A/N: Hey guys, so... I know I said I'd update in 2 weeks... and uh... yeah... But here I am nevertheless! I've actually been sitting on this chapter for a while because I'm not entirely happy with it, but I don't know what else I can do to fix it. It isn't my best chapter, but oh wells... here it is anyway! Hopefully the AxC fluff will compensate for the poor quality!

And also, as a sidenote, I've noticed that the Gundam Seed community hasn't been very active lately. Not as many new fanfics are being published or continued. Makes me a little sad because I really love Gundam Seed and the AsuCaga pairing, so I really hope more fans out there will continue to contribute! (And not just AxC fanfics either, I enjoy anything as long as it's well-written and interesting!) It's starting to get lonely here... I miss you guys, come back! :(

Chapter 12: Fever

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November 25, 2011

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"You're Athrun Zala's girlfriend, right?"

"What?" Cagalli blinked, perplexed, at the apartment manager.

"You're Athrun Zala's girlfriend," he continued, not really listening, "Could you bring this package up to him? It's been sitting in my office for the past two weeks."

Before Cagalli could voice her vehement protests, he had already shoved a small brown box into her arms and ushered her out of the office.

…And that was how Cagalli ended up standing on Athrun's doorstep a few moments later, waiting for him to answer the door.

Cagalli groaned. She had been not-so-subtly avoiding Athrun the past week by declining all his attempts to take her out for dinner, responding to his texts with single word replies, and letting all his phone calls go to voice mail.

She was angry. Angry at him for kissing her like that and angry at herself for kissing him back like some panting, horny adolescent. She knew she was being passive aggressive, but it was nothing compared to what he had done to her in high school when he had basically ruined her life!

Okay, okay, so she was also being a little over-dramatic. But then again, if he hadn't been such a prick to her, she wouldn't have suffered from depression, her sophomore year grades wouldn't have dropped, and she fancied that she would've gotten into her top-choice college and then found a high-paying job instead of scraping by on the meager salary of a student teacher.

Not that being a teacher was completely horrible. The students were great. If only the pay were a tad bit higher and the parents weren't so aggravating...

The door suddenly swung open to reveal Athrun.

The sight of him made Cagalli stare.

Athrun looked out-of-sorts, and that was putting it nicely. If it weren't for his blatantly good looks, his current appearance was nearly unattractive.

With poorly-concealed disapproval, she ran her gaze down from his ruffled hair, his flushed and unshaven face, his bleary eyes, to rest on his shabby attire-an old pair of shorts and a ratty white undershirt.

But despite his substandard appearance, thought Cagalli, disgruntled and a tad bit disappointed, it was simply impossible for Athrun Zala to be anything less than panty-peeling hot.

His eyes widened. "Cagalli," he croaked in surprise and immediately erupted into a fit of coughs. He was obviously quite ill and Cagalli almost, almost felt worried, but she brushed the feeling aside.

"I'm just here to drop off your package," she said stiffly, handing it to him. She turned to leave, but Athrun quickly seized her hand in a hot, feverish grip.

"Cagalli," Athrun rasped.

Cagalli glared at him. "What?" she scowled, pulling away.

If she stayed a second longer she would start feeling sorry for him, and he was the absolute last creature in the universe that deserved her pity.

He gazed back down at her through maddeningly long lashes before finally croaking apprehensively, "Are you mad at me?"

Cagalli stared. Why was he asking her this now? Of course she was mad at him! She had never stopped being mad in the first place!

Upset, Cagalli shrugged her hand out of his grasp and turned to leave, but the action caused him to stumble and he had to lean on the wall to steady himself.

He looked so pitiful that Cagalli felt her resolve weaken. Before she knew what she was doing, she had grabbed him by the arm.

"You need to rest," she said firmly. She would just make sure he reached his bed safely and then she would leave, she told herself. She was simply being a responsible neighbor. She didn't need a death on her conscience, even if it was the death of the foulest being that ever walked the planet.

But a few moments later, she found herself tucking him into bed and then hunting around for a small towel to dampen and lay across his forehead.

He peered at her dimly from between heavy lids.

"Are you mad at me?" he repeated again. He reached up to brush his knuckles against her cheek, but she drew back. With a forlorn little sigh, he allowed his hand to drop limply back to his side.

Ignoring him, she pursed her lips and placed the towel across his sweat-glistened brow. She could feel his eyes on her face.

"What?" she frowned.

"Nothing," he replied.

-But then he added, "I haven't had someone do this for me in a long time."

With a pang, Cagalli recalled that his mother had passed away when he was quite young. The memory of his downcast face and moist eyes when he had told her, all those years ago, made her heart knot painfully and she could not prevent herself from reaching out and stroking his hair in an unusually tender gesture.

"That feels nice," he said, closing his eyes.

They stayed like that for a few moments, and he appeared to have drifted off to sleep. But then she remembered that she was supposed to be cold and distant, and she hurriedly withdrew her hand and stood up.

The movement stirred him half-awake and he made a noise of protest as he struggled to lift himself onto his elbows.

"Where are you going?" he mumbled groggily.

"Just going to make you something to eat. Go to sleep. I'll check on you later."

Nodding, he settled back again.

However, when she reached the door, he spoke up once more.

"I'm sorry," he uttered, so quietly that she thought she might have been hearing things.

She paused.

"What?"

She had to strain to hear his next words.

"I'm sorry for high school," he whispered hoarsely before immediately falling back into a feverish slumber.

Cagalli turned sharply to look at his sleeping form and felt a wave of irritation wash over her.

So he did know.

So then why was he telling her this now, she thought bitterly, when everything was already said and done and nothing more could be changed?

A/N: So, what did you think of this fluffy, drabbly filler-chapter? Read and review! And thanks for the reviews for the last chapter! I try to reply to all of them, and I appreciate your support!

Next up: More AxC interaction that'll move the story along a little more (though keep in mind this is slice-of-life, so don't expect anything too dramatic)!

...And one other thing I'd like to add is that I won't be able to update as often anymore, though I'll try my best. I just started medical school and it's been super busy and hectic and it's killing me. But writing is a great stress reliever, and I really do enjoy it so I'll try my best to continue updating my fics regularly.

Til next time!