Work Text:
Raz was coming down with something.
He could already tell by how he was feeling. The pain in his throat didn't go away after a drink of water he had earlier that morning. There was a headache forming right behind his forehead. And his nose was leaking slightly. But he was fine. He felt perfectly fine. Which was why he was currently struggling to lift his head off his pillow and get himself started for the day.
"You up?" His brother stood over his cot, staring him down as he lay there. "... Yeah?" Raz said, trying to focus his eyes to look at Dion. "Mom said you need to get up. Breakfast is ready." Raz tried again to sit up. He couldn’t do it, even though it would only take a moment for his head to stop throbbing like an angry hornet’s nest. "Ugh, just get up, dude." Dion groaned as he pulled Raz upright by his hand.
"Come on!" He shook him slightly. "Let's go see mom." Raz blinked blearily up at his older brother. “... Fine,” Raz mumbled. He stretched, and his muscles immediately protested. He had to hold back the groan that threatened to escape from his chest. He rubbed his eyes one more time before following Dion out of the tent. Dion led the way toward the dining area, where everyone was sitting around eating bread and some kasha.
"Pootie!" Donatella called cheerfully. "Hey, mom." He smiled. She handed him a bowl of kasha, which he gratefully accepted. He sat down next to Frazie, who was just finishing up her bowl. It seemed like Mirtala and Queepie had already finished and run off."What took you so long?" Frazie nudged him. "Yeah, what gives? Usually, you're the one waking everyone up when it's not 'Tala." She smirked. Raz rolled his eyes and took another spoonful of kasha.
"Couldn't sleep." He lied as smoothly as he possibly could. "Was way too excited for today, you know? Big show tomorrow!" He mustered up some excitement in his expression. Nona tutted. "You kids these days... All of you go to bed way too late! When I was your age, We went straight to bed right after a show! Even earlier when we were going to travel!" All of the kids simultaneously rolled their eyes. "Nona, you've told us this a million times before." Frazie groaned. Raz saw his chance. "Well, Frazie, unlike you, I think we should listen to our elders." He said with a saccharine sweet tone that made his sister roll her eyes.
"Thank you, Pootie. Now, as I was saying-" Raz gave Frazie a smug grin, but secretly hoped that the story would get attention away from him. She rambled on and on about another story from Grulovia that constantly spurred off in nonsense ways and went nowhere. In the meantime, he could figure out what exactly was wrong with him. Throat hurt... nose stuffed up.... allergies, maybe? No, no, it was nowhere near spring... What could it-
You're feeling sick? His sister's telepathy cut through his thoughts. No! He shot back. I'm just feeling... under the weather. He admitted. Frazie raised an eyebrow. She didn't believe him. Well she wouldn't, would she? He sighed internally. This wasn't exactly new. They both knew that his health was always somewhat lacking. He was born too early, and because of that, he'd constantly get sick as a kid. He wasn't allowed to perform for a lot longer compared to his siblings, and he knew it. Tala was on top of the pyramid while he was relegated to the calliope or Nona's tent. Despite being the middle child, he was the permanent baby, and he hated-
Dude, I can STILL hear your thoughts. Quit monologuing until I'm out of range. Frazie chided him. He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Can you two weirdos stop staring at each other like that?" Dion asked suddenly, causing the siblings to jump in surprise. Their heads turned to face the boy sitting next to them. "It's creepy." He said dryly. Out of the corner of his eyes, Raz could see Augustu shaking his head. He gulped.
"So! Uhm, what's the plan for today?" He asked quickly, turning his head towards the rest of the table. "Well..." His mother tapped her finger to her chin. "We need to set up the tent in the morning, and if we're lucky and EVERYONE," She shot sharp glares at the kids. "helps out, we'll be able to finish by lunch. Then we'll have plenty of time for a small rest before we begin practice for Sunday's show. So I expect everyone to put in their best effort!" The siblings all looked at each other, a bit worried. "Is that alright?" Mom asked sternly. Everyone nodded. "Good." She smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling in relief. "Now that everything has been sorted and you're done eating, you should all go clean off your faces and brush your teeth in the bathrooms."
Soon enough, everyone was beginning preparations to set up the aquatodome. Bringing down supplies, carrying spokes, and gathering up equipment for the show with ease. Well, ease for everyone, except Raz. He could have sworn Dion snuck him all the heavy stuff when he wasn't looking at first, but it really was just his regular load. It just felt heavier- NO. No. He wasn't sick. He couldn't be. Not a couple of days before a show. Nothing bad was happening. He wasn't ill! Sure, he might feel kind of terrible, but it wasn't anything serious. Probably a small cough. Just a cough. Nothing to worry about. Maybe. Hopefully. Okay. Yeah, definitely nothing else.
Thankfully, Mirtala was the one chosen to help his dad out with releasing the ropes. Unthankfully, that meant the rest of them had to pin down all the spokes. And every time Raz leaned over and stood up, his head started to spin. A wave of nausea hit him, and he hunched his shoulders in discomfort. He swallowed, hoping that whatever he was experiencing would pass soon. He let out a few coughs, trying his best to hide it.
Donatella looked up from her work, tilting her head. "Pootie? Are you okay?" She asked, looking him over. "Oh! No, yeah, I- I got some dust in my throat, nothing too bad." He said nervously, but he was lying through his teeth. She squinted her eyes at him, pressing her hand against his neck. "You're a bit warm..." She hummed. "But, uh- I... feel fine! It's probably just from the stuff we've been doing." He added quickly. Her brows furrowed. "Are you sure?" He nodded, trying to keep his smile on.
Her face was unreadable as she looked him over. "Well... hm..." Her eyebrows scrunched together. He gulped. "Be careful, Alright?" She finally replied. He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry!" She stared at him one last time before moving on to something else. Raz sighed, glad that she hadn't continued with questioning him further. And glad he managed to hold in another cough.
He moved onto the next set of spokes, taking the weight of holding down the ropes and pinning them firmly into the ground. He grunted, sweat pouring down his forehead. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his forearm and then let out a sigh of relief when the spokes were finally secure. He slumped forward, panting. Oh, he was tired. He felt dizzy, but not like how he did when he used to get nauseous. Just dizzier.
He blinked a couple of times and then tried to take deep breaths. But they felt weak, and he found himself slumping back against the pole, breathing deeply. He tried desperately to focus on anything else. He can't be sick. Not today. He sneezed a couple of times, wiping the mucus off his hands onto his pants. He shook his head. He needed to keep going. He wasn't sick.
And so they continued setting up, with Raz just feeling worse and worse throughout. There were some hiccups, like Queepie managing to get himself tangled in some of the ropes, but nothing they couldn't handle. Eventually, the last spinner was secured securely in place and everyone was given a break. Raz collapsed onto his knees and took several deep breaths of air. He was surprised his lungs worked. He felt sick. Sick. It felt like a thousand ants were crawling around inside his skin. He pressed his hand against his mouth and closed his eyes tightly.
Someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him backward gently. It wasn't hard, it was gentle. Very gentle. He winced, opening his eyes slowly. It was his mom. She looked concerned. "Pootie..." She whispered softly. He nodded. "Sorry. Got distracted." She frowned. "I noticed." She looked slightly annoyed. But then again, she was always a little irritated by everything.
She sat him down against the pole and then handed him an apple. He thanked her sheepishly. She smiled. "There's no harm in taking things easy for a day or two... But try not to push yourself too much." Raz smiled weakly in reply, and he ate his apple silently. "Thank's mom, but.. why do you say that?" He asked nonchalantly. "I..." She bit her lip, her voice getting softer. Oh, great. "You don't need to pretend you're feeling well, you know."
"But... I'm fine Mom, Really!" He insisted. She studied him carefully. "You sound very congested, though..." She hummed. "Oh, uh, I... am a little stuffed up. Maybe. I dunno." He shrugged. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Alright. Try to make sure you don't overdo it. You can tell me if you feel sick, you know." She put a hand on his shoulder. He searched her eyes, but she gave him a reassuring smile. Slowly but surely he relaxed a bit and returned her smile. "Thanks, mom." He sighed.
She patted him on the shoulder one more time before standing up and leaving. He was alone once more. He stared at his apple. He didn't want to eat, but he knew his mom would kill him for wasting food, so he did it anyway. He took a bite and chewed slowly, trying to ignore how his whole body ached. It was just a cold. He was overreacting. There was nothing wrong with his body. It was probably just because he was exhausted.
He stood up, realizing his muscles were aching. He yawned. His eyes were dragging themselves down. Maybe he could just... Take a quick nap. He snuck behind one of the tents, into the warm sunlight. He yawned, lying on the grass. It felt nice. He closed his eyes, only briefly opening them now and then to check if any one of the others found him, but all was quiet. Perfect.
The sun began beating down on his face, but he ignored it, burying his face into the grass. He could hear birds chirping happily, the wind rustling the leaves on the trees above him. Even still, he was shivering. He managed to drift off, eventually falling asleep on the cool grass. He just needed a couple of minutes to sleep.
He felt himself being shaken awake a few moments later, feeling his mother's hand on his shoulder. "I told you! He's not waking up!" His little sister's voice chirped, causing him to wince in pain as a coughing fit seized his chest, making the area around his mouth feel incredibly dry. "Huh? W-whats going on?" He mumbled, opening his eyes. Everything around him was a blurry mess.
"We've been looking for you for an hour!" His mother's voice sounded irritated, but not angry. "Raz, are you okay?!" His sister cried out, her voice becoming louder. "Ow. What... what time is it?" Raz forced his eyes open and looked around frantically. He saw a blurry blue blob next to him that turned out to be Mirtala. "Um-" He trailed off. He coughed harshly into the palm of his hand. "-I just needed a nap...." He muttered.
It was very cold out now, and he could feel himself shivering. He felt his mom wrapped her arms around him. "Come on. Let's get you inside." She said quietly. "I'on wanna..." He protested weakly. "Please..." He murmured. "Mom... Please. I think I should stay out here." He mumbled, trying his best to keep his eyes open. She picked him up despite it. He felt much more tired than he did before, so he couldn't fight back.
They walked to Nona's tent, and his mom placed him inside. "Oh dear... what's happened?" Nona asked, crouching down next to him. "He's sick." His mother said simply. "Buh?! I-I'm not!" He said quickly, jolting up. He immediately felt himself becoming lightheaded when he did so. "Pootie, please-" His mother started. "I'm not sick! I'm not!" He tried to get up, but his mother pushed him back down. "RAZPUTIN." She said sternly, Making him stop in his tracks.
She sighed. "Please. I know you want to help, dear." She said softly, rubbing her hand on his face. "I know you do... But there's nothing you can do right now." He nodded. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. "You don't need to hide when you're sick, dear. We won't blame you." She assured him. He looked away. "I know, but...." He bit his lip. "I dunno... it makes me feel bad when I can't join you guys."
"It's okay, Pootie. You just need to rest." She stroked his cheek. "And you know what you can do? You can keep your Nona company." She smiled. Nona waved from her chair and returned to her knitting. Raz didn't seem convinced. Donatella frowned. "Razputin..." She said softly. He pulled his blanket over himself, resting against the sleeping bag. She ran her hand through his hair, tucking some strands behind his ear. "I'll be right outside..." she reassured him. He nodded silently, closing his eyes.
"Okay, momma." She gave him another small kiss on the top of his head, getting up from where she crouched near him. "Hey, mom..?" He called softly. "Yes?" She asked. He didn't speak for a moment. "... Can you get me Mr. Bun?" He asked, just loud enough for her to hear it. Her facial expression softened, smiling. "Of course."