katherine hated the doctor's office.

katherine had offered to take her three year-old brother herbert to get his required vaccination, as both of her parents were busy with work and none of her siblings were available.

she felt a twinge if guilt as she held her younger brother tightly to keep him from squirming as the nurse stuck him with the needle. the young boy began to throw a tantrum as the nurse attempted to quickly finish the task. it was only a second later when she pulled the needle away and put a bandage over the spot.

katherine attempted to calm her younger brother as she spoke to the nurse, who presented her with the legal documents that confirmed he had received the vaccination. "and you're aware of the side effects, yes?" the nurse asked, to which katherine nodded. "then your visit here is done. you're welcome to stay until he's more calm."

katherine breathed a quiet "thank you" as the nurse left, cradling herbert soothingly.

katherine remembered learning about the side effects of the vaccine when she was in middle school. it was a standard lesson taught in science classes, and occasionally students are given extensive seminars going into detail on fervoria.

"the vaccination targets the production of dopamine and oxytocin in humans, restricting how much is made to keep it under ideal levels. as a consequence, side effects for the day after the vaccination often include intense mood swings between joy and anger due to the imbalance of hormones, and twelve hours afterwards, the emotionless feeling the vaccination induces will settle in."

~/~

"recently, scientists have developed the love moderation device, shortened to lmd, which is a minuscule device that is attached to the surface of the temporal lobe, the part of the brain associated with emotions like fear and love. this device is incredibly effective, and spares the patient from experiencing these emotions."

when herbert had begun to calm down, experiencing his first high from the vaccination, katherine took the chance to leave the clinic. it was only a short subway ride until she arrived at the pulitzer residence. the first thing she did upon arrival was put herbert down for a nap.

then, she sat down on one of the couches in the living room, sucking in a breath. she took the moment of silence and free time to catch up on her schoolwork. after starting her freshman year of college, she was introduced to countless new aspects of life. this included the new workload that was much different from that of high school.

her most recent assignment was a research paper on none other than the lmd. she was semi-grateful for the topic, seeing as her father was the one who had overseen the research on the device. she was knowledgeable on the object, especially since her father had been pushing her to receive the treatment ever since she was old enough to decide things for herself.

but ultimately, her decision was always to stick with the typical vaccine.

in katherine's eyes, she didn't understand what made fervoria so bad. was it really that dangerous of a disease? every time katherine asked herself this question, she couldn't answer it. but the ones who could were the runs who researched the disease.

her father led countless research projects on fervoria and its treatments. if there was anyone who knew everything about the disease, it was joseph pulitzer. him and his colleagues at columbia university were the spearhead of the public's fear of love.

still, there was always a part of katherine that questioned that fear. sure, she was afraid that one day her vaccine would fail and she would end up plagued by fervoria, but the part of her that doubted her knowledge also couldn't help but wonder if there was beauty in love.

katherine would occasionally ask herself: if love is implanted into the brains of every individual, why would we want to cut it off?

after all, humans were animals, and all animals needed a mate.

and yet katherine would always draw back to one thought: who was she to question the knowledge of countless of intelligent individuals?

~•~•~•~

"look, all i'm curious 'bout is if i got this shot or whatever, would i still think girls are cute or no?" jack was expressing, leaning back in his seat.

he was seated at a table with his friends—practically brothers—crutchie and race. the three were in their run-down apartment they could barely pay rent for, chatting over their game of cards as they usually did when they were all bored.

"well, i dunno," crutchie said. "i can't tell ya 'cause i ain't never got the shot."

"if i had the choice, it would come down to that," jack explained. "'cause i ain't gettin' it if it means i gotta give up thinkin' girls are good lookin'."

"i get what you's sayin'," race added. "but i ain't too keen on gettin' that shot anyway. i'm livin' just fine without it."

"cheers to that," crutchie murmured casually in response. "some people jus' don't get that it ain't important."

"them researchers don't know what they's talking about," jack said, tossing his cards down. "jus' like you boys don't know how to win a game of cards."

"how the hell?" race expressed. "i swear you's cheatin' or somethin'. there ain't no way you won again!"

"it's called skill," jack remarked, taking the small pile of cash in the center. "thank ya, boys. i'll enjoy this."

"yeah, chasin' after another girl with the shot," crutchie mumbled beneath his breath with a soft snort. race, who had heard the comment, snorted in response.

"what'd you say, kid?" jack asked defensively.

"i ain't said nothin'," crutchie replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

"nah, you said somethin'," jack pressed. "i bet it was somethin' smart. you better tell me, kid."

"i'll tell ya if you stop callin' me, kid," crutchie responded, a playful grin on his face.

"gah," race interjected, "jus' leave it, crutch. jacky-boy here ain't gonna understand what you meant by it."

"eh, you're right," crutchie said, rising from his seat.

"nah, you boys better tell me what you's talkin' 'bout," jack pressed.

"it ain't important jacky-boy," race said, slinging an arm across his shoulders and smirking amusedly at crutchie.

"bullshit it ain't important," jack retorted, shoving race's arm off him. "if this is how you boys are gonna treat me, i'll go find me a girl who can make my night worthwhile. and i'll do it with the money i jus' got."

"suit yourself, bud," crutchie told him, watching as the older boy grabbed his cap and coat. "jus' don't get too brave out there."

"i ain't stupid, crutch," jack remarked defensively. "i'll catch up with y'all later. i'm gonna go enjoy the rest o' my night."

"yeah, you do that," race encouraged, smirking as jack slammed the door behind him. then, he chuckled, resting his elbow on crutchie's shoulder. "it's like ya said, crutch."

crutchie sighed, laughing softly beneath his breath. "he ain't never gonna learn."

~•~•~•~

fervoria received its name from a team of researchers at johns hopkins after its recognition as a serious disease.

its name is derived from the english world fervor meaning an intense feeling of passion.

furthermore, a person who has been diagnosed with fervoria is acknowledged as an "afflicted." this title is from the latin word afflictus, meaning shattered or heartbroken.

if you suspect that you have become an afflicted, please contact your family physician immediately.