Oh Dear!

Yami and measles

 
I’ve always had a headcanon story of Yami picking up diseases and illnesses children are normally apt to get, but since he essentially ‘skipped’ his childhood and came about at a adult age, he has yet to build up an immune system, and as such, is liable to get things, like measles for example. Of course, for someone his age he is probably more likely to get the more advanced form of chicken pox. And right now I cannot remember the name – shingles, is it?

 So yeah, it would be pretty amusing to have Yami wake up, horrified to find that his body has changed overnight without his consent.  

 Ages ago, I did write a story on it, but it was so badly written that I won’t dishonour you by showing it, but I will bring up some points from it:

“Are you okay?” Yugi asked him at the bathroom door.

“Well, not quite. I think I’m mutating.” He sounded rather calm.

“Let me in. Let me see what’s up. I’m sure you’re fussing over nothing. What part of you is mutating?”

“My… m-my whole body…” Now he sounded scared.

“Just open the door or I’ll get Grampa.”

“Okay, okay. Just promise you won’t do anything irrational?”

“Promise.” Yugi said.

“Oh, I don’t know. This is so… embarrassing…” Yami continued.

“Just come out and let me look. You’re probably overreacting.”

The door opened and hot steam poured out from the heat of the water still in the bath. Yugi stepped in. Yami stood there, gaze to the carpeted floor. He had a white towel wrapped round his middle but all over his thorax and face was a red rash were spots were forming. It looked incredibly sore.

“You’re not mutating.” He seemed startled. No wonder Yami was afraid of showing himself.

“My... my face!” Yami choked, “I’ve tried everything to get rid of it. I’ve rubbed my skin with the towel, I’ve washed about sixty times… …and showered…”

“Let me take a look.” Yugi placed a cold hand to Yami’s hot skin and felt the rash. “You shouldn’t have rubbed it. You’ll make it worse.”

***

Grampa came in, closely followed by Yugi. “What’s up, Yami?” He asked, “Yugi’s telling me you’ve got a rash. Can I have a look?”

Yami nodded, hoping he wouldn’t come too close.

Grampa pried the pillow away from the disgruntled Pharaoh and saw the marks on Yami’s skin.

“I don’t get it…” Yami was mumbling more to himself, “I was okay yesterday.”

 “Yami, does it hurt or itch at all?” Grampa asked him.

He nodded.

“Well, I think I know what it is.” Solomon said, pulling away, “Yami, you may have the chickenpox.”

“The what?”

“Chickenpox.” Yugi repeated for him, “I had it when I was little. Everyone has it at least once unless you get a vaccination. It’s not very pleasant.”

Yami felt faint. “Chicken…pox? Am I gonna turn into a…” He gulped, “… a chicken?”

“No, no sweetheart!” Grampa said quickly, “it’s a type of virus that you catch from another person. You’ll get a rash and spots. Nothing terribly serious. You’ll just need rest and plenty to drink. Don’t look at me like that, Yami!”

 “Will it go away?” He asked.

“Yes, eventually. Now I suggest you get into your pyjamas and stay in bed. I have some medicine if you need it.”

“But I haven’t been near any chickens so how could I have caught it?”

Grampa laughed. “I can assure you the virus has nothing to do with chickens. I have no idea why they call it chickenpox but oh well. When I had it when I was a boy I bathed myself in bicarbonate soda and I was never allowed to pick the spots.”

“Why?” Yami asked.

“Because if you did you would leave marks that would turn into scars. So you mustn’t scratch at the rash if it gets itchy.”

“Okay.”

Grampa soaked a cloth in the tepid water in the bowl and washed away all of Yami’s cream on his face. Then he gently dried it and helped Yami take his clothes off. He rubbed cold cream into Yami’s irritated skin before changing him into his pyjamas.

***

They heard the doorbell ring. Yugi went downstairs to answer it. It was Joey.

“Yo!” He said, “can I come in?”

“No, because Yami’s not feeling well and we do need the shop to be quiet…”

“Naze-ka? What’s wrong with him?”

“He has chickenpox.”

“Really? Can I see him?” He grinned as he tried to make his way in.

“Joey! You might catch it! Do you want the virus too?”

“It would give me something to do wouldn’t it!”

 Joey rushed up the stairs after suspecting that Yami would be in his room and opened the door, Yugi not too far behind.

He saw Yami sitting up in bed with his arms crossed. He looked VERY angry.

Joey burst out into mocking laughter. He pointed an accusing finger at the Pharaoh. “Ha! Look at him! He has spots all over his face!”

“That’s enough, Joey!” Yugi came up to Yami and shoved a thermometer into his mouth before he could cuss back at Joey.

“The guys gotta see this!” Joey held his sides, “you just look so funny, Yami! Let’s use you as a dartboard! No! Let’s take a picture of you!”

Yami rolled his eyes disbelievingly. He gripped his bed-sheets and grunted.