at Cube, "Do you think you could walk just a little bit to the car so I can take you to the doctor?"
"... I can try." Cube forced out, trying their best to hold back another coughing fit. Trying their best to stay silent, they gripped onto the bedpost and pushed themselves up. Their tone of voice was strained as they tried their best to keep stable. "It's probably nothing, don't worry."
Shaking his head, Square slid his arm behind Cube's back to support them, and slowly walked the two towards the car. For the sake of his friend's comfort, Square tried his best to maintain a calm and coordinated demeanor. However, he couldn't stop his chest from tightening and his heart from racing. He already almost lost his best friend once, and he swore to never lose them again. His hold on Cube's back instinctively tightened every time they coughed.
Finally, the two reached the car, and Square gently helped Cube get into the passenger seat before getting into their own and driving off to the hospital.
----
"So, what brings you in today?" The doctor asked Cube. She reached for her laptop with her long arms and began typing, never breaking eye contact with the patient.
"Well..." As Cube described their symptoms, they tried their best to get it all out clearly. It didn't help that the last few days--no, weeks?--were all a blur. Their memory seemed to constantly betray them whenever they were at the doctor's office, making every possible diagnosis (or lack thereof) a battle. Every time they laid out their symptoms, there was a hidden desperation thinly veiled underneath the sentences; as if each word was begging, "Please believe me."
(A/N yikers projection I hate the docta)
The doctor (A/N Not THAT "The Doctor" :]) quietly wrote down Cube's description, nodding silently as she did so. Once Cube finished, she paused, looking past them as she thought, lowered her laptop screen, then rose it again. After another moment of silence, she brought her eyes back to Cube's, "So when did these symptoms start? Did they happen suddenly, or was there a specific incident that occurred right before your sickness began?"
"I had the sore throat before, but..." Cube averted their eyes in embarrassment. "I thought it was manageable. So when I got vaccinated, I thought it would be like before..."
Cube could feel themselves shrinking in their seat as the paper on the table crinkled around them. They felt like just about the dumbest person to ever walk into the office--I mean, getting vaccinated when you're already sick? Really? You're just asking for it at this point.
Cube had to hold back the need to mutter out another apology as the sound of silent typing filled the room. An apology for what? Their ignorance? Their existence?
"And which vaccine was this?" The doctor began searching through Cube's file for their vaccination history, but continued to glance up at them for confirmation.
"... Scarlet Syndrome..." Cube muttered, not wanting to look up.
She nodded, her eyebrows lowering for a moment as she made some more notes on her computer. Her expression became more solemn the more she wrote, then lowered her laptop screen once more. She stared at the floor for a moment, sifting through the ways she could break the news to Cube, before finally meeting his eyes again.
"There is a study currently being conducted on those receiving the Scarlet Syndrome vaccine..." She paused once more, sighing, "While overall it has proven to help the majority of people avoid catching Scarlet Syndrome, it unfortunately has not shown any noticeable effects on those experiencing long-term symptoms after recovering. Have you caught Scarlet Syndrome in the past?"
"...Yes. Last year. I..." Cube sighed as they continued. "I don't know why it came back all of a sudden... it's not even in season, nobody else I know has it, it seemed to come out of nowhere."
The doctor sighed, almost with relief, as the answers all fell into place for her. Her shoulders relaxed as she sat back in her seat a little.
"It seems you are experiencing symptoms of Long-Term Scarlet Syndrome. It's possible that it remained dormant in your system until the vaccine agitated your immune system. There is still more research being done on this condition, and we do not have all the answers yet, but what I can tell you is that it may not be permanent. I've had patients in the past with the same story as you, who then, months later, report that they haven't experienced these symptoms anymore. So far, these patients have not mentioned these symptoms since."
She closed her laptop and leaned forward, holding her hands on her knees, "What I'm saying is that there may still be some hope for you. We can't say for sure if it will be temporary, but the current statistics seem to be in your favor."
Taking in a breath, she sat back up and opened her laptop, writing some more notes as she spoke, "In the meantime, I suggest you rest as much as you can, drink lots of water, and prioritize eating food with lots of iron."
Her eyes softened as she looked at Cube, "However, if your symptoms continue to worsen, come back here. Coughing too much blood like that could become dangerous, and we may need to do a blood transfusion if you begin to lose too much."
After finishing writing her notes, she smiled, "Is there anything you'd like to discuss today?"
"Well, that was the main thing..." Cube muttered, finally looking back up. "When should we follow up with you?"
----
After all the arrangements were made and the two went home, Cube immediately slumped down on the bed, not even caring to change out of their clothes. Right now, all they wanted was to just sleep and escape all of this.
Numerous questions were racing through their mind, none of which could be answered. How certain is it that it's temporary? Could it become chronic? Fatal? However, Cube was far too tired to face any of them head on, and decided to shut their eyes and block the world out for a bit.
It was only minutes before sleep took hold of them once more.