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Eretria is tired of not going after what she wants, tired of talking herself out of it, tired of running the other way, often literally. It’s been three days since she’s seen Amberle; no matter how disgusting she might look or smell right now, she’s going to see her beautiful girlfriend and curl up in her arms to sleep for a week.
A dizzy spell hits her when she arrives at Amberle’s rooms. She tries to knock, but has to steady herself against the door first, her hand landing hard against the wood. Before she’s recovered, the door swings open and she tumbles into Amberle’s arms. Amberle catches her with a grunt.
‘Tria?’ Amberle asks, worry lacing her words. ‘What’s going on? Where have you been?’
‘Hmm,’ is all Eretria manages. She tries to get her feet under her, but has trouble figuring out which way is up. Wrapping her arms around Amberle’s waist, she rests her head against Amberle’s shoulder. ‘I need a moment.’
‘You look terrible,’ Amberle says, pushing back the hair from Eretria’s forehead.
‘Thanks,’ Eretria snorts. Or, she tries to. Her nose it too stuffy to let the air pass through, and she doubles over in coughing fit.
‘And you feel warm. Are you sick?’ The worry is still there, but there’s a teasing undertone as well. ‘I thought you didn’t get sick?’
‘Hanging around Elves has made me soft.’
Amberle hums in agreement, but it’s obvious that it’s just to appease her. ‘Let’s get you to bed.’
Eretria tries to glare, but her eyes are teary from her coughing fit and she can’t see much. Besides, Amberle’s arm is around her waist, guiding her inside, to the bed, which is exactly what she wanted. She sits down on the edge of the mattress and tries to take off her boots, her fingers clumsy on the laces and buckles. A blurry Amberle shakes her head, then kneels down to help her.
‘Let’s get you into bed, and then I’ll get a Healer,’ Amberle says. When the boots are off, she sits next to Eretria to help her take her shirt off.
‘No! They’re evil. They make you drink gross stuff,’ Eretria complains. She went to the Healers when she realized this wasn’t something that would just blow over. They gave her something that was so sweet and sticky it made her gag.
‘How about Wil, then?’ Amberle gently pushes her down into the sheets. Eretria closes her eyes and sighs, not realizing Amberle is taking off her trousers until they’re halfway down her thighs.
‘He’s one of them,’ Eretria hisses. Amberle isn’t the only one she was avoiding the past couple days; Wil’s been trying to track her down to give her another dose of the medicine.
‘Soup?’ Amberle suggests next.
‘Sleep,’ Eretria hums, burrowing into the pillows. She doesn’t care what Amberle says. Amberle’s bed is definitely more comfortable than her own. And it smells better. She tries to take a deep breath in, inviting another coughing fit.
‘Sleep, then,’ Amberle agrees.
Eretria has to get up again so they can pull back the covers, then she curls up and lets Amberle tuck her in. She ignores the faintly amused smile on Amberle’s lips, too tired and comfortable to say anything.
‘You have to stay,’ she complains when Amberle steps away from the bed.
‘I’m just going to get you some food and water, okay? I’ll be back before you wake up,’ Amberle promises. Her smiles softens and she brushes a lock of hair off Eretria’s forehead.
‘Okay,’ Eretria says, and she closes her eyes.
~
When Eretria opens her eyes again, it’s to look right into Wil’s blue ones. She tries to scramble up, but she’s coughing again, and, honestly, she’s too tired to move. She turns her eyes on Amberle.
‘I said no Wil.’
‘I’m not kissing you while you’re still sick,’ Amberle points out.
Eretria is about to say that’s fine by her, but they all know it’s a lie so she snaps her mouth shut. With a resigned huff she holds out her hand. Wil hands her a vial with the sticky, sweet dark brown liquid the Healers made her drink earlier this week. She looks at it, then at Wil who smiles encouragingly, takes a deep breath, and throws it back. A shudder runs through her as the goo makes its way down her throat. At least she’s too sick to taste it. She hands the vial back to a beaming Wil.
While she sits up and lets the good make its way to her stomach with the help of a sip of water, Amberle and Wil pile pillows against the headboard. Now that she’s had some sleep, Eretria can’t help but feel a little odd about being cared for like this. She isn’t used to the coddling and it makes her a little uncomfortable, weak. Her first instinct is to pull her clothes back and swagger out of the room, but she won’t fool either Amberle or Wil. And she knows they don’t think she’s weak for letting them take care of her, it’s only that stupid little voice that sounds suspiciously like Cephelo that thinks so. Plus, they seem to be enjoying themselves. Who is she to take that away from them?
‘I’m coming back tonight with another dose,’ Wil says. ‘In the meantime, sleep and makes sure you drink enough.’
When Wil is gone Amberle kicks off her shoes and crawls in next to Eretria.
‘I thought you weren’t gonna kiss me?’ Eretria asks, raising an eyebrow.
‘I’m not kissing you. I’m going to feed you.’ Amberle grabs a steaming bowl from a tray that seems to have materialized on the nightstand.
When Eretria’s had as much of the soup as she can manage, Amberle helps her lie down again. Ignoring her pillow, Eretria lays her head on Amberle’s hip, throwing a leg over her girlfriend’s, and effectively trapping her.
‘I guess I could stay for a while,’ Amberle says, amused. She starts running her fingers through Eretria’s hair in slow rhythmic strokes.
Eretria closes her eyes and drifts off to the soft, hummed tune of an Elvish lullaby.