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Leafy woke up with a groan. She blinked blearily, her eyes squinting against the harsh light of the morning sun. She reached up to shield her face, regretting it instantly as a sharp pain shot down her shoulder.
Her joints ached in protest, and all she wanted to do was curl up back to sleep. Unfortunately, the pain made it impossible for her to get comfortable, not to mention she was planning on socialising with the others today. Her reputation was in tatters as it was, she could at least put in some effort to improving her relationships.
The little leaf had these moments every now and then. Those years alone and isolated were not only hard on her mind, but her body too. It was hard to find anything edible in that god forsaken city, not to mention the sparse sunlight. And she still felt the impact all these years later.
Leafy took a deep breath and got up, fighting off the urge to groan out loud. She hunched over, legs swinging off the side of the bed. Her arms shook with the effort, despite how little she had moved.
‘It’s going to be one of those days, huh?’ She thought miserably. She was startled by a sharp knock on her door.
“Leafy, you up yet?”
She jumped up at that voice. “Firey! Yeah I’m up! I’ll join you downstairs in a minute!” She gasped as the sudden movement sent a throbbing pain down her spine. She curled up trying to stifle any more sounds.
There was a beat of silence before she got a response. “Are you okay?” He spoke softly.
Her heart warmed at his concern before she swiftly stifled it. She could push through this in her own, like she had done for what felt like forever. Her hand dug into the woven threads of the sheets as she waited for the throbbing in her side to pass.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine! Just stubbed my toe, haha!” She laughed, hoping he didn’t notice her shaky tone.
“Oh! Do you need any help-“ He asked, and Leafy panicked at the sight of the door knob turning.
“NO! Don’t come in, I’m uh- changing!” She was equal parts relieved and embarrassed when the door remained shut.
“O-Oh, sorry! I’ll um- let you get ready then! See you downstairs?” He squeaked out.
Leafy shook her head, a soft smile on her face unbeknownst to the other. She loved this man. Though she did feel bad for pushing him away, the last thing she needed was for someone to find out about her… condition.
“I’ll see you soon, Fireman.” She giggled, as the soft crackling of his flames moved further away from her door. She sighed, wincing at the tightness in her muscles as she reached over for the pain killers in her top drawer.
The bottle felt light and hollow, and she could feel her heart sink. She screwed the top open after a minute of struggling, and it was as she had feared. There was only a single capsule left inside.
“Ugh, I’m so stupid.” She groaned. She should’ve restocked after the last time this happened. The little leaf shook the last pill out, downing it with the stale water left on her bedside table. Not that it would do anything, she needed a much higher dose for it to even scratch the surface of her chronic aches.
Leafy crawled out of bed, whilst staying mindful of her current state. She tried not to move too quickly or strain herself too much while getting ready.
Leafy clutched at the handle bar, her grip remaining iron strong despite the sweat lining her palms. She kept her foot steady on the next step, as she made her way down the stairs. Her body swayed lightly, making her still against the wall, hands grasping at the supporting beam with all her might.
‘I am NOT falling down these stairs.’ She promised herself. Leafy would never live down the embarrassment.
Luckily for her, the others had already woken up before her and made their way downstairs hours prior, so no one was there to see her come down the stairs like a stiff, geriatric patient.
She paused once she had gotten down to the bottom, but her body was still jittery and she was unstable on her feet.
‘I’m shaking like a leaf.’ She thought hysterically to herself.
After readjusting herself for hopefully the last time, she made her way into the shared kitchen. She could see the illuminating light of her- of Firey, and the soft crackles his flames emitted. It should be illegal to feel so giddy and content at that sound alone.
Despite her featherlight steps, he still managed to notice her, turning to her with a smile. She ignored how her heart leapt at the sight. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked her over, but he kept a serene expression on his face. Leafy suppressed a shiver at the attention.
She glanced at him with a smile, hoping it didn’t come out as a grimace and sat down near the kitchen island. The cool marble felt nice, soothing some of the burning aches ever present in her muscles. She relaxed onto the table watching the other work with her head propped up onto her arm. She hated how she’d alternate between feeling too hot or too cold.
“I made you some breakfast, since I didn’t see you come down earlier.” Firey said, turning to switch off the stove. Leafy knew as convenient as it was to cook on him, it was a lot easier to avoid charring the food when you could physically control the temperature of the flames.
She thought back to a time where it was common for Coiny to purposefully push on his nerves, until his temper flared hot enough to burn anything edible to ashes. She’d laugh at the sight before helping them set up again so they’d all have something to eat before the next game. The more she reminisced, the more her heart ached. It was pitiful how her happiest memories were so far in the past.
The more she wondered, the more she began to spiral. Phantom pains made themselves present, layering over her existing aches and pains. She clutched at her chest, audibly gasping.
“Leafy?”
She felt dazed and confused, and it was a struggle for her to snap out of it. She could feel herself breathing, her chest rising and falling, and she tried to hone in on that sensation. A startlingly warm hand firmly closed around her forearm, and the heat was incredibly grounding. The leaf turned her gaze to Firey, who was crouched beside her, an expression of pure concern plastered across his face.
She felt herself blink sluggishly, but she still couldn’t bring herself to respond to him. Her head felt heavy, and it was if her thoughts were soaked in molasses. She tried to string together a sentence, to tell him she was okay, but her tongue refused to cooperate.
“Leafy! What’s wrong? Are you sick?” He rapidly asked, voice pitching up in his panic. His eyes skimmed over her hunched form, but he consciously stopped himself from moving any closer. Her lack of response did nothing to dissuade his anxiety.
‘No, don’t look at me like that-‘ Leafy thought.
“Please…” She croaked out.
“What is it? What do you need?” He asked in one short breath.
‘Don’t look at me like you care… Please, I’m not worth it.’ Her mind cried.
She pushed herself up, before immediately collapsing. Black spots covered her vision, and she hardly noticed the strong arms laying her gently on the ground. The last thing she felt before losing consciousness was the blast of heat on her front, and the hands wrapped tight around her waist.
“Quit it, it’s hot enough in here as it is.” Flower grumbled, though her words lacked the usual heat.
Firey’s temperature flared in annoyance before settling. He was too busy cradling Leafy in the fireproof blanket to pay any real attention to her words. The little leaf was curled up beneath a sun lamp, graciously borrowed from Flower’s room.
Said contestant was waiting near the back entrance, hand tapping nervously on her phone. Firey could feel her glancing back between them and the door.
“The EMT’s will be here in a few minutes.” She said after a brief moment of silence.
“Thanks.” He muttered. “For calling them, and for the lamp.”
Flower waved him off. “Don’t mention it.” She fidgeted with her phone again, before glancing down.
“I’m such an idiot. She was obviously sick If I had pushed earlier I could’ve-“
“Done nothing.” Flower finished off.
Firey glared at her in confusion. “What?”
“You would’ve done nothing. The more you push that girl, the more she clams up. She’d never let you know how much she was really hurting.” She spoke bitterly, though it was softened by the concern in her eyes.
Firey glanced down at the leaf cradled into arms, which let him keep a level head. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
The other scoffed. “We’re both plant based beings, so I tend to notice these things. I tried to reach out to her before but…” She clenched her fists in frustration, before relaxing. “I get why she’d want to keep something like that to herself.”
She pointed a hand lazily towards the lamp, “It’s shocking how much of a difference a little light can make.”
“So she can get better.” Firey whispered to himself, though it lacked his usual confidence.
Flower gave him a sardonic grin. “I did, didn’t I?”
His mind flashed back to the TLC, and how the others had described the absolute lack of visible light within it. He winced looking back at Flower, who merely waved him off.
“I meant what I said. Save your worry for your little girlfriend.” Flower scoffed, turning back to her phone. “Now where the hell is that ambulance?”
Firey could tell she had put her front back up, but decided to heed her words and not push. Not today at least.
He brushed a hand over Leafy’s face, watching her peaceful face, free of any stress or doubts. She pushed her face further into his palm, relishing in its heat. He wished she could always look so carefree.
Flashes of red and blue lit up the doorway, with sirens rapidly approaching.
“About time.” Flower grumbled, making her way out the door.
Firey cradled Leafy closer, hoisting her up in a princess carry. He made sure to keep her covered up in the blanket at the sight of her shivers, clutching her close protectively.
“I’ll make sure you get through this. I can promise you that much.”