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After the meeting was over the male had decided to spend some more time in his shack, rearranging and cleaning though he didn't exactly get far and after a while he had decided to sit down on his bed due to the beginnings of an incoming headache, the male wincing and forcing himself to stay on his bed. He was basically bed ridden yet so desperate to fix that habit and he really did want to, but for right now he would need to focus on being and getting better. Begrudgingly the male lied down, his underbelly pressed against the cheap cloth of the bed, lying his head on his paws. For minutes the male fidgeted, tossing and turning on his cheaply made wooden bed as he began to grow more and more frustrated, annoyance building up until he couldn't take it anymore. Huffing the king cheetah shot open his eyes and got down from the bed, slipping off his collar and placing it on the nightstand. The male took a step back and sat down, catching his breath and closing his eyes before opening them once more and beginning to head outside, exposing his body to the sunlight once more.

Marcellus looked down the beach to see no one in sight and silently the sickly male limped to the "start," the male beginning to break into a brisk walk, nearly tripping once or twice before breaking into a run, a slow run but a run nonetheless. Slowly he would continue to gain speed before he felt himself lose breath, his head growing lightheaded which had caused him to stop. Huffing the male began to break into another series of coughs, quickly rushing to the water to begin lapping it at for a drink considering he needed to take a small break as of now. Despite his shortness of breath he was still tempted to run as he didn't want to fall behind everyone else. He had a major disadvantage and it was his responsibility to deal with the disadvantage and turn it into his own advantage but between being sick and bed ridden, he barely had time to work with his disability. It was quick for the sick king cheetah to grow frustrated, tail lashing as he limped over to a spot in the shade and lied down into the hot sand, lying his head on his paws softly and closing his eyes to nap while he caught his breath.

Luca didn't get sick often, but when he did he got it bad. His unnaturally high body temperature meant that few pathogens could survive in his system, leaving him free to live his life without the fear of catching nasties like the common cold. However, this had a downside as well. If his body temperature were to drop (as it often did in winter) he lacked the resistances that normal bodies usually built up over time. Quite frankly, his immune system was terrible at doing its job. That was one of the many reasons that Luca liked to avoid stormy weather. He would like to say that he hated winter as well, but the cold gave him a break for the constant overheating of the other seasons, so he was willing to take that for a trade-off. The cooling of the nights brought both relief and a looming sense of dread.

The hot sand was uncomfortable against his ember-speckled paw pads, so Luca liked to stick to the shade. The area where the jungle met the beach was good for him, because it had the shade of the jungle without the probability of getting lost. He kept his gaze on his bruised paws, as he often did, until the familiar scent of Marcellus brought his eyes up and forwards. He searched around for a bit until he managed to pinpoint the piebald cheetah, and his previously sullen expression lit up. He had been awfully bored recently, but Marcellus was the perfect candidate to play with. The fact that he appeared to be asleep at the moment definitely didn't help his case. With a cheeky smile on his lips, the hellhound emerged from the shade and into the light, moving with slow and calculated movements as he crept towards his victim. The sand softened the sound of his footprints and he held his breath, meaning that the only sign of his approach would be the slowly intensifying smell of smoke. He paused when he got close, crouching and wriggling his rump in a very cat-like manner to make tiny adjustments to his pose. When the time was right Luca would pounce at Marcellus, aiming to leap on top of him like the master hunter he was, freeing his breath with a light giggle. "Hiya Marcel," he would say regardless of whether or not he was currently atop his target. "Whatcha' doing out here?"

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Usually this was time where Marcellus liked to be just by himself and not others considering he was not only sick, but a bit annoyed that he had to cut his run short. The last thing the male was expecting was someone to disturb or bother him but it seemed as if that was just about the biggest misconception of his life. The king cheetah had decided to shift a bit in his rest, the heated sand warming his fur even despite him being under the shade. He adjusted his paws from out under his head as he got ready to shift onto his side, that was until the smell of smoke filled the air, causing Marcel to grow confused. For a moment he thought nothing of it and simply ignored the smell, flicking his ear as he smelled it. Once again the biggest mistake of his life. It only took a few seconds to feel a sudden reel of weight crash down onto his sickly body, the males eyes shooting open in an instant. In a moment he was already beginning to struggle beneath Luca's weight, wondering if this would be the end for him. In Marcellus' eyes this was an enemy who had performed a sneak attack on him and him being a weak target at the moment, he was vulnerable. As if the king cheetah couldn't of gotten more paler, it seemed as if he had managed to pull that off. Right now he was mixed between fear and acceptance, ready to accept the end that came to him. He closed his eyes shut hard and waited for the impact that never seemed to come. Confusion was built up inside the male before he heard the voice and realized who it belonged to.

Dear god why.

Were they punishing him for being sick? Did he do something wrong? Should he go do some sort of prayer to appease whatever Gods were making him suffer? You bet he was going to do that when he was out of this "mess." For a moment he would try to play dead, maybe make Luca think that the impact of the male had killed him. Instantly Marcellus was out cold, trying to control his breathing so that it made it look like he wasn't breathing at all. He waited a few moments of this technique before realizing that it probably wasn't working, causing the male to huff and give up. He was reluctant to talk but he would manage small sentences. "Relaxing." He spoke, his voice sounded strained and he nearly winced when he talked, his throat still sore though not as much as before. "Or was." He corrected himself, the male aiming to turn on his side to gently shove Luca off though him being sick diminished his strength greatly. Whether the other male was pushed off or not, he would narrow his eyes in deep thought before an idea seemed to go off in his head, a relieved grin nearly crossing his maw.

"Hello Luca, you wouldn't want to get sick would you? I'm really sick right now." His voice had seemed to crack here and there along the sentence, his voice sounding a bit like a whisper due to him preserving his voice so he didn't lose it entirely. Frankly he was a bit conflicted between being amused and annoyed. A part of him had also seemed to be a bit happy to see Luca around considering the last few weeks Marcellus had been ghosting everyone in the Typhoon and among the sea of new faces it was nice to see a familiar one, even if that familiar one seemed to like messing with him here and there. However he wouldn't give this away and instead would maintain his annoyed tone and expression.

There were times that Luca liked to be alone as well, although that was usually when he was having one of his many downs. He would lock himself in his house and hold a pillow over his head to drown out the visions. The darkness liked to attack him when he showed signs of vulnerability, but he could usually fend it off by putting on a strong front. When he wasn't feeling down he couldn't stand anything but company. If he went too long without touching anyone else he got this terrible itch under his skin, one that only subsided when he managed to cling to someone and absorb some of their energy. Everyone had an aura, and merely being surrounded by one was enough to give Luca a little boost. The more intense the contact the more energy he got, hence him often nuzzling his friends in greeting. They usually learned to get over it after a while of knowing him. If he tried to deny himself of physical contact, he knew the darkness would punish him for it. The source of feeding was a part of his contract that couldn't be overwritten. That's why Luca had such a casual disregard for other people's person space; after four hundred years of leeching off others, he had learned to destroy those sorts of barriers. By now he had forgotten social norms entirely.

He had that tingling now, the unpleasant one that buzzed through his body as a warning. Now that his had his crewmate's attention, he wasn't going to let Marcellus go until the uncomfortable sensation was gone. Perhaps attention was too strong a term though, because for a second he thought he had gone and knocked the poor guy dead. It didn't take him long to catch on though. Luca wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had killed a small army of people in his centuries of life, so the cheetah's trick didn't work on him. The hellhound tilted his head, wondering if Marcellus wanted to roleplay or something. He opened his mouth to ask, but he was cut off by the other male's huff. The twinkle returned to Luca's eyes as his victim began to answer him, and he didn't seem all that bothered by the male's sorry state. It wasn't winter yet. Luca yelped a little as Marcellus turned over, throwing him off into the sand. He stood and shook out his fur to clean it, immediately returning his attention to the sick guy before him.

He seemed annoyed, but any attention was good attention. Luca flashed a sweet smile back, fluttering his eyelashes like an innocent maiden. "Talking to you is worth getting sick for," he said, inching closer to the feline again. "Besides," he continued like there was any risk at all of him catching something. "I'm already lovesick." He finished the sentence with a purr and shot Marcellus a wink, giving his hips a little sway for added dramatics. The king cheetah was the first animal that Luca had come across during his daily wanderings, so he was going to take the full brunt of Luca's pent up frustrations. Usually the hellhound would spread it out a little more, but he was in an overly affectionate mode. "Y'know, cuddling always cheers me up when I feel yucky, so maybe you should try that!" He suggested, continuing to move towards his companion at a snail's pace.

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God he really did not want to talk right now. For a few moments he contemplated even saying anything to Luca at this point, what would be the point after all as it would probably only continue. He remained silent a few moments longer before rising his body to his paws as he looked at the hellhound. Almost like it was on cue, the male took in a large sum of air and let out a sneeze, his nose becoming runny and his paw being brought up to it to wipe off the yucky wet substance. He huffed and finally chose to spoke, though his voice was strained as if someone had kicked him in the throat. He opened his mouth to speak before he heard the pickup line, the male instantly closing his mouth and putting on an annoyed look. The king cheetah raised a non-existent brow and cleared his throat, "okay." It was all he could manage to say after all, what was he supposed to say to that? While he was sick he really didn't care much about anything at the moment. He had been in sick hell for a solid month so he was ready to just accept the flirting and give up for now. Deal with it when he was in a better condition to.

Marcellus was ready to walk away and just say nothing more than the simple 'okay,' the male already on a head start and beginning to walk off until he heard Luca's next sentence. Cuddling. While sick, while having hot sweats. The male stopped and gave a small sigh, turning around to look at Luca and see the male beginning to inch closer at the pace identical to a snail, but nevertheless still inching closer. He could already tell that he wouldn't be left alone so he decided to think of something. For a moment he stayed silent before speaking up again. "Alright. We can hang out if, you help me out." He muttered low, voice occasionally cracking in the sentence. He put a lot of emphasis on the 'hang out' portion of his sentence. A part of him felt uncomfortable with cuddling with any other male and not due to Luca, but just Marcel himself. He wasn't exactly out and frankly he still wasn't convinced that he was exactly gay either, despite looking at other guys around the Typhoon and thinking them as some excellent eye candy and him frankly wanting a bit of a piece.

The male turned his whole body to face Luca once more. He was hoping that the canid wouldn't help him or would refuse to, because it was mostly an empty request. "I need someone to clean up my shack. It's frankly a mess still despite me spending a few hours cleaning it." Near the end a small cough broke out but he mostly concealed it, losing his posture for a brief moment before he regained it, taking in a sharp inhale and sharp exhale to regain himself. Marcel could very much clean his own shack and to be exact he was mostly done already, but he was hoping that the request would throw the hellhound off for him to deny the request. He really did not want to cuddle anyone.

The feline cleared his throat to rid it of the stuffy mucus-like feeling that built up in it, his chest heaving heavily for a second before he felt a bit better, his eyes closing briefly so he could relax. His condition was slowly getting better but slowly wasn't good enough for him. He wanted to get better now. A lot better at that.

Luca looked a little hurt that his attempts at flirtation were met with mere annoyance, although the vulnearable look in his eyes disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving an expertly crafted fake smile in its place. He really couldn't understand why Mercellus was being so grumpy- it really did make the canine feel better to be around people when he was sick. This was probably due to the fact that being near people was what gave him his energy, although he wasn't quite bright enough to realize that his experiences weren't universal. It was a problem that Luca had a lot actually, assuming that everyone has been through similar experiences to him. A lot of it could be attributed to the way that he'd been raised to think that his lifestyle was normal, but the rest was the result of pure ignorance. Despite being firmly of the opinion that he couldn't catch the cheetah's illness, he still found himself jumping back a little at the sneeze. Bodily fluids didn't bother him at all,  it would be odd if they did considering his hands-on work, but loud and sudden noises still made his heart rate jump up like nothing else. He shifted back in the sand as a cold shiver shot up his back, but he recovered quickly, shaking off the memories of slaming doors and breaking vases.

For the hot minute that Mercullus appeared to be leaving, Luca felt the beginnings of frustrated embers burning on his tongue. He hated people leaving him, even it it was as simple as exiting a conversation that hadn't ended yet. If he were having one of his more impulsive days he might have leaped at him claws outstretched, but luckily Luca's words seemed to stop him regardless. Marcellus turned back towards him and his ears, which had previously swiveled back to lay parallel to his skull, suddenly perked up again. He could sense the beginnings of a deal when he heard one, and waited eagerly as his crewmate began to speak. Any anger that he had felt was washed away by what he heard. His whole deal revolved around 'helping people out', whatever Marcellus meant by that. Luca had always lived to serve, especially if he got something as precious as company in return. If Marcel was expecting the hellhound to apprear shaken by the proposal, he would be disappointed (and perhaps confused) by the eagerness in Luca's eyes. Luckily, the canine wasn't actually expecting to cuddle in return for helping out with whatever task he was given. Merely hanging out was completely fine with him, and he was able to pick up on the fact that Marcellus wasnt all too keen on a cuddle. Not that the king cheetah's reluctance would stop him in the long run.

At the reveal that cleaning would be his task, Luca began to bounce excitedly on his toes. Along with cooking and tending to the flowers, cleaning was one of the tasks he had learned while living in the church. Back then they intended to sell him once he became an adult, so they made sure to train him to become the perfect housewife. Luca had hated it at the time, especially because his father had spent his whole life beforehand teaching the canine to be a 'manly' man, so in his eyes tasks like baking, cleaning and massaging were completely useless. Now, Luca found himself almost thankful. All the skills that he had picked up during that time were pretty much is only redeemable features, the only things he could use to trick people into liking him. "I can do that! I'd be happy to clean for you, Marcel," Luca said earnestly, obviously delighted at the fact that he'd get some of the attention he so dearly craved. Besides his efficiency at the task, cleaning brought with it a couple benefits. One, he'd be able to check out all of his companion's possessions, and two, it was rare that anyone let him in their house. Luca would make sure to take advantage of the privacy and closeness if he could. He giggled and span in a happy circle, obviously waiting for Marcellus to take the lead.

[Mobile!!]

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[using main until one-shot goes up]

Him being grumpy and annoyed was mostly only due to him being ill for so long, the king cheetah longing to get to his paws and just get over his cold already. Cold, illness, disease, whatever you chose to call it. The male rose a paw to clean off his nose, ears flickering upwards to see the winged hellhound jump back in surprise. It seemed as if surprise had gotten to the hellhound from his sneeze and a look of amusement briefly shown on his features before it dimmed away again. He had to admit that he did care somewhat for Luca, even if it was only a bit minor at the moment. Would he ever admit to it? Probably not as his stubborn nature simply prevented that from happening. Though when he noticed Luca acting a bit weird after his sneeze, Marcel couldn't help but wonder a bit and feel a tinge of concern for the canine that would show through his forming expression as he looked at him. "Are you alright?" He questioned, though his tone low as if shocked even he asked that question and scratchy due to him being sick and sore. He would try to keep his tone as monotone as he could possibly manage, not wanting to let it show that he was truly concerned for Luca.

Seeing that the hellhound had returned to normal his concern drew to a close and he saw Luca's expression quickly turn to one of eagerness. Uh oh, did he not choose the right task for him? He was almost scared to hear Luca's answer, eyes narrowing as he tried to find any tinge of the male wanting to say no on his features. But nothing of that sort was too be found and instead he seemed to look as if a light bulb went off inside his face as it lit up as his request. When he started bouncing on his toes the king cheetah took a step back and looked on with pure shock that Luca would actually be excited about something as boring as cleaning and for once, Marcellus was at a loss for words, not sure how to respond to this situation. Does he call his bluff and say it was just a joke? Yeah okay. He opened his mouth to speak the words but when he was about to begin, he was instantly and quickly cut off by Luca's voice accepting the offer. Boy was he in trouble. Swiftly the male shut his mouth and looked on blankly, once more at a loss for words.

"I," It was all he could seem to manage to say, or mutter, his eyes trying to scan his face to see if this was a joke or if he was being serious. Nope, he was being serious. Clearing his throat, the king cheetah removed himself from his state of shock and gave a small nod, though a hesitant one. "Um, alright. Let's go then." His tone was no longer monotone but now one that simply expressed his shock. The cheetah turned and began to walk down the beach, his three legs and sand slowing him down tremendously but him still going at as steady a pace he could manage.

Down the beach could be seen a small shack that was his, small but not to small to the point where everything was cramped in. Picking up the pace, the males paws began to kick up a bit of sand with each step until they arrived to his shack, Marcel placing his paw on the door to open it and climb in. "This is it." He announced, keeping his voice low for the sake of preserving his healing throat. Inside the shack were all types of things that belonged to him like some extra jewelry he never wore, his slightly broken down bed, a small nightstand in the corner that was covered in dust. Inside the drawers were little things he'd like to collect like candy or actual objects that meant something to him, things to mostly mark his adventures if he ever went on one. The corners and walls were covered in small bits of dust in certain areas, the rest of it looking clean and dust-free.

Marcel took a step to the side to allow Luca into his home.

Luca hated the fact that Marcellus had picked up on his moment of weakness. He liked to appear fun-loving and aloof in front of his crewmates, as hard as that was with his rather disobedient emotions. He hated the thought of people seeing him scared and upset, and would honestly rather die than have someone witness him having one of his attacks. He was hoping that the king cheetah wouldn't say anything, so Marcel's words were met with nothing but silence. If Luca didn't like something he tended to... ignore that it happened, so instead he clung to the rest of the conversation, focusing on the fact that he'd get to spend some time with someone. Marcellus appeared shocked by Luca's willingness to go about doing chores for him, and it was clear to the canine that he'd only been asked to throw him off. Luca knew he was lazy, and he knew that the other Typhooners knew he was lazy, so he could understand why the striker had thought that the concept of cleaning would get him to leave the cheetah alone. He would have as well, if it weren't literally what he was trained for throughout his whole childhood. Luca didn't let his anger get to him, and instead brushed off the fact that this guy obviously wanted to ditch him. 

Luca followed Marcel into his house and got to work, his eyes curiously sweeping over every inch of his reluctant companion's home. People's houses said a lot about them, but Luca didn't happen across any juicy secrets. No photos taken in secret to expose him as a stalker, no playboy magazines lying about on the floor. Just dust and jewelry. At least the cleaning did something to distract the constant whirlpool of his mind. He enjoyed him time hanging out with Marcellus, sneaking close every now and then to brush against the other male's aura. He didn't try anything more bold than that though, surprisingly focused on his task once he had gotten started. He did manage to pick up on the fact that Marcellus had a bit of a sweet tooth, and stored that information in his mind for a later date. He'd get the guy to like him eventually, even if it took years of gifts to do it. He finished cleaning quicker than expected and hung out with Marcellus as promised, but then he didn't really have much of an excuse to stick around after that. He decided to let the guy recover after that, leaving the harassment until a later date.

Unfortunately, life seemed to catch up to him after that. By the time he next appeared at Marcel's door, he was in a different body with a bonded mind. Marcellus wasn't expecting him, but Luca was sure that he'd know he was coming. Ever since Silus changed his name and came out, Luca's mind had been transfixed on the thoughts that had entered his head at the time. They weren't his, so they pretty obviously belonged to Marcellus. After all, Luca may struggle with a lot of things, but his gayness definitely wasn't one of them. He had accepted that part of himself long ago, during the very first year of his life even. The hellhound lifted a paw to knock at the door, shifting the bag of muffins that hung at his side. "Hey, Marcy, I wanna talk about somethin'," he said, hoping he wouldn't just be ignored. If that happened he'd just have to ram his head into the door until Marcellus got sick of the pain and opened it. Usually he wouldn't bother with petty things like this, but he was curious, he supposed. He wondered why Marcel was so desperate to like women instead of guys, especially in the Typhoon, which was probably the most accepting place Luca had been in yet.

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This mental link was already something that Marcellus was growing sick of. Just like Luca, the thought of someone invading his own thoughts made him feel vulnerable and exposed, his mind open to Luca despite him not wanting it to be. So far he thought of this mental link as more of a curse than anything, but he was willing to make the best out of it until hopefully a cure could be found or Rosemary could help weaken the bond to the point where they wouldn't be able to hear each others thoughts. Right at this moment with Marcellus padding along the beach, he could hear every single thought of Luca's pop into his mind every now and then, invading his mind and causing the king cheetah to clench is jaws in annoyance, eyes narrowing as he shook his head and allowed a small huff to pass from his cream colored jaws. He could barely hear his own thoughts anymore and even when he would, he would have to live with the fact that Luca would be able to hear them. Right now his thoughts consisted of relaxation, lying in his white hammock and soaking up the harsh rays of the sun that was beating down on the land of the Typhoon. Though before he could relax and sunbathe, he would have to go home and retrieve something.

The piebald's paws carried him towards the location of his shack, limping along the coastal region as he finally arrived up to his shack and pressed his paw against the thatch coated door, pushing it open for him to climb inside. Marcellus closed the door behind him however didn't lock it as he would only take a few moments to fetch whatever it was he needed. The king cheetah limped his way over to the nightstand where he would begin to rummage his paws through the treasures inside it, eyes scanning each object. He kept looking for a while, the sounds of shuffling filling the shack as he began to grow a bit frustrated, unable to find what he needed within his stash of treasures. At the sound of a voice at his door, Marcel lifted his head and padded out of his room, walking out into the main floor of the shack where the door was. The tone of the voice and the nickname used was all too easily recognizable, the king cheetah giving an inwards huff. It wasn't that Luca annoyed him (even though he kinda did), but he was frustrated enough already and just wanted to go out and have a good time sunbathing.

Marcellus began his way over to the door where he would press his paws against it and pull it open, looking out at Luca with a blank expression, though he would try to keep his courtesy despite his resting bitch face. "Hello Luca, did you need something?" The piebald took a few steps back to motion with his paw for Luca to enter his humble abode, the male noticing the basket of muffins though not acknowledging them vocally. He turned away from the door and padded back over to his nightstand, expecting the canine to follow after him as Marcellus would continue to shift his paws through the drawers, trying to find the specific trinket that he needed in order for him to finally go out and sunbathe. "You caught me at kind of a bad time." He would begin, voice giving off his frustrated demeanor as the shuffling became louder. "I was about to go out and sunbathe." He finished his sentence, pulling back from the nightstand as he released a huff, turning away to finally give Luca his undivided attention.