Checking in the Boss [ Nao x Veritas ]

It didn't take rocket science to figure out that Veritas' condition was worsening over time. It also didn't help that he picked the most inconvenient place to stay which was...In a cold dark cave. If he didn't have some kind of authority over her, Nao would have taken this perfect opportunity to slap him upside the head. Not to mention, she was pretty upset with him going as far as to keep his distance from her when he obviously needed help. Maybe when he got better...

...AND DIDN'T PASS OUT ON HER ON THE MIDDLE OF HER CONTEMPLATING HIS PUNISHMENT. Things suddenly went sour fast. Anger quickly turned to panic. She tried shaking him awake. Not even a slap or two made him stir! Nao knew that he wasn't going to particularly like where he was going next, but he basically left her with no choice.

She took him to the local hospital.

It was pretty awkward carrying him over his shoulders, especially when the head clerk did nothing but stare at first. Eventually things got a move on and he was in a bed before she knew it. Of course, she was there for every step of the way. Literally every step just to protect him. Nao did not take no for an answer in fear of them possibly messing with the mechanics on his body. There was no need to make things worse for him and if she had to, she was going to mess them up good.

For now, he was changed into a gown and rested in bed. Nao waited patiently...with a red face. "For a smart guy, you can be dumb sometimes..." she muttered under her breath and placed her hand upon his forehead.

He was really out cold. A nurse came in to check his vitals. Everything was rocky, but okay. Nao withdrew and sat quietly in her seat. Still, she couldn't take her eyes off of Veritas and yes, she was still worried about him. Apparently the worry was so obvious on her face that the nurse asked if the Boss was her boyfriend. Naturally she flinched at the idea and shook her head. "N-No! I-I-It's not like that at all! Really, um...Uh--" she sputtered as her head spun around the idea. No way! The nurse got a good laugh out of it and reassured she was only curious.

To keep herself from thinking too much, she buried her nose in a fashion magazine...and yelped the moment she heard him thank her. The magazine dropped uselessly to the floor. "Ah, yeah!...Well, you can't um, DO that anymore," she fretted and checked his temperature again. "At least your fever's going down...Your damp clothes were making you worse," she frowned. "You gotta tell me about this kind of stuff next time. I could have taken you to my dorm, no problem. I don't get sick easily...Thought you knew that."

At least her reward was something to definitely look forward to. For a moment, Nao's bashfulness vanished and she smiled. "Well it's no big deal...But thank you," she replied happily. Nao was just glad he was okay. Friggin' guy was as stubborn as an ox. It was a good thing she went over his orders about not going to the hospital. He was at the point of no return! Now he happily sat and casually mentioned something about her possessing the same kind of power as she. "Wait, what?"

Before she could interrogate him further on the subject, the nurse returned and she went through the usual check-up and changed out the solution bag. "Well! Looks like you were severely dehydrated when your friend found you, so we're going to fix you up with some medication. That should make the headaches go away," the nurse casually explained, "Your friend was a really big help! You would have been worse if she hadn't brought you here. The clerk said your friend brought you here on foot! Strong girl if you ask me~."

Nao nervously laughed and drank some water she got from the cafeteria.

"She was soo protective over you too! She even changed you into that gown. If you two aren't a couple, then you have one hell of a friendship."

SPHHH--

Water just so happened to go down the wrong pipe and Nao coughed vigorously while trying to hide her now beet red face as the nurse left to do her rounds.

"Agh--What?!" Nao sputtered between coughs. H-How could he just casually say that? And what did he mean she was too young for him?! And why was she so bothered by that statement?! He didn't even look older than her for pete's sake. So distracted by Veritas' casual statement, Nao missed her opportunity to retort as he asked her yet again about giant robots.

Does that mean...He's into...Older women?... What was his type anyway? She almost shuddered at the visual of him hooking up with some worn-out-by-life mother. or worse... No way. Now she was just taking it too far...Right? God, why was she thinking about this? The agitation quickly settled in. "No, they still haven't gotten a giant robot yet," she said in a I would have told you so, duh manner.

There was also no way in hell she was going to tell him what was really[ bugging her. The nurse did tell the truth when Nao personally volunteered to get Veritas out of his damp clothing and do the changing by herself. Her intent was to keep them from poking at the mechanics on his body. It was to keep him safe, but she recalled everything bit by bit--especially when she got to the bodysuit. It was tough getting him out of there and it required her to have him lean into her several times just to get his arms free. He smelled good...Really good... and his body was radiating heat due to the fever. Still, his presence whether unconcious or not, felt safe. The definition of his body was pleasant to the eyes as well... That was the first time i've seen...

His voice snapped her back to reality as he rattled off orders to basically trash his little cave and she nodded in agreement. Honestly, she never approved of him being in a cave simply because of the conditions there. For a smart workaholic, he didn't really take care of himself. Then there was the topic of relocating. Sigh. She wouldn't put it past him to suddenly relocate to the highest peak of the island..Or some volcano, so it just fell out of her mouth. "Why don't you just stay at my dorm until you get everything figured out?"