[Synopsis: MrEgg is under the weather again, so TheGentleman and MrCheese to pay him a visit to cheer him up a bit. (Again, based off something I drew on DeviantART. XD)]

[Location: MrEgg's house]

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MrEgg woke up with the familiar feeling of a stuffy head, and was greeted by a chill coursing through him as he sluggishly stepped out of bed and put his slippers on, shivering a little as he massaged his forehead.

He'd been half expecting to fall ill with something the past few days, seeing that he'd been out and about just when the cold front hit, running errands all over the place in the chilly, damp weather...Fortunately, whatever he had wasn't anything major; he'd woken up feeling worse before.

Of course, he still felt pretty bad, and it was obviously not a good idea to go to work today.

He called in sick and got the day off, then slowly made his way down stairs to make himself some chamomile tea, pulling his warm, fuzzy maroon night robe further around himself and shivering more...While his tea brewed, he called up TheGentleman to tell him he wouldn't be in the lobby that day.

"Hello?"

"Hello, sir..."

"Ah, good morning, MrEgg. How are you today?"

"Not the best, I'm afraid. I've fallen a bit under the weather."

He coughed a bit and sniffled lightly before continuing.

"...I just called to ask if you could tell the others I won't be joining later today. I'm not feeling up to it."

"Oh dear," TheGentleman responded sympathetically. "...Don't worry, MrEgg, I'll do that for you. It's no trouble."

"Thank you, sir."

"How about MrCheese and I pop in later once the games are done to check up on you? I imagine you'd be rather lonely sitting at home all day by yourself."

"Are you sure? I...*sniff*...I don't want either of you to catch what I have."

"No worries, MrEgg. As long as we take the right precautions, we should be fine! I'll tell MrCheese once I get off with you and see what he thinks the best time to go would be. We don't have much to do today ourselves, really."

"Well...Thank you, TheGentleman. I really appreciate that."

"You just relax and keep yourself warm in the meantime," TheGentleman told him. "And leave the door unlocked for us, alright old chap?"

"Will do."

"Alright. Goodbye."

Click...

By the time the call ended, MrEgg's tea had finished brewing, so he took the bag out of his cup and stirred some honey into his beverage before slowly making his way to the foyer and unlocking the front door. He took a sip of his tea and went to the medicine cabinet to fetch a pair of antihistamine tablets, taking them with his hot beverage.

...That should start working within an hour or so.

He let out a congested sigh as he made his way back to bed, taking his night robe off before settling back down under the covers and propping his pillow up to lean back against while he sat up...He was glad to find that they were still warm from when he'd been lying in them, and that paired with his hot beverage made him feel a bit less chilly.

When he was finished drinking his tea, MrEgg put the empty cup on his night table, then repositioned his pillow and nuzzled further down into the covers, shivering again as he tried to retain the warmth around him...He did his best to breathe through his mouth, as his nose wasn't up to the task at the moment.

Some sleep ought to do me some good, he said to himself as he closed his tire eyes...The frequent urges to cough and blow his nose kept him from falling into a very deep sleep at first, but when the medicine finally kicked in, his nose opened back up a bit, and he nodded off while snug under the covers.

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...

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"...MrEgg?"

The ill crewmate stirred slightly at the sound of his name being said, and he groggily extracted his head from the covers, only to recoil at the sensation of the uncomfortably cool air around him, whimpering as another chill coursed through him.

"I know. I know you must be cold," the voice said to him, its tone soft and gentle. "But I've got something that might help warm you up a bit."

MrEgg finally peeped his visor out of the covers and pried his eyes open to meet who was there at his bedside...TheGentleman was standing there with a tender look on his face, MrCheese standing behind him.

"...Hi, TheGentleman. Hi, MrCheese," he addressed hoarsely.

"Good afternoon, old chap," the black crewmate greeted him. "How are you feeling? Any better than you were this morning?"

"Not much...I think the cold medicine I took earlier is starting to wear off. But at least I got some rest..."

He grabbed a tissue from the box on his nightstand and blew his nose again, dropping the used tissue into the small dust bin at his bedside.

"Ugh...Th-thank you two for coming."

"No worries, MrEgg," TheGentleman assured him again. "Here; MrCheese and I whipped this up for you before we left. Would you like it now or would you like to wait a bit?"

"Hm...?"

The marigold crewmate looked down and noticed that his friend was holding a bowl of piping hot chicken soup, complete with bite-sized pieces of carrot, celery and potatoes, as well as some parsley and cumin...He figured he'd have noticed it sooner if his sense of smell was up to snuff.

"Oh...That looks good. D-did you make it from scratch?"

"Sort of, yeah," MrCheese answered. "We already had the carton of chicken broth, but we threw in the other ingredients; TheGentleman did most of the work this time. I gave him all the pointers."

"Yes, that's right," the black crewmate nodded.

"Well...I'm not very hungry, but it looks nice and hot. I think I'll have it now."

"Alright. Erm, you have bed trays somewhere, don't you?"

"Top of the fridge."

"Thank you. MrCheese, would you like to get that, along with a spoon?"

"On it."

The orange crewmate was off in a jiffy...MrEgg noticed that he'd set something down on the floor before he left, and sat up to see what it was.

"...Is that a first aid kit?"

"Why yes, that would be a first aid kit. MrCheese insisted that we take it in case you were worse than you claimed to be."

"Oh...Well, it's the thought that counts, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," TheGentleman chortled. That was when MrCheese came back with one of the bed trays, unfolding the legs and gently putting it in MrEgg's lap before taking the soup bowl from his associate and setting it down on the tray.

"There ya go, MrEgg," he smiled as he gave him the spoon. "Careful, though, it's still kinda hot."

"Thank you..."

He took up his spoon and brought some of the hot broth up to his mouth, blowing on it lightly before sipping it...The steam opened his airways up a bit more, letting him taste the savory liquid, and the broth coated and soothed his sore throat as he swallowed it.

"Mmmm..." he sighed contently as a rush of warmth course through him, combating the chills he'd been feeling. "It's lovely. Thank you both very much."

"Aw, it's no problem, MrEgg. Just doin' what we can," MrCheese told him softly, stepping closer and petting the top of his head affectionately. "Go ahead and eat up; tell us if you get full though, okay?"

"I will."

He never needed to, though; MrEgg ended up eating every last bite of the soup, only occasionally stopping to engage more in the small talk that'd sprung up. When the bowl was empty, TheGentleman nodded in satisfaction as he took it.

"My goodness. And you said you weren't hungry," he teased lightly.

"I guess I had more of an appetite than I realized," MrEgg remarked, giggling lightly for a moment...only to grimace in pain the next moment, flinching as he brought his hand up to the side of his head and massaged it.

"Ugh...My head's not up for laughing right now, it seems. I'm sorry..."

"Oh, no need to apologize, MrEgg," the charcoal crewmate told him softly, repositioning his pillow back down onto the mattress as MrCheese took the tray off his bed. "Just lie back down and take it easy, alright?"

MrEgg nodded as he reclined himself and lowered his head back down on the pillow.

"Do you have a thermometer anywhere around, MrEgg?"

"M-hm...This bathroom. Top drawer on the right."

"I'll go get it," MrCheese announced, skipping over to the bathroom and fetching the thermometer from the drawer, coming back with it in less than ten seconds time. MrEgg opened his mouth, and the darker orange gently put the tip in, letting MrEgg rest it under his tongue.

"If it's not too high, then I think the best measure would be to just take a bit more medicine and rest for a while longer," TheGentleman decided, gently resting his hand against his ailing friend's cheek and stroking it with his thumb. "...I hope you'll be okay."

"I don't think I'm that bad off..."

"I know. It's just..." TheGentleman sighed. "...We worry about you sometimes. You don't handle illness as well as the rest of us, and sometimes I'm afraid that you'll catch something really bad one day, and...and that you might not be able to recover from it."

He broke his gaze away for a moment, feeling as though he was making MrEgg uncomfortable...But the marigold crewmate only smiled in response.

"Sir...It's alright," he told him, extracting his own hand from the blankets to give TheGentleman's a light, reassuring squeeze. It was a bit tricky to speak with the thermometer in his mouth, but still he spoke. "I'm glad to know you care so much. Truly...But you needn't get yourself worked up over it. I know how to take care of myself...Not that I don't appreciate a bit of help here and there, but still...I'll be okay."

TheGentleman sighed lightly, pulling his hand out from under MrEgg's to squeeze it in return.

"...You're sure of that, MrEgg?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sure...Don't worry yourself over it. I don't like to see you all tied up in a worrisome knot."

"Yeah, neither do I," MrCheese added. "Just take his word for it, okay, TheGentleman? Things will be fine, you'll see!"

The black crewmate smiled a bit at his associate's extra bit of reassurance.

"Ah, there's the smile we were looking for. MrEgg's gonna be just fine, okay, TheGentleman?"

"Okay..."

"That's right."

"Indeed," MrEgg nodded in agreement.

Beep beep beep...Beep beep beep...Beep beep beep...

The thermometer started going off, and TheGentleman took it out from under MrEgg's tongue to see what it said.

"...Your temperature is 38.1 degrees."

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait, what???" MrCheese asked, visor widening. "If his temperature were really that low, he'd be frozen stiff right now!"

"Um, MrCheese...We're in the UK."

"Yeah, and...?"

"...We measure temperature in degrees Celsius, not Fahrenheit."

"Oh," MrCheese deadpanned. "Okay...So what is that in terms of Fahrenheit?"

"Ah, press and hold the button on the thermometer for three seconds and it should change scales," MrEgg spoke up. TheGentleman did the honors, and the C at the end of the reading changed to an F, along with the number changing.

"100.6 degrees Fahrenheit."

"Oh, that's it?" MrCheese asked. "Okay, that's nothing to worry too much about; as long as it doesn't get much higher than that."

"Yes, good," the dark crewmate nodded. "We'll get you another dose of medicine, and then you can catch up on sleep."

"Thank you...Antihistamine should be in the middle shelf of the medicine cabinet; just two pills of that will suffice."

"I'll go get it," TheGentleman offered, heading out of the bedroom to fetch the medicine.

"Can you sit up okay on your own?" MrCheese asked the other orange crewmate.

"I...I think so," he answered, sitting up in bed to prove he could...Some of his blankets fell away when he did, though, and he hissed as another chill ran down his spine, wrapping his hands around himself.

"You want somethin' to bring your fever down too, MrEgg?"

"N-no...I don't need any more medicine. I'll just stay under the covers. Thank you, though."

"How 'bout something else to cover up with?"

"Hmm...Well...I suppose I wouldn't mind sleeping in my night robe. It's right there on the doorknob."

MrCheese headed over to fetch the fuzzy maroon robe and brought it back to MrEgg. It was a bit tricky putting it on while half under the covers, but he managed it alright. And once he had it on, MrEgg huddled right into it and got cozy.

"Thank you."

MrCheese groaned, seeming a bit frustrated.

"I know I don't want to catch what you have, but at the same time I just wanna hug you and help you feel better because you look so cold...!"

"Hm...well...If you really want to, then...I suppose just one wouldn't hurt."

"Really?"

"Sure," he nodded, scooting closer. "Just be careful. I-I don't want you to end up-"

Before he could finish, MrCheese went ahead and pulled him close, tucking the marigold crewmate's head under his chin and rubbing the top of his head.

"...Does that help?"

"Mm...Yes. It does..." MrEgg hummed as he leaned into the hug, nuzzling up against the darker orange crewmate for extra warmth. "It feels very nice."

"Get better soon, okay?"

"I will...Thank you very much."

"My, my...You know, I see things like this, and then I wonder if the time you two were at each other's throats was just a figment of my imagination."

MrCheese looked up to see TheGentleman coming back with his hands full. The hand holding the medicine also carried a small cup of water, and his other was busy trying to drag a pair of stools from the kitchen into the room.

"I hope you don't mind, MrEgg, but I figured I'd grab these for MrCheese and I to sit in while we're here. Is that alright with you?"

"Perfectly fine, sir," he replied, his eyes beginning to shut and an odd look appearing on his face.

"Oh dear...MrCheese, watch out, I...I'm going to..."

"Hm? Oh. I got it."

MrCheese pulled another tissue out of the box on the night table and handed it to MrEgg just in time for him to sneeze into it. The ailing crewmate quickly disposed of the tissue and drew his hands up towards himself, sniffling lightly.

"...Excuse me."

"Bless you," TheGentleman told him, handing MrEgg the tablets and water. MrCheese held him in a sitting position so that he could swallow everything easily, and TheGentleman took the opportunity to fluff his pillow a bit.

"Alright...That should kick in about an hour or so from now, so I'll be sleeping well at that point."

MrCheese nodded as he lowered him back down into bed, pulling the warm blankets back over him and tucking the edges around him to form a snug little cocoon.

"How's that, is that cozy?"

"M-hm..."

The charcoal crewmate put the two stools he'd fetched beside one another, and he and MrCheese each took a seat.

"Need anything else, old chap?" he asked. MrEgg just shook his head lightly in response.

"No...Just some sleep."

"Would you like us to leave you be for a while so you can rest properly? We wouldn't want to disturb you."

"You don't have to leave if you don't want to. I...*yawn*...I do like the company, really. It just...puts me at ease, I suppose."

"That so, huh?" MrCheese replied. "Well, I guess we'll stick around here. If ya need anything, just say so and we'll be on the job, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, MrCheese."

"Oh, just one more thing."

"Hm...?"

The darker orange crewmate opened up the first aid kit he had on the floor and pulled something out...A Cheddar plushie.

"Here you go. This might help you stay cozy."

"Heh...D-did you put that in the kit for a reason?"

"Hey, I figured that if it'd help you feel better, it should go in there for the time being. You can keep it, if you want."

"Oh, thank you," MrEgg smiled, taking the plush and drawing it right up to himself. "That's very kind of you."

"Heh heh, don't sweat it. Just go ahead and hit the hay."

The marigold crewmate yawned again, then lowered his head and closed his visor, cuddling the Cheddar plush up close to himself as he settled further into the covers again.

"I will...Goodnight."

"Sleep tight, MrEgg," TheGentleman whispered, reaching out to pet the top of his head again. "We love you."

MrEgg smiled again as he nodded off and finally fell sound asleep, warm and secure curled up under the blankets.

"...We did a good job, didn't we MrCheese?" the black crewmate remarked.

"Yep, heh...I think we earned a bit of a break ourselves."

MrCheese lowered himself forward and put his head down on the mattress, using his folded hands as a pillow as he closed his own eyes and relaxed. TheGentleman decided to follow his lead, scooching his stool a bit closer to MrCheese's and leaning up against him.

"...In the mood to cuddle, huh TheGentleman?"

"Would you mind if we did, beany boy?"

"Nope. Not at all..."

MrCheese brought one of his hands back out from under his head and wrapped it around TheGentleman, and he felt him do the same...The room grew quiet, and all three crewmates dozing on the bed were lulled even further into sleep by the steady sound of each other's breathing.

And there they stayed, cozy and content.

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This was going to have a different ending originally, but I decided the new one I wrote was a better place to wrap up, and boy did it come out the way I wanted it to. XD

Welp, I hope you guys liked that one! And I think most of you know what's coming up next... 🎨