Jean-Jacques groaned, he needed to get up. His body felt so heavy and his mind was so sluggish he couldn't quite grasp why it was important he force himself to rise, all he had was a vague underlying anxiety. He managed open his heavy eyes slowly, blinking in the dim light and finding his vision consumed by another face hovering close to his.

"Chloé?" he croaked in a voice that barely registered even to him.

"Finally awake?"

He could hear the smile in her voice, though he was having trouble making out her features for some reason. He opened his mouth to respond but broke off into a coughing fit. He wheezed as the coughing subsided, desperately taking in air and attempting to calm his breathing.

"Now, don't push yourself. Go back to sleep if you're still tired, I'll be here when you wake again."

Jean-Jacques sighed, closing his eyes. Chloé's voice was soothing and he wanted to listen to her advice, but there was something niggling at the back of his mind... His eyes snapped open again and he sat up abruptly. "The dragoons!"

"Lie down!" Chloé scolded, pushing him onto his back again. "I handled them today."

"You-?" Jean-Jacques frowned, uncomprehending, before his eyes landed on a smudge of blood on her cheek. Without thinking, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, so she fell into a sitting position beside him on the bed. "You didn't get hurt, did you? Even if you didn't I don't want you getting blood on your hands for my sake. That's supposed to be my responsibility!"

Chloé stared at him for a moment before clicking her tongue in a manner that made Jean-Jacques flinch in surprise. "Honestly, you were much cuter when you were asleep." She poked his cheek. "What did you expect me to do? Let the dragoons come to our doorstep? Or make you fight them while sick? Really? I'll let you off for saying something so foolish because you probably aren't thinking clearly right now. The little wolves did most of the work anyway."

"I see..." Jean-Jacques grimaced. "I suppose there's no helping it now, at least you're all right. Sorry for causing you trouble, Chloé. I'll go prepare some food for us now that I'm awake."

Jean-Jacques made to rise but Chloé pushed him down again with a scowl. "You're hopeless. I am taking care of you today. Being sick means you don't get the luxury of thinking of anything other than recovery."

"But-"

"After all this time you'd think you would have learned I don't appreciate you talking back to me. Stay there and I'll get you some food and if I even suspect you've tried to leave this room I'll make you pay the price, understood?"

Jean-Jacques nodded quickly and Chloé smiled, patting his head before slipping off the bed and exiting the room. He knew she'd only gone down to the kitchen but he couldn't help feeling strangely lonely. It wasn't often that he was alone in their room, the two of them tended to get up and go to bed at the same time. Really the only time he was inside alone was when he was cleaning, and even then Chloé was usually at her desk when he chose to tidy up. He liked to do housework in the same room as Chloé, though it got messy again quite quickly simply from her presence and the terrible habits she refused to fix. They'd had a fair few spats over her carelessness, though Jean-Jacques had mostly given up on getting her to clean up after herself. He'd essentially abandoned Chloé's worst haunt - the alteration device chamber - because it had gotten so out of hand it wasn't worth more than an occasional small spot of organisation.

One would think with how terrible she was with cleaning Chloé shouldn't be allowed in the kitchen by herself, but that wasn't the case. Useless as Chloé was with most household chores she still knew how to cook - provided she had a recipe. Chloé had some experience with alchemy and she herself compared it to cooking. She wasn't great at it, and what she made could be pretty bland, but she could if necessary make simple dishes. Jean-Jacques simply took up the job because it was more convenient. He was far better at it, just as she was better at any number of other things.

Chloé returned eventually, pushing the door open with her foot as her hands were full with a steaming bowl of soup. Jean-Jacques nearly got up to help her but a single black look from Chloé stopped him in his tracks. She brought it over happily and, rather than hand him the bowl when she reached the bed, Chloé picked up the spoon and held it out to him.

"Say ahh."

"Huh?" He flushed. "No. That's embarrassing, Chloé!"

"I don't understand what's embarrassing about it."

"I'm not a child anymore!" He retorted.

"I'm not doing this to treat you like a child. I only want to take care of you. Next time I'm sick I won't mind if you feed me in return."

Jean-Jacques pictured it. Cute. Maybe he did understand where Chloé was coming from. His resolve crumbled and, reluctantly, he gave in. Chloé beamed when he accepted the first mouthful and joyfully continued to feed him until the soup was finished. When the last of it was gone Chloé placed the bowl on the floor, earning a strangled noise of protest from Jean-Jacques, before laying down beside him and curling up with her head on his chest.

"Chloé, you should take that bowl to the kitchen and clean it. You shouldn't be so close to me either, what if you get sick too?"

"I'm too tired to go all the way back to the kitchen, and if I get sick you'll take care of me." Chloé huffed, closing her eyes.

"And isn't it still your job to be caring for me right now?"

"I am caring for you! Sick people need rest, I'm making sure you aren't going anywhere." Chloé yawned. "Wake me up if you need anything."

Jean-Jacques sighed, there really was no arguing with her. Accepting his fate, Jean-Jacques closed his own eyes and curled an arm around Chloé. It didn't seem like he was seriously ill so it wasn't the worst plan for recovery. He let himself drift off.