Chapter Text
1.
Green woke up freezing. His teeth chattering and shivering. His small body was aching all over he softly called for his mommy several times before remembering, no she wouldn’t be coming to take care of him, she wouldn’t be coming ever again. It had been six month since she and his daddy had died, and now 5…no, 6 (his birthday was only 2 weeks ago) year old Green Oak lived with his grandfather, the professor.
Pulling his comforter tighter around him and grabbing the eevee plush he always slept with closer, Green contemplated what to do now. He was sick, that much he knew. It was a Saturday, he had played with Red for a tiny bit in the morning then decided to go home and take a nap, he was just so tired. Red being Red just shrugged and went back home. The snorlax clock on his bedside table said 3:52 pm, he was smart he could tell time! It was the afternoon, he’d been asleep for almost 4 hours! He felt terrible.
The last time he had been sick was several weeks before the car accident that took his mommy and daddy from him. His mommy had said he had a fever, he felt then like he did now. So he must have a fever again. She had given him pink sugary medicine that tasted pretty gross but she rubbed his back and sang him songs while he waited for the medicine to work. His daddy had come home from work and brought the eevee plush he was cuddling now telling him that eevee would help him get better before taking mommy’s place and telling him stories about pokemon until he fell asleep. Tears fell out of his big green eyes, he missed them so much. It wasn’t fair! His mommy and daddy were the best! Why did they have to leave! Why were they taken from him!
The clock said 4:39 and Green just felt worse. His head was pounding and it felt colder, he wanted to get up and get help but his body was tired, and who would take care of him anyway? It had only been 6 months but Green had long since figured out that his grandfather did not particularly care for Green. He seemed to adore Daisy, she could do no wrong, even when she left her backpack downstairs Gramps would just ruffle her hair and tease her about being forgetful then pull out a piece of candy from his lab coat. Green on the other hand would get yelled at for anything. Where Daisy was forgetful and silly, Green was spoiled and a brat. Green tried his hardest to make his grandfather like him but nothing seemed to work.
Green knew his grandfather would just be mad if Green came to him sick he’d probably get grounded and yelled at and maybe no supper either. So going to gramps was out. Daisy was probably home by now, but she never wanted to talk to Green anymore. She called him a cry baby and made him pretend they weren’t brother and sister at school when they’d see each other on the playground. Before their mommy and daddy left them, Daisy had always doted on Green, treating him like her little doll. Daisy was Green’s third favorite person, mommy first and daddy second, then Daisy, still good rankings! But now Daisy seemed to hate him just like their grandfather. Green didn’t understand grief at his young age or the way it could change people.
The other option was their next door neighbors, Red and his mom. When Daisy and Green had moved in with their grandfather, Green was so nervous he wasn’t going to make any friends and the other kids would tease him for his mommy and daddy being gone. Unfortunately Green was right and kids in his class called him an orphan and laughed at him when he’d start to cry, the teacher even called him a cry baby, not Red though. Sure Red didn’t talk but he always sat next to Green and offered to play with him on the playground. The other kids were mean to Red because he couldn’t talk well, but Green didn’t care because he and Red were friends! Red’s mom was extra nice too, always giving Green big hugs and putting bandages on the little cuts he and Red would get while exploring. He knew if he could make it to their house she would take care of him, but that was a far way to walk when Green felt as bad as he did, plus he could get them sick! He couldn’t get his only friend and his nice mommy sick, that would just be mean.
When Green had last been sick he remembered his sister wanting to come play doctor to help him feel better, but their mommy had said no, that Green might be contagious, a big word that Green had his daddy explain what it meant, so Daisy had to pout in the other room away from her precious baby brother. Green couldn’t get Red sick, Red was his best friend! Green wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt if Red got sick because of him.
So the only person who could help Green was Green. Pulling eevee closer to his chest for comfort and strength, because daddy had said eevee was good at that, Green pushed off his comforter and slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. He sat up gingerly, his head pounding with the effort. It was so much colder without the big blanket on. Green knew the sooner he got to the bathroom the sooner he could get under the blanket again. He stood up carefully using the side of the bed to hold himself. He felt like he was a pokemon who just lost a battle. He used the wall as support to quietly tip toe out of his room and down the hall to the bathroom. He was afraid if he was too loud his sister or the professor would hear him then come and yell and his head already hurt so bad.
The bathroom lights stung his eyes. He rested his back on the closed bathroom door for several minutes, breathing heavily, legs like jell-o, clinging to eevee, eyes shut tight. When he finally opened his eyes he saw what he had come all the way here for, the medicine cabinet over the toilet. He sat eevee down on the counter and had her face away from him, just in case he fell and hurt himself, he didn’t want her seeing that. He sat the lid of the toilet down and crawled up using the back of the toilet to help hold himself. He pried open the doors and peaked inside.
He remembered helping Daisy unpack the box with all of their kid medicine from home. He knew which box to look for with the sugary medicine. Once he found it he felt slightly stronger, his first achievement on his own. He carefully, quietly closed the door, and climbed down from the top of the toilet. He grabbed eevee and used her to hide the box against his chest.
He opened the door to the bathroom and was greeted by his sister who was on her way to use the restroom. He froze for just a second before mustering the rest of his strength to quickly leave. Daisy looked him over and a look of concern crossing her features before schooling it back to the disdain Green had come to associate his beloved big sister with.
“What are you up to, brat?” She sneered. Green flinched, then whispered back, “nothing, sorry.”
Upon hearing his weak voice, the look of concern came back and she went to grab his arm then jerked back after touching him.
“Arceus Green! You’re burning up. Are running a temperature?” She asked, putting the back of her hand on Green’s forehead just like she saw their mommy do when they were sick.
“M…Maybe. Please don’t tell Gramps! He’ll be really mad at me! Please, Daisy? Please? I don’t feel good and I don’t want to get into trouble!” Green’s voice was barely a whisper but he sounded so desperate, something broke inside of Daisy.
“Okay, Green. I won’t tell him, go lay down and sleep, if you’re still feeling bad in the morning we will have to tell him so you can go to the doctor.” Green nodded then walked as quickly as he could back to his room. He had to take the medicine and get better tonight or else he’d be in big trouble tomorrow.
Sitting on his bed now covered again in his blanket Green got to work figuring out how to take the medicine. Green was 6 so he knew how to read, but the letters on the box were so small and there were lots of words he didn’t know and his head felt so fuzzy from the fever, he was at a loss at what to do.
At the center of the box sat a square with numbers at the top of the numbers was one side reading age and the other side reading dosage, Green knew what age was but didn’t know what dosage was, he saw 6-11. That was him! He was 6! The number on the dosage side said 10mL. Green wasn’t sure what to do with that information but he knew it was important to his quest! He opened the box and there was the little pusher thing his mom had used to get him the medicine last time he took it. He thought back hard to how she did it and copied by sticking the pusher thing into the bottle of medicine then pulling the pusher thing to the end. He saw the liquid fill up. He was so happy! He did it! He figured out how to get the medicine out. Now how much did he need?
He noticed numbers on the pusher thing, it went from 1mL to 10mL, wait, 10mL that’s what the box said for 6 year olds! The little thing filled with the medicine was at 10mL. Perfect. Green put the push thing in his mouth, took a deep breath and then pushed as hard as he could and the sugary pink liquid shot into his mouth. He swallowed all of it then closed the medicine and put the pushy thing back in the box before hiding it in his bedside drawer in case his grandfather came in. He laid back under the covers and pulled eevee close.
“Thanks girl, for taking care of me.” Green kissed his plush and closed his eyes.
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The next morning Green was fever free and feeling much more lively. He was surprised when Daisy had come into his room and sat next to him in the morning, she had rubbed his back and asked how he felt, he told her he felt better and she smiled at him. Then she promised to make breakfast.
From that point on Daisy went back to treating Green like someone she cherished instead of
A caterpie that she wanted to get rid of. This isn't to say that the pair didn’t fight or argue, they were siblings after all, but Daisy remembered how much she loved her brother. Their grandfather of course never heard of the incident, but Daisy did start sticking up for her brother more after that.