Chapter Text
"I told you a few days ago," Laura said to her partner, "that you'd get sick if you went out in the rain."
Zenith didn't reply, instead making a quiet growly, grumbling noise and pulling the blanket over her head. She did not have her armour on, instead wearing some of Laura's clothes. It was much more comfortable in bed.
She heard a quiet chuckle, and felt Laura stroke the edge of her soulstone, which made her shiver from the touch. "I'll make you some soup. I think we still have a few potatoes left."
The knight feels Laura's hand trail across her chest, and then the door squeaking open and closed.
Zenith turned on her side and curled under the covers, coughing gently. Ugh. It had been so long since she last got sick that she'd forgotten what it felt like.
When was the last time? The night before her weapon-summoning ceremony, she thinks. Her youngling self had been so upset. The knight-commander ordered that the ceremony would be postponed until she recovered, which had taken a week.
She fell into a light, uneasy doze, tossing and turning as she recalled more memories from her childhood, until Laura woke her. The knight smelled soup as she pushed herself upright.
"Here," Laura said, handing her the bowl. It held beef and potato soup, steam curling up and away.
It was warm in Zenith's hands, and she brought it close to her face, breathing in the steam. "Thank you," she whispered. "It smells lovely."
Laura settled onto the bed next to her, watching Zenith eat carefully. The gundam's hands trembled slightly from tiredness, and she noticed her partner's armour wasn't as shiny as it usually was. It was all signs of illness, she knew from experience, and Laura wished she hadn't let Zenith brush off her concerns yesterday when she heard Zenith coughing worse than usual.
If Zenith had taken a day off instead of pushing herself to do her chores despite not feeling well, she probably wouldn't have felt so bad today.