A Marshmallow's Guide to Loving a Complete Idiot (Inanimate Insanity)(Marshple)

19. Support Her in Sickness and in Health

Marsh felt so clogged-up that she was beginning to suspect she'd somehow contracted the "condishawn."

The sound of rain against the mansion roof served as a constant din behind her. She whole mansion was a lot cooler than it usually was... and considering it was usually pretty cool, it was really cold; she snuggled up in her blankets and only wished that she had another. Every-so-often, she sneezed.

It was annoying and everything was annoying.

'What kind of sentimental idiot invited this torture into their life? ...Me, apparently. I'm such a buffoon. I hope Dough helps make breakfast this morning, or we're going to need this rain...'

There was the sound of footsteps. Considering two out of three of her roommates were ghosts, there was only one possible intruder.

The door opened with a long creak. "Heya, Marsh!"

Marsh groaned thinly.

"It's not good to lay in bed all day, you know. Rise and shine!"

Apple threw the blanket off of her. Marsh groaned thinly, bringing her limbs close. "We have a big schedule ahead of us! Fingerpaints, lessons, that pinata we bought at Walmart... And we're doing it all together! Eh- You okay?"

"What does it look like?" Marsh mustered the energy to spit back.

"Hmm... You look fine to me."

Marsh sneezed and glared at her. "Does this seem fine to you?"

Apple looked more closely. "Hmm... Now that you mention it, you do look a bit feverish, whatever that means."

Marsh snatched the blanket back from her. "Yeah, can you please leave me alone? And maybe get Dough to make breakfast? I need a day off..."

"I can't leave my best buddy all alone when she feels feverish; I'll take good care of you. And I'll make you food too."

Marsh squirmed under the covers. "Apple, really, it's fine. We don't need a fire today. Just get Dough to do it."

"No, no, I insist. You just wait up here and I'll have some yummy chicken noodle soup for your tummy. Be right back!" She dashed away.

Marsh pulled the blanket over her head and groaned. '...Well, that's ONE way to get your blood pumping.'

It was a long several minutes of just listening to what was happening: Apple running until her footsteps on the creaky old floor weren't audible, her voice carrying through the halls. Eventually, she exclaimed: "Dough, I'm on a mission to get soup for Marshmallow!" and then, seconds later, "You'll help me? That's great!"

Marsh sighed with relief and rolled back onto her side, sneezing in the process. 'Thank the heavens for Dough.'

It was seconds later when another voice greeted her: "Aww, looks like you're dealing with the curse of living..." Bow flew in front of her eyes, grinning. "Getting colds is one thing I don't miss about being alive."

"Mmph."

"Seriously though, you must really want a tail to trust cooking to her."

"She has Dough helping her. She can't mess up that badly," Marsh grumbled, mostly because she didn't really want to talk about it.

"Marshy, you have a best friend who's a ghost. I don't have to deal with simple things like the laws of physics; I'd be twice as fast at taking care of you!"

'Oh yeah. She and Apple still haven't worked out things. I should be used to it by now...' Still, Marsh cracked a smile at this. "Thanks. But I really just want to be alone right now."

"I'll get rid of her for you, then. That's what friends are for."

"I'll send her away myself."

Bow shrugged. "Ahh, whatever. I get that cool girls need some time alone now and then, and you're nothing if not cool... or should I say, cold!" The joke got a snicker out of both of them. "Anyway, just call if you need anything."

Bow poofed out of existence seconds ahead of the sound of Apple bursting into the room. "I brought it. It's hot, though!"

Marsh took the blanket off her head. The smell of the soup hardly reached Marsh through her cold, but she smiled and said, "it smells great."

As Apple walked closer, Marsh felt a bit of relief at the sight of the soup; nothing that shouldn't be there was there, and it looked like the ratio of chicken, vegetables, and broth was pretty good ('thank the heavens for Dough'). The heat coming off of it was pleasant, too. "Yup, you did good. I'll eat it when it cools down a-a bit-" She sneezed.

"Shouldn't I blow it to cool it for you?"

"No. It's fine. Thanks."

They sat there in awkward silence, Apple looking at Marsh with an absent grin on her face, and Marsh being quizzical. Getting quite weirded out when the staring contest lasted for thirty seconds, Marsh grumbled, "...Uhh, I'll see you later."

"What?"

"See you later. Um, time to leave."

"What?! I can't leave yet. The soup should be ready to try now." She scooped up a spoonful and grinned. "Open wide."

"What?! I can take care of myself!"

"But you're my best friend. Best friends help each other whenever they can!" Apple frowned. "You cook for us all the time, can't I return the favor just once?"

Marsh sneezed. "This is different. It's sweet you care, but I can eat by myself. Besides, I just want to be alone."

"A day without you?!" Apple's voice cracked. "Nope, can't do it."

"I feel like crap, so please, refrain."

"But Marshmallow, I don't even know what that is! Look, you have give me a vocabulary lesson! What does 'refrain' mean, anyway?"

"...You're being clingy again, Apple..."

Immediately, Apple deflated, letting the bowl rest on Marsh's lap. It was pleasantly warm. "Sorry."

'Ever the sufferer...' Marsh sighed, and forced herself to grin. "You can check on me in a little bit to see if I liked the soup. But then you need to leave."

"I can check on you?!"

Marsh rolled her eyes, half fond and half annoyed. "Sure, but if you check on me too much, I'll be sick all week."

"Oh dear, I wouldn't want that to happen! Okay, just a few more times."

"In fact, hmm..." Marsh glanced towards a certain other wall in her room, towards the foot of the bed and the door: there were two corkboards with all manner of drawings pinned up, all in chronological order. Every color present in a forty-eight pack of crayons was present, but red and white, as well as Apple's favorite color green, dominated on the wall.

Very, very soon, they'd need a third corkboard to put up, too.

"How about you draw me something, like a get-well-soon card?"

"You would really like that?"

"Mmm-hmm."

Apple's face lit up. "Heh heh, alright. I've been feeling inspired lately, so I'll start working on it now. See you later!" Apple gave a wave and then walked backwards out of the room, then dashed off.

As soon as she left, Marshmallow pulled her pillow over her head and groaned into it. "Oh, you..."

'Sometimes it's like ordering a cat around... or a five-year-old. But you're such a sweetheart, no two ways about it. And your smile's just...'

She took the soup from the bedside table and tentatively took a sip of broth. Once again, she thanked the heavens; it tasted really good. 'Maybe you're a better cook than I am. Maybe it's worth experimenting with...'

An affectionate little sigh escaped her.

'Gee, I was so irritated just a few minutes ago, and now I can hardly stop smiling. This is what true friends do: brighten up each other's days.'

Something told her that the next drawing would be among the best yet.