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As soon as Noob had opened their eyes, they felt that something was... off.
Not only did the pajamas that once felt so comfortable and cozy to sleep in suddenly feel sweltering hot against their skin, Their throat burned with a firey intensity that couldn't be ignored, no matter how hard Noob tried. Even though Noob knew that something was wrong, they decided to just ignore it, dragging themselves out of bed and into the bathroom, the tile feeling ice cold against their feet as they tried to clean themselves up. This wasn't the first time they forced themselves to get up when they felt ill, but this was certainly the worst. Every step they took sent shockwaves of discomfort up their spine, almost like an electrical shock.
Noob hobbled into the kitchen, (having barely gotten dressed) trying to find anything good enough to eat for breakfast. They hated eating breakfast, though they almost always ate in the mornning. But as they rummaged through the fridge and pantry, every type of food they found made them feel sick to their stomach. Bread, fruit, eggs, nothing sounded appetizing.
Before they could continue searching through the kitchen, they felt the vibrantion of their ringtone go off in the pocket of their hoodie, that familiar jingle catching them off guard. When Noob checked their phone, it showed 2 missed calls from Sixer from an hour ago. Noob quickly glanced up to the clock on the microwave, reading the flashing numbers.
10:05.
Shit.
They were supposed to meet Sixer at school over an hour ago. The realization hit Noob like a freight train: the image of Sixer concerningly checking his phone and repeatedly calling Noob only made them feel even more miserable. Before Noob could even frantically text Guest back, they heard a sharp knock on their front door. Noob quickly moved to the door (Well, as quickly as they could), trying not to keep whoever was at the door waiting for too long.
When noob opened the door, he never expected who was there.
Sixer.
"Did you just wake up? School started an hour ago-" Sixer didn't even finish his sentence before noticing Noob's dischevled state. He saw the way Noob's cheeks flushed a much brighter pink than what was normal, and the much more exhausted look in their face.
"Y-yeah.. Sorry 'bout that.." Noob rasped, their voice much more raw and gravelly as they cleared their throat, the burn only spreading further up their throat. "Just feelin' a tad bit sluggish today!.."
Sixer didn't hesitate. With surprising strength, he caught Noob by the wrist before they could stumble, gently but firmly guiding them toward the nearby couch. He eased them down onto the cushions, making sure they didn't end up falling flat on their face. He brought his hand to Noob's forehead, feeling the fiery heat seeping into his own wrist.
"Where is the thermometer." Sixer asked, though in an incredibly harsh tone.
"T-the medicine cabinet near the kitchen.." Noob hoarsly murmured, their voice cracking on the last word. They watched as Sixer moved quickly towards the medicine cabinet, noticing how he rummaged quickly through the cabinet. They were completely embarrassed: not only is Sixer seeing Noob at one of their lowest points, but he is also taking care of him. As much as it humiliated them, they did also feel a warmth in their chest that didn't come from the sickness.
When Sixer moved back to the couch, he noticed beads of sweat clinging to Noob's forehead. He fought the urge to wipe them away, to pull Noob into his arms and shield him from the harshness of the world. Instead, he brought the thermometer to Noob's lips, not quite harshly, but not gently either.
"Open." Sixer commanded, his voice deep but somewhat soft. Noob obliged, letting the thermometer sit underneath their tongue.
After what seemed like ages, the thermometer finally beeped with the result. Sixer removed the thermometer from Noob's mouth, and read the numbers from the thermometer.
103°F.
Sixer froze, nearly dropping the thermometer. A surge of protectiveness washed over him, quickly followed by anger. If he hadn't gotten there, Noob probably would've gone to school like this.
"Wh-what does it say..?" Noob whispered, bringing his head upward to try and read the thermometer. Sixer quickly pushed Noob back into the couch, refusing to let noob move an inch.
"It's too high." Sixer growled, tossing the thermometer on the nearby coffee table. He never had seen Noob in such a concerning state, but he felt the sudden urge to protect them, to care for them. "You aren't going anywhere at all. Understand?"
Noob's gaze focused on the way Sixer's eyes flared: a small glow of red, before quickly flickering back those dark voids. "Uh huh.." Noob murmured, their voice gravelly yet soft.
Sixer stood up and made his way the kitchen, while Noob stayed on the couch. They couldn't help but notice the way Sixer's whole face dropped when he saw the thermometer: a mix of shock, anger, and protectiveness. Noob had never met anyone that had even glanced at them that way before.
When Sixer returned to the living room, he was balancing two different cups: one glass cup almost filled to the brim with water, and the other was a tiny plastic cup with what appeared to be cherry cough syrup. Sixer set the water on the coffee table, while handing the cough syrup to Noob.
"Drink."
Noob whined, but they reluctantly obliged, choking down the cough syrup in one go. "F-fuck..thats disgusting.." Noob sputtered, instantly reaching for the water on the coffee table.
Sixer watched as Noob chugged half of the water, noticing the way their throat worked with each hurried swallow. It only made the knot in his chest tighten like a noose. He sighed, gently grabbing the plastic cup from Noob's other hand as he spoke, his voiced as hushed as he could make it. "I'll make you some soup."
"Thanks.." Noob watched as Sixer left the living room again, the air turning surprisingly empty. They didn't know what it was, but they felt unusually attached to the demon boy. Like they couldn't even live without him.
......
Noob jolted awake, gasping for air as if they had just run a marathon. They didn't know when they had fallen asleep, They didn't even they had fallen asleep. All they remember was the smell of chicken broth coming from the kitchen, the emptiness the living room had when Sixer had left the living room, and the vivid nightmare they just had. On the coffee table, there was a bowl of (now cold) chicken noodle soup, and a fresh glass of water. Looks like Sixer had refilled the water while Noob was sleeping.
Before Noob could even check their phone for the time, they heard the familiar, heavy footsteps of Sixer approaching the sofa. Sixer stood there for a few seconds, watching Noob, listening to the quick, uneven breaths that still lingered from the nightmare.
"You're awake." Sixer whispered, moving closer to the couch.
"How long was I.."
"A little less than an hour." Sixer interrupted Noob, seating himself on the other end of the couch. "After I finished making the soup, I saw you fell asleep, so I just set it on the coffee table for when you would wake up."
Noob was still shaking from the terrifying fever dream, but Sixer's presence seemed to make the fear less agonizing. Before they could properly think, they clumsily reached their hand out to wealky grab onto the sleeve of Sixers black hoodie.
"Thank you so much.. For everything today.." Noob mumbled, their grip on the hoodie tightening ever so slightly.
Sixer's eyes widened a fraction at the sudden contact. Even though Noob's grip was weak, it felt impossibly strong, making him hesitate to move his arm. He sighed softly, letting Noob keep hold of his sleeve instead of pulling away.
"Don't mention it." Sixer grumbled, though he secretly craved the contact Noob had just given to him.
They stayed like that for a few more moments before Noob slowly sat up to reach for the glass of water, quietly letting go of Sixer's hoodie in the process.
After Noob had chugged over half the glass of water, they turned to Sixer, noticing the way the demon look at them with a gaze they couldn't quite read. It was a mix of protectiveness and.. Something he couldn't name.
When Noob set the glass back down on the coffee table, a cold chill swept through their body, making them shiver. Sixer noticed this, quickly grabbin a nearby blanket to drape over Noob's shoulders.
As soon as Noob felt the warmth of the fleece blanket, they let out a soft sigh, letting the warmth of the blanket envelop them. Without meaning to, they leaned a little too far and ended up falling against Sixer.
When Sixer saw Noob starting to tilt, he quickly caught Noob in his arms, feeling the warmth of them settle against him. He didn't know how he was supposed to hold a human, he never had been in this situation before until now, where he was trying to figure out the best way to hold Noob without making them uncomfortable. As he gently adjusted his hold on Noob, he felt their chest gently settle into a steady rythem.
"Mm..S'comfy.." Noob sleepily mumbled against Sixer, their words almost inaudible against Sixer. As they slowly fell asleep again, they felt a warmth that wasn't from the sickness. It felt as if there wasnt an outside world that would harshly judge them, and they were the only people left.
As if nothing could ever come in between them.