Let's be Alone Together [Para]

"It's okay... You didn't sound like you knew about it, too... So... I believe you,"

Lochlann relaxed considerably, his shoulders unfurling and his breath returning to normal.

She reached a hand out and he took it, but things still felt awkward.

There was only one thing he could do to fix this.

He was probably going to regret it, because even sick, she could still kick his ass.

Lochlann held her hand and got up, walking towards her, but there was something different about his walk. It was more purposeful, but more like the way a predator walked when it smelled prey.

He moved quickly, getting onto the bed so he was hovering over her--although he was careful to keep a healthy distance so their bodies didn't touch--and he looked deep into her eyes.

"Addy, this is super important," he said, "i've needed to tell you this for a long time, but I couldn't find the words."

He leaned in like he was about to kiss her......

........then made a beeline for her neck and blew the loudest, most obnoxious raspberry ever. Satisfied that he'd made her at least want to kill him, he flopped down onto the side of the bed next to her and braced himself for physical injury.

Because he was prepared for it, the kick and punch to his ribs wasn't so bad. Well, it still hurt, but he'd deserved it, and at least it didn't catch him off guard.

"Loch that was uncalled for!"

"I know, but it was the only thing I could think of," Lochlann said.

That's not true. There was a lot of things involving his mouth and her neck that he could think of. Still, there was some unintended consequences to changing the subject, and Lochlann felt bad, because he'd forgotten how sickness and human words.

"Ow my head... Lochlann you shouldn't have done that..."

"I'm sorry angel," he said, reaching out to stroke her hair again gently. "Do you want me to go get some asprin?

"I'll overdose on meds if I take one more but... I think ibuprofen should work," "I hate headaches... of all things..."

"I'll get the ibuprofen then," Lochlann said, getting up and heading out of the room. He came back with the pills and the bottle of orange juice. "I hate headaches, too. I get them a lot."

"Lochlann I'm sorry for kicking you... Does it hurt much?"

"It felt like a kitten was pawing at me," Lochlann reassured her. He reached out to touch her forehead gently. "Where does it hurt? Maybe I can help."

Her face was a little red, but Lochlann chalked it up to the fever. He nodded and shifted to face her.

"Really? You'll do something about it?" she asked, shifting closer. "My temples hurt... And the part just above the nose..."

"Yeah, it's worth a shot. It's supposed to work for tension and sinus headaches," he said, shifting to stretch his legs out. "here, lay with your head on my lap."

He grabbed a pillow and put it over his lap just to make it less awkward. The jurrasic quack incident was still fresh in his mind.

With both hands, he'd gently trace the area from the bridge of her nose and move his fingers upwards, using a light pressure to trace her eyebrows and move up, trying to lift some of the pressure from her head. It was only ever a temporary fix, but he'd always liked when someone did it to him.

"Let me know if I'm pressing too hard," he said, his voice low, trying to be sensitive to her headache.

Lochlann continued to run his fingers across her face, and then he slowly stared to run his fingers through her hair, too, much like she did to him when it was raining.

He didn't quite expect it to have the same effect--after all, he was a horse and she was always touching a place that was hard to reach for him--but it was worth a shot.

Her skin was still hot, though, and he wished there was something he could do to make it better. He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes while he continued to trace the outline of her face, almost absentmindedly, but he was painfully aware of every touch because it felt like tiny sparks were dragging across his finger tips.

"Do you want me to take you to the doctor's in the morning?" Lochlann asked, 'If you're still not feeling better?"