Illness Didn't Stop Me

[Nobody Marsters]

Months had passed since Nobody had left, she had fainted in class long ago, only to wake up two weeks later in a hospital bed. She didn't know what was making her sick, but she had suffered it's wrath. The doctors had told her it was severe anemia, and her tribe's diet had made her sick. Then she was kept there to feed her the proteins she needed, but she kept getting sick. He body hadn't been accustomed to those foods. Throughout the entire sickness, only one person wrote her enough to be considered there for her. Yosif Olaf, whom she was now sure she was in love with. Of course, Nobody could never tell him that. She couldn't ruin what they had if they were just friends.

Nobody had came back to the school for her last year, having been taught in the hospital, and doing what she could to pass the classes. She was pale and thin, thinner than what would be healthy. She still had some bandages on her arms and neck from getting injured during her learning at the hospital. She wasn't going to let that stop her though. She was going to walk up to Yosif, and greet him with the hug that he deserved. He had sent her letters every day, and she had never forgotten what he was like outside of his letters. His nervous habits, his blushing, his clumsiness. She smiled slightly as she walked slowly through the halls. She had picked out an outfit that she thought Yosif might like; that she hoped he'd like. She got to the big doors that lead to the great hall, but didn't come into view of anyone.

This was it, her big introduction, the chance she'd have to see Yosif. She smiled to herself, and worked out what she'd say. She then rounded the corner. No one seemed to notice her, adn she walked up behind him silently. "Yosif?" She asked, hoping it was him, and not his twin.

 

[Yosif Olaf]

Yosif stood there, glowering at the boy opposite- a gormless bulk who aided his brother in intimidating the smaller students. The gormless bulk, whose name he did not know, and did not care to ask, had been boasting among the other students at the table, of his strength, saying how he could pummel anyone into the ground. "Tell me who to beat up, and I'll show you." he said with a meaty grin. People started throwing out names of students for him to bully. They laughed as each name came out. Yulian, who had been caught up in detention, strode over to the gormless bulk, grinning across the table at his twin brother. He leant in to whisper something to the bulk. The beast of a boy gave a loud, thunderous laugh. Yosif didn't like this one bit. He had been happily enjoying his meal (though he had barely picked at it) up until now, but suddenly he could feel the air changing, and the hairs on the back of his neck, stood up. He stared at his brother. "What did you tell him?" he asked, trying to remain calm. Yulian smiled nastily. "Oh, I don't know," he began, landing a foot on the bench and proudly leaning against it like he ruled the place, "just that nobody should get hurt." He laughed cruelly.

Yosif was just about sick and tired of his brother's behaviour. Of course it hadn't gone unnoticed that Yosif spent every day with a quill in his hand, writing to the girl he secretly could not rid his mind of. Yosif had hoped that their punch up at the wedding had been enough to scare off Yulian, but it hadn't. He balled up his fists, telling himself to calm down. He didn't want to risk getting kicked out in his final year. Yulian seemed to have noticed the twitch of Yosif's eyelid, and he smiled even more. "Don't you agree, Yosif?" he asked his brother malevolently. The table gave a shudder as Yosif banged his knee on the underside, trying to stand up in a hurry. He sat back down. His brother, the bulk, and several others began to laugh. Yosif clambered out from the bench, fed up with his brother's taunting, and lurched across the table at him. Bedlam. The bulk's great ham of a fist, prevented Yosif from leaping straight across to Yulian. Yulian had cowered behind the bulk, and Yosif found his chosen path, blocked. The bulk gazed threateningly towards him, and Yosif backed off, resigning to stand in his place and simply stare at the monster boy, with anger.

It was probably a good thing that Yulian decided to stow a few bits of food in his bag, and scram, leading the bulk away with him. Yosif did not sit down. His chest heaved with the flood of adrenaline. He was fast becoming the more physically aggressive of the Olaf boys. Little Yosif.. Sweet little boy. His heart, which raced so fast one minute, nearly completely stopped, the next. He heard the feminine voice behind him, one that he had heard many nights in his dreams in which he was so often rescuing a damsel from a ferocious dragon with the same hairstyle as Yulian. Except the damsel wasn't just some girl; she was Nobody. He didn't dare to believe that she was back, but as he turned, all the adrenaline faded away, all the anger had subsided, and he was left with a peculiar, lopsided look as he took in exactly what she was wearing. His face reddened. "Nobody?" He said a little distantly, before his face cracked into a magnificent beaming smile. "You're back!" He wanted to hug her. He wanted to hug her. He really wanted to hug her. Friends could hug, couldn't they? That wouldn't be seen as him trying to make a move, would it? The last thing he wanted to do was ruin their friendship. So maybe a hug was okay? Should he hug her? He wanted to hug her. He really, really wanted to hug her.

He hugged her.

 

[Nobody Marsters]

Nobody may not have seen what transpired only moments before entering, but when Yosif turned around she knew something was up. Yosif was a sweet, gentle, and shy boy; at least he was when he left. Nobody noticed something different about him though, something that was stronger it seemed. She had seen the clenched fists, though she didn't know why they were that way. When Yosif turned around, she felt herself nearly floating. It started in her heart, and then into her stomach. She felt herself flash back to the first moment she had seen him. He was that boy across the library. The boy who would save her from everything that was around her. She remembered saying her name to him for the first time, how he hadn't minded it. She also remembered how as they talked, she realized he was a beautiful angel.

She felt stupid as her thoughts caught up to her. Was she really that ridiculous. She smiled at him when he said her name. That butterfly feeling made her weak in the knees. it felt like heaven when he said her name, and she wanted to hear her name from his lips for the rest of her life. She remembered when she was in a coma, how she had a long dream about him and her being together. She remembered him coming to her rescue from the man who had been tormenting her when she first came to school here. He came in and punched him once, then took her by the hand and led her off. He was her prince charming, the peanut butter to her jelly, and now... he was hugging her?

She froze for a moment, entirely unsure about what she should do. Slowly she wrapped her arms around his lithe form. She didn't know what else to do. She leaned her chin on his shoulder slightly, her entire body was warm. She didn't realize how good this moment would really feel. She did, however, realize that friends would hug too. She didn't know whether to take this as a sign on friendship or as more. She wanted to kiss him, but she couldn't, she knew she couldn't. She backed away from him slightly, enough to look in his eyes. "I'm back for good." She said with a smiling tone. She realized how much smaller than him she was, her sickness making her very thin. She only weighed 100 pound to maybe his 130 or 140. She felt small there, not moving her arms from around him. She wanted to stay there forever.

 

[Yosif Olaf]

Inevitably, the two broke apart, and Yosif looked her over with a smile. The anger had long since subsided, and he felt his stomach give a drawn out growl. He stared down at it in uncertainty. His eyebrows raised. "Are you hungry?" he asked Nobody, indicating that perhaps they should sit down and pack out their stomachs with the food of the table. He looked he over, taking in her new, skinny figure. There had never been that much of her, and now it seemed there was even less. Yosif couldn't help but find himself a little concerned as to her health. Then again, she had been very unwell for some time, and Yosif supposed that could be a strong contributing factor to one's sudden drop in weight. A part of his wanted to hug her and tell her it was alright, yet another part worried she was far too frail, and his newly powerful arms would snap her like a twig.

"I'm glad you're back," Yosif said, easing towards the table, his eyes flickering around to check that he wasn't about to get his head mashed in for rejoining after getting so angry, moments before. "I've missed you, and.." the words almost slipped through his lips. He forced back in. It wasn't right to ruin their friendship like this. It wasn't right to take advantage of the situation when he knew Nobody had only just recovered from being deadly ill. He wanted to take her by the hand and lead her to the bench, to seat themselves down, to pass her the food she craved to eat. But he couldn't. At least they had their friendship. At least he had something to keep himself from losing his mind.

 

[Nobody Marsters]

She didn't part from his gaze, and realizing that she had not yet dropped her arms, she pulled them away and grasped one arm behind her back with the other hand. She looked at the food. "You bet I'm hungry!" She exclaimed. She took a seat and started getting a little food on her plate. She had missed normal food. "All they seemed to feed me in the hospital was jello and some stuff from a bag into my veins." She waited for him to sit down, and looked at him once more. His hair had always looked cute, and soft. Oh what she wouldn't give to run her fingers through his hair. She looked at her plate, blushing at the thought of it. What would it be like? If they kissed? Would he be passionate, or shy, she wanted him to be her first kiss.

"Thank you." Nobody replied to his comment about being glad she was back. She felt her face heat up when he said that he'd missed her. Friends could miss each other, couldn't they? She wondered though, what he was trying to add on. "And what, Yosif?" She asked, her head tilted slightly to the side. She was curious to know what went on inside of his head. She thought he was staring at her, maybe thinking about her in a way friends didn't think about each other. She looked at her bony fingers and frowned slightly.

 

[Yosif Olaf]

Soundlessly, Yosif joined her at the bench and seated himself beside her. He didn't really know how to express the feelings bottled up inside of him. They'd been silently kept there for years, so why let them out of their cage, now? He stared down at the food he began to add to his plate. It was a smaller amount than he usually had, nerves shifting his appetite. "Nobody, I.." his throat grew dry and he almost choked, snatching up his goblet filled with pumpkin juice. He took a large swig, allowing himself the time to think of the words. The words did not come, however, and he was left in limbo with no choice other than to speak up and say things as they came. "We're good friends, aren't we?" He barely gave her the chance to answer. Yosif continued on. "Of course.. Yes.. I mean, we're great friends. And we've been very good friends for years, and I really do lov-enjoy your company, and spending time with you, and we get on really well and I've always liked you.. Uh.. As.. As a friend. But.. But in recent times I have started to wonder if maybe.. Um.. If maybe this.. This feeling of friendship is actually something.. Something a little more than just.. Well, friendship." Yosif had turned bright red. He quickly looked away from her face and took a sip of his pumpkin juice, mulling the words over in his mind.

In his opinion, he hadn't made it clear enough, and leaving it rocking like that could go either way. Maybe she'd get the wrong idea? Maybe she's think he was trying to say that he didn't want to be friends anymore? A note of panic hit Yosif's voice as he turned back to clarify his statement. "I.. I'm not trying to say we shouldn't be friends, not at all! I mean, I really.. I really do like you, and I've wanted to tell you for some time, but what with you being unwell, and so far away, I.. I kind of felt this was the sort of thing I should be saying to you, face to face, and not by some letter where you might get the.. The wrong idea.." He had realised he had no more clarified the subject than he had previously. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and trying again. "What I am really trying to say is that.. Well, I.. I like you as more than just a friend and.. And if you felt the same way, then maybe.. Maybe we.." he loosely gestured between them, looking helplessly into Nobody's eyes.<i></i>

 

[Nobody Marsters]

Nobody looked back at Yosif when he started to speak. She had picked up some vegetables off her plate and stuck them in her mouth. She chewed the food in her mouth slowly, savoring it as much as she could. She tasted everything and listened to his words. She swallowed hard, and then reached for the goblet in front of her. She drank some punch and tried to understand what he had to say. She had opened her mouth to answer his first question when he started talking again. She immediately closed it, only gathering bits and pieces of his stuttering. He was reiterating that they were friends, over and over again. Then Nobody saw his cheeks light up; the pieces were coming together in her mind, but was she correct. Could Yosif be saying something that Nobody had dreamed of for so long? Could he want more than friendship?

She was now holding her breath, Nobody didn't know what to think. She let her mind go blank, and the words that Yosif were saying hit her like a ton of bricks. She knew that it was the question, he couldn't ask over letters, that was a sign, right? When he gestured between the two, Nobody let her breath out silently, and then took another deep one in. "Yosif... I..." She couldn't find the words. She liked him too, and she just wanted to wrap him up in her arms. So she did. "I like you too." She said in a tiny voice. Nobody had never been this happy before, not once in her life. Yosif made her feel complete. Yosif made her feel like Somebody.

 

[Yosif Olaf]

Where did they go from here with their relationship? Where did things change? Yosif had never had a girlfriend, before. Come to think of it, he'd only really talked to one girl before Nobody, and she'd been someone promised to his brother, but that had all been put in the past. Things had changed. Yosif was glad he had been the less favoured twin, the one who was so frequently shunned aside, for had he been the highest valued one, he surely would have been married off once he had been of age. There was still a rumour within the family that Yulian was to be married off to some wealthy family. Yosif no longer cared for his brother's personal life- they had been distant for so long, what did it matter?

Yosif slid his arms around Nobody, holding her in close. She had said the things he had not quite managed to say, for her did love her. He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. What it was to feel love.. It was an overpowering fragrance of flourishing lilac puffs. It overwhelmed Yosif, buzzing through his veins, spinning his head and blurring his vision. The whole world seemed suddenly beautiful, and Nobody was even more magnificent. He knew, deep in his heart, exactly what he wanted, and come the time, he would have to face his greatest demon to get it; his father.

"Are we.. A.. Um.. Are we, you know.. Together, now?" Yosif looked hopefully into Nobody's eyes, still so uncertain of everything, still shaking and stammering.

 

[Nobody Marsters]

Nobody could admit to anyone that she had never been this happy. The illness had never taken over her completely, and the chains had been loosening from her slowly and surely; but now, they were broken. She felt freedom knowing that he was hers and she was his. He was her best friend, and Nobody felt it in her heart that this would never change. How could she have gotten so lucky? She didn't know what to do now, but she didn't care if she knew everything, or even anything. The only thing that could make this better was a diamond ring on her finger and also not having to leave her tribe. if they found out, she'd have to make a decision. Suddenly, she felt that happiness slip into a debate.

Nobody felt that arm around her, and allowed herself to put her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, and tried to keep the thoughts out of her mind. When Yosif asked her that question she hesitated. Was she going to end up hurting him; she prayed that she wouldn't. "Yes. We are..." She then looked around. "There's only one thing Yosif. We can't tell my sister." She didn't want to say it, but she did have to say it. She watched for his reaction, she waited for it so she could explain.