Rin shivered again when Arquis took one of their blankets, curling closer to him in order to leech his body heat. He shook his head faintly. "Don't wanna leave Honey alone." he replied quietly. "Don't want him to hurt himself." they closed their eyes, exhausted and starting to ache more and more noticeably.
There it was again, that lack of self-preservation. Arquis wished his partner would be more selfish. He clearly wasn’t feeling well, and he didn’t look it, either. But even still, they were trying to make sure that someone else was alright. He made a quiet, disapproving humming sound.
“Honey will be alright. He has Pretty to watch over him, and if you do wish to leave, then I can send her to fetch Lovey and Sugar as well. You do not need to worry about him any longer, at least not for today. Let us worry about you instead. This fever of yours is not horribly high yet, but that does not mean it cannot worsen.”
Honey re-entered the bedroom and flopped down onto the mattress. His hair fell into his eyes, and he grinned, looking foolish and youthful once more.
“What’re you lovebirds whispering about?”
Rin stayed cuddled up to Arquis, tired and aching but not wanting to leave Honey alone. When the young man came back in, they looked over at him, giving him a very soft, very faint smile. "It's…it's nothing. It's fine." they said, voice quiet. He shivered again, pressing closer to Arquis in search of warmth.
Before Arquis or Honey could say anything to that, there was a series of knocks on the door. It swung open to reveal Lovey. She was wearing a very pretty, pale pink nightgown with lace and ruffles. It even had a bow on the bosom. Her light blonde curls bounced on her shoulders as she turned to say something to Pretty. On her feet were dainty socks with fur-lined slippers in the same shade of pink as her dress.
“Hi, everyone!” she chirped in a singsong voice. She held up Sugar, who Arquis hadn’t realized she was holding, and beamed. The little dog was wearing tiny pink boots. Her tail wagged at hyper speed when she saw Honey. Despite himself, Arquis flinched.
“Hello, Lovey. Might I ask you to lower your voice, please? Rin has fallen ill.”
She looked at them and frowned. “Oh, you do look quite flushed! Poor thing.”
Rin whined very faintly when the door swung open, hiding his face in Arquis's shoulder. "'m just tired." he insisted, shaking their head. "That's all. 'm not sick." they knew they were sick; god, they knew it. But they weren't going to admit it out loud, not now, not when they didn't want to leave Honey. Not when Honey had said that he wanted to hurt himself or worse.
“Aw, give it a rest already, handsome. You’re sick. Got a nice little fever going and everything. Denial doesn’t work when we’ve got the facts to prove it.”
Honey’s words were said mockingly, but he was clearly worried for them. He gestured for Lovey to draw the curtains over the window and get rid of most of the lights in the room save for one large, unscented candle. She lit it with ease and set it on the vanity. Arquis smiled gratefully at her. In return, she did a miniature curtsy. The glitter in her light pink eyeshadow and lip gloss shimmered in the candlelight.
He wrapped both arms about his lover, combed his fingers through their hair, and sighed. “Love, really. There is no need to be so stubborn. It is alright.”
He pressed close to Arquis. "I don't want to leave Honey alone, Arquis. What…" they would feel absolutely awful if they left and then Honey hurt himself, or worse. Their words were said in a whisper, quite enough that Honey wouldn't be able to hear what he said. He didn't want to make Honey feel bad, not when that would just make the risks worse.
“He would not be alone. Lovey is here now, and if we asked her to stay I believe that she would,” Arquis responded in an equally quiet voice. He rubbed his hand in slow circles on their shoulder, then stopped, exhaled, and hugged him tightly. “I know that this is hard for you, but you have to understand that you are not responsible for him. You have done your best to help him and have in many ways succeeded, but you must now help yourself. You are not well, my love.”
Honey and Lovey were chatting amongst themselves. She put Sugar on top of her brother, giggling as the dog leapt up his body to lick at his face. He groaned and laughed as well. The dog was ecstatic. She yipped happily, spun around, and looked at Lovey expectantly. Lovey complied, sitting on the bed and scratching under the puppy’s snout.
Arquis tried his best to pretend that Sugar wasn’t there. His entire body had gone rigid, however, and he looked the other way when she barked.
He inhaled softly, staying pressed close to Arquis. "I know, I just…what if something happens, and if we were here it wouldn't have?" they asked, very quiet. "I don't…I can't…" he hid his face in Arquis's shoulder, taking a deep breath. He still felt chilled and cold, and his head hurt.
Sugar, apparently sensing their worry, wiggled away from her owners and darted to his side. She lightly clawed at his hip. Her paws were still in boots, however, so it was more of patting than actual scratching. She dug her tiny nose into their ribs and let out a whine.
“Think she’s worried about you, sweetheart,” Honey remarked. His accent grew a bit stronger when he was concerned. He leaned over and placed his palm between their shoulder blades.
Lovey hopped up and came around to their side of the bed. She exchanged a glance with Arquis, who continued to stroke through their hair. It was growing damp with cold sweat. Fever sweat, as Marsiquia used to call it whenever he would fall ill.
Then, to his surprise, she asked, “What happened to your hand?”
Arquis looked down, feeling a spike of panic. He had forgotten to put his glove back on when she’d come in. “Ah, nothing. That is a matter for a different time.”
She nodded. “Oh, um, alright.” And then, sweetly to Rin, she asked, “Would you like to go to your room for a nap? You really look like you could use some rest.”
He reached over and gently scratched Sugar's head between her ears, shaking his head faintly. "'m fine." he replied, staying close to Arquis. "I don't…I don't need to leave or…or anything." he was still exhausted, though, and his words betrayed that.
Sugar whimpered and bounced onto his back. She sniffed at the nape of his neck before turning to look at Lovey. The young woman bit her bottom lip, ruining her lip gloss, and patted her dog’s side. That didn’t seem to help. The puppy barked urgently. Honey picked her up with a sigh, shushing her.
“I know you might not wanna, but you really don’t sound good,” Lovey fretted. She walked to the bathroom and came back with a cool, slightly damp cloth. Arquis thanked her with a smile before very gently wiping his partner’s face. They really were beginning to take a turn for the worse, he thought. Still not in drastic shape, but his skin had an unnatural, clammy pallor to it.
“I can carry you,” Honey offered.
Arquis instantly shook his head. “You are not putting anymore stress on that wrist. It needs to heal. I, on the other hand, have no such injury, and would be more than glad to help you back.”
Rin frowned. "You're not carrying me, Honey, not with that wrist. You've already been too rough on it." he took a sip of his water to try and soothe his throat, shaking their head a little bit. He stayed close to Arquis, shivering for a moment. "It's nothing. 'm just…'m just tired. And cold. I'm fine."
“We already have proof that says otherwise, my dear,” Arquis said with a shake of his head. He was fond of them, truly, but he really wished they would take care of himself. It was hard to watch him take care of everyone else and deny themself the same treatment. If it had been Honey that was ill, he knew that they would have done everything in their power to nurse him back to health. That was what he had done for Arquis, after all. He remembered their strong arms under him as he carried him up the hill.
“Please?” his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Rin, this behavior is worrying. You are not fine, and you do not have to be, so please let us help.”
Rin frowned a little bit. "I'm fine." they insisted, then coughed softly, a grimace pulling at their face. "I…I promise, 'm fine." they knew they weren't being truthful, but god, it was so hard. They wanted to take care of Honey, not have to be taken care of by everyone else.
Arquis felt his face grow hot. He was trying his best not to act frustrated, but the conversation was going absolutely nowhere. Every time he thought that he or Lovey had made a good point, Rin would completely deny it. That wasn’t their fault. He knew it was not. Someone in his life had convinced them that they should be caregiver and not cared for; that he should patch the wounds of others even when bleeding out.
He opened his mouth to try a different approach and was cut off by Honey’s hand on his shoulder. The blonde gave him a subtle nod before switching his focus to Rin.
“Hey, handsome. Let’s pause for a second and think. Say that I was running a fever. Probably had a sore throat, too. What would you tell me to do?”
He frowned faintly, looking at Honey. "I…get some rest? Have some tea, maybe a hot bath?" they said slowly. They knew exactly where Honey was going with this, and they hated it, but they didn't know what else to do. They ran their hand through their hair, blinking at the blonde.
Honey nodded, his expression soft and sympathetic. “I can tell that you know why I asked that, so let’s cut the hypothetical and get to the point. We wanna help you like you would help us. And I know that it’s hard to accept that help. Maybe you feel like you don’t deserve it, or maybe you think that my whole mess is more important than your own. Or maybe it’s both, I don’t know. What I do know is that you’re not feeling great, and it’d be a lot less stressful for everyone if you let lover boy here make you feel better.”
The words ‘lover boy’ got a slight frown out of Arquis, but it was at the very least better than boytoy. He shrugged and kissed his partner on the forehead.
Rin frowned. "But…" his protest trailed off. He didn't really know what to say now. Honey was…right, they supposed. It might be easier for everyone else if they let Arquis take care of him, but…but he didn't know what to do. "I just…it's not that bad." they said, voice soft and faint.
(sorry I promise I haven’t forgotten this!!! it’s been a super busy day and I only had time to send out some messages, but now I’ve got time to actually write replies again!)
Honey tore a hand through his hair, defeated. “I don’t get it. We know it’s bad. You know that we know it’s bad. So why won’t you-”
It clicked. His mouth flattened, and he turned his head away. Strands of his fine hair spilled over his cheek. They glowed almost like real gold in the light of the candle. He combed through them again with his fingers, let out a huff of breath, and glared at his bad arm. His nails looked bitten and bare without any polish.
“I’m not going anywhere, y’know. I’m not. I may have- listen, I might’ve said some shit in the moment. I get like that sometimes. But I’m gonna be alright. I am. You don’t gotta babysit me anymore. Take care of yourself.”
Sugar yipped in agreement. She wormed her way into Rin’s arms and licked at their chin. Her tongue dangled unsophisticatedly out of her mouth as she spun in an inelegant circle.
(it's fine!! Glad you're doing alright!)
Rin held Sugar gently, frowning for a moment. "I just…" his gaze flickered around the group, studying all of them. "I…are you sure?" he said softly. "I don't want…I don't want you to hurt yourself again, and…" his gaze moved to Lovey for just a moment, then back over to Honey.
“Wait, again?” Lovey interrupted, wide-eyed. She nervously tugged on a strand of her hair. “What do they mean? What’re you guys talking about?”
”Nothing. I’ll tell you later,” Honey grunted in response. His face contorted as if he’d tasted something bitter. He hid his mouth with the neck of his sweater and stared stubbornly to the side. The part of his nose that was still visible looked slightly scrunched.
Arquis did his best to ignore Sugar’s little whimpers and sniffs. He cradled his partner’s chin in his fingers, smiled softly, and kissed the spot of their cheek that was right by his ear. He really wanted to move downwards to his lips, but they were likely still infectious. While he knew there was still a chance he might catch their sickness, he still wanted to at least try to be cautious.
To answer their question, he whispered, “We are sure, my love.”
Rin leaned into Arquis, hesitating for a long, anxious moment. "I…fine. Fine. If it…if it makes you all happy." they said slowly. He looked over at Lovey. "Can, uhm, can you stay with Honey? And…and make sure he doesn't…do anything?" bad, at least. Nothing bad. They really, really didn't want Honey to hurt himself.
Lovey looked incredibly unsettled. As she leaned forward to scoop up Sugar, her pink lips curved downwards. She was watching her brother out of the corner of her eye like he was going to get up and run away. He was still partially hidden in his sweater, his attention on the drawstrings of his pants.
“I will,” she promised. Even though she was clearly upset, her voice was extremely gentle. “I have the feeling that we’ve got a lot of stuff to talk about.”
Honey still didn’t answer. He wasn’t angry or openly upset, but Arquis could tell he didn’t want to talk with her. It likely had to do with what he’d been saying. He saw his sister like Arquis saw Marsiquia: pure, gentle of heart. Happy and not to be worried. Good. Genuinely good. Quirisa was similar, though she was tougher. She had a lot more on her shoulders.
Arquis hugged his partner. “So, to our room, then?”
Rin nodded slowly. "Thanks, Lovey." he said softly, then looked up at Arquis. "Uhm…yeah. We can go to our room now." they snuggled closer to Arquis, clearing his throat faintly and wishing he had more tea. Tea helped soothe his throat.