A Night of Fevers and Whispers
After Yuni left, Adrian and Elsa, now changed into regular clothes, sat in the living room of Adrian's apartment.
"Elsa, I think we really need to be careful now," Adrian said.
"What do you mean 'we'? You, you opened the door without thinking, just 'cause you can see who's there!" Elsa snapped, annoyed.
"Sorry, I honestly forgot for a second," Adrian replied.
"Good thing she only saw my secret room with just dresses and clothes. What if she'd seen what's in your secret room? She would've dropped dead, I swear," Elsa retorted, still annoyed.
"Yeah, yeah, really sorry," Adrian said.
"Next time, be careful. The timing was all wrong, but couldn't we have just pretended no one was home?" Elsa asked, taking a bite of her donut.
"Hehe, yeah, sorry," Adrian replied.
"Why are you laughing?" Elsa asked.
"You've got stuff all over your mouth," Adrian chuckled.
"Ugh... you're impossible," Elsa said, wiping her mouth.
"Okay, here's an idea. For safety, let's move all the weapons in my secret room to our house in the other world," Adrian suggested.
"All of them? That many?" Elsa asked.
"Relax, use this."
Blup... blup... blup. A thick black liquid started oozing from Adrian's watch, enveloping his entire body, forming a large, muscular physique. Elsa was startled, but she quickly closed her eyes because when the black turned to Adrian's skin color, Adrian's body looked... well, naked.
"Whoa... why are you so big and naked?" Elsa asked, peeking through her fingers.
"Oh, sorry. This is just a suit, I didn't actually get bigger. Look," Adrian said, pulling at a seam near his neck.
"Oh, I see... but it looks like real skin, and why isn't that there?" Elsa asked.
"It's still inside," Adrian replied.
"Okay, don't even talk about it. So, if you wear that, you get strong?" Elsa asked.
"Yup, watch this," Adrian said, standing up.
He bent down and effortlessly lifted the sofa with one hand, with Elsa still sitting on it.
"Hiiiii! Put me down! I get it! I get it!" Elsa shrieked, terrified.
Thud. Adrian lowered the sofa. Then he pressed his watch again, and his body returned to normal as the thick black, slime-like liquid re-entered his watch.
"Ugh... seriously, you almost gave me a heart attack," Elsa said.
"Haha, sorry. But it really works. That's why I need your help packing those weapons into boxes, then we can just transport them over there using that suit," Adrian replied.
"Alright, let's do it on Sunday, tomorrow," Elsa said.
"Why not now?" Adrian asked.
"I'm tired. Remember we just flew on Galvin, and before that, we were at the mall watching a movie. I'm tired," Elsa explained.
Adrian looked at Elsa. He just noticed that her breathing was a bit heavy, her face was slightly flushed, and her eyes seemed unfocused. Adrian then sat next to Elsa, put his hand on her forehead, then on his own.
"You're warm. You should get some sleep first," Adrian said.
"Yeah, I think I have a fever," Elsa replied.
"Alright, let's go to my room, so there are no distractions," Adrian said.
"Yeah, thanks," Elsa replied.
Hup. Adrian scooped Elsa up and carried her to the bedroom. He laid Elsa down on his bed and covered her with the blanket. Then he went out to get a basin, a towel, the medicine box, and some water. After giving Elsa fever medicine and compressing her forehead, Adrian stood up to leave.
"Don't go out," Elsa said, pulling Adrian's hand.
"Okay, but just a second, I need to grab my smartphone from the living room, and yours too," Adrian said.
"Yeah, don't be too long," Elsa replied.
After getting the smartphones, Adrian sat by Elsa's side and held her hand until Elsa fell into a deep sleep. Adrian stroked Elsa's head and kept holding her hand. He placed Elsa's smartphone on the table and started reading his own. A little while later,
"Uuuh... Dad... Mom... Grandpa... Grandma... don't leave... forgive Elsa... Elsa promises to be a good girl... don't leave Elsa alone... sniff... sniff," Elsa mumbled in her sleep.
Adrian turned. He tightly clasped Elsa's hand and put down his smartphone. Hearing Elsa's murmuring, Adrian felt touched because he could feel what Elsa was feeling. He immediately pressed his forehead against Elsa's.
"Don't be scared, Elsa. I'm here. I'll always be here with you and won't go anywhere," Adrian whispered.
"Uuuh... don't leave Elsa," Elsa mumbled.
Adrian lay down next to Elsa. He immediately hugged Elsa tightly and pressed his forehead against hers again. Thump... thump... thump. He could hear both their heartbeats drumming in unison. Adrian stroked Elsa's head and kissed her forehead.
"Yes, I promise I won't leave you, Elsa," Adrian said.
Suddenly, Elsa turned and hugged Adrian in her sleep. Adrian hugged Elsa tightly and closed his eyes. Finally, they both fell asleep, embracing. It was already night. Adrian woke up. He saw Elsa still sleeping, her body covered in sweat. He released his embrace and got off the bed. He stood up, then went to the wardrobe to grab a change of clothes and snatched a towel from the table.
"Sorry," Adrian murmured.
He turned Elsa's body and opened her shirt, then he began to wipe Elsa's body with the towel to dry her. After that, he turned Elsa's body again. He could see Elsa's surgical scar, which divided her chest, beneath her underwear. After that, he closed his eyes as he washed Elsa's body because he remembered where he needed to wash, even with his eyes closed.
Afterward, Adrian put Elsa's pajamas on her and tucked her back into bed. He smiled, seeing that Elsa looked peaceful. Adrian stood up, but thud, his knee immediately hit the table because he felt dizzy. He immediately put his hand on his own forehead.
"Whoa, looks like I caught it. I need to take some medicine," Adrian mumbled.
He immediately swallowed the medicine on the table and drank some water to clear his throat. Then he changed his clothes and lay back down next to Elsa, who was still asleep. A few hours later, ugh, Elsa woke up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Adrian sleeping next to her. She saw Adrian's body was sweating, and she touched Adrian's forehead, which was hot.
"Well, you caught it, didn't you? Sorry," she thought to herself.
"Uuuuh... Dad... Mom... Lia... I miss you all... why did you leave me alone... I want to be with you," Adrian began to murmur in his sleep.
Hearing Adrian's murmuring, Elsa covered her mouth, and tears began to flow. Without thinking twice, she immediately pulled Adrian's body to face her and hugged him tightly.
"I'm here... you're not alone. You're with me, so don't be scared, okay? I'm always with you," Elsa whispered.
"Uuuh... I don't want to be alone, I'm lonely," Adrian mumbled.
"I'll always be with you, so you won't be lonely. Don't be scared, okay?" Elsa said, pressing her forehead against Adrian's and closing her tear-filled eyes.
"Elsa?" Adrian asked.
Elsa opened her eyes. She saw Adrian had opened his eyes and was looking at her. Elsa pulled herself closer and hugged Adrian tightly.
"Thank you for being here with me. I love you," Elsa said.
"I love you too," Adrian said.
They immediately kissed and then went back to sleep, still embracing, as they were both still feverish.