It happened again.

That goddamned nightmare. Just like days before, you woke up to find yourself cramped inside a tiny space - only this time, you were completely incapacitated. Your ability to struggle and fight against the pressure of the walls closing in on you ceased, leaving you to accept your miserable fate in bated breath. You knew exactly what was to happen. You had had the dream many times before.

Suddenly, a shift happened. It rumbled beneath you like the foreshock of an earthquake. Inch by inch the walls and ceiling moved inward, smushing against your face, squeezing every ounce of fat and tissue on your body until it felt like you'd burst. Gasping for air, you screamed and begged for release. Praying that some outside entity would grant you mercy. But no such thing happened. The enclosure continued. Flesh popping, bones snapping. Your body twisted and contorted to fit a space that no longer existed.

And through it all, you heard the voice of an angel. Muffled and soft. It reached out to you, offering words of comfort, encouragement and kindness. Telling you it was all going to be okay. A tone so gentle it was barely above a sigh, as though it feared to disturb the quiet. But then, if this really was an angel, why were you hearing in the deepest depths of hell?

And why did this voice terrify you more than the crushing pressure against your body?

Before you had time to contemplate, the inevitable happened. What remained of your highly distorted entanglement ceased to exist. An immediate heavy clamp chomped down on you, bursting your ear drums with a loud, wet squelch. A resounding finish to your slow demise.

You woke up for real this time, panting and marinating in a pool of your own sweat. The duvet covers had somehow made it over your head, smothering you while you slept. It was no wonder why you were struggling to breathe so much during your dreams. You ripped the sheets of you and inhaled the cool bedroom air, letting it fill and cleanse your lungs. You sighed, satisfied. Your overwhelming sickness had disappeared.

It must have been a forty-eight hour bug sort of thing. During that time, you had felt yourself on the edge of death. Your existence had become entirely trapped in a cycle of tossing and turning in bed and then rushing to the bathroom to vomit. By the end of it, you didn't even have anything in your system to purge anymore, so you were essentially just coughing up sour, yellow bile. Your throat burning and eyes watered. Did you eat something bad or was it just bad luck? Well, whatever. It didn't matter anymore. You were finally free from your treacherous ailment.

Kitty, of course, had remained by your side throughout the whole ordeal. Not in person, obviously, but over countless voice calls. He insisted on keeping you company as you wouldn't let him come visit to take care of you. You begrudgingly accepted, though, you weren't convinced that this would make you feel a whole lot better. I mean, when you're suffering through one of the worst migraines of your life, you probably don't want to hear some guy yammering to you about the first thing that comes to his head over the phone. You were wrong though.

Maybe it was his soothing voice. Maybe it was just the fact that he cared enough to stay on call with you for a hours while you suffered. You couldn't pinpoint the exact thing it was but having Kitty there did actually make you feel a bit better. He was like a lifeline, there for you in case things took a turn for the worse. Kitty did his best to comfort you: reading you bedtime stories, feeding you tidbits of gossip from his day-to-day life, talking about all the things he wanted to do with you once you two finally meet in real life, listing useless but interesting facts. It was actually pretty impressive how he was able to yap endlessly without getting bored.

Admittedly, you didn't really comprehend everything he was saying - you couldn't, even if you wanted to. Your mind picked up on a few bits here and there but, for the majority of the fever, you were beyond understanding menial chatter. It became more like asmr background noise for you to pass out to after vomiting your entire guts out. And that was okay! For that's all that Kitty wanted; to be there for you.

It's too bad his lovely voice couldn't save you from the repetitive nightmares you were having.

After showering and tossing your gross, sweaty pyjamas and bedding into the washing machine, you decided to check in on Kitty to see what he was up to.

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Yin Hello I live

Kitty YIN!? ( ˶o˶˶o˶) !! It's been days!! Are you feeling better now?! ദ്ദി (ᵒ̴̶̷᷄﹏ᵒ̴̶̷᷅) I missed you so so much. ('･ω･') I was really considering finding your address just to make sure everything was okay but I know you asked me not to do that. (◞ ⸝⸝ ◟ ) So I tried hard not to.

Yin Thanks for not breaking into my home And yes, I am better now (• 𐃷 •)

Kitty ( ∩'͈ ᐜ '͈∩) I'm so happy! You're so brave and strong, Yin ✿ I should have known you'd be able to make it through all by yourself. You truly are amazing. Though, I'd still have liked to take care of you myself ('・ω・｀) Maybe next time, I will.

Yin I guess my immune system is pretty awesome. Thank you for keeping me company while I was icky and gross. Sorry if it was boring.

Kitty Why would it be boring? I love talking to Yin. It is my favourite thing. ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

Yin Really? Even when I don't respond?

Kitty Yes! (⭑•͈ 𓎟 •͈ ) Just knowing that I was helping you in some way is enough to make me happy. (⸝⸝⸝╸﹏╺⸝⸝⸝) I'm so glad you're feeling better now, Yin. What will you do now? ('｡• ω •｡')

Yin Well I've got a class this afternoon so I'm gonna try go to that.

Kitty Oh that? You've only just recovered from your illness. You should stay inside for a bit longer.

Yin I wish I could but I've already missed several classes. I cba to catch up with a week's worth of notes so I'l just go and get it over with.

Kitty I see. If you insist. (･ω･) Just remember to be careful on your way to school (ᵔ◡ᵔ) It's getting pretty icy. Stay safe, Yin. ( '• ω • ')

Yin You too!

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