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It wasn’t unusual for Prince Thaddeus to enter the house before everyone else. Scaling up the tomato trellis was easy, and soon enough he’d slipped back through the open window they’d come out of mere hours before.
He was known for having an extra pep in his step, and preferred moving on ahead instead of hanging back with the group. He wasn’t worried; their findings had been light on this scavenging mission, and his companions were more than capable of making the last of the trek on their own.
He tossed his own pile of cloth, scrap metal and leather into a basket the size of a pond. What was once a holder of keys, jewelry and trinkets for giants was now the storage space for all their equipment and repairing materials. The prince’s small band had already been here several weeks. There was no telling how much longer it’d be until they found their prized medallion.
They’d been more than lucky to find a compassionate soul in these parts. Had it not been for their current host, they’d likely be trampled in the streets or eaten by now.
Thaddeus gazed across the living room to see Seiv curled up on the settee, his knees bent up to his chest. A thin woven blanket cocooned his body, leaving only his head and hands visible. A book was held loosely in those hands, resting against his knees. His tail hung unceremoniously off the cushion’s edge.
After an ambling walk across the vast floor, Thaddeus did what had become his normal greeting: a playful smack to the end of Seiv’s tail. Even with the danger of being hit right back, Thaddeus always felt a bit of glee at the annoyed * thwack * that always answered him.
Today, it swayed at the push of his hand, entirely limp.
Frowning, Thaddeus pushed the tail again. It swayed some more, and after a moment it relented the smallest twitch it could muster.
The prince’s brow furrowed.
With little fanfare, he tossed his dark curls back and began the climb up the giant’s tail. He’d grown accustomed to the activity by now; it was nothing compared to the trek into Giant-country.
As he climbed, he noticed something off. He’d long-since removed his traveling gloves and couldn’t help but feel an unnatural heat under the giant’s skin. By the time he reached the settee’s cushions, he wondered if he’d burned himself on the way up. Something was definitely wrong.
A tad winded, Thaddeus settled into the folds of blanket trapped in the crook of Seiv’s arm. The giant hardly reacted. Looking up, the prince saw big, glassy eyes sweep over him and back at the page like the slow pendulum of a grandfather clock. Silence sat between them for so long the human wondered if he’d been seen at all. So, Thaddeus cleared his throat.
“How is the book so far?”
Seiv, eyes unmoving, took in a long, rattling breath and exhaled it in a wheezing sigh. A stale-smelling wind reached Thaddeus’ nose.
“I,” Seiv’s began, squinting, “have been trying to read the same paragraph for the past…ten minutes, I’d guess.”
“Are you feeling alright?” Thaddeus finally let the question free.
“No. I am ill.”
“Then why are you trying to read??”
Seiv scoffed, his wrists going limp and letting the book hit his knees. “I got tired of lying miserably in bed.” he said, rolling his eyes. It was now that Thaddeus noticed the unhealthy pallor of Seiv’s cheeks, the dark circles under his eyes.
“So you opted for lying miserably on the couch instead?” the human asked with a smirk. Seiv said nothing, simply letting his head sag onto the backrest and releasing another sad wheeze. His long brown hair hung limply, some sticking to his forehead with old sweat. The silver streaks at his temples seemed to stand out more than ever. Thaddeus’ smile faded quickly.
“Well…is there anything you need? Did you eat something while we were gone?”
Seiv shook his head, eyes closed. “I’ll admit I’ve only been up for an hour or so.”
Thaddeus dark eyes bulged. “You haven’t eaten anything ? It’s half past six!”
A voice called in from the window. “Yeah, and it’s almost dinner time. What are we having?”
Laria, the elven archer, heaved herself up onto the windowsill. She was setting down a full rucksack along with her bow, and her long red hair still blew over her shoulders from the outside draft. Behind her came Riku and Lauros, the party’s quiet elf mage and blunt older dwarf. Riku was undoing her dark hair from its bun while Lauros carried both their shares of salvage to the basket.
“The pantry should be full, so we have plenty of options.” The dwarf brushed his gnarled, stone-like fingers through his rich brown beard in thought. He seemed to startle at the sight of Seiv.
“Goodness lad, you look terrible! What’d ye do, get sucked dry by a vampyr?”
“Hardly anything that exciting. I’m only sick.” Seiv groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. The sinus pressure was terrible.
“And apparently starving himself.” Thaddeus retorted.
Seiv reared up for a retort of his own, but quickly lost the energy. As much as he’d like to have a row with the small man, the number of tiny people was increasing and getting closer by the second.
“I am not; please calm yourself. I’m simply not hungry, and that’s fine. I always lose my appetite when I’m unwell.”
Like a cry of defiance, something rumbled under Thaddeus’ feet—a loud, groaning sound that seemed to echo from where Seiv’s stomach probably was.
A beat of pure silence and four pairs of tiny, beady eyes was enough to break down his wall.
“Alright, alright, I’ll make something.” he conceded. The giant gingerly untangled his legs from the blanket and oh-so-carefully lowered his socked feet to the floorboards. His houseguests still had a thing or two to learn about keeping safe distances.
He plucked the annoying human prince off his thigh, ignored the indignant sputtering, and bent forward until his chest touched his knees. The fist which held Thaddeus fell gently to the floor, the long fingers uncurling.
“Well, hop on. Sitting like this is hell for my sinuses.”
While being carried was nothing new, the feverish tremors and shivering made for a bumpy ride. Thin bedclothes were fine for lying around, though maybe not so great for being up and about. Everyone held onto a finger for dear life, and Riku pushed herself so close to Seiv the blue of her haori made her blend in with the blanket around his shoulders. A quiet sigh of relief was shared when the kitchen counter was reached safely.
“We’re just making a soup tonight; I don’t have the energy for anything else.” Seiv declared, sniffing loudly. While their large roommate put his hair up and washed his hands, the small group did their best to get things ready. They hardly had the manpower to retrieve utensils or tools, but pushing seasoning jars, dragging vegetables and rolling onions across the table was more than manageable.
The unlikely group had never worked together this closely before. All the same, once a pot of water and noodles was on the stove, a gentle rhythm settled amongst them. Seiv cut the celery, carrots and mushrooms while Lauros and Thaddeus tossed the finished slices in the pot. Laria and Riku tasked themselves with salting the water, pouring in dried seasoning and taking fresh cuttings from the windowsill.
Thaddeus glanced over the counter to see Seiv’s tail holding itself a little higher, swaying with interest and levity, and smiled in relief.
Riku proposed adding meat from the rok they took down not long ago, much to the excitement of the tiny adventurers. Said excitement was immediately shot down for compelling reasons like “If I have to cut up one more thing I’ll throw you in” and “I refuse to clean another knife and cutting board today.”
A sharp cough rang out like thunder, loud enough to make everyone jump. Seiv mumbled apologies into the crook of his arm with a weak wave of the hand. There was the casualty of a whole scallion being dropped in, but the chef of the house couldn’t be bothered to fish it out, so in it stayed.
Seiv’s living space was not a terribly large one, so the kitchen and dining room were less separate rooms and more like two halves of the same space. The giant had always wanted bigger options for either, but right now he was just glad the table was only a few steps away.
With a hot bowl of soup and a spoon in hand, Seiv took a moment to just enjoy being seated. That was the most he’d moved all day, and his hips ached. Not to mention his nose was beginning to run again.
As he reached for the crumpled handkerchief in his shirt pocket, he felt the irritating, familiar feeling of someone watching him.
“Are you…really going to sit there and watch me eat?”
“Just making sure that you do.” Thaddeus replied with a wide and innocent grin. Seiv frowned and shook his head, opting to meekly keep his eyes down and munch on his extra scallion. The human prince remained unnervingly true to his word while the rest of his crew did normal activities, like gathering utensils for themselves or fetching mats to make a seating area.
All things considered, they’d done well. The broth was warm and savory, the noodles went down easy, and the vegetables weren’t too soft. The mushrooms had been a good idea. As he drank down the leavings, Seiv couldn’t help but linger on what some meat could’ve added. He’d have to make it up to Riku and everyone soon…
“Oh—we’re losing him, everyone.” Riku pointed above everyone’s heads.
Seiv was clearly nodding off, his head barely held up by the palm under his chin. The table under their feet wobbled slightly each time he jolted upright, barely awake.
Lauros took one look and tsked.
“Your highness, Laria, could you send him to bed and make sure he gets there? We don’t need him collapsing or trying to pull an all-nighter again.”
Seiv let out a snrk as he pried his eyes open. “Now listen here, you may have twenty years on me, but you’re not my grandfather.” he scowled, slowly getting up and toting his bowl to the sink. If he noticed the blanket sliding off his shoulders he made no move to grab it.
Lauros scoffed “With you lot I may as well be. Now, out with you.”
The giant growled under his breath and rolled his eyes. Still, he retrieved his blanket from his chair, held his hand out for his appointed ‘chaperones,’ and waved over his shoulder as everyone chimed goodnight.
Laria and Thaddeus held on tight to the huge sleep shirt and each other as Seiv ambled into bed. They timed their jump, well-practiced by now, and bounced harmlessly on the expansive mattress. It dipped and rose like waves as their friend got comfortable. With the sheets left haphazard, Seiv settled down with the tired heft of a work animal, swept his long tail over his legs, then seemed to deflate all at once. The long exhale that escaped him echoed a bone-deep drowsiness.
Laria reached a hand down to help Thaddeus to his feet. “We’re not going to catch anything from him, right? I’d hate to be hit with something that could bring down a giant.”
“No.” Seiv answered, eyes already shut and hair pulled loose. “My viruses is bigger than your virus...” He slurred the words out before immediately falling dead-asleep.
Laria glanced at her leader. “…Suppose he meant that literally?”
Thaddeus snickered. “Come on, we should start heading back now or else supper will be long over before we get there.”
With one last pat on the tail, Thaddeus nodded his approval of the slightly cooler skin. The two bid the sleeping giant goodnight before scaling down the bed frame.
Muffled snores quickly became the backdrop of the night as they rejoined their party.