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“You’re an idiot.”
Roxanne sneers at Qiu, and they roll their eyes, knowing she’s just concerned for them; although, her way of expressing how she felt was undeniably hilarious. They hit her arm playfully, and she swats their hand away.
“You’re even dumber for running after me without an umbrella.” They retort, and Roxy backs away to express her feigned look of offense. “I’m taking care of you—and this is how you treat me? You’re breaking my heart.” Roxanne pouts jokingly, and Qiu pats her head to console her.
They smile, acknowledging her statement. “I know, you’re doing well.” Qiu says, and Roxanne is taken aback because of the sudden sincerity. She blushes slightly, raising an eyebrow while crossing her arms.
“What’s with the sappy stuff? Do you need me to do you a favor, Qiu?” Roxy questions them, leaning forward. They turn to face her as Roxanne places her arms on either side of the bed, right next to their legs.
Qiu shakes their head, “Nope, not at all.” They respond, looking incredibly puzzled. Roxanne grins, and they sigh, realizing she probably has something up her sleeve. “That’s good, because I need you to do me a favor.”
“What do I have to do?” They ask, and Roxanne grins. She places the back of her hand on their forehead, and the two were incredibly close by then. Roxy remains silent for a while, and the two look into each other’s eyes until she breaks the silence.
“Kiss me.”
Qiu stares at her, their eyes widening at her candor; she was shamelessly forward with them. They blink, unable to process the numerous thoughts in their head. Roxy notices Qiu freezing up, which was unusual, because they’re usually able to handle her flirting.
“Hello? Is Qiu Lin still there? We’ve literally kissed before!” She says, shaking Qiu by their shoulders. They back away, averting their gaze to the messy bed. Roxanne is surprised at Qiu’s reaction, but doesn’t take it personally; the sudden changes were definitely because they were sick and more tired.
They clear their throat, "Sorry, I’m still here.” Qiu sighs, scooting closer to her again as she wipes a damp towel on their forehead and neck. It was a common practice in her culture, and Qiu doesn’t ever question her expertise, even if Roxanne was clumsy with things like these.
“I almost got mad at you for going out like that in the rain.” Roxy admits softly, wiping the water off with a dried towel. “I was almost going to grab you by the collar and kill you.” She chuckles, and they shake their head, closing their eyes.
“I’m totally surprised you didn’t do that.” They tease, and Roxy softly throws the towel she was holding to feign anger, making sure not to hit Qiu. “I’m going.” She sulks, getting up from her chair. However, Roxanne’s exit was stopped as they grab her arm.
“Nooo, don’t go…” Qiu frowns, their eyes practically pleading for her to stay. Roxy turns to look back at them on the bed, and takes a deep breath, realizing she can’t ever refuse Qiu’s pleas. Roxanne liked them so much, it was driving her crazy.
She sighs, “Fine. I’ll stay.” Roxy gives into their request, and opens a sachet to pull out a cooling gel sheet. Roxanne removes the transparent film, and applies the patch onto Qiu’s forehead to cool them down.
“Drink this.” Roxy orders them, but it wasn’t stern nor harsh; she said the words in such a gentle tone, that Qiu’s heart nearly melted. They reach out for the pill in Roxanne’s hand, but chuckle. “I’ll drink it if you sit beside me on the bed.”
Roxanne shrugs, sitting beside them without hesitation. Qiu immediately grabs the water from her hands, drinking down the capsule enthusiastically. She turns her head to look at them, and chuckles at their eagerness, but doesn’t say anything; Roxy doesn’t want Qiu to feel any worse.
“I’ll check your temperature.” Roxanne places the thermometer in Qiu’s armpit, and the two look at each other while waiting for it to beep. She smiles, deciding to continue her words from earlier before she started sulking.
Roxy rests her back against the headboard, turning to look at them. “But I didn’t get mad at you, Qiu. I know how hard you’ve been trying to hang on.” She mumbles sincerely, her voice husky and barely above a whisper. “I wanted to approach you gently, because I understand how overwhelming things can get for you.”
“Besides—I promised to protect you right? And stay by your side?” Roxy utters, and Qiu nods; they wanted to reach out to her so badly, but the thermometer was still a bit of a bother. “Mhm, I’ll always be grateful for that.” They reply, their tone filled with genuineness.
Roxy smiles, tucking their hair behind their ear. Qiu blushes, but is able to directly look at her eyes this time. “I’m not good at stuff like this, so I’m a bit ashamed that you were able to cook something for me then I’m just relying on over the counter medicine…” She sighs, and quickly snaps out of it as she hears the thermometer beep.
“37.4°C.” She says, taking the thermometer out before inspecting it. Qiu beams at her, hooking their elbow around her arm. “And you say you’re not good at stuff like this. My temperature dropped quickly under your supervision.”
Roxanne shrugs, not trying to make a big deal out of stuff. “You’re always welcome, Qiu.” She says, turning her head to the side.
Suddenly, Qiu’s free hand shakily holds her chin as they weakly press their lips onto hers. Roxy’s eyes widened, not expecting the sudden affectionate gesture. She closes her eyes, grinning to indicate that she didn’t mind it at all, especially since she asked for a kiss earlier. Hesitantly, Qiu pulls away, not wanting to get her sick as well.
“That’s revenge for last time.” They pout, laying their head on Roxy’s shoulder. Her cheeks redden even more—if that was even possible—because of the kiss and the proximity. Roxanne’s heart was going to leap out of her chest. “It’s also a thank you for today, Rox.”
She smiles softly, admiring Qiu’s sleepy state as she brushes their bangs away from their face. Qiu’s face scrunches, and Roxy finds the facial expression absolutely adorable. “That’s the best thank you I’ve ever gotten.” Roxanne grins, and the two stare into each other’s irises.
“Choco, can we stay like this for a little longer?” Qiu coos, their fingers digging into the fabric of Roxy’s sleeve. She nods without hesitation, before making sure that Qiu knows that she’s agreed to their request.
“Anything for you, Toffee.”