Viewpoints
a Weiss Kreuz story
by Gayle
Shuldig stood outside the gates of Reiji Takatori's impressive manor. He snorted ruefully as he thought about the long night ahead, the front gate being as close to the festivities as he would get unless there was trouble. He was to check all the invitations and make sure everyone who came was on the list that had been given to him two days before the party started. He heaved a sigh while stamping the gold-leafed card and waving the couple on to the next checkpoint. "Talk about paranoid," he muttered to himself, hoping that Crawford could here hear his mental complaints. "This is ridiculous. How many people set up three guard posts just for a formal dinner party?" He tried to look more professional as Masafumi, Reiji's son, came nearer, with a very pretty woman on his arm. "No, not a woman," Shuldig corrected himself, "an utter pain." He checked Hell off as "Guest of", stamped the invitation and proceeded to lean against the nearest tree. The evening continued as such until all the guests had arrived and the other two men at the checkpoints went into the house to enjoy themselves, or at least to warm up. He didn't get that privilege, he was to stand outside all night keeping watch, making sure no one came in.
"I didn't ask to do this and I'm not sure that it was in the job description."
"Stop complaining. It's part of being a good body guard." Crawford's cold voice came into his head. "Just keep your eyes open. I'll see if I can steal away for a few minutes to bring you out a thing of coffee and something warm to eat."
"Couldn't you make it something stronger than coffee?" Shuldig asked hopefully.
"Not while you're on duty. You know you can't drink while you're working."
"Who's working? It looks like it's going to snow again. Crawford, I-"
"Don't even think about it. I told you to dress warmly, didn't I? If you get cold tonight, it'll be your own fault."
"I dressed as warmly as I could. Any more layers and I would have been weighed down in the very unlikely event that trouble had come to us. Now I'm freezing." He paced up and down the path, trying to warm himself. "Stupid stupid parties." Shuldig groaned as he felt a large snowflake land on the tip of his nose. "It's snowing. Do you see that Crawford?" But Crawford was either ignoring him, blocking him, or too involved with something else to pay any attention to him. "Great, looks like it's just me left talking to the snow." He leaned against the tree again.
It was dawn before the last of the guests had gone home and Crawford made his first trip outside since midnight, when he had sneaked away to give Shuldig his much needed insulate mug of coffee and thermos of soup. The snow had turned from fluffy to wet, cold and sticky in that time, and Shuldig was trying to get warm by pulling his green blazer tighter around his body. Crawford heaved a heavy sigh and reluctantly pulled his own winter jacket off, handing it to his teammate. "Come on, Shuldig, let's go home."
Nagi was just getting up to eat breakfast when he heard the door slam and loud, wet sounding sneezes, punctuated by a string of obscenities filled the living room. "I take it the party went well." He stated in his flat voice. Shuldig glared at him, making a rude gesture as he did so. "I don't think that was called for."
Crawford rolled his eyes, "If I were you Shuldig, I'd stop wasting my time arguing with a child and go get a hot shower. You look as if you're freezing."
Shuldig followed his advice, coming down a good half hour later, his skin pink from the water being as hot as he could stand it. He flopped down at his favorite desk and just sat and watched Nagi tinker around with his computer. He sniffed absently, rubbing his nose as he did so. "Heh-Chhtt! Heh-Chhhtt!" He searched his pockets for a tissue, handkerchief or something. His sneezes were usually not very loud, but sometimes had a tendency to be on the messy side. Nagi looked sideways at him, but chose not to say anything about it. Crawford, seeing the problem, silently passed him the handkerchief from his immaculate white linen suit. "Thank you, I seem to have mislaid mine." He brought the white cloth to his face, "Heh-heh-hehchhhtt! Chhhtt! Heh-ECChhtt!" He blew his nose quietly, irritating it more in the process, "Heh-Chhhtt!"
"You always seem to be `mislaying' something or another." Crawford raised his hand when Shuldig tried to hand it back, "keep it, I have more."
Shuldig nodded his thanks, giving his nose another wipe in the process. "I really should get another package, I think Nagi must be taking mine while I'm busy doing something else."
"Really Shuldig, why would I do something as foolish as that? You should just admit that you seem to have a tendency to lose or misplace things. Your mind is always elsewhere, in everyone else's thoughts. You never give your own thoughts a chance to be heard."
"How insightful. Mind your own business!" Shuldig snapped at him, ruder than he usually was to the boy. He knew he shouldn't start something with him, but his head hurt and his nose was tickling him again. The sooner everyone just let his cold run its course in peace, the better everyone would be, in his opinion, anyway.
Nagi scowled at him and thought things that shouldn't be uttered. Crawford looked up from the paperwork he was doing and pushed his glasses more securely on his nose, raising an eyebrow slightly at the normally imperturbable telepath. "Shuldig, perhaps it would be best for all involved if you went to bed now."
The tone of Crawford's voice irked him even more. It was the tone that he used to use when Nagi was much younger and had gotten into trouble, and it was the voice that he used when Farfarello had caused some major disaster or mischief, and needed to be punished. It was NOT the tone of voice that was EVER to be used on him. Shuldig just glared at Crawford, resting his chin on his hand, drumming his fingers absently on his cheek. If he did go to bed, it would be because he wanted to, not because he had been ordered to. "Heh-echhuu! Echhhtt! Heh-eh-ehschhuuu!" He quickly brought the handkerchief up to his nose and tried desperately to muffle his sneezing. "Heh-chumf! Chhtt! Kechhhhuuuu!"
"Gesundheit." Crawford decided to change his tactics. Ordering and threatening only served to make Shuldig angrier. "Are you sure you don't want to go lie down for a while? You're really no good to us like this. You need to be at the top of your game, you know." Shuldig raised his eyebrows but didn't protest. Crawford took that as a signal to go on. "Either Nagi or I will be in later with a cup of tea. No nothing stronger. Alcohol can actually make a cold worse."
Shuldig got up from his desk and, not exactly shuffling, but coming as close to it as his normally graceful body could, went out of the room. Nagi turned to Crawford, "do you think he'll sleep?"
Crawford nodded, "Yes, I do. He was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open. He just didn't want to admit it. He's getting sick, that's another thing he doesn't want to own up to. He sees sickness as a form of weakness." He looked exasperated, "I suppose it's not, but it IS very inconvenient. What if Mr. Takatori wants all of us to go with him somewhere? We can't show up one man short."
"You'll just have to make sure that Shuldig gets better in a reasonable amount of time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some studying to do." With that, Nagi left the room as well, leaving Crawford alone with his thoughts.
"Eh-Cchhtt! Eh-eh-ehchhhttt! Eh-chuuu! CHUUUU!" Shuldig miserably blew his nose again. He couldn't seem to stop sneezing and oh, but his nose was sore. He hated being sick. Hated everything that went with it. Sure the symptoms were bad, but what he really disliked was all the unwanted attention and fake sympathy it brought him. "Speaking of false sympathy." He thought to himself when he heard a tapping on his door. "Yeah?" He tried to sound as if he was feeling fine, which was far from the truth.
"It's me, may I come in?" Crawford was turning the handle even as he spoke.
Shuldig resisted the urge to ask, "Who's me?" He just wasn't up for joking around. "Sure, come on in." Crawford looked around the floor in distaste; already it was cluttered with crumpled up wads of toilet paper that he had been using in place of tissues or handkerchiefs.
"Here, I brought you a cup of tea. Careful, it's still hot." Shuldig nodded gratefully and took it, wrapping his long fingers around the mug. "You look tired, go to sleep." Crawford turned and left the room. Shuldig sat up and sipped the drink slowly. Partly because it was still hot, and partly because he was letting the steam work on his sinuses, which were starting to hurt like mad. To his surprise, Crawford returned a few minutes later with a box of tissues and a package of handkerchiefs. "Here, no use wasting perfectly good toilet paper. I don't think that using it will do you any favors, anyway." He tossed them on the bed casually. "I need to let Mr. Takatori know that you are ill. He should know, in case he needs you for something."
Shuldig looked up at Crawford. "What do you care, as long as- as- Eh-Ichhttt! Chhhhtt! Chhtt! Keh-Chhhtttt! Eh-shuuu! Excuse me, as long as I get my share of the work done?" He helped himself to three tissues and blew his nose softly. Despite the fact that he never blew it hard, it was already turning reddish and sore from constant wiping.
"I `care' as you say, because I don't want you getting any worse. Do you think we could stand to have you out of commission for any prolonged length of time? You are necessary and useful. Nagi is still only a boy, and Farfarello is very unreliable. Get some rest. I'm going to sleep myself; I'm a bit tired. Let Nagi know if you need anything. I don't want you to get up if you can help it." Crawford stifled a yawn as he left the room.
Shuldig sat up in bed. He had been exhausted not too long ago, but now he was awake. Awake and beginning to feel very congested. He blew his nose yet again, absently wondering how it happened that a person's nose could be completely stuffed up, but run at the same time. He wasn't completely stuffed up yet, and hoped that he wouldn't be, but it was still interesting to think about these things. It kept his mind occupied. His mind always had to be doing something, if it wasn't he'd go insane. At that thought he chuckled to himself. "What IS sanity, after all? Someone out there might think that Farfarello was the sanest of beings and Crawford a nut-job. Viewpoints, that's all it boils down to, viewpoints." He sneezed, blew his nose and then wondered if he'd always been philosophical when he was sick, or if this was just a recent development. He hoped it was the former; he didn't want to be going strange later in life. "Heh-echhttt! Ah-chhtt! Eh-Chhttuu! How did this happen to me? I hate being sick. Next time Crawford can just stand outside in the bad weather himself. Eh-Chhuuu!" He had been feeling a bit poorly before the assignment, but that crap about spending ten hours in the heavy snow was too much. He lay back down, suddenly tired again. Pulling the blanket tightly around him, he sniffled, feeling sicker by the minute. "Why does Crawford have to be such a creep all the time? Would it kill him to say a word of kindness every once in a while? Or even smile? I can't remember the last time I saw him smile." He chuckled to himself suddenly, "there are those viewpoints again. I just can't seem to get away from them. He basically saved Nagi's life, so Nagi probably thinks that he is the best person in the world. Me, I joined up with them because it seemed like a good idea at the time, and still does, don't get me wrong." He sniffled and blew his sore nose again. "I feel awful."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Nagi said tonelessly. He handed him another cup of tea and sat down on the chair near the bed. "Crawford asked me to keep an eye on you while he sleeps, get you anything you need, things like that. Do you need anything?"
He shook his head, "no, thank you anyway." He vaguely wondered why the kid was being so nice to him. It wasn't like Crawford to have someone look after someone else. Every man for himself seemed to be an unspoken code. He shut his eyes, wishing that sleep would come easily and soon.
He must have fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes the sun was setting. He pushed himself up out of bed to look at it. It had been so long since he had actually taken the time out of his busy day to watch a sunset. He grabbed his blanket from off the bed. A tapping noise interrupted his thoughts, which were quiet, for once. "Come in." He didn't take his eyes off the piece of sky.
Crawford, who still didn't look as well rested as he might, pushed the door open. "Oh, I thought you would be in bed."
"I was, I just now got up."
"I see. Here, I thought you might want to eat some soup before you go to bed for the night. I didn't make it, it's from a cup, but I still think it tastes alright." Curiously, he joined Shuldig at the window. "What are you looking at?"
"I'm watching the sunset. I like it." He rubbed at his nose, sniffling. "I never seem to find time for anything anymore. Huh-Chhttt! Heh-CHHtttt! Heh-Heh-CHHHttt! Uh-CCHHHtttt!" He sniffed again and tried to blow his nose, making his ears pop painfully.
To his surprise, Crawford began to look too. "It's nice, isn't it? I used to like to do this myself. Eat your soup before it gets cold. It stops being so effective when it gets cold."
Shuldig nodded and headed back to his bed. He was feeling ill again, anyway, and figured that standing up in the nippy air, even with a blanket on, wasn't doing his cold any favors at all. He wiped at his nose, wishing that it would all just go away. Miraculously go away. He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was cold despite the fact that the room was heated and the said hand had been holding a warm cup of soup. Crawford passed him another box of tissues. Shuldig couldn't swear to it, but a warm, almost sympathetic gleam seemed to flicker in his eyes. He then decided that his illness was playing tricks on him, because when he looked again, the only thing there was coldness. "Thanks. I'll let you know as soon as I feel better. You should leave, I don't want you to get sick too." He inwardly shuttered at the thought. Shuldig had seen Crawford sick a few times, and it wasn't pretty. He was cranky and demanding. Well more so than he usually was.
A ghost of a smile flickered across Crawford's face, "Let me worry about that. I'll be in to check on you from time to time. I think you need it, as I said before, you're no good to us sick." He waited patiently until Shuldig was done with his soup, and then arranged the blankets more securely. Crawford placed a cool hand on Shuldig forehead. "You're very warm, I'm going to go get the thermometer." He left the room and was back shortly, shaking the instrument down. "Here, now don't talk." Shuldig nodded but his nose had other ideas, he felt a sneeze coming on. Placing a finger under his nose, he sniffled, trying to will it back. Crawford saw the problem, "Can you hold it back for just another minute or so?" There was an almost human kindness in the way he spoke to him. Shuldig nodded weakly.
Crawford quickly took the thermometer out of his mouth. "Heh- CCCHHtttt! Eh-chhhtttt! Chhhttt! Uh-heh-ccchhttttt! Eh-CHHHTTTT!" He blew his nose softly, raising red, tired eyes at his leader.
"Well, you have a fever, it's 103. Sleep, now."
Shuldig let his eyelids droop. Within minutes, he was fast asleep, drooling a bit on his pillow.
"Heh-Chhhttttt! Heh-CCCHHttttt! Heh-CCCHHHHHtttttt! Chhhtttt! Eh-CCCHHHtttt!" He woke himself up a few hours later. He groaned to himself, "What time is it?" He asked no one in particular, straining to look at his clock.
"Don't do that. It's one AM." An almost gentle voice told him, washing his forehead with a cool damp washcloth. "Your fever's up."
Shuldig opened his eyes a bit and found himself looking up at Crawford. "What are you doing in here?" He croaked.
"I've been in here since you fell asleep. You really looked as if you were feeling terrible, so I thought that I'd better stay. Is there anything that you need or want?"
He shook his head, and tried to reach for a tissue, falling short of his goal. Crawford pushed one into his hand. "Thanks. Heh- ECHHHttttt! Eh-CHHHTttttt! CCCHHHttttt! Chhhttt!"
"Gesundheit. I'm going to go get you something for your cold. It'll help you sleep, too." Crawford came back with some aspirin and green liquid. "Take these," he handed the pills to Shuldig and gave him some water. "Now this," he gave him the plastic cup, which Shuldig really did not want drink.
"It seems to me that I've had this stuff before, it tastes bad."
"Do you want to get better or do you want to be sick longer? In order to get better you need to sleep, and you can't sleep if your symptoms are bothering you." Crawford's brown eyes seemed to pierce through him. Shuldig sighed, took the little cup and drained it. "Good, now go to sleep."
Shuldig's eyes closed while Crawford was talking. It felt good to be cared for even when the person who was doing the caring was the last one he would ever expect. Maybe, just MAYBE Crawford wasn't as evil and cold as he would have him believe.
The End
Don't own them, never will, wish I did. A/N: I have only ever seen the original Weiss Kreuz, never Gluhen. I don't even know where to find it; none of the specialty stores where I live carry it.