Chapter Text
Turns out, tomorrow was something else. Because Nom woke up that morning, feeling strange.
Now, usually, he’d chalk it up to being up early. He’s possibly the least enthusiastic knight when it comes to morning patrols, no matter how beautiful the sunrise is, or how lovely it is hearing bird chirp from the trees. He’d much rather sleep in all the way ‘till noon and then take his patrols in night time, where he’d argue the atmosphere is pretty much exactly the same for none of the sleepiness. It baffles him greatly how the Lion manages to do this almost everyday. But then again, most of what the Lion does baffles him anyways. What’s one more to add to the list.
But it’s becoming increasingly obvious, as Nom moves to peer outside, that it’s very much not early. The sun’s already hanging tall and proud from up above, and if Nom could get an estimate, he’d say it’s around 11 o’clock.
Well then, suppose there could be other things that contribute to him feeling like he’d been stomped by a thousand elephants. The Creaking King’s death and everything relating to his healing has been a doozy, so that could be it. He never could tell whether his troubles were the King’s doing or his own, so he just ends up blaming everything on the beast. Works like a charm, in his opinion.
Twisting his body to a side, he realizes that the blond he took care of the previous day disappeared. Now that wasn’t right. Scott could still be sick. He shouldn’t be running around out of bed this early, not when Nom could be up helping.
He tried to push himself off the bed.
Instantly, he felt awful. Every movement he made felt like a thousand tons of metal fell on his body and are teaming up against him to pull him back down. His nose felt runny and his head spun about a thousand miles an hour. He only made a few pathetic inches off the bed, and he already felt like collapsing. Just a little more, he thought. Scott was out there, alone.
“Absolutely not, mister.”
A small, mitten-covered hand found his chest and firmly pushed him back down, and Nom found himself completely overpowered by it, falling back onto the mattress without ceremony. What was up with him today?
“You, sir, made the wise decision of cuddling a very sick half-elf last night.” The grin was practically audible, mixed with the usually sweet, adoring voice Nom came to love these last few months. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell who was talking to him. “I guess you can blame that on me a little bit.”
“Scott?” Oh jeez. His voice sounded awful, like Katie threw sand all over his windpipes and ran off giggling. “What’s going on…?”
“You caught what I had, I’m assuming.” A cool cloth met his forehead, and Nom couldn’t help but sink deeper into the bed. It felt so nice, completely unlike the biting cold he felt prior. The cool fought against the annoying warmth on his head, clearing his thoughts a little and easing him to a relaxed state. “I’m pretty sure this means you’re staying bedridden for today then, love. I’m sure I can get the others to take over your duties for you.”
Nothing Scott was saying really registered through Nom’s head, but duties rang loud and clear. Right. He had a good few of those. How many tools needed repairing in the blacksmith? How much patrolling had he missed lounging around empty-handed? How much more was he willing to put on the other knights, especially after the Creaking calamity?
With great effort, he attempted to push himself back off the bed, only to be met with one hand behind his head and another to his chest, sitting him up.
A glass cup met his lips, and he slowly drank away, only stopping when the glass was pulled back. Not waiting long for him to try leaving again, the hands came back to settle him on the bed.
“What part of ‘you’re staying bedridden for today’ did you not get?” An amused and slightly annoyed mumble came from beside him. “You need to rest, Nom.”
“But,” he found himself wheezing out, “I’ve got things to do.”
“And you can do them tomorrow. Right now, you’re burning up, and we really need to get that fever down before you start going full dragon fire breathing on me.” Scott paused, before a familiar fondness slipped into his tone. “Besides, you’ve done enough, Nom.”
He hasn’t. He’s never done enough. Even when he was younger, he hadn’t done enough to earn the title of a knight, just thrown into it because the kingdom needed soldiers. He hadn’t done anything worthy to keep being a trusted fighter, and he hadn’t done nearly as well at being a friend to the people. If there was anything he did “enough” of, it was getting blood all over his hands, from the enemy’s kingdom and his own.
He hadn’t even done enough for Katie, or 4c.
“No one wants to see you like this, Nom.” Of course they wouldn’t. He’s horrendous. The fact that everyone took so much time and resources to heal him after the Creaking King’s ordeal was still jarring to him. Was he not just another casualty in a war? “You need to rest up. Take care of yourself a little. And if you’re too stubborn to do that, then let me care for you, okay?”
Nom doesn’t do comfort. He doesn’t think someone so ruined and so horrid like him should get what’s reserved for people. He’s a knight, he’s supposed to die for the crown. He’s not supposed to be huddled up in a little cozy cottage and receive care from one of the kindest, most wonderful people he’s sure has ever walked this planet. He doesn’t deserve that.
But Scott asked for something; he asked with his sweet, beautifully gentle voice that could cause even the coldest men to lower their swords, and Nom can’t help but oblige. If it meant entrusting his weakened body to the hands of the light mage, he finds that he’ll never find anywhere safer.
~<>~
“Nominalgravyyyyyyyy.”
Within a second of waking up, he’s never felt more doomed.
“You’re horribly, horribly ill and you didn’t even mention a word of this to your dearest sister?”
“Katie,” he rasps out, turning to face the opposite direction. He knows he’s in for it now. “Please.”
“Do you know how worried I’ve been? You didn’t turn up to Farkle Friday! Me and 4c thought you were kidnapped!”
“Me? Kidnapped?” Somehow, he still finds himself turning back to her. “Who could?”
“I thought so too! If only I had known it was this dastardly flower mage that’s got you in his whims—“
“I’m honored.” Scott’s voice rang out from a little far away, and Nom looks down to see him at the ladder, looking perfectly calm about the entire situation. “What a gentle hostage he is. Ten out of ten, would kidnap again.”
“Scott.” Nom couldn’t help but let out a laugh at Katie’s voice, her hands clearly inching towards her pockets to launch a handful of sand at the half-elf’s way. “When I get you—“
“That’s no way to talk to your soon-to-be brother-in-law, Katie.”
“SCOTT.”
A fistful of sand went flying at the mage’s direction, and Scott laughed as he went downstairs to clear it. As the blond disappeared down below, Katie turned back to Nom, expression much more serious than before. The siblings stared at each other for a while, and while he was the older of the two, Nom couldn’t help but shrink from her gaze. Not long after, she sighed.
“You really ought to take care of yourself better, Nom.” Katie mumbled, taking his hand in hers. “Scott went to tell us of your condition, and I thought the Creaking King was back.”
Despite all the turmoil they faced up to this point, Nom felt his cheeks split into a smile. “I’d never let him.”
“Yes but you don’t know that.” The younger knight rushed out, her body bouncing a little in what looks to be panic, and he frowned. Anxiety never looked good on her. “What if he did? I don’t know what I would do in that scenario, Nom, I couldn’t take that.”
“And you’ll never have to, Katie.” Nom slowly pushed himself up again, with the help of his sister this time. “He’s gone. You saw it.”
“But—”
“No buts. He’s dead. He’s gone. I’m here now.” Nom smiled, before letting his usual cheekiness slip back in his voice. “Besides, it’s but a silly fever. There’s nothing wrong with me.”
Katie wiped away a single tear from her eyes — when had she started crying? — and smiled. “There’s a lot wrong with you actually. Do you want the list?”
“Oh come on~. You wouldn’t do this to your tragically sickly brother while he’s down, would you?”
“I absolutely would. Don’t forget that time you made me listen to that heaven-forbid annoying—”
“We don’t need to talk about that.”
The two fell into silence for a bit, before bursting out in laughter. Goodness, Nom missed his sister. He wished he could have this a million times more.