Should've Had A V8

9/9

Mr. Blackbourne was sulking. Mr. Blackbourne. Was. Sulking.

He was sitting on one of the chairs, his arms crossed gracefully, his posture one of casual elegance and his face a mask of displeasure. He was also vehemently ignoring Dr. Green, who seemed to be enjoying the situation a bit too much.

Dr. Green, who was asking Mr. Blackbourne various questions regarding his condition, kept breaking off into fits of giggles before apologising insincerely and continuing once more. He didn't even seem the least bit perturbed that Mr. Blackbourne was acting as though he wasn't even there.

I was feeling very confused and unsure about what to make of this. Luke finally gave voice to what we were all thinking. "Uhh.. Doc? Why are you so... Happy..? About Mr. Blackbourne being sick I mean."

Dr. Green turned towards us, his Green eyes positively sparkling with joy. "Oh Owen is an absolute delight when he is sick!" He proclaimed. "He gets all delirious when he has a fever and throws stuffy little Mr. Blackbourne right out the door! Sometimes he gets pouty too! And oh! He tells you all his embarrassing little secrets!" He announced, practically vibrating with glee.

Any excited reactions to this news by any of the boys was muted by the malicious glare Mr. Blackbourne threw our way. I was shaking where I stood, my heart beating a frantic tattoo and my finger digging into my lip so hard it stung. This was the most emotion I had ever seen Mr. Blackbourne express and it terrified me. His look promised retribution and the boys wisely composed their faces to wear neutral expressions.

Mr. Blackbourne tried to escape eleven times before he finally gave up. Each time he tried to sneak off, Dr. Green leaped in his way and stopped him. The last time he tried to force his way through, however he was weak with his fever and unable to fight off Dr. Green. All the boys were keeping out of his way and it was understandable. Mr. Blackbourne's glower made North's glower seem like a welcoming smile.

I trembled and felt myself getting sweaty as I hesitantly approached him. "M-Mr. Bl-Blackbourne.. Y-you should l-lie down.." I managed to gasp out. He looked at me and I felt like I might wet myself.

His steel grey eyes softened when he saw the stricken expression on my face. "Don't be afraid Ms. Sorenson. Please. Thank you. I shall do that." He said, his voice gentle.

After Mr. Blackbourne laid down on one of the futons Dr. Green came up to me and said. "Well Pumpkin. You're a miracle worker. You've just signed your warrant. There's no escaping now." He looked at me in awe, as if I was some mystical being he couldn't believe existed.

I felt blood pool in my cheeks at what he said and the look he was giving me. I didn't want to escape. Maybe this would let them all know that I would do what I could for them as well. They were always taking care of my problems without complaint. I was pleased it seemed I had the chance to reciprocate even in a small way.

Later that day, I was serving chicken noodle soup that I had prepared for the boys. Their fevers had gotten a bit worse, but wasn't at a dangerous level so far. As I was handing Silas a bowl of soup, I noticed that Gabriel was acting... Strange. He was sort of wriggling against the headboard of Victor's bed. And not only him, Kota was moving oddly as well. He kept twitching as if he couldn't help it. They didn't seem to even notice they were doing this. Their movements got jerkier and rougher. Victor absentmindedly scratched his shoulder lightly. Then did it again, harder. And again. All three were scratching themselves feverishly now, looking panicked. I noticed there were red splotches appearing on their shoulders, backs and arms. I woke up Dr. Green who had fallen into an exhausted sleep by then. "Huh.. Wha?" He mumbled. I dragged him towards the boys and watched as he examined them, all traces of sleep gone from his face.

"Well shit Pookie. Looks like it's chickenpox." He announced.

"Goddamnshitmotherfucker!" Gabriel exclaimed. "Fucking do something! I feel like a motherfucking carbonated drink! No, that sounds too pretty for what I'm feeling. I feel like I've become the breakfast of an army of ants!"

"Don't scratch! The more you scratch, the worse you'll itch. You'll bleed and you could end up with an infection. And you'll get nasty scars." Dr. Green warned.

"Pookie, I remember you told me you've already had chickenpox when you were younger so you're safe. I need to go to the pharmacy and pick up new medicine now. You're in charge. Make sure these bozos don't scratch themselves to the bone. And check whether North and Owen have started getting any rashes." Dr. Green said as he got his coat and keys and gave me kiss on the forehead.

I checked on North first and moved onto Mr. Blackbourne after discovering North didn't have any rashes so far. Mr. Blackbourne was asleep when I gently shook him awake, my heart thundering in my chest.

"Mm..?" He hummed. His usually perfectly groomed hair was disheveled, his cheeks pink from the fever and his grey eyes were glistening. My breath caught in my throat and my face was on fire. He looked unbelievably adorable. He ordinarily looked flawless, not a hair out of place, not a wrinkle present in his clothes. Extremely handsome. Nevertheless, seeing him like this, I felt incredibly lucky. Mr. Blackbourne had the adorable puppy dog eyes down pat. This vision was forever burnt into my brain and I would cherish it, always.

After composing myself I bent lower and whispered. "Mr. Blackbourne..? May I check your upper body for any rashes? Dr. Green asked me to check you.." He stared at me for a while with those shiny grey eyes before he mumbled something. "Pardon? Can you repeat that a little louder?" I requested. "Owen. I said call me Owen. I want you to call me Owen. I need you to call me Owen." He implored.

I choked on air, my eyes going wide. "Um.. I don't think.. Mr. Bla-"

"Owen." He interrupted.

"Um.. Owen..." I meekly whimpered. I was sure my blush could light up a room.

"Yes? Sang.." He said giving me a full blown smile. I was dazed and I had to press my palm against my chest, trying to calm my heart down. He was beautiful.

I managed to gather my scrambled thoughts and squeaked out a request to let me check his arms and torso. He complied immediately and took of his shirt. My mouth went dry. This was not helping me to calm down at all. His lean, muscled form was breathtaking. By the time I'd finished checking his body, I felt like I needed an ice pack or something to cool down.

By the time Dr. Green had returned both Nathan and Luke had fallen victim to the virus. One look at Dr. Green and I realised he had as well.

"Didn't any of you get vaccinated?" I asked, exasperated. "We did. The Academy takes care of it for those unable to afford it, but chickenpox is one of those diseases that you are still likely to get if you've been exposed to it enough. And since we're pretty much always in close contact I suppose this is possible. It's weird and unlikely, but possible." Dr. Green replied.

I felt hopeless. They were all sick. With the chickenpox. I was the only one who managed to escape seeing as I already got it and was therefore immune to it now. Mr. Blackbourne was already acting out of character and all of their fevers were only going to get worse.

And I was going to have to nurse all nine of them. By myself.

~

For all those who have patiently been waiting, the chaos starts from the next chapter. I didn't want to rush the intro because rushing it usually ends up making it crappy. I hope you've enjoyed so far and thanks for all the reads and votes. :)