The Virus - Part Twenty-Five (Wishing's birthday part :D) added 24 March 2012.

[Vetinari]

Well, I fail at maintaining a schedule...no promised update today, sorry, due to me being in complete agony right now >.< Hopefully I should be in a state to write by Sunday (Saturday, for most of you) so it shouldn't be TOO delayed...apologies

*Sits in the naughty corner*

Is the naughty corner somewhere you have to go when you have a cold and are determined to sneeze all over everyone?

*joins you there in the hope of catching something*

Anyway, not sure about the agony but whatever it is I hope it improves soon.

[zneeze]

Take all the time you need hon, RL > forum stuff always xD

[Kiwifruit]

Right, after an unpleasant few days I'm now feeling lots better and eager to write again Sooo, here's a painfully delayed update, though it's only about half the word count of most of the others :/ Thanks for the support guys

Part Seven:

“Achiew!”

“Bless you. Again.”

Cindy felt a warm blush flood her cheeks as she wiped her nose with a tissue. No matter how determined she was to silence her sneezes, they always took over her, overpowering her resolve and forcing their loud, wet way out. They were barely an hour into the movie, and she was spoiling it; Mark insisted on blessing her every time she sneezed, missing half the on screen action. With a small, dejected sigh, Cindy huddled further down into the pillows Mark had fetched for her, resting her head on the back of the couch.

“Sorry...”

“For what?” Mark turned to look at her, seeming surprised.

“Wrecking the movie.”

“Wrecking the – Cindy, I got the movies for you. If you don’t feel up to watching them, we can turn this off.”

“But you’re watching it, and I keep sneezing over all the good lines.”

“I’ve seen it a thousand times, I know the lines practically by heart anyway.”

“Not the point.”

Silence for a few seconds.

“Cindy, I’m here, skipping school, to look after you. Not because I want to watch a movie. If you have to sneeze, then sneeze. You’re sick, it’s not your fault and hey, maybe sneezing all the viruses out will help you get better faster.” Mark reached out and took her hand again, squeezing her fingers gently. “I hate watching you suffering.”

Cindy stared at his hand in hers, forgetting for a moment to breathe. “You don’t mind that I’m totally contaminating your breathing space right now?”

Mark laughed. “The thought hadn’t crossed my mind.”

Damn. He’d be thinking about it now that she’d brought it up.

“Besides,” Mark continued, “you’re my best friend. I care about you. If I’m helping you feel better by being here, it’s worth a cold.” He hesitated. “You do like me being here, don’t you?”

“Yes!” Cindy exclaimed, too fast. It sent her into a minor coughing fit, leaving her with watery eyes and an aching chest. “Ugh...sorry.”

“Stop that. No saying sorry. Sorry is forbidden. You’re sick, you can’t help it.”

“’Kay.” Cindy felt too tired to argue. “Can you pass me a tissue, please?”

Mark reached down and picked up the tissue box from the floor, offering it to her. Cindy tugged one out and disentangled her other hand from Mark’s in order to blow her nose properly.

“Sorry...this is disgusting...” she said in a small voice when she finished.

“What did we say about that word?” Mark asked sternly, one eyebrow raised.

“Sor- um...” Despite herself, Cindy giggled. “I apologise?”

“That counts. Silly girl.” He grinned affectionately.

Blowing her nose seemed to have shifted something in Cindy’s sinuses, which twinged every time she breathed. She brought her hand up to her nose and rubbed it, making a face.

“I have to sneeze again...” she moaned.

“Remember what I said about that.”

“Yeah, just sneeze if I have to...but I can’t this time.”

“It will come. Give it time.”

“But it’s annoying now.”

Mark shrugged helplessly. “Try taking your mind off it.”

“How?”

“How about...like this?” Mark slid closer on the couch, reclaiming her hand. Cindy’s heart started thumping and her eyes grew huge as he placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her face towards his. Her fingers trembled and her breath quickened, her stomach was fluttering and her nose tickling – oh, crap, not now –

Cindy wrenched away and twisted desperately to the side as the sneeze finally overtook her, exploding uncovered into the air; Mark held her hands tight.

Crap.

Double crap.

Cindy shivered, curling up into a ball on the couch as Mark finally released her hands. She couldn’t look at him. Had he been going to...? Did he really want to...?

“Are you cold?” Mark had noticed the goose bumps creeping down her arms, more from mortification than the temperature. Cindy half-nodded anyway; any excuse to get him out of the room.

“Be right back.” He jumped up and left.

Cindy buried her face in her knees and groaned. Why did she have to mess everything up?

[diiisney]

This is literally one of my favorite fics *ever*! It has everything included, and it's simply amazing&realllly well written. Are you like an author ? You should be!

[zneeze]

That was freaking amazing, Kiwi. This is getting intense.

[Vetinari]

Cindy buried her face in her knees and groaned. Why did she have to mess everything up?

Now why is it that I suspect she isn't messing anything up after all?

Lovely.

[Mischa]

This is brilliant!! I'm on the edge of my seat for more

[The Sneezster]

I've been away and have just now been catching up. I'm so glad I didn't miss this wonderful story. Oh my. I am loving it. A nasty contagious cold is just about my favorite thing in the whole wide world. And Cindy is so generous with her viruses, too.

I'm so looking forward to reading more, as the virus infects more people and they start to succumb. The onset of a cold, that "I hope I'm not getting sick" sensation is the most delightful thing ever. I can barely wait for the next chapter.

Thank you for this delicious dish. I'm eating it up voraciously!

[Mischa]

Will there be more to come?

[Kiwifruit]

Will there be more to come?

Yes, there will be; I want to continue, I just haven't had the motivation to write for far too long >.< I've had a lot of stuff going on, and this story kind of fell by the wayside. I have a lot planned for it though, and I really am going to continue this, I'll try and get something done tonight or tomorrow

Thanks so much for all your comments anyway, and apologies for my slackness

[The Sneezster]

Will there be more to come?

Yes, there will be

Oh good! I'm looking forward to reading what comes next. I just know it will be very yummy.

[Kiwifruit]

@diiisney - thanks heaps! Wow, that's a big compliment No, I'm not, though it was one of my childhood ambitions I never quite let go of; maybe someday, if I stop being lazy for long enough to actually write a full length novel

@zneeze - I'm glad you like it I'm gonna start heading away from "intense" now I think though, I'm getting semi bored of writing caretaking scenes, I do it far too much Though knowing me I won't be able to stay away completely lol

@Vetinari - well. Look at the author Everything deteriorating into sappy romance scenes is my speciality xD Though in this case, maybe not...we'll see

@Mischa - that's gotta be an uncomfortable position to remain in for so long xD Here's the much belated next bit; hopefully it doesn't take me nearly so long to come up with the next part, since it's somewhat more original than the classic "boy takes care of sick girl" scene

@The Sneezster - I know, aren't they just the best? I love sick fics (y'know, just in case you hadn't worked it out by now xD) and this one will have a rather insane amount of all that yummy contagiousness beginning to show very soon!

So, here's my (poorly written, not very interesting, rather rushed - at least, the first bit is, I like the second bit better) next part; this will be the last of the mushy caretaking for a little while now as I want to move onto other things I don't write about so much (because I write this sort of scene ALL the time, and I'm running out of original things to write, hence the ridiculous length of time it took me to write this bit xD). Apologies for the delay. I am ashamed. *hides*

Part Eight:

Mark returned carrying a large, fluffy blue blanket. “Here you go, this should keep you warm.” Cindy gave him a tiny smile, then looked down again, too embarrassed to look at him.

“Lean forward.”

Cindy obeyed, and Mark gently placed the blanket over her shoulders. “You’ll warm up.” He sat back down next to her and placed his arm around her, pulling her into his side. “Let’s share body heat!”

Cindy didn’t know how to react. She desperately wanted to cuddle up to him and maybe even lay her head on his shoulder; but Mark had never expressed anything resembling romantic interest towards her before today. She was afraid that she would mess up their friendship. That’s all his arm around her shoulders probably meant, anyway.

“Hey, you’ve gone all quiet.” Mark leaned forward a little to look at her face, which she stubbornly turned away. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Meaning something.”

“No, I just...I don’t feel good.”

“Want to go to bed?”

Brief images of lying in bed with Mark cuddled up to her flashed through Cindy’s mind; she shook her head to clear it. If she went to bed, he’d probably leave.

“No.”

“C’mon, Cindy. Tell me what’s the matter.”

“I said, nothing.”

“You said that. But you don’t mean it. C’mon, you know you’ll end up telling me in the end anyway.”

Cindy sighed, curling up into a little ball under the blanket and resting her chin on her knees. “No.”

“No?”

“I’m not gonna tell you.”

“Oh, so you admit there’s something wrong now? Good, we’re making progress.”

“You’re annoying.”

“I know. But you love me anyway.”

You have no idea. “Can’t we just leave it?”

“Cindy, you’re my best friend. I don’t want you feeling unhappy. You can tell me anything. Is it something I’ve done?”

His best friend? Cindy’s heart started pounding, making her nervous he’d be able to feel it through his arm around her.

“You haven’t done anything. I’m sorry, I’m being stupid. Just leave it.”

“Fine then. If you won’t tell me, I can’t make you. But I’m happy to listen if you change your mind. Want to finish watching the movie?”

No, I want you to kiss me. “Okay.”

By the time the credits were rolling up the screen, Cindy was breathing through her mouth and rubbing at her nose every few seconds to keep from sneezing. Through sheer determination, she had made it through the rest of the movie without interrupting – well, okay, a few sneezes snuck out, but she had managed to keep them quiet – and now her nose was demanding she gave in to the urgent signals it was sending.

“Bark –” Cindy stopped and pressed her finger under her nose, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for the urge to sneeze to subside enough to speak – “cad you...pa...pass...” She clamped her mouth shut and held her breath as her nostrils flared; she couldn’t sneeze without a tissue now. She’d been holding back too long; her nose was full, and even the smallest sneeze would result in a mess that Mark did not need to see.

Mark blinked at her. “Huh?” Cindy waved in the direction of the tissues, not daring to speak.

“Oh, right. Um...” Mark leaned down to look at the floor. “Hold on.”

He stood and looked aimlessly around the room. “I can’t find them.”

Well, crap. Cindy’s breath hitched, and it was only by forcing herself to think of Mark’s horrified reaction that she managed to battle the sneeze back. “H-hurry...hurry up!”

“I’m sorry, I’m trying – oh, here they are.” Mark got down on his hands and knees and reached down between the side of the couch and the wall. “They must have got knocked down.”

Cindy could hardly keep her eyes open as she snatched for the tissue Mark held out, before doubling over in one of the most violent sneezes she had ever experienced. “Oh, god – haISHoo!” she sneezed again, almost as loudly as the first. “Crap, Mark, I need another t-tis-he-shew!” She clutched the sodden tissue to her nose, feeling her cheeks go red as Mark pulled several tissues from the box and handed them to her. “Can you look away?” she asked, her voice muffled by the tissue.

Mark grinned and turned his back as Cindy cleaned herself up as best she could. “Done now?”

“Yeah...” Cindy lay down against the pillows again, pulling the blanket up to her chin. She suddenly felt too sick to care how bad she looked, and she imagined she must look absolutely pathetic in her current position.

“Aww, Cindy...” Mark knelt beside her and stroked a strand of hair back from her face. “You sure you don’t want to go to bed?”

“Actually, bed doesn’t sound too bad right now...” Cindy mumbled. She was on the brink of falling asleep, whether Mark stayed or not; she figured it might as well be in bed.

“C’mon then, my sick little Cinderella.” Mark scooped her into her arms and stood, as Cindy let out a surprised shriek.

Mark carried her all the way upstairs to her room, depositing her on the bed. “There you go. I’ll leave while you get changed.”

Cindy was tempted just to crawl under the covers in her uniform, but the thought of her soft flannel pyjamas was enough to get her to change. “’Kay, I’m done,” she called once she was under the covers, dressed in her pale blue Disney Princess PJs.

Mark entered and grinned at her choice. “How very appropriate. You even have Cinderella on them.”

Cindy shivered slightly, wriggling further down under the covers. “Yeah, Mum got them for me.”

“I like them.” Mark placed the half-empty box of tissues on her bedside table. “Here, I got these for you.”

“Thanks.” Cindy yawned and rubbed her eyes, her eyelids starting to sink closed.

“I guess I should go now.”

“Mm. I guess.” She’d be rather boring company asleep, anyway.

“I’ll stop by tomorrow after school.”

Cindy nodded. Something to look forward to; but it seemed so far away.

“Sleep well then.” Mark stepped forward, hesitated a moment, then bent to kiss her on the forehead. “Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”

Cindy was still gaping at him as he left, closing her door behind him. She reached up and touched the spot where he’d kissed her, mouthing the words, “He kissed me! Suddenly, everything seemed a lot warmer; she slowly leant back into her pillows and closed her eyes, smiling slightly as she drifted off to sleep.

edit to say: I've now finished the next two parts; comments make them come quicker!

[/blatant attempt at comment exaction ]

[Mischa]

I would like to say:

No worries on the delay - brilliant writing musnt be rushed!!

[count tiszula]

Yum! All that shyness and holding back is so sweet. However, I am hoping that some coup de theatre [possibly a big kiss or similar] will make her lose her shyness and let it all hang out. Still, different scenes to come. eh? Sounds promising....

[Wishing]

Awww this is absolutely wonderful stuff Kiwifruit....and you know what, I NEVER get tired of reading the caretaking scenes you write, because you write them so well. But having said that, I absolutely can't wait for the next part, the suspense is almost killing me!

[Giant Steps]

Aww, man. This is too good!

I can't wait to see where this is going. More! MOOREEE!!

[sprinkles287]

Mmmmm... This is delicious. That last part hit all my buttons at once. More? Please? I hate to beg, but it's just so darn good

[Stars]

I think I may be obsessed with this story.

It's incredible.

[Kiwifruit]

Oh help, I forgot all about this... I am a bad author. I will go sit in the naughty corner now. *Shamed face* Though, happy news - this part puts the story over 10,000 words! 10,425 to be exact. This part is a little longer than most and somewhat sneeze deficient (again, I'm sorry ) but I do like my plot And there is definitely more to come...(hint hint: just look at the last line )

@Mischa - well in that case, I hope that this bit is just as brilliant! xD Thanks very much for commenting

@count de tisza - maybe eventually We shall see. I have plans in that area...

@Wishing - awww, thank you It's more just that I get sick of following the same formula for sneeze fics all the time, and I'm trying something a bit different with this story, which I'm quite enjoying More caretaking will of course be in order later though!

@Giant Steps - apologies for making you wait anyway I forgot >.< For weeks xD Here's some more anyway, enjoy!

@sprinkles287 - I do like pushing buttons! And I have to thank you for commenting and reminding me of my gross negligence. Without you, I would not be posting right now! xD I love your username too, by the way Makes me think of cupcakes.

@Stars - well I sure don't mind if you are! The only problem is that I tend to go long stretches without updating until someone comments and reminds me xD Hopefully you enjoy this next part anyway!

Part Nine:

Today is the day after Patient Zero was first exhibiting signs of infection. Today is also the day we see how effective our agent’s punishment will be. This was never intended; the original Plan was to allow the Virus to spread naturally. nevertheless, this should work just as well in the initial phases. Perhaps this is for the best - it is imperative we spread the Virus as far as possible before the authorities become aware of the imminent pandemic. The concentrated dose of the Virus our agent was exposed to should ensure he begins showing symptoms faster than is typical, and the threat of withholding his antidote will ensure he performs well.

“Hey, Mark!” Jenny ran to catch up with her friend as he turned to see who had called his name.

“Hey, Jen. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to ask how Cindy is, she’s not at school today.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think she would be. She was looking really sick when I left her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was off for the rest of the week.”

“Wow, really?” Jenny blinked in surprise then grinned. “At least she isn’t putting it on this time.”

“No, definitely not. I’m going to stop by her place again after school, want to come?”

Jenny hesitated, chewing on her lip. “No, I have to sing this weekend, I can’t go getting sick. She’ll understand. I’ll phone tonight instead.”

“Okay, I’ll let her know to expect it. Which class have you got now?”

“Mr. Calvin again...having him first thing in the morning, two mornings in a row...I swear whoever came up with our timetable is trying to do us in.”

Mark laughed. “Have fun. I saw him while I was parking this morning – he’s all pale and sweaty. Hopefully he’s feeling too sick to cause you any trouble!”

Jenny groaned. “Serious? First Cindy, now Calvin...if anyone gets me sick, I will kill them. This is the first big gig the band’s had.”

A loud buzzing made them both jump as the school bell rang directly overhead. “Shoot, we’re late. Well, I’ll catch up with you at lunch.”

“Later.”

Jenny got to class before Mr. Calvin; unusual, as he generally made certain to get there before his students in order to catch the latecomers. Today, it was several minutes after the bell that he emerged from his office. Jenny blinked; he looked as bad as Mark said. She wondered if she could move back a couple of rows inconspicuously.

“Take out your books and turn to page 127. Read the exercise, do questions one to six and mark them. Any questions, ask.” Mr. Calvin dropped into his chair, yanked open his drawer and pulled out his marking folder. “Now!” he barked, glaring at those who moved too slowly for his liking.

* * *

Mr. Calvin swallowed experimentally, testing his throat. Maybe he would have to limit the amount of shouting he did today, although it was his favourite method of keeping the students in line; his throat, already scratchy, now pained him slightly. He sighed and passed his hand over his face. He was surprised to be feeling symptoms so early, although he figured that spraying concentrated virus up his nose would be a good deal more efficient than simply breathing in someone’s cough or sneeze. He didn’t feel too bad overall; his nose was running and a constant need to sneeze was bothering him, but other than that, it wasn’t too bad – yet. He knew he looked a mess this morning anyway - he had been up all night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, worrying over his newest orders. The plan had been so much easier to agree with when it didn’t involve direct involvement – not involvement like this, anyway. His original role was small, but highly important. Infect Patient Zero. He could deal with that. At the time, it had seemed like nothing – calling Cindy into his office at lunch to repeat a test was nothing unusual. The only thing he had had to do was provide a pen after coating it with the Virus. Cindy’s habits of chewing her pen and tapping it against the side of her nose had guaranteed the Virus a rapid, easy entry.

But now his role had escalated into something that even he couldn’t face. He had hardly thought of the consequences when agreeing to the Plan before; sure, he’d given it brief consideration, but the future outcome outweighed the temporary effects.

Or so he had thought when he wasn’t facing the reality. Now, he could hardly stand to even look at his students, ignorant of their impending illness; heads bent over the deliberately difficult exercise he had set, busily working away at their problems. He noticed Cindy was absent. His heart lurched slightly at the memory of her miserable expression. She wasn’t meant to be this sick. Not yet, anyway.

Towards the back of the room, a student raised her hand. She needed help, exactly as he had planned when selecting the exercise to set. He would individually assist each student and use the close proximity as opportunity to infect them. Mr. Calvin rose from his chair and made his way towards the frowning blonde student.

“Yes, Claire?”

“I don’t get it,” Claire pouted, twisting a lock of unnaturally straight hair around her finger. “You skipped an exercise. Are you sure we’re meant to be doing this one? It makes no sense.”

“Yes, Claire. The exercise I skipped isn’t introducing anything new. This is the same sort of work as yesterday; it’s just the longer word problems.”

“I hate those.”

Why did all his students have to be so difficult? He should have become a home economics teacher. Students were always enthusiastic about making food.

Mr. Calvin sighed and took the pen from her hand. “Try it like this...”

As he explained the problem, he let part of his attention focus on his nose. While he had been sneezing every few minutes in the car on the way to work, any tickles were driven away by guilt in the presence of those he was trying to infect. His nostrils flared slightly as a slow itch began deep within his nose, then relaxed as he lost it – again. He suppressed a frustrated sigh, willing himself to breathe slowly and deeply through his nose to aggravate any developing irritation. Having to talk made it difficult to focus long enough to coax any sneezes into fruition.

When a ghost of understanding was starting to flicker across Claire’s face, he handed her back her pen and told her to try one herself. During the brief respite, he turned his attention to the prickling sensation of a reluctant sneeze. By breathing at just the right speed, he could gradually, slowly feel the prickling sensation start to spread and become stronger; but every time he was sure it was just about to reach its climax and turned his attention to sneezing towards his students, his conscience would quench the urge, suppressing it down to a just-noticeable tickle.

Another hand crept up on the opposite side of the room. Mr. Calvin’s heart leapt; Danielle. Constantly told off for having cat hair all over her uniform.

Mr. Calvin was allergic to cats.

He muttered a brief “be right back” to Claire, before making his way around the room, anxiously inspecting her blazer for any signs of cat hair. A fleck of ginger here; a bit of white fluff there – yes, she’d done it again.

“Danielle?”

“How do you do question six?”

“You’re already up to question six? Good. When you’ve finished this, you can get a head start on the next exercise or do the chapter review questions on the topic. Now, see this bit here, that’s where you’re making your mistake...”

Mr. Calvin breathed as deeply as he could through his nose without being too obvious while he showed Danielle the error in her working. Ah, there we go – already congestion was flooding his nose and a deep, crawling itch was spreading through his sinuses, making his eyes water.

“ – and then for clarity, you could write the second integral separately, which wou – would p-preveh...prevent...HUSSSHHOO!” Mr. Calvin brought his hand up to cover his mouth and nose, but left a small gap between his thumb and palm to allow his sneeze to spray out, over Danielle and, hopefully, other students in the general vicinity.

“Bless you,” Danielle said, surprised. Mr. Calvin coughed slightly in embarrassment; that was probably the first time the students had seen him dare to so much as sniff without a handkerchief in years.

“Thank you. As I was saying –” he paused for a second to clear his throat – “as I was saying, writing the second integral separately would help you to prevent this kind of mistake in future.”

“Okay. Thank you. I think I get it now.”

“Good girl.” Despite her affinity for cats, Danielle was a good student and Mr. Calvin was always happy to help her.

Cats. His neighbour owned a cat which was perpetually hanging around his garden. He would see what he could do this afternoon...

[The Sneezster]

"...HUSSSHHOO!” Mr. Calvin brought his hand up to cover his mouth and nose, but left a small gap between his thumb and palm to allow his sneeze to spray out, over Danielle and, hopefully, other students in the general vicinity.

Ah, that's a beautiful thing you've written there!

[Giant Steps]

Yes, Mr Calvin, yes. Infect as many students as possible...

Don't even worry about the amount of sneezes. What I like about this story is that the sneezes come naturally with the plot rather than the other way about. Some of the stories I read are just full of sneezes and pretty much nothing else and I don't really enjoy the story because I'm left thinking: is this really what happens? Do people really sneeze this much?? And I suppose, yes, some do but in the context of the story it just seems ridiculous!

Your sneezes come at just the right time.

Plus, you're an interesting writer to boot!

"a ghost of understanding was starting to flicker across Claire’s face"

^I liked that.^

[Demosthenes]

Whoa, that was one tense sneeze.

He both wants to and doesn't want to. A perfect combination of holding back and encouraging the sneeze. I love it!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Despite being not a fan of illnesses, I very much enjoy reading your story, Kiwifruit.

Quite impressive to keep two storylines! Wow.

*joins Kiwifruit in the naughty corner for neglecting to comment earlier*

P.S. plot is awesome.

[sprinkles287]

Oooh thank you! It was wonderful as always. And don't worry about plotting and minimal sneezing. Plotting makes me wanna keep reading and minimal sneezing keeps me on edge for the next one Also, I love the way you describe a building sneeze and all the details surrounding just one single sneeze. Great writing!

[obsessed]

Malemalemalemalemale.

Yesss, I love your writing.