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“Darling, here, drink up. You need to keep your fluids up,” Noli handed the poor man a cold glass of water, running a finger under his chin; good grief it felt as though he was on fire. He was careful when receiving it, his already blurry vision made worse by the disorientation his sickness brought upon him.
“T- Thanks Nol’s.” Seven said after a moment of registering the words. His mind felt numb, yet sharp pains were nabbing at him. His whole body felt clogged with mucus, a green sludge in the back of his throat that made swallowing a pain and breathing a challenge. His nose was stuffed and scratchy. His warm body was itchy and dry, wasting its energy on curing him and could not spend time making himself comfortable. At least Noli was here. Noli always protected him.
They sigh tenderly, and brush his forehead worried, “Of course, anything for you. You’re ill, weak. I should have done better.”
“N- No it’s-” he takes a second to try and clear his throat. It doesn’t work but it’s worth a shot, “It’s fine. Not your fault, it happens to the best, right?”
“I know. I just want to protect my sweet.”
Seven takes large sips of the icy liquid. It makes him feel a little better, but he supposes the little effect of that water will help in his recovery at least somewhat. It runs down his throat like a waterfall.
“Anything else I can do for you? Hungry, thirsty, do you want me to adjust the blinds?” Noli asks, a slight overbearingness in their tone.
“Nah…maybe adjust the window a bit. The rains a bit loud.”
“Of course.”
The window wasn’t truly a window. Merely a projection of the outside world from a large screen. The world was too dangerous for him, Noli ingrained in his brain. They both could change it if they wanted. He put some heavy rain on last night, but now all that extra noise was just overstimulating him. He could use a little quietness.
A simple empty field during the night replaced the once rainy city sidewalk. The purple flowers bloomed, some red ones tucked behind.
Seven longed to be outside in that flower field.
”Why? You have everything you need here. Would you like me to buy you some flowers? I have some nice glass vases for them!” Noli had said once.
…
“Thank you. It’s nice.” Seven smiled, before rubbing his face to try and ease the pain.
“You know how to call me if you need me, I’ll be working. Try and rest up, okay Sevvy?”
“Can do.”
He rustled under the covers, hearing Noli’s footsteps echo quieter as they walked away. He tried to rest his eyes, scratching the bits of crust that had formed in the crevices away. His body felt numb and tired, but too sick to consider proper sleep. The best he could manage was laying still and letting his imagination roam.
Seven tried to entertain himself by putting on his glasses and reading, but he couldn’t comprehend anything beyond the first page. Everything on his shelves were too far away. Trying to stand made him too dizzy, and he nearly tripped over his own legs. Being bedridden it was.
He couldn’t take off the blankets, no matter how hot he was. He remembered something about being warmer to kill off the viruses in his body. Taking them off anyways just made him feel as though he stepped into a freezer. No thank you.
Seven stared down the corridor, looking for signs of Noli.
He remembers how they used to work far in the town they lived in. There were always rules for him to follow. He could stay inside, but not open any blinds. Cleaning was fine, but Noli would never mind doing the house chores alongside keeping up with him, what a darling soul they were. He’d be allowed to cook, but no knives. There was…an incident. Knives were sharp. He could hurt himself-
His brain sent out another painful jolt, one that felt different to the ringing in his ears.
No matter. He’s probably just imagining things.
Either way, Noli would be absent for several hours, and it hurt whenever they left. Recently however, they found a job that would let them work from home! A coding job even! Seven would always try and offer a helping hand to Noli, wanting to be as useful as possible to them.
///
Noli came back over the course of the day, providing Seven with some food and drinks. The medicine was painful to swallow, but it would do him good.
And hey, he was actually able to get to sleep! That was good…probably.
Noli followed him into his dreams. They always would. They could explore the outside world together.
…why couldn’t he go outside?
He remembers a fight. He remembers he nearly got killed by…someone. An admin. Noli healed him up. They didn’t want to lose him. That was love. Noli loves him.
“Sev’! Look!”
He zoned back in. Noli was pointing to a bake-sale in the town square.
“Let’s go my dear, I’ll buy you anything you want! I know you love your sweets.” they’re leaping at the idea of treating him nicely.
He chuckles, “You do, don’tcha ya. I’ll get you a drink then.”
Noli laughs alongside him.
Seven wakes up with a smile, despite being sick. There’s a muffin waiting for him on his night stand, still warm to the touch. The scent of it lingers, although he has a hard time absorbing it, no thanks to the blockage in his nose.
’If you think you’re able to keep it in your stomach, I left a little treat for you. I love you my sweet Seven <3’
How thoughtful.