This fiction is based on The Culture Bats:
http://www.twisteaux.com/
And for any of you understandably confused by their names see
here:
http://www.twisteaux.com/profiles.shtml
The Pox
By Evan
LJ had been waiting outside the bathroom for 30 minutes.
They had two bathrooms in the entire loft. (Technically three but one had been partially destroyed during the latest loft party when someone tried to flush the shattered remains of the television that somehow was tossed out a window then brought back inside)
One bathroom had LL in it with the sound of a hair dryer which meant hours of preening was still left to be done. The other was where JJ had disappeared 30 minutes ago with silence.
LJ opted that JJ was a better chance or otherwise the ficus in the living room was his only other choice?
He knocked, crossing his legs and leaning into the door. "JJ, let me in." He hoped he sounded stern and not desperate.
"No." Came the simple answer.
"You have to." LJ told him.
"Piss off!"
LJ had no choice. With one good shoulder to the door and his hand on the door knob, the flimsy door lock snapped and the door swung open. JJ was at the mirror, studying himself very closely. He had several magnify mirrors propped up around him on the counter, and even a hand held compact. He only sighed when LJ hurried past while he fumbled with his button fly.
JJ glanced at him in the mirror while he relieved himself. "You are so rude!"
LJ shrugged. By the time he was done, which was quite some time later, he was finally in the right state of mind to ask what he had wanted to in the first place.
"What are you doing?"
JJ sighed and dabbed a small sponge into some cover up makeup and touched it to his face. He looked at his work from several different angles while switching the lights back on and off before he turned to answer LJ's question.
"I have a spot."
LJ leaned in closer. "Oh yes, you do!"
JJ frowned. "I am TRYING to cover it up!!"
"You have another one right there!" LJ pointed.
"What!?" JJ's voice rose in panic has his compact flashed back and forth to find the next offender.
"And one there, and over there." LJ said pulling down the back of JJ's collar and looking at his neck. "You have lots of them."
Speechless, JJ absently scratched at his arm, his eyes wide with horror.
"These aren't spots Joey." LJ said pressing the back of his hand to JJ's forehead.
Joey's voice was small as he dropped the compact into the sink. "What do you mean?"
"You have a fever." LJ informed him.
"Wh-what?" JJ was hugging himself.
LJ put an arm around JJ's shoulders. "You better cancel any plans you have for this week."
JJ blinked.
Twist was having trouble concentrating. That was not saying much unto itself but today he was having more trouble than usual. The room seemed too drafty and everyone's voices were much too loud.
LL was talking. "DO you mean Black Plague pox, or like that business over in the states with the little ground monkey hogs or some such-"
"He has the chicken pox." JL told them. "I have checked all of your records and you've all stated you've had it before so you should be fine."
Twist nodded off for a moment but when he almost slipped out of his chair he was startled awake. Everyone was staring at him. JL was staring with quite the least subtlety.
Twist straightened his back and tried to look casual and not shiver. "Hey yes, chickens. What was this now?"
"Twist," JL began, "Your file says that you indicated you have had the chicken-"
"Sure." Twist said as he rubbed at his bleary eyes. "Why even ask me, I have chicken all of the time? How many times have you lot heard me order Pad Thai-" Twist sneezed.
"Oh brother." LJ sighed.
JJ had been sequestered to his room rather than let roam the countryside and infect others. It was only a week but barely a day had gone by and he was going out of his mind. He poked Kitty's sleeping side and watched her roll over.
He tried sitting in the centre of his bed in the lotus position and breathed slowly in and out.
"I must not scratch. I must not scratch. I must not scratch? I must not scratch! Oh no, I must not? That would be a bad thing. I MUST NOT....AGHHHHH!!"
JJ scratched. He rubbed against his bed posts. He rolled against the walls. JJ was digging in his drawers for something sharp when his door open just enough to allow a person.
Twist was shoved in and then the door slammed shut again.
Holding nothing but a pillow, he stood in his pleather trousers and a sweater hopelessly too large which JJ was certain he'd seen LJ wearing before. Twist looked very extremely unhappy.
Somehow, JJ was slighty more unhappy. "Hello? SICK person here! Get OUT!!" JJ tossed the nearest thing at Twist's head which happened to be a pink rubber Hello Kitty toy of dubious uses.
Twist ducked the assault and managed to look guilty. "I have to stay in here with you. I'm-I'm dying!!!"
JJ eyed him. "What's wrong with your bedroom! Leave me alone!" He armed himself with a stapler.
"I don't know, JL told me I had to stay in here!" Twist explained. "And hey wait, he said YOU gave it to me! You gave me this hideous disease!"
JJ flooped onto his plushie littered bed and yanked the warm and soft down comforter over his head while he shivered and itched. "Oh be quiet, you once gave me bloody crabs!"
"Did not." Twist said meekly as he put his pillow down on the floor and lay down on it, bunching his hands into the sweater sleeves and curling into a ball.
JJ curtly flipped the comforter back off of his head to look down at Twist angrily. "You do not even have a blanket?!"
Twist, his back to him, shook his head no.
JJ sighed.
"Did you take something for your fever?"
"I do-do not have a fev-fever." Twist mumbled.
JJ flipped his precious down comforter off and draped it over Twist then pulled a much more comfortable soft but heavy knitted pink and baby blue blanket up under his chin.
"Dying." Twist insisted weakly as he burrowed under the goose down cover.
"I'm dying more?" JJ murmured sleepily.
"No." Twist said half to sleep."I am."
"Me."
"No, me."
".....me.."
".......noo me...."
They slept.