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The next day, Cole and Zane both woke up in a haze. Zane still burned internally from their fever, and Cole’s sleep wasn’t as restful as he had anticipated.
“I am never eating Nya’s edibles again… Is your stomach ok, honey?”
“...not as bad as yesterday.” Zane whispered.
“That’s something. Lay back down, it’s still too early.”
Zane just nodded and curled into Cole’s side. He sighed as their excessive heat toasted the blankets, but was also too tired to move.
“I’ll find you some ice later. And maybe some Tylenol. You need something other than ice water, it’s not helping.”
Zane groaned, and Cole just laid back down. They both fell asleep not too long later, still hazy and barely holding on to a perception of reality.
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They both woke up at the same time, rattled from a shared nightmare that neither of them could piece together. Cole was left breathless and confused, but Zane was sobbing again and shaking from the perceived intensity. Without thinking, Cole grabbed his beloved and pulled them into a protective bear hug.
“It wasn’t real. You’re safe, I’m safe, we’re on the Bounty. Nobody on the team is hurt, and we’re all together.”
This reassurance helped Zane calm down, even as their fever still raged and their hands still shook. Cole handed them their bottle of ice water and opened it so it wouldn’t be so taxing to drink.
“Try this?”
Zane nodded and sipped at the drink. It did help, but now they were too wired to fall back asleep, despite being physically unstable and exhausted.
“I have to catch up today.”
“Like this? No, honey, your classes can wait.”
“They can’t…”
As they whispered to each other, Cole heard someone ruffling through the closet.
“Well, you’re not in here…”
Kai’s frustrated grumbling woke Zane up a little bit more, at least to the point of motivating them to get out of bed.
“What are you looking for?”
“My fucking hoodie!”
Zane handed Kai the hoodie, and Kai mumbled something angrily as he walked away. The droid thought nothing of the little outburst, only opting to settle into their usual morning routine. As they changed from their breezy pajamas to their suffocating thermal layer, Cole finally fully woke up.
“Do you want me to make you something?”
“No, thanks.” Zane replied, slipping their scrub top over their shirt. “I’m running a tad late.”
“...Zane, your classes don’t start for 2 hours.”
“...later than normal.”
“Whatever.”
As Zane finished organizing their scrubs, Cole jumped out of bed and decided to do them a small favor. He managed to lug their schoolbag to the door, careful not to damage anything inside. Once that was settled, he ran into the kitchen and tried to look for a protein shake that they could drink on their commute.
“They had that flavor yesterday, Kai’s drinking that one… wait, KAI? WHY ARE YOU DRINKING THESE SHAKES?”
“For the protein hit. Training is intense, and my muscles need to recover.”
“Those are Zane’s safe food, you fucking dolt. If you keep drinking them, Zane doesn’t have anything to eat!”
“Wu can always buy more!”
“THAT’S NOT THE POINT!”
Cole just grumbled and grabbed a chocolate covered strawberry flavored shake before slamming the door shut. He set it by Zane’s bag just as they made their way to the front door.
“Thank you, dear.”
“Of course. Hey, Zane? Grab some Tylenol when you get to campus.”
“...if I remember.”
Zane left, and Kai just smirked at Cole.
“You two are completely hopeless.”
“Shut up.”
Cole just sulked out the front door, soon spotting one of the training exercises Lloyd had set up.
“Wanna join me?”
“Sure.”
As Cole trained outside, Kai enjoyed some peace and quiet inside. With the living room empty and the tv off, he took his opportunity to take over the couch. He spread out and got comfortable, managing to binge a few episodes of his favorite action-packed show before Wu slipped in.
“Good morning. Are you aware of your 49 late assignments?”
Kai groaned and paused his show, leaving to grab his laptop. While he was gone, Cole snuck in with his laptop and a bowl of chocolate cereal.
“Are you gonna put something on, Sensei?”
“...sure. Why not? Cole, you have a Photography project due in a few days.”
“I know. I’m gonna edit it and submit it tonight.”
“Perfect.”
Jay also sauntered in, laptop in hand and loaded up with an overdue math assignment. He munched at his own bowl of Lucky Charms as he worked through the math problems. Kai returned not too long later, with his own device and an unopened protein bar.
“Gee, thanks for leaving a spot on the couch for me…”
He groaned and sat in between Jay and Cole, pulling up an assignment that required no reading. From there, the morning stayed calm, as Wu turned to a home improvement show and everyone got caught up on their work.