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It was almost entirely pitch black inside the room when Lumine woke up. She was curled up on one side in bed, sleepy eyes blearily staring ahead into the dark as she tried to figure out where she was and what woke her up. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and Lumine vaguely made out the general shape of the room around her. The large double bed she was sleeping on, the two suitcases that haphazardly lay in the middle of the floor. For a moment she just stared ahead, before letting out a long, tired exhale, and rolling over onto her back in bed. Now that she was waking up, she could make out the sound of waves, feel the gentle rocking of the ship. A smile spread across her face in the dark.
She was in the middle of the ocean, on a luxurious cruise ship with her boyfriend.
One of the major upsides of Lyney's career was that he often performed in fascinating places, and she always had a free ticket to go with him wherever he's needed. Lyney was invited to perform during the cruise, and of course he asked Lumine to go with them.
For once they were completely alone too, since this was one of Lyney's solo performances; meaning his twin sister and assistant, Lynette, didn't accompany them on the trip. It was just Lyney and Lumine, alone together for a whole week out on the ocean.
Lumine reached over to drape an arm over Lyney's sleeping form next to her, wanting to pull his body up against hers and hug him while she drifted back off to sleep. Only as she did, she found his side of the bed empty, the mattress still vaguely warm from his body heat. Lumine didn't think much of it, simply tugging the covers up over herself and sinking into her pillows. Lyney probably just got up to use the bathroom or grab a glass of water, he'd be back soon enough. Her tired eyes caught a glimpse of the electronic watch on the bedside table, and Lumine smiled in the dark. Still several hours of night left before the sun would rise and they'd have to get up again. She drifted off again almost immediately.
Lumine was typically a rather heavy sleeper, so she was surprised when she woke up again, the room still dark. Why was she having trouble staying asleep?
Yawning, Lumine buried her face into her pillow again and reached for Lyney. Her hand grasped at air.
This time, Lumine lifted her head in the dark. The bed was still empty next to her, Lyney's spot having grown cold since. The clock on the bedside table indicated that she dozed off for less than half an hour. Still, that didn't explain where Lyney went.
Lumine slowly sat up in bed, pulling the thick covers back. She slipped her legs over the side, her feet coming to rest on the cold floor. Fortunately her eyes had pretty much completely adjusted to the dark, and she was able to comfortably feel her way through the room. The bathroom door was open ajar, and a thin strip of light shone out of it. Without really thinking, Lumine lay a hand on the door, pushing it open an inch to peek inside.
Suddenly she was wide awake.
Lyney was there, still in his sleepwear like her, hair disheveled. He was sitting on the ground with his body supported against the toilet, his head hanging over the bowl. His face was pale, and his eyes were closed.
“Lyney?” Lumine asked as she walked over, keeping her voice low so she wouldn't startle him.
For a moment Lyney didn't react, and she thought he had fallen asleep there. But then his facial features scrunched up, and Lumine heard him draw in a tight breath. Finally he lifted his head, looking over his shoulder with sleep-hazy eyes.
“Lumine?” Lyney blinked, stiffly reaching up with one hand to rub his eyes. “Please tell me I didn't wake you up.”
“You didn't.” Lumine assured him. She frowned. “What's wrong? Are you nauseous?”
“Unfortunately so.” Lyney closed his eyes, slowly inhaling through his nose. “It would seem my stomach isn't the biggest fan of these waves.”
Lumine hummed sympathetically, kneeling down on the bathroom floor with Lyney. She put one hand on his back, beginning to gently rub it.
“I didn't even consider the possibility that one of us might get seasick.” She said. “When did it start?”
“I'll admit, I've been a little queasy all day.” Lyney had closed his eyes again, cheek cushioned against his arm.
Lumine was horrified. “Lyney, you performed today.”
“I was alright, really, I only felt a little sick. Hardly anything to make a fuss about.”
Lumine raised her eyebrows at Lyney. She couldn't believe he somehow managed to hide it from her - by his broad smile and bright eyes, she never would have thought he wasn't feeling well.
“You still should have told me, you silly goose.” She scolded him softly.
Lyney chuckled softly, cracking one eyelid open to look up at her. Lumine gently tucked a strand of blonde hair in behind his ear.
“You must feel pretty miserable now, seeing as you're on the floor with your head halfway in the toilet.” Lumine told him.
“Yeah, lying down seemed to have made it worse.” Lyney said, grimacing. “I haven't actually thrown up, but it got too bad to sleep.”
Lumine had a feeling he was feeling a little worse than he was letting on, but she didn't push it. She knew how much Lyney's pride meant to him.
“Come back to bed.” She said. “I'll prop you up on some pillows to help with the nausea.”
“I'd rather not risk losing my dinner on those expensive sheets.” Lyney muttered.
“And here I thought Aether was stubborn.” Lumine said, rolling her eyes. “Come on, you can't stay on the bathroom floor all night. You'll catch a cold, and then you really won't be able to perform tomorrow.”
“I've performed with a cold before.”
“And you can be damn lucky you weren't dating me then, because I would've ripped you a new one. Come, now.”
Lyney reluctantly sat up, not protesting when Lumine pulled him up by one of his arms. He staggered a little and she steadied him.
“I wish the floor would stop moving. ” Lyney said, awkwardly putting a hand on the wall.
Lumine has grown so used to it she barely felt the rocking of the ship beneath them, but she chose not to tell Lyney that. Instead she gently took him by the arm, leading him back into the bedroom. On the way she switched on the main light, flooding the room in warm yellow tones. Lyney sunk down on the side of the bed, reaching up to rub a hand across his face.
Lumine busied herself, filling up a tall glass of water, as well as grabbing a jacket for Lyney. He was cold from sitting on the floor, and she'd rather not have him catch an actual cold. Lyney quietly held out his arms at her request, letting Lumine pull the jacket on over his sleepwear for him. He took the glass of water she offered, taking a small sip of it. Lumine didn't hang around, disappearing into the small bathroom. She reappeared a couple of moments later, holding a washcloth she had soaked in cold water. Lyney eyed it suspiciously when she walked over.
“Lumine, I'm fairly certain I'm just seasick.” He told her. “I don't have a fever.”
Lumine frowned at his comment. “Who said anything about a fever?”
Lyney unsurely pointed to the damp washcloth she was holding. Lumine rolled her eyes.
“You’d think a magician would know more about thinking outside the box.” She said, sitting down next to him on the bed. “Come on, tilt your head forward.”
Lyney did as he was told, hissing softly when Lumine lay the cold washcloth across the back of his neck.
“It helps with nausea.” She told him. “Nothing to do with a fever.”
“Alright, doctor .” Lyney said, making her chuckle.
He sat quietly, eyes closed, while Lumine held the damp cloth to his neck. After a while she removed it again, letting him sit back upright, and running it across his cheeks and then his forehead. Her movements were soft and gentle while she worked.
“How does that feel?” Lumine asked.
“Actually better.” Lyney admitted, smiling. “You have the magic touch, milady.”
“It's a rag soaked in tap water, no magic here.”
Lyney chuckled, raising the glass of water to his lips and taking another small sip. Lumine got up from the bed again, walking away. She returned a moment later with two spare pillows, both of which she deposited on Lyney's side of the bed.
“Being more upright will help with the nausea.” She explained, guiding Lyney back against the pillows. “You might be able to get some sleep that way.”
“You know a lot.” Lyney said, closing his eyes when Lumine dabbed the damp cloth across his face again.
“Just experience.” Lumine said. “Aether and I were always the ones to look after each other when one of us got sick, so both of us have got a few tricks up our sleeves.” She smiled to herself, for a moment wondering if Aether fussed over Albedo the same way she did over Lyney. She couldn't quite imagine Albedo letting himself be fussed over, but she also couldn't imagine him turning Aether away.
“Now, time for honesty.” Lumine said. “How are you feeling? Better? Any chance you can get some rest?”
“Perhaps.” Lyney shifted slightly, making himself comfortable on the pillows. “I do feel better, less like I need to keep my eye on a clear route to the toilet.” He cracked a small smile. “Still a little nauseous, but this is manageable. I can try to sleep.”
“Alright.” Lumine smiled triumphantly. “Lights on or lights off?”
“Off.”
Lumine flicked off the light, before crawling back into bed next to Lyney again. There was a soft clink as he set his glass down on the glass surface of the bedside table. It was followed by the rustling of him taking off the jacket, replacing it with the comforter he tugged up over himself. Lumine curled up against his side, putting her head on Lyney's shoulder.
“One last thing.” She said. “If you feel sick again in the night, please wake me. I'm here for you, I want to help.”
“How am I supposed to wake you?” Lyney asked, leaning his head over to kiss her temple. “You're so peaceful and angelic when you're asleep, I don't have it in my heart to disturb such pleasant rest.”
“Lyney. ”
“Alright, alright.” Lyney chuckled softly, pressing his cheek against the top of Lumine's head. “I heard you, loud and clear.”
“Good.” Lumine huffed, laughing softly. “Goodnight, you big doofus.”
“Goodnight, my love.”
—
Despite his promise, Lumine awoke an hour later to an empty bed once more. For a moment she simply lay there, blankly staring at the empty spot on the mattress next to her.
A soft retch in the adjacent bathroom immediately woke her up all the way.
Lumine swung her legs over the side of the bed, jumping to her feet. She furiously rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she hurried towards the bathroom, pushing open the door.
Sure enough, Lyney was on his knees in front of the toilet. One hand shakily held back his own hair, while he softly panted.
“Lyney?” Lumine asked, not wanting to approach suddenly and startle him.
“Lumine.” Lyney was breathless. “Don't… don't come over here. I threw up.”
“I know. Are you alright?” Despite his insistence that she didn't, Lumine walked over, crouching on the bathroom floor next to Lyney.
“Don't look, please.” Lyney groaned softly. “It's disgusting.”
“I'm not squeamish, Lyney, it's alright.” Lumine told him, carefully gathering back his blonde hair. She used her free hand to rub small circles onto his back.
Lyney tried to say something, but his voice got stuck in his throat and he gagged into the toilet. His back jerked beneath Lumine's hand, and liquid splattered inside the toilet bowl.
“You're okay.” Lumine said when Lyney gasped breathlessly. His eyes were closed, and his mouth hung partially open.
“I didn't want you seeing this.” Lyney mumbled, spitting into the toilet. He groaned again, pressing his knuckles to his mouth.
“Would you be more comfortable if I left?” Lumine asked softly. She didn't want to leave. It was built into her like instinct, she naturally wanted to coddle and comfort. But if Lyney preferred to be alone, Lumine could also respect that, as much as it pained her.
Lyney let out a somewhat defeated sigh, crossing an arm over the toilet seat to rest his forehead against. He tilted his head to the side after a moment, tiredly looking over at Lumine.
“No.” He said in the most pitiful tone of voice Lumine has ever heard from him. “I like having you here… it feels nice, what you're doing with your hand.”
Lumine smiled, continuing to gently rub Lyney's back. “I promise, I don't mind seeing you throw up.”
Lyney smiled vaguely, closing his eyes. Lumine could tell he really wasn't feeling well. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking to take more precautions in case one of them got seasick. But then again, she thought Lyney had been on a boat before and would know if he got seasick.
“Have you not been on a ship like this before?” Lumine asked.
“Not like this.” Lyney responded softly. “I've been on boat rides, but I've never been on a ship for anything longer than an hour. I didn't know I'd start to get seasick after a while.”
Lumine hummed sympathetically. Seeing as Lyney had stopped throwing up for the moment, she let go of his hair, using both her hands to gently rub his shoulders. Lyney drew in a long inahale, leaning into her touch.
“We’ll call off your performance for tomorrow.” Lumine said.
“What- no!” Lyney abruptly sat upright. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and Lumine saw him swallow thickly. “I.. I can't cancel it, Lumine, not when it's the whole reason I'm here.”
“Look, we can see how you're doing after taking something for motion sickness, but if you're not up for it, I'm going to draw a line.” Lumine told him firmly. “I'm sure the last thing you want is to throw up on a stage in front of a whole audience.”
Lyney pulled a face. “That won't happen.”
“You're putting an awful lot of faith in that queasy stomach of yours.”
Lyney's shoulders sunk and he hung his head, defeated. Lumine gently cupped his face with both her hands, tilting his head up so he was looking at her. His lavender eyes were glossy with held back tears, and Lumine’s heart broke a little at the sight.
“I will do the talking for you. You made me your agent, didn't you? I will explain that you have fallen ill, and will be unable to perform.”
“I've never cancelled a performance before.” Lyney whined softly.
He didn't fight it when Lumine drew him closer, letting him rest his head on her chest. She wrapped her arms around him, until she was practically cradling him in her lap. Lyney exhaled slowly, closing his eyes when Lumine pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
“Let me take you back to bed, you're cold as ice.” She told him gently. “We'll see how you feel in the morning and then revisit this whole issue, alright?”
“I'm still nauseous.” Lyney mumbled.
“We'll keep a bin by the bed, simple as that.” Lumine reassured him. “Come on. I'll get you something for motion sickness too, see if it helps. You should've taken it earlier, but we didn't know. Better late than never.”
“I’m sorry. You're missing sleep on my account.” Lyney said miserably, when Lumine reached over to flush the toilet, before helping him to his feet. “You shouldn't have to deal with this.”
“If I was sick, would you look after me?” Lumine asked him.
“Of course.” Lyney didn't even hesitate. “Why wouldn't I?”
“Hypocrite.”
Lyney opened his mouth, only to close it in defeat. His shoulders sunk, but he smiled vaguely. Lumine wrapped an arm around his shoulders, leading him out of the small bathroom.
“I love you, you know that?” She told him, kissing the side of his head.
“I love you too.”