The “sick but caretaker doesn’t believe them” troupe has been absolutely stuck in my mind!!
I keep thinking of a scenario where Wen/Vin have a bit of an argument or disagreement and they part ways. After a bit they meet up again where Vince starts feeling a little sick but Wendy thinks it’s him playing it up for her since he feels bad about the argument. However suddenly, it hits him like a train and Wendy feels sorry for laying of his comments
We haven't been in a scenario where Vince/Wen would work like this... Until now. A little more lighthearted than your normal "caretaker doesn't believe them" fic, though! I just can't see Wendy being mean like Bell.
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Wendy let out a squeal as Ma scoffed and planted her calloused hands over Wen's, sinking them in the dough, "what?" the woman said roughly, forcing Wendy's fingers in, "you're disgusted by the food?"
"No!" She said quickly, "I just didn't want to mess it up-" and now she was all sticky and had no idea of what to do next. Couldn't even scratch her nose because there was flour up to her elbows and sticky dough keeping her fingers glued together.
"There's no messing it up," Magda rolled her eyes fondly, "don't just stand there like a statue, knead it, Wendy!"
"Sorry! Sorry-" Wendy chuckled, starting to press the dough in. It seemed like she was making a bigger mess and she had no idea how Ma was so calm, considering Wendy's mother would've been having a stroke.
"Aw, there you are," Vince's voice rung through the kitchen and Wendy looked past her shoulder. He was standing in the doorway, sweaty and panting from being in the yard playing basketball with his dad and his sister, "I lost you."
"Don't come into my kitchen all sweaty, Vicenzo!" Ma cried out, but her son ignored her, all but draping himself on Wendy, resting his chin to the top of her head.
"Vince, you're all sticky," Wendy whined, cringing. Vince had been all over her lately and after his little jealous episode with Max, she had thought it was over with, but nope. He seemingly didn't want her out of his eyesight even for a minute, causing for some embarrassment with his family.
"Uhm," Vince pouted, squeezing her despite Wendy's complaints, "what are you cooking?"
"Ma's teaching me how to make gnocchi," Wen perked up, continuing to push around the sticky mess, that was slowly coming together, "scratch my nose?"
Vince scratched it for her, still refusing to let go, paying no mind to Wendy squirming or his mother complaining about his presence. He was like a furnace and Wendy more than once tried to push him off of her, to the point she was getting increasingly frustrated. There was being loving and there was... Whatever this was.
"Vince, let go off me," she jammed her elbow on his chest, not to hurt him, but so it was uncomfortable enough he'd stop hugging her like an octopus. He pulled back, frowning and seeming terribly upset.
"I don't feel well, can't we just cuddle and watch a movie?"
Wendy had to restrain herself not to eyeroll, while Ma let out an open snort, "you're not six, Vince, learn how to share your friends. Get out of here."
He glared at his mom, then at Wendy, and turned around without a word. Wendy cringed, it was really hard to annoy her boyfriend and she didn't want to find out how it was being in his bad side.
"Okay, now where was I- Right, the potatoes," Ma wasn't bothered at all by her son's behavior, pulling Wendy be the elbow and demanding her attention.
It was almost an hour and a half later when she was released from her almost-mother-in-law claws, feeling incredibly accomplished with herself.
Vince was draped in the living room couch, while Liv was cuddled up on his side, both of them watching Inside Out. He raised his eyes when Wendy walked in, but other than that said nothing and Wen pouted.
"Aw, honey, don't sulk," she grinned, running to the couch and jumping over them. Livia let out a squeal and Wendy attacked her with kisses, before turning to do the same to her boyfriend, but Vince had an angry frown on and instead he moved so he was sitting up.
"I'm not sulking," he scoffed, pushing himself up and Livia nearly fell off the couch. Wendy caught her by the armpits, pulling the little girl up to sit on her lap and taking her previous spot, so she could be in the small edge that Vince's body left on the couch.
"Do you think he's sulking?" Wendy grinned to Livia, who had wrapped her arms around her neck. Liv studied her brother, before nodding enthusiastically.
"Very."
"Very? He's sulking very much?" Wendy leaned in, kissing Liv's nose, "how can we cheer him up?"
"Wendy, get off of me," Vince groaned, clearly not in the mood. Wen's amused smile wavered and then vanished as Vin pushed her thigh, all but shoving her out of the couch.
"VIN!" Livia cried out as they both fell on the rug, her shrill voice muffling Wendy's much more pissed off, "Vince, what the fuck?"
Her desire to yell at her boyfriend though disappeared in an instant, because Vince was sitting up straight, hunched over his middle, a hand hovering over his lips.
"MAAAAAAA Vinny's SIIICK!" Livia yelled, getting up, and Vince winced at the screaming, while Wendy scooted closer, planting a hand on his shoulder.
She cursed herself, he was so warm. Wendy had erroneously assumed it was because of the basketball game. She rubbed his back, "Vin, honey, let's get you to a bathroom, c'mon-"
"No," his voice was thick with nausea and Vince squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing convulsively, "not- Not-"
"Liv, stop yelling!" Sophia exclaimed, entering the room holding a popcorn bucket and shoving it in her brother's chest, "Babbo told you, you looked green earlier... Couldn't you have gone sit in the bathroom like a grown up, Vin?" she sounded annoyed and Wendy shot her a glare.
"Soph, not now," she said gently, while Vince hugged the bowl, a small burp coming up as well as some watery saliva. Both women cringed, while Livia let out a loud "eeww."
"Liv, shush it," Sophia glared at her baby sister, as if she was being all that much thoughtful. Livia pouted, glaring right back.
"You shush it," she showed her tongue, causing the teenager to do the same and Wendy rolled her eyes at the interaction, thanking God she was an only child, then jumped slightly as Vince gagged and an impressive wave of his liquified lunch fell in the bowl.
He panted over the bucket, clearly feeling like hell and Wendy rubbed his back, heart clenching as Vin let out a little moan and heaved again. Over his head, Sophia gulped up, paling and just like her brother did, she turned a little green.
"Sophia, get out of here," Wendy sighed, "I got him."
Soph gulped down, nodding and grabbing Livia, who let out a squeal at being picked up as if she was a doll.
"But Vin is sick, Soph, I wanna be with him-" Wendy heard the little girl whining at being carried away. Under Wen's hand, Vince let out a relieved sigh.
"Thanks..." He croaked, resting his forehead on the edge of the bucket.
"No, don't thank me," Wendy sighed, sitting next to him, "I should've heard you when you said you felt sick."
"I didn't- I didn't say it like that-" He tried to argue and she shook her head, frustrated.
"Vince," she pushed his curls back, away from his sweaty forehead, "I shouldn't have brushed you off, I'm sorry."
He leaned against her hand, moving so his mouth was once again hanging over the bowl and spat the saliva pooling in his mouth, "Gon'be sick..."
"That's okay, get it up," Wendy moved so she could hold the bowl with her free hand, not trusting his weak grasp, "you're gonna feel better soon."
Vince let out yet another airy, empty burp and gagged once, twice- He lurched forward with another heave and she cringed, the bucket getting considerably heavier as her boyfriend turned inside out.
He coughed, then let out a moan, head hanging and a line of drool falling from his lips, "M'sorry..."
"Don't apologize for being sick," she berated him lightly, kissing his feverish forehead, "you know this stuff doesn't gross me out."
Vince gulped down, then forced up a bigger burp and spat another foul mouthful of liquid, before leaning back and away from the bucket.
"Done...?" Wendy wasn't sure she believed him when he nodded, he was still really pale. Still, she took the bucket and planted it on the coffee table, carefully moving on the couch in order to rub Vince's arm, "deep breaths, honey."
"I'm really..." His voice broke and Vince cleared his throat, "really sorry."
"Honey, don't-"
"No, not-" he pressed a fist to his mouth, muffling a burp and gagging. Wendy's hand shot to retrieve the bucket, but he settled back down, "not about this."
She raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
"Bou'everything...Else," his voice was thick with nausea and Vince closed his eyes, breathing through another wave of queasiness. Wendy frowned, unsure of what he meant, but not liking one bit the direction this conversation was heading to.
She combed her fingers softly through his hair, nails on his scalp, and Vince opened his eyes once more, turning his head so his forehead was against her palm. His dark eyes had little pained lines around them and he looked damn close to tears, causing something horrible to settle in Wendy's stomach, "Vin?"
"You're working so much because I left," he blurted out, then glared at her when Wendy promptly opened her mouth to retort, "no. Don't lie to me."
"I- I'm not- I..." And she wasn't. Wendy loved her job and she loved all of her hobbies and her classes, she wasn't doing any of that to get back at him or to fill in any voids... But she missed him. She missed him so much, being in Doveport for such an extended amount of time just highlighted how much she adored being Vince's company.
It wasn't the sex that she missed or doing all the cutesy couple things that they couldn't thanks to the long distance — although, those as well — but it was him. She missed how warm her boyfriend was and and how upbeat and caring he was, how he refused to kill even a spider and the way his hair products had started to take over her vanity back when they shared a town. She missed his cooking and how Vince never ever shouted no matter how annoyed she made him and the way that he looked in those rare mornings where Wendy managed to wake up before him...
"Wen?"
"I miss you," she was choked up all of sudden, "but I'm not- I'm not-"
Vince frowned, then moved slightly on the couch, so he could get closer to her. Wendy felt another stab of guilt, why was he comforting her, when he was the one so sick?
"Hey, it's okay-"
"Is this why you're all over me?" Wendy realized, moving her hand from his hair and sitting up straight, "because you're guilty?"
Vince's eyes were dazed with fever as he shook his head, "I miss you," he said, in a small voice, before he jostled with a cough, hand rushing up to his mouth. Wendy helped him lean forward to cough, only to immediately be forced to grab the bucket as the fit turned into gags.
He held it with a groan, face twisting in disgust since it hadn't bee emptied, and Vince gagged harshly. Wendy held the bucket as well, her free hand rubbing his back up and down, while her mind whirled. She hadn't thought things were bad between them, they were making long distance work, right? They were great at it...
"Aw, piccolino," Giuseppe stepped into the living room and caused Wendy's head to snap. She was always a little amazed by how young Vince's dad looked, although he was well into his sixties. The man was wearing the basketball shorts from when he had been playing with Sophia and Vince, but now with a dad sweater on top, creating the weirdest combo, "Wendy, let's get him to bed, okay?"
"No," Vince moaned, gagging once more and spitting up another mouthful, "I wanna go home..."
It was like his father had been slapped and Wendy cringed in sympathy. Surely Vince's parents hadn't expected him to no longer consider his childhood home... Well, home.
"I got him," Wendy said gently, "really, I got him."
Giuseppe blinked quickly, collecting himself, "of course, sweetheart. You just holler if you need anything?"
"Yeah," Wendy's whole face was aflame, as Vince took measured breaths, trying to get his stomach in check. Without thinking she added, "I'm sorry" and the older man waved her off, face turning all wrinkly as he smiled.
"You got him," he said in a soft, fond manner, that caused Wendy's eyes to well up in tears unprompted, "I'm not worried."
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