*some Desley fluff cuz. Desley=whole hearts.

Pearla—-

       Your wit is something unexpected, it took me by surprise how much you didn't know you knew.

                                              —Ira.

       I've gotten even sicker and it's only been a day. This was also the day that myself, the Quagmires, and Baudelaires were demanded to go to the nightly rehearsals. I knew I was sneaking out of them, but didn't know they were. Just another thing I was going to pretend I hadn't noticed. We all sat in one row, bored out of our minds, and me sick, shaking, and suffering like a dog.

       These stupid rehearsals are going to be the death of me. I sat with my glasses on and my hair braided up into pigtails, something easy for me to take care of. The order went me, Quigley, Klaus, Isadora, Duncan, Violet, then Sunny; who was nodding off in her chair and being woken up by her sister. I kept coughing, this being shushed by most students and teachers in the building. Each time one of my fits started Quig would pat me on the back furiously to get them to stop.

        It was also during one of these fits where I got a good look of our principal. It all seemed a bit odd to me, but maybe it was all the things I've been putting together from my books and files. It all looked like a puzzle to me, and I'm great at puzzles. My parents used to think that if they sat one in front of me it'd keep me occupied for hours so I wouldn't get in trouble. They were right.

        Anyways, I looked at Principal Nero and then his violin. Huh. Funny.

       "We have to sit here and listen to this every night?" Quigley asked in a voice that matched his facial expression, bored. I sighed, mostly because I couldn't breathe through my nose.

       "Yup." All three of our beloved Baudelaire children said together. I crossed my eyes at the annoying thought, all the way until we graduate, these are our nights.

         "This is all cruel and unusual." I commented to them. It was the triplets' turn to speak in unison, "Yup." We all sighed simultaneously. Maybe that sudden rush of oxygen got my brain moving again cause the pieces just fit together properly.

         "Huh, I just realized something." I spoke quietly to my friends as to not be shushed again.

        "What is it?" Isadora leaned forward to try and see me.

        "Principal Nero is a violinist. Nero is the last name of a Roman Emperor who was once hypnotized into thinking he could play the violin everytime he heard his own name. Odd." They all looked at one another strangely then to me again.

"Yeah, odd..." Klaus repeated.

         Maybe I was looking at this all wrong. Maybe all of these secrets were like puzzle pieces or an occurrence of foreshadowing in a book. It was a dumb skill but it was my skill, everyone had one. At least all of my friends had one...they all had a skill.

         After we were dismissed we all walked slowly to our sleeping hall. I will gladly lie down in my secret chamber of a room. I just...don't feel good and hadn't for a while. While we were walking there I was in between Isadora and Klaus. Quigley had a sleeping Sunny on his back, they looked so cute, it appeared like a natural occurrence for him to be this close with a child.

         "Iridesa, maybe you should call your parents, they could send you extra money for medicine or send some themselves?" Isadora suggested concerned. I sniffed hard before groaning. I thought about her words, it sounded like a great idea, but I don't want to bother my parents for awhile. I want them to see I can take care of myself.

        "No, it's a cold, I can get rid of an illness on my own." I poured stubbornly. I did the whole nine yards too, sticking my bottom lip out and crossing my arms. All of it.

         "Then let us help you," Klaus started, "between Violet's inventory skills and my research we can whip up some remedy to get you feeling better." He tried to convince me.

        "I think I just need some rest, I might be able to sleep it off." I can be responsible and have an act to get together.

        "Unlikely," Quigley said from a little ways in front of me, "you sleep off twenty-four hour things, you've been sick for days." I sighed, maybe they're right. Maybe they've always been right and I'm being stubborn and paranoid.

         "If I don't get better in two days I'll let you help me, for now, I want sleep." I sighed. We slowly all got dropped off. First the Baudelaires, then the Quagmires, now me— all by my lonesome, or so I thought. I had my arms wrapped around my cold body, trying to keep in warmth, as I walked down the hallway. I only got one-third if the way before I heard a door open then shut, followed by footsteps.

        I assumed that they weren't for me, I hadn't thought of myself as that relevant at the time, so I kept walking. Then a slightly muscular arm slung around my shoulders and guided me along. I looked up from the floor to see Quigleforth Quagmire himself, smile and all, walking me to my room. "Why the sudden interest in my safety?" I asked teasingly.

       He rolled his eyes with that smile still plastered on his face, "I'm always interested in your safety, especially when you're sick and vulnerable. Besides, who else would be the pain in my ass if something were to happen to you?" I stuck my tongue out at him before laughing along with him.

        "Well, thank you," I said before pausing to shiver, "Thank all of you. I would never tell the others this, but no one has ever made me feel this important before, like part of the team." I shivered again.

"Yeah...part of the team..."

       I shivered once more, is better not be getting worse, "holy shit, it's cold." I mentioned as we got a few doors down from mine. He stopped me and held my face, kind of close to his. He leaned forward to gently press his lips to my forehead. I closed my eyes at the intimate feeling. He then pulls away and looked at me with furrowed brows, this is when I noticed that he was actually a few inches taller than I.

       I realized when he placed his hand on the back of my neck and tilted my jaw forward. He had to bend down slightly because I was a shy shorter, he kissed my neck gently, holding his lips there. This feeling made me shiver, but not with chills of cold. I closed my eyes once more and smiled, sighing happily. When he pulled away I turned my face to stone and looked at him curiously. "Well?" I asked.

       "You're running a fever, a high one at that." He diagnosed me, "you've got to break it."

        "Yeah, before I fall into another seizure," I said walking again, he looked at me as if I needed to elaborate, "oh, when I was a baby I had gotten sick and spiked a high fever. I went into a seizure and my mom, my actual mother, had to rush me to the doctor where they sat me in a chilled bath for a bit.

        "Sounds scary— to have your child go through that. That's one of my biggest fears." He said, I raised my eyebrow at him, but he held his finger up as if to say 'we'll talk in a second'.

        He stepped in front of me  with his hand out, indicating he wants something so I pulled my room key out from my blazer pocket and handed it to him. He unlocked the door then stepped aside to hold it open for me, I walked under and started to take my hoops out of my ears. I mostly wear hoops, these ones specifically were tiny. He watched as I started getting ready for bed, making himself comfortable on my bed.

       I didn't know why he didn't leave but I didn't ask, I wanted the company, even if it was his. "Thanks, Lee, you didn't have to do all this." I smiled at him as I sat at my vanity. Oh yeah, my dads sent me a vanity last month, I did t really think anything of it. They probably just wanted me to feel more at home, I don't feel home anywhere, so I never thought it mattered.

        "Yeah I did," He said, "Look, Desa, I know we haven't been spending a bunch of time together, you just got us as friends and things are tricky. We're still trying to figure out one another, but new friends or not, we aren't going to abandon you, that's not what friends are for." This little speech he gave me honestly made my day, even if he didn't know it.

      He then got up and began looking around my room, I watched him as I put on some more lipgloss and took off my blazer and shoes. I twisted my industrials as he finally found one of my wash cloths. He wet it in the bathroom and came back, "get changed so I can bring that fever down."

Whew, bossy.

        I stood up and reached behind me, undoing the button at the top of my dress before taking off my stalkings. I then reached for the bottom of my dress and began pulling it up. He quickly turned around and started yelling at me, "Iridesa! Oh my- why would yo-"

        "Oh hush, Quig, should've already been turned around. Besides, you wouldn't be the first teenage boy to see me in my underwear." I commented before pulling the rest of my uniform off and changing into a casual night clothes.

       "What's that supposed to mean, what have you been doing?" If I wanted an interrogation I would've gotten caught by the cops for running away again.

          "Turn around, doofus." I said with my arms crossed. He looked at me and sighed to see me clothed, "alright, bedtime, missy." He said tossing the cloth onto my nightstand and coming over to me.

        "You don't have to stay not put me to bed, I'm practically grown." I said to him seriously, I don't know we're this sudden change of personality cane from for him. Maybe it was pity?

"I just want you to be safe," He said looking at me before leaning down towards my feet and wrapped his arms around my legs, lifting me over his shoulders, "up you go." He said as he thew me up.

I gasped and a sense of insecurity hit me. I immediately became scared, "Quigleforth Quagmire, put me down! I'm too heavy, let go!" I had a small freak out he sat me down on my bed gently before grabbing the cloth and pushing it onto my neck. "Shut up, Desa. Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?"

I rolled my eyes at him, lying down more. I shivered from how cold the rag made me, yet I knew I'd burn if I put my covers on. I closed my eyes and tried to get my temperature down. He stroked small pieces off hair off of my faces from our dispute. "Wow." He said softly. I didn't know it at the time but he was observing my face as he said it. Admiring the shapes, curves, glow. I was grateful.

I tried hard to look beautiful, my other mother told me that people stick to things they're good at. I was good at beauty, I keep that up and nothing else. My real mother told me that I should be whoever I want. Growing up with both of these outlooks I've always wanted to be beautiful— never achieved.

I opened my eyes at the boy, he sat on my bed, on the very edge. I looked at this, "if you're not going to leave then lie down with me." Yeah, it was fun when Duncan did it, like we were looking at imaginary clouds on the ceiling. I moved over, closer to one side, Quigley did as told and slowly laid down on my bed, over the covers.

I don't remember anything after that but I did remember one thing: morning came quick.

When I did wake up I found the boy still next to me, still over the covers. Yet, mostly naked. Oh yes, ladies and gents, Quigley Quagmire was in my bed clad in his boxers. I tried to not wake him, but as soon as I started to stir he did as well.

"Quigley?" I asked making sure he was aware, he made some sort of noise of approval so I continued, "it's Saturday, I know, but ya gotta get up." I tried to shake his shoulder.

He scrunched his brows. I looked everywhere for my glasses, they were on the nightstand on his side, he must've taken them off for me. He felt chilly, but didn't make any movement to try and get warm. I suppose it wouldn't do any of us good if we're both ill. "Quig, get under the covers, okay?" It took him a long while, but eventually he did it. Slipping under my blankets with me.

"Thanks, Desa." His voice was early and raspy, something that made him seem like an actual grown man. It made me smile a bit, but yet, my voice was raspy as well. Both of us sounding very sultry.

"Are you awake?" I asked him, he turned to face me, opening us eyes to look at me, "no, but sleep next to me for awhile longer? I'm still cold." He requested. I laid down, my face extremely close to his. He closed his eyes once more and sighed in tranquility.

"Did you just want a girl in bed with you?"

"No. I was actually caring for you."

"You sure you didn't just want to get a pretty girl in bed?"

"You being beautiful was a bonus." He smirked even if his eyes were closed. He breathed through his nose rather than laughing.

"Quigley!" I scolded before bursting my cheeks in the covers and muttering, "thank you for calling me beautiful."

"You're welcome, beautiful."

Huh, Quigley Quagmire....just maybe I could...what am I thinking?

Finished: Friday, Feb 8, 2019. 12:33pm.

Published: Monday, April 1, 2019. 12:09 am.