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Standing outside Franziska’s apartment, Maya knocked on the door multiple times in her excitement. She tried not to be too loud, even though it was already almost 11 o’clock and most of Franziska’s neighbors were (hopefully) awake, but she couldn’t help herself.
It was a rare Saturday off for Franziska. No trials, no investigations (as of that morning), no pressing responsibilities. Nothing. With that, she invited Maya to her apartment so they could spend the day together.
“I want to take you across the city!” Franziska told Maya over the phone. “A nice restaurant in town, a boutique I think you would like, any other places that catch my eye. Anywhere you would like to go, we will go!”
Franziska stayed busy as a prosecutor, so solo time and date nights were often taken over by her work. She had to review case files, prepare for trial, or abandon their date altogether to investigate a murder (which she was very sorry about, to her credit). Maya was thrilled by the prospect of having an entire day to themselves without any distractions. She loved spending time with Franziska, no matter what it looked like, but having a day to just…be a couple was something she cherished.
When the door didn’t open immediately, Maya knocked again. “Franzy, it’s Maya!” she called. She leaned sideways as if it would make her more audible. “You didn’t fall back asleep, did you?”
She would be shocked. Franziska was a morning person and did her best before the sun came up. Besides, they had texted just a while ago when Maya left for her apartment.
Before she could knock again, the lock clicked from the inside, and Franziska pulled the door open. She smiled at Maya. “I would never.”
Much to Maya’s surprise, Franziska was still in her pajamas. The matching blue set had faint wrinkles across the top, almost as if Franziska had recently been lying down. She held a mug of what was likely coffee in her left hand. It was a typical sight, but given that Franziska was usually ready to go and ushered them out the door when they went on a date, Maya was taken aback.
Maya quickly got over it and spread her arms out in excitement. “Franziska! Good morning!”
“Good morning, my sweet.” Franziska stepped aside. “Please come in.”
Maya hurried into her apartment and took off her shoes as Franziska shut the door. Her apartment was neat as always, and Maya noticed a blue blanket strewn across the back of the couch. She could smell coffee in the air, confirming her earlier suspicions.
After locking the door, Franziska moved past Maya to enter the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Sure!”
Maya sat on the end of the couch and watched as Franziska retrieved a purple mug from the cupboard and filled it with coffee, followed by creamer. She topped off her own mug before reentering the living room and sitting on the other end of the couch. She passed the mug over to Maya. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” Maya took a long drink of her coffee and settled back into the couch. “I’m surprised you’re still in your pajamas.”
“I slept through my alarm this morning,” Franziska admitted. She took a sip of her coffee and put the mug on her coffee table. “I stayed up late last night catching up on cases so I would absolutely have a free day today.”
“You look sleepy! Are you sure you want to go out? We can have a date here!”
“No! We’ve been planning this for weeks,” Franziska countered. “I will be fine.”
“If you’re sure.” Maya scooted toward the middle of the couch. “I’m not in a big hurry, so we can just relax until you get ready! I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“We have both been very busy.” Franziska turned and leaned her side into the back of the couch. “How have you been?”
Maya proceeded to tell Franziska about her life. She talked about the cases that Phoenix had done lately (the ones not involving Franziska, of course) and how Pearl was doing. In turn, Franziska talked about Miles and her own cases (a string of victories, to no surprise). Neither of them had too many eventful changes as of late, which they were grateful for. It often felt like they were constantly faced with horrible or stressful things, so Maya was glad for the break.
But the more she talked to Franziska, the more…off she seemed. She was comfortable against the back of the couch, but she was almost sinking into it, as if she were tired. She was focused on Maya, but she occasionally closed her eyes for several seconds before they jolted open. Maya also noticed that she seemed paler than usual.
She couldn’t shake the possibility that something was wrong. She believed Franziska when she said she had a late start to her day, but there was something else.
Maya tilted her head. “Can I ask you something?”
Franziska nodded. “Of course. You can ask me anything, and I will answer.”
Maya smiled, and she reached her hand across the short distance to put it on her knee. “Are you feeling okay?” she asked. “You just seem…out of it, I guess. Are you sick?”
Franziska furrowed her eyebrows, and she sat up from the back of the couch. “I feel fine, Maya Fey,” she replied firmly. “I’m tired from a late night of work. Nothing more.”
Her irritation soon softened, and she glanced away. “But…I appreciate you asking.”
“Of course.” Maya shifted her hand to grab Franziska’s free hand and squeezed it. “I like taking care of you. You’ve done so much for me, and making sure you’re doing okay is the least I can do.”
She slid closer until their knees were touching. Maya lifted her hand to brush a stray hair out of Franziska’s face and behind her ear. Franziska closed her eyes as Maya’s thumb brushed the bottom of her jaw. She gently cupped her cheek with her hand, holding her delicately.
Her skin was hot to the touch. A fever. Maya was certain.
“Franzy?”
“Mm?” Franziska did not open her eyes.
“If you’re not sick…” Maya lifted her hand and pressed the back of it to Franziska’s forehead. “…then why are you burning up?”
Franziska’s eyes shot open, and she looked at Maya as if caught doing something wrong. She leaned her body back until Maya’s hand fell from her forehead, and she resumed her earlier glare. “I’m not running a fever! And I’m not sick!” she countered irritably.
“Franziska! You are burning up! If you’re not running a fever, then I don’t know what it is.” Maya stood up from the couch and walked toward her bathroom. “I’m looking for a thermometer.”
Franziska’s protests fell on deaf ears as Maya walked through the apartment until she reached the bathroom. She looked under the sink and found it sitting on a small shelf on the left side. She grabbed it and returned to the living room. Franziska was sitting with her back against the couch, her hands sitting in her lap. With the change in position, Maya could more clearly see how flushed she appeared. Definitely sick.
Maya stopped in front of the couch, removed the cap from the thermometer, and held it out to Franziska. “Take this.”
“No.”
“Franzy, come on,” Maya pleaded. “If you’re sick, I want to help you. I can’t do that unless we know how high your fever is.” She held the thermometer a little closer to her. “Please?”
Franziska glared at the thermometer for a few more seconds before grabbing it from Maya. “You are lucky I love you,” she told her before putting it in her mouth.
Maya patted the top of her head.
While they waited, Maya decided they couldn’t go out. Even if Franziska only had a cold, Maya didn’t feel right going all over town with her. Aside from being rude to people around the city, she could tell Franziska was more exhausted than she was letting on. They could still have fun at home! Maya would make sure of it.
After a minute, Maya reached over and grabbed the thermometer from Franziska. She turned it over in her hand and looked at the result.
“101.4,” Maya read aloud. She glanced at Franziska, who was looking away at another part of the apartment. “A fever.”
Franziska huffed. “It’s not that bad,” she muttered.
“You’re right, but it’s still a fever.” Maya put the thermometer on the coffee table and sat down next to Franziska. She put her hands on the sides of her arms. “You could have told me,” she said. “We could have rescheduled today.”
“But who knows how long it will be until my schedule is free again? It took ages for us to have today,” Franziska countered. She sighed. “Well…if we have to reschedule, I suppose there’s no reason for you to stay here. I will recuperate quickly enough, and we can plan to spend time together for another day.”
“What?! I can’t leave!” Maya said. “I should stay here and take care of you!”
Franziska stared at her for a few moments before her brows furrowed in confusion. “What a foolish proposition,” she replied. “What if you get sick too?”
“I have a good immune system!” Maya assured. “Do you want me to stay? If you’re not okay with that, then I’ll go, but…I’ll just feel better staying. But it’s obviously up to you.”
Franziska crossed her arms across her chest. She looked ready to protest, but she eventually sighed. “I want you to stay,” she admitted. “But…isn’t it foolish? I’m a grown woman. A prosecutor. Feared by lawyers and criminals alike. Surely I shouldn’t need to be babied when I’m ill.”
Maya tilted her head. “Not foolish at all. It’s nice to be taken care of.” She rubbed her hands up and down Franziska’s arms. “And if you want that, then I am happy to do that for you.”
A small smile finally appeared, and Franziska reached around to grab Maya’s hand. She set their hands in her lap and squeezed Maya’s hand. “You’re too good to me.”
“You deserve it.”
Maya leaned forward and kissed Franziska’s forehead. Franziska was blushing when she pulled away, which made Maya smile even wider. “Do you want some tea? I think that sounds better than coffee for sick people.”
“That sounds nice. What can I do?”
“Nothing! You sit right here.” Maya stood up from the couch and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around Franziska’s back and bunching it over her chest. “You just get comfortable, and I’ll be back.”
After grabbing their mugs, she turned and entered Franziska’s kitchen. She was already familiar with where she kept her tea, so it didn’t take long for her to make two fresh cups of tea. When she returned to the living room, Franziska was in the same spot, though her hands were hidden under the blanket.
When Maya held the mug out to her, she took it in two hands. “Thank you, my sweet.”
“You’re welcome.” Maya sat down next to her again. “How do you feel?”
“I’m very tired,” Franziska admitted. She took a sip of her tea and hummed softly. “I have had chills most of the morning. The fever’s work, I’m sure. Other than that, I’m just…very achey, I suppose. The only reason I got up was because you were coming over.”
“Aw. Well, none of that is too bad. Your fever isn’t scary high, so I’ll help you ride it out.” Maya put her tea back on the coffee table and rose to her feet. “I have an idea. We can still have some fun here, but it’s gotta be chill. But fun! How does a movie sound?”
“I have the passwords to my fool brother’s streaming services,” Franziska said with a scoff, “so we can watch anything we want.”
“I love it. Okay, I’ll be right back. Don’t move!”
Maya hurried around the apartment and retrieved several things. She found an extra blanket in Franziska’s closet and a better pillow than the ones on the couch. Once she dropped them off, she found medicine in the bathroom and returned. She popped two pills out for Franziska and left her to take him while she briefly returned to the bathroom. She retrieved a clean washcloth from under the sink and ran it under cool water. She wrung it out and returned to the living room a final time to see Franziska finishing off her tea and putting her mug back on the table. Her eyes were lidded despite sitting up, and she looked like she would fall asleep any minute.
Maya prepared what she hoped was premium comfort. She grabbed her tea and the television remote and put them on the table at the end of the couch. After that, she grabbed the pillow and sat herself down on the end. She put the pillow on her lap, much to Franziska’s confusion.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Maya waved a hand towards herself. “C’mere.”
Franziska stared at her for a few seconds before crawling across the couch and, after a moment of hesitation, lied down with her head on Maya’s lap. The moment she was comfortable, she sighed deeply, shutting her eyes. Maya grabbed the two blankets and moved them over Franziska’s body until she was fully covered. She could already feel herself overheating, but it was worth it for her.
Maya lifted the damp cloth and folded it into a strip, laying it across Franziska’s forehead with the gentlest touch she could muster. Franziska’s lip curled at the temperature briefly, but she eventually relaxed.
Maya brushed her hand across Franziska’s cheek. “How’s this?”
“Very comfortable.” Franziska opened her eyes and looked up at Maya. She was smiling, and her eyes blazed with both fever and admiration. Maya could tell the difference. “Though I doubt I can watch a movie like this.”
“I’ll pick something we’ve seen before so you don’t have to pay too much attention.” Maya winked, then she grabbed the remote and turned on the television. Franziska turned her head just enough to see the screen as Maya flipped through the options on one service before switching to another.
They eventually settled on an action movie they had watched together in the past. Once the movie was on, Maya put the remote down and looked down at Franziska, who had adjusted her head once more and was looking up at Maya.
“Get some rest,” Maya told her. “We can do something else later if you’re feeling better. I’m always good with more movies though.”
Franziska laughed, but she shook her head. “We will do something better than movies. I swear it, my sweet.”
“We’ll talk about it later.” Maya grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it. “I love you, Franzy.”
“And I love you, Maya Fey.”
They fell into a comfortable silence. Maya focused on the movie, and within ten minutes, Franziska had fallen asleep, just as Maya expected. So long as Franziska got the rest she deserved, she was content to entertain herself for the time being.
When next she woke, whenever that would be, Maya was ready to take her temperature again, refill their mugs of tea, and ask how she felt. Depending on her answers, they would do something a little more involved, or they would rest a while more. Maya thought about if she would tell her brother, or if she would tell Phoenix, or if she would let Franziska stew in her illness in solitude (with one lone witness) until it passed. She would decide later.