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Until now, you didn’t think this was possible in the circus.
There were very few benefits to living in the digital world, and you’d considered never getting sick to be on of them—along with not paying bills or having a job. Not that you’d trade this meaningless existence and wonderland-like menagerie for reality, but still. You could’ve gone the rest of your eternity stuck here without the dreadfully familiar feeling of a congested nose and sinus headache.
Now here you were, laying in bed with a thermometer in your mouth (as directed by your nurse, Bubble) and surrounded by wads of used tissues. You felt a sneeze coming on and you grabbed a fresh tissue to blow into, just as you heard a soft knock on your door.
“AH-CHOO!” you sneezed loudly into the tissue.
“Oh! Bless you,” said a delicate voice.
You looked up to see Ragatha’s surprised face through your door, slightly cracked open.
“Uhh… can I come in?”
Your eyes widened and, as coolly as you could with your nasally voice, you greeted her, “Raggie! Y-yeah sure, come in!”
Ragatha stepped inside your room, giving you a warm smile. She was holding a bowl of chicken noodle soup and the thought that she’d made it especially for you made your insides tingle. Or maybe that was just the stirrings of a coughing fit.
“Are you… alright?” she asked carefully.
It took you a moment to realize how you must look right now and, in a brilliant moment of panic, you swatted away as many used tissues from your bed as you could. You smiled unconvincingly.
“Just g-great,” you croaked before sneezing again.
Ragatha frowned, obviously concerned. She stepped closer and you motioned for her to stay where she was.
“I- I don’t want to get you sick too,” you explained, face flushed.
The ragdoll just grinned and shook her head. She approached your bedside, setting the bowl of soup down on your nightstand in favor or feeling your forehead with the back of her hand.
“It’s okay. I doubt whatever you have is contagious,” she hummed. She was strangely calm about the whole situation, but her optimism helped give you a bit more peace of mind. “Then again, I’ve never seen anything like this happen before.”
“Yeah, I know,” you grumbled.
You thought back to when you started feeling sick. At first, you weren’t sure what it was, but once it had become evident you’d contracted some sort of virus, Caine, after a poor job of convincing you there was nothing to worry about, snapped his fingers and quarantined you in your room. According to Bubble, he was searching for a way to fix the virus—bug, glitch, or whatever—which wasn’t very reassuring. If you were the first experience this, there was no telling how long it would last or if you were even able to be cured.
Ragatha, however, didn’t seem as nervous. She removed her hand from your head and took the thermometer from your mouth with a brief laugh.
“I don’t think Bubble knows what he’s doing. This just looks like a bunch of gibberish.”
She held up the thermometer for you to read and, sure enough, instead of the numbers for your temperature, it only showed some random symbols. You rolled your eyes.
“Figures,” you sighed. “I don’t trust that ‘medicine’ he gave me either. Do you think he’s trying to make me feel worse, somehow?”
“I don’t think he’s capable of that.” Ragatha thought for a second. “Then again, I wouldn’t put it past him.”
You both snickered until you began coughing again. Ragatha passed you a tissue from your (rapidly dwindling) supply and you thanked her meekly.
“Oh, right! The soup!” she cheerily said and grabbed the bowl again.
She lifted a spoonful to your mouth and you hesitated. You could later blame your blush on your fever, you decided as you opened your mouth and let her feed you. You swallowed the soup, surprised by the flavor and warmth of it. Most food here didn’t taste nearly as… real.
“Mmm!” Your eyes grew to the size of saucers. “This is really good! You made this?”
“Well-” she chuckled and played with a lock of her hair. “-mostly, yes. Caine wasn’t around, so Kinger helped me with the ingredients. I’m not sure where he found the stuff for soup, but I’m glad he did. I used the kitchen playset in my room to make it… it’s amazing how it actually works!”
You nodded, and before you realized it, you’d taken the bowl from Ragatha and you were almost done. But you couldn’t help it, it tasted like the first real food you’d had in ages.
“Were you this good at cooking… y’know, back in the real world?”
Ragatha shrugged, ever so humble. “I dabbled in cooking every now and then. It was more of a hobby of mine, really.”
You set the empty bowl down on your nightstand and fixed her with a reassuring smile.
“That was really good, anyhow. Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Ragatha waved her hand dismissively.
“Seriously, I mean it. You should cook more often.” You stopped, then laughed nervously. “Um- if you want to, I mean.”
“Yeah, maybe I will.” Something in Ragatha’s eye twinkled.
You looked away, feeling all kinds of mushy and not just from your weird sickness. Ragatha, meanwhile, sat up and began fixing your sheets for you. She was too kind, always looking out for ways to take care of others. It made you even warmer.
“Are you sleepy at all? You should probably get some rest,” she suggested.
You yawned and nodded. “Maybe, but…” you trailed off, then pouted sadly. “I don’t want you to leave.”
She froze in the middle of tucking you in. “You don’t?”
“No, of course not. I appreciate you taking care of me.”
“Oh! Well… y-you’re welcome,” she stammered.
Maybe Bubble’s “medicine” was messing with you, but you were suddenly acting braver than you felt. You scooted towards one side of the bed, making room for her, and you patted the empty spot.
Ragatha blinked. Thankfully, before you had time to regret offering her half of your bed, she crawled towards you and cuddled against your side. Your arms wrapped around her as she lay against the pillows, nestling her head atop yours.
“Goodness, you feel hot. Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Sleep now. Talk later,” you whined, voice muffled by the fabric of her arm.
She laughed tenderly and whispered a small, “Alright,” before giving in and sinking into your arms. One of your hands gently ran through her hair and she smiled gently. You stayed like that, in each other’s warm embrace, virus be damned.