#clownfvcker

Tai awoke to the sound of a loud knock on her door, jolting her from her antibiotic-induced nap. She sniffled once, then again, groaning in discomfort before rubbing her eyes. “You can come in!” She tried to speak normally, but her raw throat wouldn’t give, distorting her voice to a scratchy and squeaky quality.

She had expected her roommate to come in, asking her to help do the dishes or something, but instead Steve pushed open the door, his other hand holding a mug. She coughed, half-involuntary but half-embarrassed, adjusting her posture and sitting up higher.

“Hey,” he said, trying to speak softly in case her sinuses had started to give her a headache. “Brought you some apple juice ‘cause I heard you might want it.” He sat at the edge of her bed, resting one elbow on his knee as he offered the mug toward her. She took it with two hands, slightly shaky, and smiled.

“Thanks,” her voice was sheepish, looking down into her cup. “If I knew you were coming, I would have showered. Staying in bed all day makes me reek.”

“You can’t smell worse than Frank does on a regular day,” he replied smugly. She laughed, a little bit of a wheeze dying on her tongue as she took a sip of her drink and set it on the nightstand. “No problem, though. Crystal says work sucks without having someone around to shoot the shit with, so you better come back soon so she’ll stop complaining.”

Tai was silent for a couple seconds, but slowly pushed herself up with her hands and leaned over to hug him. It was a surprise, definitely-- their relationship was rather business casual and didn’t have a lot of intimacy that wasn’t far between and... well, passionate (and that was putting it very lightly). His face flushed, the tips of his ears dusting pink. “I’m serious. It sucks staying here all day. I miss you guys so much, even if work blows.” His smile dipped into a gentler, more sincere version of it’s usual self, and he held her for a minute, a little nostalgic for this feeling. 

“Ah...hhgh... Aah-choo!’ 

She pulled back, face redder than before, and covered her mouth, looking away. His grin pulled back upward and couldn’t help itself from becoming a laugh. “Man, you really got some snot on my jacket! You’re gonna get me sick, girl!” Tai eventually began to laugh too, taking a moment to wipe her face with a tissue before pulling him closer to her by the front of his beige coat. 

“Might as well make sure I really get you sick, right? You’ve got a couple more sick days this semester.”