A/N

This is the other one I wanted to write as a full oneshot. It's a bit longer than the rest, but I decided it was better to stay here. Enjoy!

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Season 5

After a long day of work at the tea shop, running errands in the city, and generally walking for hours at a time, she was ready to curl under her covers and go to sleep for the rest of the day.

Sure, the sun hadn't even set yet, but knowing that the rest of the day would most likely consist of dinner and chores, she was more than happy to call it a day right then and there. Just her and no one else.

The Bounty was oddly quiet. Sensei Wu was still running errands around the city (something about their new gi), that was for sure.

She checked the living room, the kitchen... nothing. She couldn't help but smile, knowing her slumber wouldn't be disturbed by the guys' video game 'trash talk', or their loud conversations in general.

But as she approached her room (one she had made sure to include when they renovated it), a new sound started to echo in her ears.

Sniffling, then sneezing; finally, groaning.

Her footsteps quickened. She swung open the door, only to relax when she saw who was on the other side.

Then, she frowned.

"Hi," he said. He looked embarrassed. Perhaps it was because of his sickly look, or maybe because of Mr Cuddlywomp next to him. Ultimately, he assumed that it probably had to do with the fact that he was resting on her bed.

"Hi?" Her gaze peered down. A bag of tissues was on the floor, along with one of her pillows. On the night table, a box of pills along with a thermometer. "Where are the others?"

"On a mission," he said. "I... came down with something this morning, and they put me here so I don't infect them."

"Oh, okay." Of course, nobody thought to call her to help with the mission. Even with one ninja down, they still forgot about her. Neat.

He noticed her scowl, looking down shamefully. "I'm sorry."

As if it were an instinct, her head snapped towards him, her expression changing instantly. "Don't feel bad," she said. Then, she remembered that she really had an excuse to feel mad.

Her nice sleep was ruined, and she couldn't do anything about it.

She wanted to be disappointed, but she couldn't bear to take her anger out on him in such a state. He deserved better than that, better than her.

There had been a few cases where she was in a bad mood or done with life, when she snapped at him when he tried to help. She thought back to those times, wishing she could have accepted his offer.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, sitting up properly.

"I should be asking you that," she said, sitting down on the edge.

He sniffled lightly. "Just a fever. Zane said I'll get better in a day or two."

"Okay."

The silence was deafening. She wanted to tell him something, anything, but alas, she couldn't.

She remembered when she was sick once, when they were together. He had attempted to make her soup, gave her Mr Cuddlywomp for company, and even visited her every day after training, even if Kai didn't allow it in case he got infected. Still, he made sure to let her know he was there.

Whether she liked to admit it or not, he was, quite frankly, an excellent caretaker.

And she wasn't. Things were different. But she could still try.

"Do you want some tea?" she said. She avoided looking at his eyes, for she knew that she would get lost in them.

"Really? I mean, only if you can, you don't have to..."

She smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."

While she was waiting for it to boil, she struggled to stay awake. Her flooded mind would be interrupted by occasional yawns, then it was back to her thoughts.

Should she have made him soup? Would he like the tea? What if he didn't want her there? At some point, she got too tired to worry.

She carried the tea and a chair back to her room with a sigh.

When she presented it to him, her doubts came back.

That was until a smile appeared on his lips. Somehow, it was able to make it all go away.

"Thank you," he said. "I tried to make me some before, but I couldn't get past the bathroom without getting dizzy."

"That bad, huh?"

He took a sip. "A bit yeah. But it's okay. I'll get better soon."

She had always admired his optimism. It was a trait she wished she could have. He had enough for the both of them when they were a couple. Now, she could only experience it from a distance.

But that was okay, because when he used it, it was able to radiate the area for miles.

She didn't listen to the rest of his ramble before the last sentence.

"You can sleep in my bed until I get better if you want to," he told her.

She knew she couldn't possibly sleep with a bunch of snoring guys. She was stuck with the couch. "Okay."

When she was sick, one night, he slept alongside her on her bed despite the others' warnings. He ended up sick himself the next day, but he never once regretted his decision.

She wished she could repay him, but she didn't want to give off the wrong impression. No matter how badly she wanted it, she knew it wouldn't be right.

So, she resorted to taking his hand, gently rubbing it with her thumb.

Their faces reddened, hers more than his. He put the tea aside, looking elsewhere as he enjoyed her touch. It was like a lullaby, in a way.

"You're a good nurse," he said to break the silence.

She smiled softly. "I learned from the best."

No more words were exchanged. At some point, he was the one doing the hand rubbing, something she noticed all too late.

She didn't protest. She sat back on her chair, the one she had moved next to her bed, and waited.

It took a while for his eyes to close. When he stopped caressing her skin, she knew he was completely asleep. His touch didn't cease, however.

She didn't know why she did it. Perhaps because he had done the same in the past, maybe it was just a force of habit. Her guess was her feelings taking control, not letting her protest.

She placed a kiss on his forehead, then pulled away once its warmth caught up to her lips.

He smiled in his sleep, squeezing her hand. She didn't pull away, she stayed there to think.

With a smile on her face and safety by her side, she let her eyes close as well.