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“What do you mean you haven’t slept in two days!? I… I know you have a lot on your plate, Jean, but that’s-!”
“We’re low on manpower,” Jean insisted from her spot on the bench, head still spinning from her episode. “I have to pick up the slack…”
“You have subordinates you can delegate duties to,” Albedo chastised her. “This isn’t the first time you’ve worked yourself sick – I implore you to learn from your misjudgment this time. I shouldn’t be getting calls because you’ve stressed yourself to the point that you display symptoms of something less preventable. I took fluid samples for nothing.”
“Stress isn’t exactly preventable right now, Albedo-”
“Have you even eaten anything today?” Barbara interjected worriedly. “Overworking on an empty stomach is even worse!”
“I’ve eaten what I require-”
“So not enough.” Albedo folded his arms with a mutter, air of professionalism the only thing keeping him from showing just how drained he was. “You’re going to cause serious problems for yourself in the future if you don’t learn to stop treating every little thing as your responsibility.”Barbara nodded in agreement.
“You’re not doing anything else today,” she said with a definitive frown. “You’re going back to your dorm and resting until morning!” Jean instantly shot her a look of indignation.
“I respect you immensely, Barbara, but I can’t just-”
“You can and you will,” Albedo cut her off. “You have a highly-skilled healer and your head alchemist telling you to treat yourself better. Take your rest and recuperate.”
There really was nothing quite as mortifying as puking your dizzy guts out in front of several of your own coworkers. Jean could attest to such – As could the recruits and newbie trainer that had borne witness to her personal humiliation. The indignity she’d felt in that moment was eclipsed only by the embarrassment she’d felt getting chewed out by both Barbara and Albedo alike. Despite being their senior in age and department, the two shorter blondes had succeeded in making her feel like a child again. It would almost be impressive if it hadn’t been so degrading.
Jean turned over in her bed, praying to Venti her head would stop spinning some time soon. Demeaning as the joint lecture had been, she couldn’t deny the points made. She hadn’t wanted to give her tasks to her friends and knights again if she could handle them herself, but now that she had been forced into early leave, she could acknowledge that she felt like shite. Not even just today – It was only her willpower and need to maintain an unshakable image that had kept her standing the past week while her body vehemently demanded a break.
Albedo was right. Her terrible work habits were going to be the death of her.
The sound of someone knocking at her door prompted a groan and shuffle of her sheets. Maybe if she hid under the covers for long enough they’d leave. She was already having trouble sleeping due to her headache; she didn’t need a guest on top of it.
When it was clear the person wasn’t going away without an answer, the ailing knight contemplated biting the bullet and getting up to tell them off. It would be painful beyond compare in her current state, but at least the noise would die down. Luckily, her involvement ended up not being necessary.
Months ago, the thought of someone entering her dorm room without explicit permission would send her into fight-or-flight. Nowadays, and at this moment especially, the sound of her door opening was a welcome one. Only one person had a spare key, and the sound of his bootsteps was hint enough besides.
One rustling bag and weight on her mattress later, Jean peered out from underneath her covers and saw Diluc sitting on the edge of her bed. His scarlet gaze might’ve set her aflame had she not felt so warm already.
“Hi…” she greeted meekly. Her lover responded with an exasperated shake of his head.
“I told you to take a break,” he said, brushing stray bangs from her face. “You’re so hopeless when it comes to work.” Jean couldn’t find energy to glare at him.
“You’re only the third person to tell me that today…”
“The third, huh? I must be early.” The blonde slid under the blankets again in protest. Diluc made no attempt to stop this, instead opting to pat her shoulder through the soft fabric. “You must be feeling awful. I’m sorry, Jean.”
The knight shifted under her covers. “Why are you…?”
“I should’ve insisted more. I could’ve pressured you into resting, but-”
“You’d still be going against my hard head. It’s no one’s fault but my own, Diluc.”
“While that may be true, I can’t help but feel like I could’ve helped prevent another bout of this. I could’ve, I don’t know… thrown you over my shoulder and refused to put you down until you agreed to sleep, maybe.” Jean moved her covers down again. Sure enough, she was greeted by a self-satisfied grin on Diluc’s face. She rolled her eyes in response.
“You’re such an ass,” she muttered. “… But you’re right, that would’ve worked. Remember that idea for next time.”
“I’m hoping there won’t be a next time. I’d rather not be worried that you’re going to pass out somewhere and not wake up.” Jean finally settled and moved her blankets away from her face so she could converse properly.
“I’m sorry if I scared you,” she apologized. “I shouldn’t be troubling you like this…” Diluc’s expression softened.
“You’re right, but we’ll talk about that later. Did you need anything? Food, water…? I was going to bring you your favorite, but…” Jean shook her head.
“I don’t think I can stomach anything right now,” she admitted with an awkward smile. “Even if I wasn’t nauseous, I’m still reeling from before…”
“Ah, yes,” Diluc said with a chuckle. “I heard the recruits were a little shook up from that.”
“Can’t blame them, really,” the blonde replied with her own giggle. “I would be too if I saw the acting grand master loose her insides right in front of me.” Less humorously, she added, “If you could get me some water, I’d appreciate it… I haven’t felt stable enough to get up yet.” Diluc gave her a silent nod and stood up, leaving her room and his forgotten bag behind.
Jean could make out only the stretched handles of the aforementioned plastic, but recognized the color as belonging to the Good Hunter. She suddenly felt guilty over not being able to tolerate food – He’d obviously picked something up for her on his way here. Sometimes he was too much of a gentleman.
Depending on what he bought, she might try to stomach it anyway. Nauseous or not, she was hungry.
Diluc returned with a clear glass in hand and what looked like a packet of medicine. He placed both down on her night table before taking his spot at her side again. As if sensing her question, he preemptively explained, “I picked it up from Albedo before stopping by. He said it should help with your head. Also, something about fluid samples…? I didn't really understand.”
“Don’t mind him. He’s just annoyed I made him worry.”
With the winery owner’s help, Jean slowly sat up at a proper height to take the assigned painkillers. Being upright immediately brought on another bout of dizziness she had no choice but to deal with. Had Diluc not been supporting her, she might’ve immediately lain back down – Medicine be damned.
As she polished off the water and bitter powder, Jean’s eyes trailed to the Good Hunter bag once more. “So… What did you pick up?”
“Cream stew,” Diluc answered. “I thought about getting pizza instead, but I wasn’t sure if that’s something you could eat right now.”
Jean groaned in genuine disappointment. “I wish you weren’t right… I haven’t been able to stomach it for a few days now. It might be the grease or something…”
“Is the stew too heavy, then?” Diluc’s brow furrowed. “I can get you something lighter, if you want. It’ll be good to have something to pick at when you’re feeling up for it.”
“Salad seems to be the least offensive food to me, at the moment,” came Jean’s tired deadpan, “but I’d rather you not leave again so soon.”
“Oh? Something on your mind?”
“No, not really. I was just... hoping you'd lay with me for a little while,” she said quietly, blue eyes all but pleading. “It’s easier for me to sleep when you’re here. I think I need that right now…” Diluc silently leaned over and planted a quick kiss to her forehead. The act alone was more comforting to Jean than her pillow had been so far.
“I would never deny you that,” he reassured her with a smile. The former knight pulled back the covers and scooted next to her, roughly kicking his boots off as he lay down. Jean followed suit, lowering herself to his side and curling up to his chest without shame. To her delight, the effect was nigh instant. The protective combination of his warmth and scent had her eyes closing in long-awaited peace, helped tenfold by the soothing pressure from Diluc rubbing circles into her back.
"The fact that you put up with me is a miracle..." she mumbled under her breath. The vibrations from his deep laughter only put her more at ease.
“I could say the same. Sleep well, my beloved wind."
“Feeling better, are we? I wasn’t expecting to see you on your feet so soon.”
Jean looked up from her desk to see Lisa making her way in. The acting master gave the librarian a small nod. “Barbara gave me a mostly clean bill of health,” she explained. “I’m allowed to be at my desk and nowhere else.” Lisa couldn’t pretend to be surprised.
“I hope you aren’t putting your work before your needs again,” she hummed in concern. “We don’t want a repeat of yesterday, do we?”
“I had a good rest. I’ll be fine.”
“If you say so, Jean; but don’t hesitate to call on me this time if you start to feel ill again. Oh, and speaking of calling…” Lisa pulled a folded piece of paper from her book and handed it to her friend. “Albedo wanted me to give you this. Don’t worry, I haven’t looked.”
Jean took the note with standard thanks and immediately opened it up. Curious, she thought. She wasn’t expecting anything from the alchemist today, least of all a rather unprofessional letter. She could tell he tried to make his handwriting neat for this one – Already odd by itself – but the extra bit of clarity didn’t help much. The contents of the note were largely made up of scientific jargon she had no hope of understanding without a textbook in front of her. Aside from him apparently testing her blood as a precaution, she could gather nothing else from his words.
That is, until she got to the last part – Which left her so frozen in her chair she didn’t register Lisa’s concerned calls from across the room.
In conclusion, you and Master Diluc have my sincerest congratulations. I can only hope you’ll be more receptive to health advice in the coming months.