"I've got you, sweetie… We'll get you all warmed up, okay?" Serna hummed faintly, resting her head on Nix's.
"I love you~" Zachary said in turn. He leaned into the kiss, then rested his head on Cas's when he set it down on Zachary's shoulder.
Nix nodded weakly and drew in a few wavering breaths. "I-I don't like the ice bath…" He whined
Cas smiled softly and closed his eyes, relaxing into Zachary's gentle touch.
"I know, sugar… And we're going to make sure you don't have to go in it again once you get all better." Serna held Nix close, reaching to the side of the couch and grabbing a blanket to wrap around both of them to trap the heat in for now. Zachary was glad to feel Cas relax, simply letting his arms rest around the human and occasionally rubbing his back.
Nix purred weakly when Serna wrapped the blanket around the two of them. "It's like everything is numb and tingly and cold…" He whined. "I don't like being sick…"
Cas occasionally shifted to get more comfortable, but otherwise seemed happy and content in Zachary's lap.
Serna took Nik's hands in her own giant ones, rubbing his fingers a bit to help them warm up.
"No one does, sugar. We just have to ride this out, okay?" She hummed faintly, making sure his toes were tucked away too.
Nix closed his eyes and tried to relax while Serna warmed up his fingers for him. He turned his ears back with a shaky whimper. "I-I never got this sick when I was a cat…"
"And you were lucky for that. And we'll make sure you don't get this sick again." Serna hummed faintly, pulling Nix a bit closer to herself. She rested her forehead on his.
"I don't like shots, though…" He whined softly, fidgeting with his hands. "They don't feel good… do they do them in the same place for people as they do for cats?" He asked.
"We do them in your arm," Serna explained gently. She lightly touched the side of Nix's arm. "Right here." She gently reached up to cup Nix's cheek.
"O-Okay… how many do we have to do?" Nix asked nervously as he leaned into Serna's hand. He kept his ears turned back for now.
"We'll start with three, okay? There are… Several you'll need to have, but we'll wait in between them." Serna rubbed Nix's cheek gently, offering an assuring smile.
Nix whimpered and buried his face in Serna's shoulder. "I don't wanna get stabbed… it hurts… does it hurt less in your arm?" He asked.
"It will hurt less when I do it," Serna assured. "I'll make sure to be gentle, okay?" Serna gently rubbed Nix's back, holding him close.
"Okay… do I get treats afterwards?" He asked. Cas snickered a bit. "We're not going to give you cat treats when you're a person, but we can give you candy or something."
"Well, of course! I'll bake a batch of cookies just for you," Serna promised. She smiled gently, patting Nix's head lightly.
"Okay…" Nix toyed with his hair a bit, his face lightly flushed. "When are we gonna do them?" He asked softly.
"We'll do them after you've gotten better from this," Serna said. She checked his forehead after a moment, still concerned the fever might come back.
Nix nodded a bit and leaned into Serna's hand. His forehead was still a tad hotter than normal, but he was definitely doing better.
Serna took the blanket from around herself and Nix, but she still let him stay on her lap. She left her hand on Nix's cheek, humming faintly.
Nix yawned a bit and swiveled his ears around whenever he heard a sound from around the house. Cas had his eyes closed by now and was relaxing in Zachary's lap.
Zachary was content to sit with Cas, close to sleep. Serna rubbed Nix's back slightly.
"Do you think you can eat something?" She asked gently. "Don't worry if you can't."
"Um… maybe? I'd probably be able to if you did you thing that makes it so I don't throw up…" Nix huddled a bit closer to Serna.
Serna nodded.
"Do you want to try to eat?" She placed her hand on Nix's head, gently scratching behind his ears.
"Mm… not really, but if you think I should, then I can try…" Nix sighed. "As long as you don't try to force feed me again…"
"There won't be anymore force feeding," Serna said gently. "And I'm so, so sorry I did that to you. And I won't ask you to if you don't feel you should."