forum The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Started October 31, 2021 by @LovelyRose

tune

(I’m gonna go ahead and assume a time skip if everyone’s asleep but if you want me to go back I can rewrite the post!)

[Day Nine]

Arquis did not remember falling asleep, but he must have, because he woke very early in the morning. Honey was still tucked in under the heated blanket. Sugar, he assumed due to a lack of noise, was also still asleep. He found his glove from the previous night tucked haphazardly into a crease in the mattress. After pulling it on, he scrubbed at his eyes and peered over to the nearest clock. It was just a bit too early to be awake, even by his early standards. He quietly groaned and settled into the spot he’d been in before.

It was so nice and warm under the blanket. He smiled sleepily to himself as pulled Rin closer, forgetting that they were likely still asleep. His eyes flew open to check if he had woken him up.

(it's fine! I'm heading to bed, by the way, so goodnight!)

Rin was warmer than he had been when they fell asleep, and sure, maybe it was just from being snuggled close all night, but their cheeks also seemed just a little flushed. They were probably fine, though, right? They didn't wake up when Arquis pulled them close, just pressed closer to Arquis with the faintest little shiver, as if they were somehow cold. But it could just be random. Sometimes people shiver for no reason. How could he be cold, when they were snuggled together beneath the blankets?

(goodnight!)

Arquis’s brows scrunched together as he looked at his partner. Something was off. Just slightly, but he could tell that there was something wrong. The shiver gave it away. The flush, the warm skin—those could both be explained away. But there was no way that he was cold in such a well-heated room under a blanket. Perhaps it hadn’t been a shiver at all, he reasoned. Perhaps they’d just had a reaction to something in his dream. Though Arquis was rather certain that his eyes hadn’t deceived him, he didn’t want to wake them up over what could potentially be nothing.

So he let them sleep. He stayed awake for quite some time by himself, just breathing and admiring the peace of it all. Honey was behind him somewhere, and Rin was snuggled up with him. Everything was nice and quiet. Too quiet, in fact. He ended up falling asleep again, though luckily he still didn’t dream.

Rin stayed asleep, slightly feverish as he remained curled up beside their partner. They eventually awoke a few hours later, and presssed closer to Arquis with a sleepy, tired groan. When their eyes cracked open, they immediately shut them again. The light hurt, giving them a headache. Their mouth felt dry and their limbs achy, and they weren't sure why.

Arquis awoke when he heard the groan. His dark eyelashes fluttered as he pushed himself up on an arm to look down at his partner. They looked worse than before, though not alarmingly awful. Perhaps he had caught some sort of cold. He took off his glove again to press his cool palm to their forehead. They were still warm.

“Oh, my love, I really do think you might be catching ill,” he murmured softly. His hand traced along their face to gently cup his cheek. What little he knew of medicine wouldn’t come in handy for a serious situation, but he’d had experience treating minor colds and bugs. Marsiquia had been prone to them in her childhood.

The first thing he did was tip their head back slightly and feel along the bottom of his jaw. His fingertips lightly moved along their flushed skin.

“Does that hurt?” he asked quietly.

He peered up at Arquis, tired and achy and feeling chilled still. "I…mmph. A little bit." he mumbled, curling closer to Arquis again. They just wanted to go back to sleep, but they weren't sure if that was going to be possible. Not when he was aching and sore and tired, despite sleeping for so long.

Arquis smiled fondly and rubbed their shoulder. He was truly sorry that they weren’t feeling well, but he did find their behavior was quite endearing. He tugged the blanket off of himself, wrapped it around Rin, and then pulled another blanket from the edge of the bed to layer on top of them. After planting another kiss on their brow, he stood.

“I should fetch breakfast,” he mused, somewhat to himself. “If you are ill, then you will need the energy. And hydration, of course. Water and tea are a necessity. Though what kind of tea? Something that will soothe the throat—honey, perhaps?”

At the mention of his namesake, Honey awoke. He looked better than he had beforehand, but there was still a restlessness emanating from him. He yawned and, fidgeting with his shirt, glanced to Rin. His eyes widened in alarm. It took him a second to remember where he was, but when he did, he relaxed.

“Morning.” He tipped his head at Arquis. “What’s all the fuss about?”

"Black tea." Rin replied drowsily, pulling the blankets closer around their body. "With some milk and sugar?" they peeked up at Arquis, gaze darting over to Honey when the young man spoke. They didn't respond, though, just huddled deeper into the blankets.

“Black tea with sugar and milk. Of course, my dear.” Arquis brushed their hair from their brow so that he could kiss it. They really were warm. He knew he should’ve said something the previous night. It wasn’t bad enough yet, he thought, that he needed medicine. With any luck, it would stay that way. He wasn’t sure if they’d have any medication at the inn. They’d had first aid supplies, but those could be used for post-intimate purposes, while antipyretics could not.

Honey’s mouth curled into a lazy grin, and he kicked one leg over the other like he was sunbathing. “Doing another kitchen run, are we? Want some company?”

“That is quite alright. Would you like anything?”

He frowned. “Aw, you don’t gotta play maid, y’know. I know yesterday was tough, but, well, I’m tougher. I can get my own breakfast.”

“I know you can,” he replied, smiling reassuringly at the blonde, “but it would be more efficient, I believe, for the task to be delegated to a single person.”

“Biscuits, then. If they’ve got any. Thanks.”

“You are very welcome. Be back in a moment.”

Efficiency wasn’t the only reason Arquis wanted Honey to stay behind. It would soothe him to know that someone was watching over his lover. Not that he thought anything drastic would happen, but it never hurt to be safe.

While Arquis was gone, Honey groaned and rolled onto his side. He paused when he looked at Rin again and tilted his head curiously.

“Not looking so great there.”

Rin peered over at Honey through half-open eyes. "'m just tired. I'll be fine." he replied, though their words weren't really very convincing. Not at all. He didn't sound congested, but he didn't really sound all that healthy, either. He cleared his throat, and burrowed deeper into the blankets again. "Sorry."

Honey snorted. “Yeah, you sure sound fine.”

He stretched as he sat up, leaned over, and let the back of his hand come to a rest on their forehead. His mouth twitched. Like Arquis, he’d come to the deduction that it wasn’t super serious yet, but it still was something to keep an eye on. He poked them lightly in the cheek and removed their blankets, tossing them to the ground. He replaced them with his heated blanket. It would provide more warmth and hopefully help any aches or pains they might be having.

“I’ve got some stuff for your throat, if it’s hurting,” he offered awkwardly. “Pretty low grade shit, but it’s better than nothing.”

"I'm okay. Thanks, though." they replied softly, pulling the heated blanket around them. The heat was nice, and helped soothe the chills he was feeling, though maybe heat wasn't the best thing to do when he already had a low-grade fever. But he'd be okay. It was just a small fever.

Honey nodded. Arquis was still gone, so he went to check Sugar’s crate. She was also gone, as was the ice cream container he’d left laying about. Lovey was the only person who had a key to his room; she must have come in at some point the night to speak to him, realized he was asleep, and done what she could to clean up. The thought made him smile. His sister was a natural mother hen. She had always been that way, even when they were children.

About about fifteen or twenty minutes, Arquis returned. There was someone with him. A very tall, muscular woman with a strong jawline and very dark brown eyes. Her long black hair was thrown into a ponytail that swished behind her as she walked. Strapped onto her shoulder was a massive sword with an ivory and gold hilt.

“Just checking in,” she said. Her stoic eyes scanned Honey’s face, but she didn’t say anything about the black eye.

“All good here. Thanks, Pretty.” She was the one that had gone with Lovey to kick out the men. Honey wasn’t all that close with her, but he was overwhelmingly grateful to know that she’d been watching his door.

She left. Arquis brought a serving tray with tea and a mountain of buttermilk biscuits to the bed. He kissed Rin on the cheek as he adjusted their pillows so that he was sitting up.

Rin was perfectly capable of sitting up on their own, though they kept the blanket wrapped close around his body. "Welcome back, darling." they said softly, taking their tea and taking a small sip. The heat of it was wonderful, and did help to soothe them and warm them up. "Thank you." they reached up to wrap their arm around Arquis's shoulders.

Arquis let himself be pulled in by them. Honey took the tray so that he could climb onto the bed, and he settled in right next to his partner. He kissed them on the side of his neck before picking up a cup of coffee he’d brought for himself. It was black with no cream or sugar, which wasn’t exactly the way he liked it. But it was healthier that way.

Honey picked up a golden, well-buttered biscuit and let out a dreamy sigh. He took a knife, sliced it in half, and began to slather the insides with a rather generous portion of fruit jam. Once that was done, he closed it back up, then sank his teeth into it.

“Are you hungry, love?” Arquis asked softly. “You really should eat something, even if you do not feel like doing so.”

"You need to eat too." Rin replied, reaching out for a biscuit and putting some butter and jam on it, then taking a bite. "Please, darling. You only ate breakfast yesterday, and we agreed that we were going to work on this." his voice was soft, and he still sounded a bit sick.

Arquis hated that they’d exposed his vulnerability again in front of Honey, but he hated himself more for making a promise that he hadn’t kept. He eyed the small stack of biscuits warily. They were just butter and calories and carbs. There was nothing nutritious about them. He imagined one sliding down his throat, thick and dry, and felt a little nauseous.

“I… I want to work on it, I really do, but…” He crossed his arms and shook his head. His voice was strained. “I cannot eat these.”

“What else’re you gonna eat? Didn’t get yourself anything.” Honey dunked a shred of biscuit into the jam and ate it in one bite. “Again.”

“I do not know, but I just cannot. I am terribly sorry.”

Rin sighed quietly, taking a sip of his tea. "Arquis, darling…" he glanced at Honey, then over at Arquis. "Can you put some butter and jam on it? Just one for me. Or go get yourself something else. You can't keep going this way." they didn't want to berate him in front of Honey, but this was really important. Arquis needed to eat something.

Arquis inched away from them slowly. His heart hurt. He’d disappointed them. Of course he had. He would never stop disappointing people.

Something was in front of his face. Honey was holding out a biscuit. It was plain, one of the few that wasn’t drenched in honey or butter. He took it with a shaky hand and stared down at its smooth, flaky top. Just a biscuit. It was just a biscuit. He wasn’t going to be punished for it. He didn’t have to feel guilty for it, either. Honey had already eaten several, and he was still fit. He was tearing through another as Arquis thought because he was hungry, and because people ate when they were hungry. Arquis should eat. Hadn’t he eaten worse before? The cake pop? Thinking about the sweet wasn’t as comforting as he’d hoped.

He tore the biscuit in half. Tore the top part in half. Took one of the quarters and put it in his mouth. Chewed. Swallowed. Grimaced. There were still three quarters left. He ate another, then another, and then stared at the last piece.

He shouldn’t cause Rin any more trouble. They were ill. They didn’t need this. He ate the last quarter and washed it down with the remainders of his coffee.

Honey was staring at him. “That really was hard for you,” he said in an odd tone.

“I do not like biscuits,” Arquis said crossly. He then cuddled close to Rin again with a nervous smile.

Rin leaned his head on Arquis's shoulder. "Thank you, darling." they pressed a soft kiss to Arquis's cheek. They knew Arquis would not want to talk about it in front of Honey, but they were glad that he had made the effort to eat even just the one biscuit. "If you could eat another one later, too, tht would be wonderful, but I am not going to press you." their voice was quiet and hushed, and they took another big sip of their tea when they finished speaking.

Arquis tipped his head graciously at the kiss and the praise, then sighed when they said the line about the second. Perhaps a distraction was in order. He placed his hand on their side and pulled him in closer. That hand fluttered up to his hair, which he lovingly combed through, before touching their cheek.

“Oh dear, it seems that I forgot the water. That will not do. You need to keep hydrated.” He started to stand, but Honey bounced to his feet instead.

After shaking the crumbs off his sweater, the blonde announced, “I’ll get it. Need to move around. Starting to get all antsy.”

”Thank you, Honey.”

“Aw, you’re welcome, sweetheart.” With a wink, Honey hurried to the door. He exited and was followed down the hall by Pretty.

“He seems in a better mood,” Arquis said. He kissed their jaw and gave them an appreciative cuddle.

"Thanks Honey." Rin called after the blond, and pressed closer to Arquis. "He is, yes." they agreed. "And…Arquis, I really am happy that you ate the biscuit." they were not going to let him forget. "It's important for you to eat, darling. Even though I know you don't want to."

Arquis unconsciously ran his hand down his own side, giving a tug at the skin there. It wasn’t as if he thought he’d immediately gained weight, but he knew that it could escalate. One day it was a single biscuit. The next, he’d be eating all sorts of junk, feeling his clothes get tighter and tighter. He imagined his thighs pressing together and felt a wave of revulsion. Why was it so hard to imagine that? Weight did not determine character, and he knew that, but he couldn’t apply that logic to himself.

“And what of you, my love?” It was another distraction, but he was genuinely concerned. “I noticed that you did not eat much. It is especially important that you eat if you are falling ill. Your body will need the energy to fight off infection.”

Rin reached out to take Arquis's hands, having noticed that small motion. "Darling, I…I don't think I can eat much more." they hated saying this, not when they had just been telling ARquis to eat more, but it was different. He hoped. They took another sip of tea, grimacing faintly.

Arquis cupped one of their hands in his and kissed it, starting at the wrist and working his way to their palm. When he finished and looked up at his partner, his blue eyes were wide with concern. It gave him an innocent, distressed air.

“It is not…” He made a face like he’d tasted something sour. “It is not my fault, is it? That you are not hungry?”

If his words had caused him to have any sort of issue with their body, he would be incredibly upset. Rin had such a lovely figure, and even if they were softer, he would still adore them with his whole heart. It was just different for Arquis. He was not as attractive as his lover. That was why he had to work harder to keep in shape.