Perception

Part 82

Sang POV

"Thadk you, Dathad," I mutter to Nathan, frustrated with the amount of mucus my body creates. After pulling open the new box of facial tissue, I'm able to blow my poor abused nose for the zillionth time and breathe once more. 

It's been three days of body aches, headaches, coughing, and sneezing. I know I'm on the mend now because I'm getting tired of everyone waiting on me hand and foot. Sure, I was pretty much flattened the first couple days, but come on! North even tried to feed me last night. His haunted, tired eyes are all that kept me from booting him out of the room. Instead, he sat behind me and held the bowl in front of me, under my chin while I used the spoon to slurp up the steamy vegetable soup.

I can only assume it was tasty stuff with how the others were reacting to it, but Luke and I just ate it listlessly, mentally bemoaning our fate. Doctor Sean's antivirals may have cut this flu by a couple days, but the wastebasket filled with crumpled tissues between Luke and I says treatment came too late.

The others are all taking Tamiflu as well in an effort to prevent contracting the flu. I find this funny as they probably all already have it. Now instead of getting the pain and snot producing illness, a few of them are being struck with nausea or other stomach ailments. Good thing we're well stocked on soup, I think bitterly.

"Cad you bass be the water, Cubcake?" Luke asks from the other side of the pulled-out sofa mattress that we've been camping on today. I giggle at his pronunciation through his stuffy nose while handing him off the pitcher of water that's been my constant companion. I also hand him the tissues so that he can clear his sinuses. Ick.  

"If you keep that up, you'll have to use the bathroom again," Nathan grouses from the other side of the room. He has been walking us back and forth to the bathroom all day and doesn't seem amused.

"We've already told you. You don't need to walk with us anymore," I tell Nathan with exasperation, sounding only slightly nasal.

"And I've already told you that North promised death by tea cup if I let either of you hit the floor," he huffs back before going back to playing on his phone.

I turn to face Luke, who is sprawled across the sofa bed. He has just finished blowing his own nose, and squirting hand sanitizer on his palms. Nudging him with an extended leg, I grab his attention so that I can sign to him that I'm bored. He bobs his fist up and down to say yes, and we look at each other with watery eyes and red noses. I give him a silly smile and when he returns one, I know that we are on the same wavelength. We are going to play a prank.

Since neither of us are up for too much activity, we figure we'll have to settle for the nearest target. Poor Nathan. After some silent discussion, we decide upon a plan of action. We have only to wait him out, as poor Nathan had a very late night on assignment, then the task of losing a tail he had picked up somewhere near the assignment site.

As soon as Honey falls asleep, Luke scoots off the sofa mattress and silently walks to the kitchen. I slide off onto the floor and on sock-clad feet, glide to the recliner that Nathan is sleeping in. Luke joins me on Honey's other side and holds his hand out to present me with an array of writing utensils. I choose a red marker and carefully run it over both of Nathan's eyebrows making them look much more red than russet.

I take a peek at what Luke is doing and have to stifle a laugh as he colors Honey's nails a bright pink. I slowly raise Nathan's shirt to show his stomach and decide to highlight the lines between his abdominal muscles. As I'm tracing, he flexes and twitches as though tickled, and I smile with pure affection. Looking back up to Luke, I quickly sign that I wish Gabriel was here. He could draw some fake tattoos. For whatever reason, Luke looks positively giddy. Huh. As soon as we're done, I hand the markers back to Luke and turn to go back to the couch.