Chapter Text
Wirt stands before her, thoroughly soaked in river water, shivering uncontrollably. How he managed to drag himself here is a mystery. But he's here, he's alive, and barely able to hold himself up.
He gives a slow nod in response to Sara's shocked greeting, exhaustion preventing him from doing much else. Neither Greg nor his frog weren't with him, as he'd already brought him to the first person he saw to be taken to the hospital. Instead of going with him, he instead traveled to Sara's house, the closest home to the river that he knew, unable to think of anything but his brother until she opened the door. He needed to apologize, for disappearing, and for so long.
He starts attempting to take off his boots, as they were caked in frozen ice, but he barely has the strength to lift his feet, and promptly collapses halfway through his first try.
Sara quickly rushes to his aid, catching him before he can fall in the doorway. Okay, she thinks. Sort your emotions out later. Wirt is top priority right now!
She wraps an arm around him, and guides him into the house, hastily and efficiently towards the couch. She could care less about the water and slush he was tracking inside.
He made weak sounds of protest as she dragged him inside, but was grateful for the help. Once laid on the couch, he managed to unbutton his cloak and pull it off onto the floor, wanting to get as much of his wet clothes as he could.
Seeing his exhausted state made her more worried than ever, even more than when she didn't see or hear from him for so long. She goes to fetch a towel and a big, fluffy blanket, the biggest one she could possibly find, for him.
Once she comes back, she drapes the blanket over his soaked, shivering form, eyes wide. "You're ice cold," she whispers, crouching in front of him. Hoping for some sort of response.
Upon Sara's return, he looked up at her as she draped the thickest blanket he had ever seen over him, closing his eyes for a moment as she lowered herself to the ground. Wirt let out a shaky sigh, nodding again in response as he gathered the strength to respond.
Sara reaches over to dry his hair with the towel, though hesitantly. It was awkward, but she didn't want him sopping wet and shivering. He kept still as she dried his hair, which had grown into a mullet in the time he was gone, mind too muddled to consider being embarrassed at relying on someone else to do something so easily done.
"C-Cold," he repeated her, reaching his hand out. His skin was pale and blue, and exhaustion showed in his eyes. "F-Fell in river. " his words were slurred. " Need...W-Warm. "
Worry, panic, and sympathy cloud together in one, and she sets the towel aside to fetch another blanket. "Hold on," she says.
She comes back yet again with another blanket. "I'll turn on the fire for you," she says, hastily. She doesn't want him to feel uncomfortable in any way, with how quick she was to try and warm him up-- but maybe that wasn't the most important thing to think about, considering he was just dipped into an icy river in the middle of December.
She goes to the hearth and sits down, turning the knob. It was a gas fire, so it was pretty artificial, but still provided warmth, at least.
She had so many questions for him, watching as the fire turned on.
Watching as Sara lit the fire, Wirt slowly kicked off his shoes, nudging them to the floor. Closing his eyes again, he relaxed, slowly warming back up thanks to the world's thickest blankets and the fire lit across from him.
" Thank you, " he said, quietly, still shivering.
"Of course," Sara says, and she gets up, moving over to him.
As he warmed back up, his mind grew clearer, and fear began to seep in. Had he or Greg gotten frostbite? Or complications from being underwater for months? Was Greg okay?
Wirt shifts slightly, eyes opening to look at his caretaker. He very much wanted a dry set of clothes, but...
He looks away, thinking instead about hoping it would be easy to dry off the couch after he left.
She sits next to him, but at a distance, unsure of what to say to him. He had been gone for so long. Well, it felt long to her, and she wants to demand where he had been, why he hasn't spoken to anyone.
But she is quiet, instead, looking him over as if studying him. He seemed... different. And it wasn't the hair, or the fact that he seemed only an inch taller. What had happened to him?
"Do you need anything else? Like... tea?" She suggested, and turns to look at him, again. Eyes wide, it sparks a memory. "Oh!" She leaves the room, and comes back with her jacket, sitting down again. She moves her hand into the pocket, and slips out a cassette tape with 'for Sara' scribbled on it.
He nodded at the offer of tea, wondering if Endicott brand was still around.
When she departed once more, he watched her go, focusing on the flame to stay awake until her return. When she came back with her blue jacket, he thought she had read his mind about wanting dry clothes, until...
Wirt looked at the cassette in her hand, eyes widening. He was about to say something, but quickly realized... she still had it. It had been months since he disappeared and she held onto this tape the entire time. Had she kept it to give her motivation to hope he was still out there somewhere? Once Wirt gets home, we can finally listen to the tape!
He began to tear up, not from embarrassment, but because he had no idea she cared about him so much. He buried his face in the blankets, apologizing again.
Sara winces when she notices his tearful gaze, and turns fully to face him, still holding the tape with both hands. A small frown overcomes her face, and she scoots closer to him.
"Hey... it's alright. It's just... I don't have a tape player... and... I was waiting for you to get back so we can listen to it. Together. On... o-on yours."
Wirt nods in understanding.
She takes a shaky breath, and continues. "Everyone was so sure that you were...." she stops. Sighs.
"Everyone was so sure that you were dead. But I... I wasn't ready to give up hope. Maybe you were sick. Maybe you were... on vacation, maybe even just. Missing. but... you weren't dead." Her voice is soft and wavering. "I was waiting for you."
She is close to him, gazing at his shivering form. She wants to hold his hand, to comfort him. She didn't like to see him upset, and she leans back, blinking away tears herself.
"You waited." His voice was still low as he looked up and at Sara. "I-I didn't think y-anyone cared."
He'd assumed that everyone would have given up after two months, but he was very clearly wrong. Remaining silent, Wirt gazed into her eyes, wanting to break the silence but hesitating.
"I'll uhhm. I'll go get your tea for you," Sara said, her gaze softening, and she rises to her feet, heading towards the kitchen.
He once again hesitated to speak up, simply watching her make her way to the kitchen, sighing.