They frowned, hsaking their head. "I don't want to, Arquis, it's going to be so cold and I don't…I don't want to." he kept his arms curled around themself, shivering again and looking down at Arquis unhappily. "I don't want to." they knew it was probably good for them but they really, really didn't want to. The fever fogged their brain up enough that they just wanted to curl up in bed beneath their blankets and sleep.
Arquis broke away and cupped their cheek. “The longer you wait, my love, the colder it will get.”
He wanted to say something else, to give them comfort in this hard time, but he didn’t know what more to say. He could tell their mind was hazy from fever. They would not listen to logic. He could compose the world’s most compelling argument, but it would be pointless.
“What if I were to join you?” he asked. “Would that make it any less miserable? I could hold you.”
He leaned into Arquis's hand with a faint, pained sound. "I just…I just don't want…" he took a deep breath. "It's so cold, Arquis." they whispered. "It's cold, and awful, and…and I don't want…" he bit his lip a little bit.
Arquis kissed them on the jaw. He stayed there for a moment, his lips moving against their skin as he spoke. “I know that you do not want to, Rin. I do not blame you. But you must. You must.”
When he leaned back, his blue eyes were damp. Before they could see, he stood and began to undress. His shirt and boxers stayed on, but he took off his pants, folded them, and put them on the counter. He kept his face neutral as he dipped his hand in the water. Internally, however, he was groaning. Of course it was cold. That was the whole point.
He lightly tousled Rin’s hair and put on his softest smile. His eyes had dried in the time it’d taken to change. “Here, I will get in first, alright? And then you can join me. We can go through it together.”
Without waiting for an answer, he lowered himself into the bath. It was harder to hold back his wince this time around, but he managed. He moved to the nearest edge and held his arms out towards them in encouragement.
Rin watched him, frowning a little bit. "I…" they finally lowered themself into the tub, wincing and shivering harder when their body met the cold water. He pressed himself into Arquis, shivering and trembling. "It's freezing." he whispered, letting out a faint whine of pain.
“Sh, I know, my love,” Arquis murmured soothingly. His arm instinctively curled around their waist and pulled them in further. “Oh, come here. You are shaking. Come here.”
He was beginning to wonder if this had been a bad idea after all. Their fever was indeed very dangerous, but if he lost too much energy due to the shivering then they wouldn’t be well enough to eat or drink. That was a major concern, as they’d already emptied his stomach. If he didn’t take something in soon to replace those lost calories, then they’d be even worse off. He wondered for a moment what food would soothe a struggling stomach. Something plain. Nothing too dense or rich. Nothing with cream, caffeine, or milk. That would certainly make them sick again.
Of course, thinking about food made him realize that he’d lied to them. He hadn’t eaten anything after they’d asked. Over the past two days, he’d barely eaten anything at all. He was angry at the burst of self-satisfaction that the thought gave him. He was supposed to be doing better. This wasn’t better.
He broke out of his thoughts and gave his partner a gentle hug. “You are doing so well, my dear. I am sorry that this is so difficult.”
Rin clung to Arquis, still shivering. "I'm so cold." They complained in a faint tone, closing their eyes and grimacing. The water was cold and they didn't feel good and he just wanted to curl up in bed again and sleep, buried under their blankets. That sounded ideal.
“I know, my love. But it will not be for long. Just a little while,” Arquis reassured them again. He cupped their cheek and gently stroked his thumb over his temple.
He wasn’t actually sure how long they’d be in the bath. Fifteen minutes? Twenty? Half an hour felt excessive, but then again, he wasn’t exactly a doctor. Everything he knew about caring for the sick came from his own experience with healing himself and Marsiquia. Nobody had ever really helped him with it. Some of the maids and butlers of the Palace had snuck him tea and hard candy for sore throats, and he’d had to see several doctors about his childhood asthma, but he’d had to make up the smaller in-between steps himself. He wished he’d read more about the subject before coming to the inn.
He moved his hand to their shoulder, then let it slide down his wet skin to their back. They still felt hot. How was that possible? His mouth twisted into a grimace, and he gently guided their head forward so that it was against his shoulder.
They stayed curled close to Arquis, resting against him and still shivering faintly. They were just so cold, and Arquis was warm, and their head hurt, and everything ached. He let out a faint sound of discomfort, arms wrapped around himself in an effort to stay warm. Hopefully this cold bath would bring their temperature down, though they weren't thinking of it like that. They were just thinking of how cold they already felt.
Arquis cuddled close to them. In truth, the water felt rather cold for him as well. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. He couldn’t imagine how bad it was for his lover, though their shivering gave him a pretty decent idea. To soothe them, he ran his hand up and down the length of their spine, then curled it into his hair.
After about twenty minutes, he decided they’d been in there long enough. He shifted and slowly drifted away from his partner in the water until his arm was braced on one of the tub’s edges. Then, he pulled himself up, wrung the water from his shirt, and bent to help his partner up. He was careful as he braced his forearms under their biceps. There were nodes there that were bound to be sore. Also, he didn’t want them to slip. Once he was sure that they were standing, he got out to get them a towel.
“Here we are, love. Thank you for humoring me. I know it was not fun. Shall I get you into bed?”
Rin leaned on Arquis as the nobleman helped them out. "Yeah." he whispered. "But, uhm, I need…uhm…different boxers. And fresh clothes." they cleared their throat softly, not wanting to go to bed in wet boxers, but also wanting nothing more than to snuggle up in the bed and under the blankets.
Arquis smiled, mostly to himself. Then, he nodded. “Of course. I will be right back.”
He returned to the bedroom and found their luggage. Rather than pick out a specific outfit as he had the time before, he lifted the whole case and carried it to the bath. He pivoted to set it on the sink.
“I am rather soaked as well,” he said. A blush broke out on his face as he realized how that might sound, and he cleared his throat. “I thought I would change in the main room, while you get dressed in here. It seems that is the most efficient way. Do not bother with asking for permission to come out when you are finished. Just join me in bed, alright?”
He leaned forward and kissed his partner’s still warm cheek. Not wanting to waste any more time, he departed to redress. He set his drenched shirt and boxers onto the desk chair to dry, then pulled on one of the last sweaters packed by Quirisa. They’d have to do laundry soon. He put on a clean pair of boxers and pants as well before flopping onto the bed.
Rin took the bag, towel still wrapped close around their body. "Okay." he said softly, watching Arquis go, and then got to changing into his clothes. He picked out the softest clothes he had, and pulled them on after changing out of his boxers. He sighed softly, coming out of the bathroom and stumbling over to the bed.
Arquis sat up when they staggered over. As swiftly as possible, he pushed over to the edge of the mattress, then helped him lay down. His grip was gentle. He left a short trail of kisses from his forehead to his jaw, his own brow furrowing at the heat of their skin. There was no way they should’ve been so hot. The bath should’ve helped. And it had, in some small way, but it hadn’t done enough.
“Mm.” He tucked them in under the covers and stood. “I am going to see about tidying up, and then I will fetch you something for breakfast. Nothing much, do not worry.”
He snuggled down into the blankets, grimacing. "I don't want to eat anything." he replied, frowning. "I'll just…I'll just throw up again, and…and I really don't want to throw up again." he held the blankets as close around himself as he could, wrapping them tightly around themself.
“I know that you do not wish to, but you need to get your strength up, love. Sleep alone will not heal you.” He sighed and brushed a hand over his eyes. “I will not lie. You might get sick again. I do not know. But eating is still worth a try.”
He fondly tousled their hair and went to tidy the bathroom. This included rinsing out the tub, putting the used towels into a stack by the door, and, perhaps his least favorite task, cleaning the wastebasket that he’d been ill into. It was all menial labor that, if he’d been at the Palace, would normally have been done by maids or butlers. And yet it felt comforting to do some hands-on work.
Speaking of hands-on, he hadn’t worn his gloves in quite some time. The realization shocked him. He’d never gone for very long without them before, even when he would spend an entire day in his room. He hadn’t even panicked when Lovey had asked about the scars. Was that a sign of growth? Or was it just another sign that he was getting lazy, too careless for his own good? Serenity had seen the scars and assumed that Rin had been abusive. Would other inn goers think the same? What would it mean for his reputation if they recognized him? Rumors were one thing, but he knew he couldn’t risk the truth getting out.
That was why he pulled on a fresh pair of gloves when he reentered the bedroom. Rin was likely too sick to notice or care, he reasoned. He gave them a sympathetic look as he walked to the door.
“Something small, I promise. If soup was too much, then perhaps just a plain broth. No flavoring, no other ingredients. Unsalted crackers?”
There was an odd, leaden feeling in his stomach. If Rin couldn’t keep anything down, then things really had taken a turn for the worse. They’d rapidly lose energy. And what if they could not manage the medicine that Ari was bringing? He shuddered and wrapped his fingers around the door handle.
Rin just watched him through exhausted eyes, shaking their head faintly. "I don't want to eat anything." he mumbled, closing their eyes again. "I feel gross, Arquis." it wasn't going to be easy to get food into Rin's system, that seemed sure now. Rin wasn't going to be willing to eat much, not with how sick he was feeling.
Arquis sighed. His hand dropped from the handle and he stepped closer to cup their chin. The fabric of his glove was slightly scratchy; it was one of his lower quality pairs from the very start of his glove-buying days. He hoped they didn’t mind.
“Well, broth is more a drink than a meal,” he said. There was something both desperate and humorous about his tone, similar to hysteric laughter. His thumb skimmed the length of their jaw, and he tried for a smile. It looked brittle. “Just a little bit. Please. If you cannot do it for yourself, then please do it for me. I…”
He retracted his hand, wincing as if he’d been burned. What had he been close to saying? That he was worried for them? Rin already knew that. That he couldn’t bear to watch them waste away? How hypocritical.
He leaned into Arquis's hand, eyes flickering shut. "I…" he shrugged his shoulders faintly. "I-I guess so." they let out a faint sound. "But you've gotta eat too." their voice was quiet, eyes still closed even when Arquis pulled away. "Please. We had a deal."
Arquis had known that this was coming. He stifled a groan and stared at the ground. Could they not have been selfish, just for once? Could they not have forgotten the promise in their exhaustion? It wasn’t in their nature to let others suffer, he knew, but he wished that his partner could let it be. Just until they were feeling better, he told himself. Not forever. But even as he thought that, he knew it was a lie. If Rin had forgotten about it entirely, he would’ve been thrilled.
“If it will get you to eat,” he said stiffly, dissatisfaction bleeding into every word, “then I suppose I must.”
It was cruel of him to act this way. They had enough to think about; he should’ve quietly done as they’d asked. But it felt in a weird way like he’d been blackmailed. He almost felt betrayed, though logically he knew they were only trying to help.
Rin nodded faintly, snuggling back down into the covers. "Thank you, Arquis." he said in a soft tone, running a hand through his hair, and opening his eyes to peek up at Arquis tiredly. "I know you don't want to." but neither did Rin, though for very different reasons than Arquis.
(this one’s a bit long sorry! mostly just kinda filler)
All of the pettiness left Arquis at once. They really didn’t look well, and it wasn’t a good sign that he was sleeping so much. Bards weren’t meant to be so still, so quiet. Not that Rin was exactly the stereotypical bard, but still. It was unsettling.
“Be back in a moment, love,” he murmured, then departed.
At this point, he had the way to the kitchen memorized. He could’ve walked it with his eyes closed, but he didn’t for multiple reasons. When he arrived, two friendly cooks greeted him. One of them was the chef that’d given him the ice cream for Honey and let him help make Rin’s hot chocolate. The other looked vaguely familiar, though he wasn’t sure when he’d run into them. They were wearing a maid’s dress and dicing onions like a pro.
“Oh, hello again!” the other chef chirped. She sprinkled some salt into a pot and gave it a stir. “Come for more hot cocoa? Or would Honey like more ice cream?”
“Ah, neither. I was hoping I could get my hands on some broth? I have a lover that is feeling a bit under the weather,” which was a massive understatement, but he didn’t need to tell her that, “and I thought I would fetch him something easy on the stomach.”
“We can do that!” She turned to ask the person in the maid outfit to prep some plain chicken broth, then looked back at Arquis. “Anything else? Does he need some water, too?”
“Oh, yes, that would be wonderful. And, ah… a bowl of ice chips? If you have any of those?”
“I can break up some ice for you, sure.”
“Thank you.” He bowed his head slightly, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude. She put a hand on his shoulder after wiping it on her apron.
“Of course. Now, let’s see about getting you something.”
His chest tightened, as did his smile. “Excuse me?”
“Well, last time you were here you got ice cream for Honey and hot chocolate, which I’m guessing went to your lover. This time, you only got stuff for the latter. Never anything for yourself.” Her expression was nervous yet sympathetic. “And I hope you don’t mind me saying, but you’re looking a bit, well, gaunt. I say you pick something out just for you.”
Arquis settled, after a long moment of blinking back tears, on some buns stuffed with vegetables. The chef took a couple fresh from the oven and piled them onto a plate. He held it as he waited for the broth to finish. Once it and the ice chips were done, he brought them back to the room, still quite choked up.
(it's fine!)
Rin had dozed off again while Arquis was gone. It was only a light sleep, but he had still dozed off. They were just so tired, and they just wanted to rest. Not do anything else with their time. They didn't have the energy for anything else to begin with, in any case.
Arquis opened the door and stepped inside. He set the plate of vegetable buns, the bowl of broth, and the cups of water and ice chips down on the bedside table. Then, he turned to look at them. His expression softened. Tenderly, he placed his hand on their forehead, feeling his heated skin. He traced his fingers down to their cheek, cupping it.
“Sorry, love,” he whispered, sounding genuinely regretful. If he could avoid it, he wouldn’t be waking them up. But the broth would go cold before too long. He kissed their brow. “Do you need help eating?”
His eyes flickered open eventually, and they shook their head. "Uhm…no." he said, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He could eat by themself. It would be fine. At least, they hoped it would. They weren't very sure. They reached out to take the broth.