***Cyan***
When Cyan peeked into Alastair's room, he and Honey were sleeping together, cuddling.
She had to get air. It was like she could barely breathe. She might as well try to make some money while she was at it, so she went to the park.
She got five customers in close succession and felt unusually tired afterward. She also had to run to a nearby trash can and throw up. How could she throw up when she hadn't had eaten breakfast yet?
Cole ran over to her. "Hey, Cy! Are you okay?"
Just as she said, "I'm fine," Cyan threw up again.
"You can't work like this!"
She let out a shaky breath. "I just need a minute."
"Don't be ridiculous." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Show me your terminal."
"I'm not a kid."
"You've already thrown up twice."
"Alright. Alright."
The terminal said she had a temperature of 102.
"Why did you even get out of bed this morning?"
"I'll go."
Cyan went to walk away.
"I know where you live," Cole said. "Where are you going?"
"He's already sick and has plenty of concerns of his own. I don't want to pile up more worries on him."
Cole sighed. "If you don't go home, he's going to get worried anyway."
He had a point...
"Fine, I'll go back..." Cyan gasped. "Wait, I could tell him that I'm going to see Maggie!"
Cole narrowed his eyes at her. "Is using your friend as an excuse a good idea?"
She scratched her head. There was a chance that he wouldn't even notice her missing. The boy was often engrossed in his shows. The only thing she worried about was him not eating.
"If you won't go home then come with me. You can't be alone when you're sick like this."
"I am not that sick!"
Cole turned on the camera on his terminal. "You look like a ghost."
"Are you sure about this?"
Cole put his hands on her cheeks. "Do I wish this was under different circumstances? Of course, I do. Still, I'm grateful for the chance to spend time with you. I want to get to know you better, after all."
Her cheeks flushed. Did he really have to go that far?
He held his hand out. "Let's go."
She slowly took his hand.
They then teleported to the door to Cole's apartment.
When he opened the door, there was a blanket about to fall off the couch and a pile of dirty clothes on the floor.
"I really should've cleaned this place yesterday." His cheeks reddened. "Maybe I should take my sponsor up on her offer..."
"You're fine." Cyan shut the door behind him. "My roommate's and my house gets worse than this."
He gave her a deadpan expression. "Oh, come on, Cyan. It can't be that bad."
"Oh, I'm dreading it." She scrunched her face. "I have to clean my bathroom and do my laundry."
Cole laughed. "I have to go grocery shopping."
By this point, both of them were laughing.
"I give!" She could hardly spit the words out. Her cheeks were hurting.
Cole eased her onto the couch. "Easy there. Lay down."
"I'm fine." She put her hand over her mouth. She didn't want to throw up again.
Cole grabbed a nearby trash can. "Please don't try to hold it in. You'll just make yourself feel worse."
"But I don't wanna ruin your trash can."
"It's a trash can, it's not a big deal." He draped the blanket over her. "Try to get some rest. That fever won't break if you don't."
"I'm not a kid!"
He stroked her hair. "I never said you were."
***
Cyan didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up, Cole was gone.
Cole smiled when he came in. "You look a little better. Do you feel any better?"
"A little."
He set a red bowl on the coffee table. "Eat up. You need to get your strength up."
"I'm not hungry."
Cole glared at her. "When was the last time you ate?"
"Last night."
Cole gasped. "Why didn't you eat breakfast?"
"I wasn't hungry."
"Eat now."
"Fine..." When she peered into the bowl, it had noodles, beef chunks, and various vegetables. "Why did you stuff so much in there?"
"It's what my mom feeds me and my sister when we're sick." He picked up the spoon. "At least try it? You probably made yourself feel worse by not eating breakfast."
She let him put the spoon in her mouth.
Cyan still thought it was over the top, but it was good. She had to give him that.
Cole got out two VR headsets. "Why don't we watch a goofy kids' movie or something until you fall asleep?"
"Sounds nice," Cyan said. "Did you have anything in mind?"
"Nah. I got up at the crack of dawn cuz I got strike of inspiration. I'm pretty tired, so I'd like to take a nap myself."
The couple soon settled on one they had seen before that was about a girl who got lost in the forest. Cole fell asleep about halfway through, but Cyan didn't mind. He was warm and cute when he was sleeping. It helped her feel better when her stomach hurt.
***
When she woke up, Cole was gone again. Where did he go this time? Had she been snoring?
When she peered into the kitchen, Cole was standing by the stove.
Cole smiled when he saw her. He poured some liquid into two mugs. "I hope you had a nice nap."
"What's that?"
He set the mugs on the kitchen table. "Some tea. I thought the heat might help clear you out."
How sweet but.
Cole smiled as he pulled out a chair for her. "Come enjoy this with me."
His terminal projection was still up. Cold remedies? He could have just left her. She just had to wait it out.
"I-I'm fine."
Cole cleared his throat. "When you offer Collin stuff, you feel sad when he rejects them, right?"
Cyan looked down. "Yeah, it's for his own good. He has to eat."
Cole held the cup to her. "Same thing applies here. You're sick, and this will help you feel better."
She sighed and took it. Sorry for being a weight.
"Since you're insisting."
She sipped the tea and smiled. It was sweet just like him. "Thank you."