As loud noises went, the one that roused Captain Jack Harkness out of his deep thoughts at four in the morning was the best one he could possibly hope for. He reached out for Ianto and, not finding the man in bed where he should be, opened his eyes. Ianto sat on the edge of the bed, hunched over, handkerchief pressed to his nose. Jack half-rose and half-lunged forward so that his hand was on the small of Ianto's back and his cheek was pressed to Ianto's warm hip. "Is your cold keeping you up?"
Ianto nodded. He flexed and relaxed his hand, crumpling the hanky and letting the folds expand again. His breathing was unsteady, ragged, shallow. He didn't even dare to speak. "Huhhhh... huh-ehhhhhhh..." He just breathed so loud it easily doubled as words. "hehhh-Hehhhhh..."
"It's all right," Jack said. "I'm here. You can let it out now." The corner of Ianto's mouth twitched and Jack smiled as he nuzzled his face against Ianto's side. "That is, if you can. Do you need me to tickle it out of you?"
Again, Ianto's mouth twitched. But he shook his head and clutched his hanky harder. A second passed. Then another. He finally drew a sharp, deep breath and snapped forward. "Heptishhhhh!"
Angel raised his eyebrows again. "Spike?"
"ehhhkshhhhh!" Spike straightened up and sniffed. "Yeah. So as I was saying—"
"You sneezed."
Spike sniffed again. "Oh. Noticed, did you?"
Angel sat up in his seat. "Yes I noticed. It's not every day a vampire sneezes." He looked puzzled. "Actually, it's never that a vampire sneezes. So why are you?"
Sirius shook him off, sniffling. His nose twitched and he made further use of the tissues as Remus wrapped hands over his to keep the tea steady. "hhuktishhhhhh! Huktchahhh!" He rubbed his nose, sniffling. "Ruddy cold."
Remus did not look as though he enjoyed it either. "Look, Sirius... I've been thinking." Then, before Sirius could reply with the obvious comment about how that could be dangerous to one's heath, Remus just came out with it. "I think you should stay in bed until this whatever-you-have passes."
Suspiciously, "You're not going to take off and have Snape baby-sit me again, are you?" He paused to allow Remus a few moments to announce strongly, perhaps with that light laugh of his, that Snape would not be involved. But it did not come. Sirius scooted back against the headboard, aghast. "You're not calling Snape over, are you?"
"No..." said Remus softly and unconvincingly.
"Because even if the git can make a world class pepper-up potion, it's not worth it! I don't want him staying in this house or setting foot in our bedroom. Not at Christmastime!"
Haldir looked towards Legolas, his gaze cold. "Being calm and quite are also important skills for war-dens-hhh!" He pressed the side of his hand beneath his nose and his head bobbed up and down silently again.
Legolas raised his eyebrows then looked from Haldir to Rúmil. "Is he all right?"
"He is," Orophin said, coming round the tree towards them. "He has only a little cold."
"Orophin!" Haldir snapped in annoyance.
Orophin chuckled lightly, slight amusement showing in his face. He put his hand on Legolas' back and bent down a little. With his voice low and quiet, though loud enough for all to hear, he spoke to Legolas. "You can tell this is true because he is especially punchy tonight."
Kurt's tail reached back and wrapped around the handle of the first aid kit. He pulled it over and picked it up. There wasn't anything in the way of cold medicine. And Kurt had a feeling Wolverine wouldn't stand for having his temperature taken right now. But there was a small packet of tissues. "I zink Gambit is right. You should try to rest," he said, trying to sound convincing as he handed the tissues over. "It vill make ze journey back much quvicker."
"Soon's we get bahck to da mahnsion they'll straighten everyt'ing out," Gambit reassured him.
"That'd better be the case," said Wolverine, awkwardly rubbing a tissue against his nose. "Because I've never had a cold before and I'm not enjoying this one." He closed his eyes, turned, and lay back against the bench with a few small coughs. Kurt watched him worriedly.
"Gambit'll look after 'im. You just get us home in one piece, Ami."
Kurt nodded. He wanted to stay with Wolverine, but knew getting back to the mansion should be his first priority. He went back to the cockpit to see if he couldn't get the jet to go just a little faster for all their sakes.
Not ten minutes after stepping through the gate, Daniel began scrambling around in his pockets. There seemed to be an unending amount of pockets in his vest, and most of them contained something. There were protein bars and water purification tablets. There was an old and battered reference dictionary he carried for good luck rather than for its usefulness. There was a package of extra bullets and a set of brushes. But nowhere did there seem to be a handkerchief.
"Idcreased the dosage by ass," he muttered under his breath. "hah—" His head tilted back, and he pressed the side of his hand to his nose in the absence of a hanky. "hahh-TSHHHTTT!" The tip of his nose moved back and forth against his hand as he rubbed, his other hand still searching for his handkerchief. But before he found it, his nose tickled just as madly as a moment before. "hehhh-SHhuhhh! Hahh-Shhtttt!"