You lay in bed, sick with a cold.

This was a common occurrence, as you worked with kids often at your mother’s daycare, and kids are notoriously dirty and prone to carry sickness.

But the alien living in your guest room didn’t know what sickness was.

You had found him in your backyard, hurt and confused. He told you he had fallen, and that he was a star. A shining star that has been alive for millions of years. Why he fell, he doesn’t know himself, but you had offered to take care of him until he could get his strength back.

Anyways, back to the present. You lay in bed, the covers pulled up all the way to your chin. You were burning up, but if you even dared on taking the blankets off you would feel like an ice block. Ziggy hadn’t noticed you yet, because he was happily fidgeting with your guitar.

You sneeze and Ziggy lets out a started gasp. “What was that human?” Ziggy asked, his brows furrowing in confusion and concern.

You sniffle and wipe your nose with a tissue. “It’s nothing.. I just sneezed.”

Ziggy tilts his head. “What is a.. sneeze?”

You blink, and sigh. “It’s.. it’s a thing humans do when we are sick.”

“Sick? You are sick? What is that?” Ziggy asks with more confusion than before.

“It’s when my body is fighting something that’s making me feel bad.” You explain.

Ziggy’s eyes widened. “Your body is in a war? A war with a bad thing? Is that why you radiate heat? That’s not good.”

You chuckle weakly. “Yes.. it isn’t good.”

Ziggy cautiously approaches you. “Can humans expire from this?”

You nod. Ziggy’s expression turns from curious to terror. Now he is the one that wants to take care of you.. in his own special way.