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CB was sick.
Ace knew this.
She had known the moment that she didn't see her anywhere during training. The two of them never missed a chance to practice together. To push the other to become even greater than before.
It was right then when she made up her mind.
As soon as she finished her training for the day, she made her way to the nearest convience store. She grabbed some soup and medicine for CB in the case that she hasn't bought groceries again.
She had let herself into CB's house using the key that CB had given her near the beginning of their careers. She carefully took off her shoes and placed them right next to CB's. Ears perked she looked around. The lights in the foyer was off, as was the rest of the lights in the house. The only sign of life was the pair of shoes at the entrance and the light coming from CB's room. She dropped the caned soup off in the kitchen, and grabbed the bottle of Tylenol she had picked up from the store.
She pushed open the door to CB's room, and was greeted by a mess. The hats she usually had hanged up where just sitting on the floor, clothes were scattered about and other random objects layed on the floor. CB must be really sick this time around if she'd let her room get this messy. Ace shook her head fondly and climbed up the stairs that lead to CB's loft bed.
The brunette in question was out cold. Her usual little top hat discarded on the floor by the foot of the bed. She had balled her blanket against her stomach, clearly too hot to sleep with it covering her. Ace placed the medicine bottle down on the nightstand, and carefully climbed across the bed to her and rested her hand against CB's head.
Ace winced at the heat radiating from CB's body.
"Yep. Definitely really sick" Ace mumbled with a frown. The sound caused CB's ears to twitch as she sleepily grumbled and lean closer to Ace. The black haired uma's chuckled at the action. She patted her sick friend on the head and got out of the bed.
"OK! You're taking care of a very sick Mr. C. B. Today." Ace said to herself, while stretching "First step..." she looked around the room again, "clean this mess." She picked up the C.B. top hat on the floor and placed it on the nightstand, right beside the pill bottle.
"At least the mess isn't that bad" Ace said to herself as she gathered up the clothes laying on the coffee table in the middle of the room. She folded them and placed them in CB's closet.
Sometime between when Ace started cleaning and when she finished, CB had woken up. The sick girl had been staring at Ace for the past 5 minutes wondering if she was finally ill enough to start hallucinating. (Did she miss Ace so much she started to hallucinate her??) CB shook her head and blinked at the Ace who was picking up her hats and putting them back on their respective hooks.
Ace dusted her hands off and looked around the room proudly. "There we go!" Ace grinned at the now clean room. She looked back up at the loft and jumped in surprise.
Staring back at her was a very much awake CB.
"You're awake!" Ace yelped, stating the obvious. CB blinked a couple of times, still trying to figure out of the Ace in her room was real or a fever-induced hallucination. Ace scrambled up the stairs and over to CB. She placed her hand on CB's head again. The brunette leaned into her touch, processing the fact that Ace is very much real. Wait. What..
"What- what are you doing here?"
Ace stared at her like she was crazy for a minute, "I'm here to take care of you."
"You don't have to do that.." CB mumbled.
"I don't HAVE to but I want to."
CB fell silent at that, and then laughed, "Of course. I shouldn't have expected anything different" She continued to laugh, her fever making things a little more funny than they should be. She leaned forward and rested almost all of her weight onto Ace. "Thank you for coming.." she whispered into Ace's shoulder.
Ace definitely did NOT let out a squeak.
"I- uhm- no problem! You'd do the same so it's only fair" Ace rambled, ignoring the heat spreading across her face. CB just giggled again, starting to fall asleep a bit. Ace grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her back awake.
"Hey let's get some food in you, and some medicine. Then you can sleep again." Ace said in a tone that was just as gentle as the way she held her. CB groaned, her ears pressing against her head, and nodded. Ace slowly pulled her out of bed, pausing to take make sure they took their time on the stairs so that CB doesn't trip.
Once CB was sat down at the island in the kitchen, Ace pulled out a pot and placed in on the stove. CB was hunched over and resting her head in her arms as she watched Ace make chicken noodle soup. She began giggling a little deliriously.
"Ace making soup for me... hehehe" CB mumbled happily, her tail wagging lazily. "Soup for me" she continued in a sing-song tone. Ace dumped the soup in the pot, and left it there to cook.
"How have you been feeling?" Ace asked, trying to fill the silence, realizing they two of them have just been sitting in the kitchen with the lights off.
"Good because you're here!" CB answers with a large stupid grin. Ace sputtered, "I mean like- in relation to your sickness.."
"Oh." CB paused for several dramatic moments, "I feel... sick."
Ace let out a sigh, "Uh huh. Let's get.. let's get you some medicine in your system." Ace looked in the convience store bags still left on the counter, only to realize that the Tylenol pills she picked up were left in CB's room. Well shit.
"I left the Tylenol in your room so you're eating first and then medicine." Ace said, turning back to face CB. The sick uma nodded solemnly as if someone has just died. Ace let out a sigh, checking the soup again if it's ready. Thankfully it was, Ace pulled out a bowl from cabinet and put some of the soup in it.
"Here you go." Ace placed the bowl down before CB, who grinned at their closetness.
"Thank youuu." CB dragged the 'u' out a bit before eating. Ace sat down across from her, watching diligently in case CB some how chokes on the soup. The brunette looked up again and noticed the lack of a bowl infront of Ace. She pointed her spoon at her and demanded, "You. Eat."
Ace blinked in surprise, her ears twitching, "Oh- no, I'm good CB, I'm not hungry."
CB decided she did not like that response, and narrowed her eyes at Ace. The two had a brief staring contest till Ace got up and made herself a bowl. CB nodded to herself proudly and went back to eating.
Ace went back to watching CB again. This fever seems to be worst than usual.. CB isn't acting like her usual self. Well she is but there's just something off. Once CB finished most of her soup, she began to lean forward and admire Ace.
"Are you done?" Ace asked once she noticed CB staring into her soul.
"You're so pretty..." is what Ace got in response. Followed by silence.
.
.
.
"What."
"You're so pretty and you're caring for me. Oh I love you" CB continued with a stupid (love-filled) grin
"What." Ace repreated, still processing.
"So pretty, hot, and you're fast. Goddesses what did I do to deserve you?"
"OK. You're delirious... let's get you back to bed and some medicine." Ace says quickly, trying to brush off CB's words. Her face was bright red. She shakily grabbed both the bowls and placed them in the sink, she'll wash them later... probably... hopefully...
She led CB back down the hall to her room. CB took the silence between the two of them as permission to keep going.
"The way you race? Oh has anyone told you about the way you literally light up when you race? Goddesses sometimes I feel like I'm just a small planet and you're a star. A sun even. I love racing you so much, you bring so much fun to the sport. I want to continue to race you forever. Even into retirement. I want to be cared for by you just like this. Oh I hope the goddesses would give me that chance-"
Ace couldn't even think of something to respond with. She just opened and closed her mouth over and over. Her face some how becoming even redder than before. She guided CB up to her loft in a stunned silence and got her to sit in the bed. CB continued, "Like- look at you!"
CB gestured wildly to Ace.
"You're perfect!" She stated with so much conviction as if it was fact. (It was. Atleast to CB it was.)
Ace suddenly felt like crying. She shook her head and grabbed the pill bottle.
"You're delirious." Ace repreated, as if shes trying to convince herself. Despite it being true.
"Delirious and in love." CB corrected with another one of those stupid grins. Ace stared at her again. She shook her head, "No. You're just delirious." She squinted at the pill bottle. The sooner she gives CB this Tylenol and got her to rest again the sooner CB will be back to normal. Everything will be back to normal. She won't have to address the hole that formed in her chest under all of CB's compliments.
The only issue is that the text on the bottle was way to small. How do people read this?
CB leaned against Ace and hooked her chin over her shoulder. "If im delirious, I'm happy it's you thats here with me." Ace let out a choked noise. She shouldn't let CB's fever-induced insanity get to her. She's just saying things. She desperately tuned CB out, who was whispering more sweet cavity inducing things into Ace's ear.
She should probably get her eyes checked... She probably shouldn't be struggling this much to read a pill bottle..
It's probably fine to just give her one pill and if that doesn't seem to work in like 20 minutes to give her another right?
"You're eyes are like the evening sky." CB whispered. Ace flinched, forgetting that CB was there for a bit. She shook the bottle till one pill fell in her hand.
"Here take this." Ace offered it to CB.
"Goddesses, did I ever tell you how much I love when you take care of me. I love how gentle you are." CB said lowly into her ear, instead of taking the Goddess forsaken pill. Ace squeaked, and pushed CB off her. Ace's ears pinned backwards as if worried that CB would continue to whisper sweet things into them.
"Uh huh- you did yeah- you did. Now can you PLEASE take this- it'll make you feel better you know?" Ace desperately tried to convince the sick uma to take the pill.
"I feel fine now that you're here with me."
She's actually trying to kill Ace... She's actually trying. Is this how she's going to go out? Death by sweet words from the one uma she's been in love with for only goddesses knows how long?
"Yes but you'll feel better." Ace pointed out. The hole in her chest gnawing away and making more space for itself. She's just sick. She's just sick. She's just sick and out of her mind. CB frowned at the lack of reaction towards all of her affection, and begrudgingly takes the pill.
Ace lets out a long sigh of relief. This means everything will be back to normal again soon! And she won't have to address the feelings that Fever CB has been playing with. The gnawing feeling is still in her chest though. She shakes her hands to release the stress that has build up inside of her but it doesn't do much.
CB just silently observes Ace for a bit and then grabbed Ace by the wrist and pulled. Ace yelped as she fell face first into the bed and into CB's lap. Ace freezes and tries to get up, but CB just grabs her and pulls her further into the bed. (Oh she's so doomed.)
Ace now found herself positioned on top of CB with CB's arms wrapped around her waist. She let out a wheeze, like her soul was leaving her body.
"CB.. you're going to get me sick- then who is going to care for you..?" Ace tried to point out as she attempted to get up again. In response to the movement CB just held Ace even tighter.
"But.. I want to hold you." CB murmured as she buried her nose into Ace's hair.
Ace stiffened and just laid there in an CB-induced stupor. CB somehow pulled Ace even closer to her and let out a soft giggle.
"You know I'd dream of laying with you like this." CB continued in place of Ace's silence. "I love you so much."
CB shifted her hands to gently cradle Ace's face.
"Look at you." She cooed, "just perfect."
She pressed a soft kiss to Ace's forehead and then rested her lips there and smiled against the skin. Ace flinched and felt a shiver go down her spine. CB leaned back and closed her eyes, mumbling "I love you" one more time before falling asleep.
Leaving Ace by herself with her thoughts and racing heart.
What.
The.
fuck.
Ace stared at CB's sleeping face with an awed expression. Is this really an option for her? Can she really have her? More importantly can CB kiss her like that again? Does she want CB to kiss her again..? Who is she kidding she'd lose all of her races on purpose if it meant she could be kissed like that again.
Her tail wagged violently at the thought of CB kissing her again.
Goddesses.
Ace started to laugh in that way you do when you don't believe what has happened. She layed her head down against CB's chest, listening to her heart beat and closed her eyes. Falling asleep with a smile.