Some Fluffy Among Us Logic One-shots

Before the Christmas Party-Part 1: Player

[Synopsis: The day of the group's planned Christmas party on Polus has finally arrived, and everyone has plans...Not everything is going accordingly, though.]

[Location: Player's house]

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"Let's see..."

The purple crewmate sitting on the edge of the bed squinted slightly as she peered down at the reading on the thermometer, adjusting her reading glasses. She bobbed her head off to the side and nodded, grateful that the results weren't that bad.

"99.5°. Higher than normal, but it's not anything to worry about as long as you don't strain yourself, okay?"

Player sniffled quietly, hunkering further down into the blankets and sighing deeply.

"I was supposed to do something with my friends today," he lamented, his voice stuffy and creaky. "What am I gonna do, Mom...?"

"The Christmas get-together?" she asked; he'd mentioned it a few times in passing, and she knew it was today, so it was easy to put two and two together. "Well, if you take it easy today and take some medicine beforehand, you might be okay to go; it's just a small cold, so it isn't like you have to stay in bed all day."

"Okay...that sounds hopeful."

"But if and when you do go, be careful around the others," she reminded him. "You don't want them to catch what you have, right?"

"No, I don't," Player replied. "I'll be careful, Mom. Promise."

"Okay."

His mother nodded and smiled, then got up off the bed and stood up straight.

"Do you want to sleep for a while longer? You can wait until a bit later to worry about your chores if you're not quite up to snuff."

"Okay," the red crewmate nodded. "Thank you."

"I'm making fried eggs for breakfast today. You hungry enough to eat some?"

"Mmm...Sounds good," he replied, smiling at the thought of something hot and savory to eat. "Thanks, Mom."

"I'll bring it to you on a tray once it's done, alright?"

"Ah...I'm probably well enough to eat at the table; you don't have to do the whole breakfast in bed shebang..."

"Oh, that's okay, I don't mind babying you just a bit."

She bent down and playfully pinched his cheek a bit, to which her son recoiled slightly. An embarrassed blush spread across his already rosy cheeks, and he rubbed his cheek a bit once his mother had pulled her hand away.

"Well...If it's not too much trouble," he accepted; the idea of breakfast in bed WAS pretty appealing, after all. "What time should I get up?"

"Maybe some time between nine and ten, depending on how you're feeling. Now, if you think you're getting worse, you need to tell me or your father, alright?"

"Okay...I will," he nodded. The purple crewmate smiled at him again as she got up and headed to his bedroom door.

"Just take it easy," she reminded him again as she left the room...Once she was gone, Player huddled underneath the blankets again; as minor as it was, his fever was making him feel chilly, so he opted to stay under the warm, comfy blankets for the time being.

As he began to reach for the tissue box on his night stand, his phone started to play that familiar accordion music...Veteran was calling.

He's not gonna be happy when I tell him... Player anticipated as he picked the phone up and answered it.

"...Hello?"

"Hey, dude, g'mornin'!" his best friend greeted him cheerfully. "You psyched for the Christmas party this evening?"

"Heh heh...Yeah. Um, hey-"

"I gotcha somethin' AWESOME for when we exchange gifts. You're gonna love it, I promise!"

"Well, knowing you, you'll live up to that claim," Player nodded, managing a smile before taking a moment to grab a tissue and blow his nose. "You know how to gift give."

"You doin' okay, compadre?" Veteran asked. "You sound upset."

"I was about to get to that."

"Whoa, wait. Y-your parents didn't say you couldn't come, did they? Did somethin' come up on your end? Is it bad?!"

"Um...well...They didn't exactly say I couldn't go," Player replied, sniffling again. "But something did come up that I wasn't expecting before...I have a cold, Vet'."

"Oh, oh no...Today? You gotta be kiddin' me."

"Sorry, Veteran...I wish I was."

"Oh no...I-I mean, I know it's not your fault, but this is the worst time for anyone to get sick. 'Specially you."

"Well, I'm not too bad off; that's the good news. If I take plenty of medicine before I join today, I should be fine. For now, I'm just gonna see how I get by and make sure I'm still well enough to come by then."

"So you might still be able to make it?"

"Odds look like they're in my favor for now," the red crewmate nodded. "I'll update you if anything changes."

"Okay..."

"You gonna wear something besides a halo this time? Angel's coming too, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I got the Polus cosmicube a while back; I finally unlocked the yellow earmuffs!"

"Heh...I imagine you'd look good in those."

"Well, if you're able to come, you won't have to imagine it," Veteran assured him. "...Hope you feel better, dude. We've been lookin' forward to this for over a month, so save up your energy for the shindig if you can, alright?"

"I plan to."

"A'ight. Get some rest, man. Catch up with you in a while."

"I will...Bye, Veteran."

Click...

He put the phone back down on his night table and fluffed the pillow behind him, repositioning it to sit back against...It seemed like his call with Veteran had ended just in time for him to do that; the very moment Player leaned back against the headboard, his mother came in, holding a tray of fried, peppered eggs paired with a steaming hot cup of tea...His nose still worked just enough to get a whiff of it.

"Whoa...That looks really good, Mom," he said to her as she rested the tray down on his lap. "What kinda tea did you make?"

"Chamomile tea with a bit of lemon and honey; it should help you get back to sleep," she told him. "Now when you're done, just put the tray and dishes on your night table; I'll come back a little later to check up on you and pick them up for the wash."

"Thanks so much for all of this...Love you."

"I love you too, sweetpea. Rest up and get better now, okay?"

"M'kay."

With that, the purple-clad figure headed back out the door, closing it behind her. As Player ate his breakfast and drank his tea, something he said in his conversation with Veteran earlier came back to him.

...Angel's gonna be there tonight, he recalled, lowering his teacup. Oh, jeez...I don't want her to catch what I have, but I don't want to come off as mean if I can't get too close to her. And during Christmas, too, of all times...

He slumped back into his bed in dismay as he continued to think.

...I guess I'll just have to explain it to her when I show up, he figured. I mean, she'll understand, won't she...? She's gotta.