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It didn’t truly hit me until all the Wanderers were dead.
I took the final shot, causing the last Wanderer to explode in a burst of Metaflux that I couldn’t entirely avoid, raising my arms to over my face.
As the sparks and ash dissipated, I stood there, breathing heavily, my heart pounding, breaths wheezing slightly in my chest.
I started coughing and doubled over, clutching my aching chest—I’d taken a brief blow to the side, but I hadn’t thought it was that bad…
When I finally got my breath back, I staggered over to collapse against the trunk of a tree, trying to take stock of myself. My Hunter’s Watch had been damaged in the fight, leaving me unable to get a reading on my vitals. I wasn’t coughing up blood, so that was good—at least I hadn’t punctured a lung. But my whole body did ache, and there was still the slight wheeze in my chest.
I swallowed hard, throat feeling like it was on fire. Was I…sick? I mean, sure, I had felt a little off that morning, overly tired despite my surprisingly heavy sleep the night before, and with a headache I couldn’t shake, but to have it all come on so suddenly…
As I made an attempt to get up, my legs simply refused to work. I got halfway up before dizziness overtook me and I was forced to slump back down, the tree my only support.
I turned to my watch again, trying to see if I could call into the Association, but it was still offline. Groaning, I pulled out my phone instead. I didn’t get a great signal out here, but I knew there was someone close enough to help.
I hesitated before hitting the familiar contact. How incredibly pathetic it would look to have to call for help just because I had a cold and had overdone myself a little on a hunt. I couldn’t help the bit of shame that crept in, telling me that as a trained Hunter I should be better than this.
However, before I could even make the decision to call or not, my phone lit up with the familiar contact. I swallowed hard and answered it, trying to keep my voice from sounding so weak.
“Hello?”
“Hello, sweetie, I saw you were working near the N109 zone today,” came the slightly smug voice on the other line.
“Wait…how did you…? You know what, never mind,” I muttered, rubbing my aching head. I should never be surprised that Sylus seemed to know all my missions. I glanced around briefly to see if Mephisto might be hiding among the trees.
Sylus chuckled. “No need to get so offended. I just wanted to know if you’d like to get dinner tonight? I have the night free and I can pick you up when you’re done.”
I hesitated. I really wanted to see Sylus, but I also didn’t feel up to going out. “Maybe not tonight but…someti—” I had to turn quickly to try and muffle the cough that bubbled up in my throat unbidden.
Sylus’s tone changed instantly. “Sweetie? Are you all right? You didn’t get hurt and are refusing to tell me, right?”
“N-no, I’m not hurt,” I managed, voice still slightly shaky. “Just…a cough.”
There was a brief silence and some kind of background noise. “You went on a hunt sick, didn’t you?”
I didn’t reply, too tired to argue the truth.
Sylus exhaled into the phone and there was the sound of a car door closing. “Stay where you are, I’ll come get you.”
“Sylus, it’s okay, I—”
“I’ll see you soon, kitten.”
He ended the call, leaving me to simply sit there with the phone in my hand, resigned to Sylus’s reprimands when he found me in my current pathetic state.
I shut my eyes briefly to try and relieve the headache, fighting off another cough. Ugh, my nose was starting to run too. I shamefully wiped it on my sleeve and slumped back against the trunk of the tree.
I hadn’t intended to doze off, it was stupid, honestly, completely against training. Any Wanderer could have killed me during my little nap.
But I was awoken by the sound of deliberate footsteps making their way through the forested area. I blinked my eyes open blearily, fumbling for my guns before the familiar figure came into view.
“Kitten, when will you stop pushing yourself beyond the needed limit,” Sylus muttered with a fond worry as he crouched in front of me, gently taking my chin in his hand.
I groaned and pulled away, trying to stand up. “I’m fine, it’s just a cold.”
My arms barely had enough strength to hold my weight and Sylus instantly reached out to help me up. I couldn’t help staggering into his chest, resting my cheek there for too long, taking in his familiar scent.
Sylus sighed, stroking my hair back from my face before pressing his hand to my forehead.
“You’re fevered.”
I groaned, nuzzling further into him. “I’ll be okay, just give me a…couple minutes…”
Sylus huffed in a little amusement and shook his head. “You think I’m letting you walk out of here in your condition? You’ll only exhaust yourself more.” He took my shoulders, pushing me back gently before crouching down. “Get on.”
“Sylus, I—”
“No arguments, sweetie.”
I didn’t argue, genuinely relieved as I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him stand up with me on his back, his elbows tucked firmly under my knees.
“That’s better. Now, you’re coming back home with me.”
“But I need to make my report!”
“No arguments. You can do that once you’re safe and comfortable.”
I sniffled slightly as I rested my cheek on his shoulder, but didn’t protest further. The forest was getting darker as the afternoon stretched into evening, and I found it hard to fight back the shivers that wanted to wrack my aching body.
Sylus obviously felt them, because by the time we got back to the car and he gently set me down in the passenger seat, he took his coat off and wrapped it around my upper body.
“You don’t want to overheat, but you shouldn’t get chilled either,” he said, palm caressing my cheek briefly, rubbing his thumb against some dirt there with a fond smile before he straightened up and shut my door carefully.
I leaned back into the comfortable seat with a sigh as he got behind the wheel and drove us back toward the N109 Zone and Onychinus headquarters.
I had enough energy left to walk into the base by myself, but Sylus still kept a steadying hand on my lower back as he guided me through the familiar dark hallways toward his own bedroom. The dark interior and dim lighting was cozy and inviting and the bed looked incredibly tempting.
But Sylus steered me toward the bathroom first. “Let’s get you cleaned up. And I want to do my own injury inspection.”
“Do I get a say in this?” I asked, pretending indignation.
Sylus kissed the top of my head and pushed me gently through the door of the adjoined bath. “Not when I’m acting as your doctor. You know you’d demand the same from me.”
I couldn’t argue with that logic—I had on multiple occasions, after all—so I reluctantly allowed Sylus to push me into the bathroom.
He helped me remove my gear, sitting me on the closed toilet and kneeling to take off my boots. I fumbled with the buttons on my shirt, seeing how filthy it was, but Sylus’s warm hands enveloped mine and pulled them away.
“Let me,” he said, looking up at me, a question in his eyes.
I nodded, adding a little more heat to my cheeks as he efficiently finished unbuttoning my shirt and slid it off.
I shivered slightly as the cool air hit my skin, then jumped as Sylus’s warm fingers instantly trailed across the bruises on my ribs.
I hissed. “Ow…”
“I thought you said you weren’t injured.”
“Everything hurts,” I mumbled, trying now to squirm as he probed the area.
“I don’t think anything’s broken, but the bruising is pretty bad,” he murmured.
He carefully checked the rest of my body, fingers gently grazing over any bruise and scrape. I swore my fever went up several degrees by the time he was done. I knew he was just taking care of me, but Sylus had this genuine way of showing tenderness that always got my heart fluttering.
He stood and wet a washcloth with warm water, then started to clean the smudged dirt from my skin.
“What set of pajamas do you want?” he asked when he had finished.
“Something that’s not too constricting,” I murmured.
Sylus went to grab one of the sets I kept there and returned with my pink shorts and matching tank top.
“Can you change on your own?” he asked.
I nodded and Sylus left the bathroom as I slowly changed into the pajamas, and threw my hair up into a messy bun to get it off my neck.
I trudged out to the bedroom again to see Sylus had turned the covers down, gathered a bunch of things I might need on the side table—medicine, tissues, a thermometer, and a glass of water—and even put several of the plushies I’d given him from our claw machine escapades in the bed.
“Come here,” he said, patting the plush mattress.
I didn’t need a second bidding to crawl into the bed, feeling it cushion my aching body. I muffled another cough in my hand and Sylus’s brow furrowed as he sat on the side of the bed, picking up the thermometer.
“Let me check your temperature.”
I sighed, but opened my mouth, allowing him to slide it under my tongue. We waited for it to beep and then I watched as he pulled it away and frowned at the number.
“101,” he said. “Let’s make sure it doesn’t get any higher.”
I leaned back against the pillows, still shivering slightly. “I’m cold though.”
“I know you’re chilled,” Sylus said softly, stroking a few strands of hair out of my face. “But I don’t want you overheating.” He pulled a light silk sheet over me. “Now, you should eat something before you take some medicine.”
I groaned, curling up in the bed.
“Are you feeling nauseous?” he asked.
“A little.” My stomach felt heavy and kind of off. Mostly I was just too exhausted for the idea of eating.
“Do you think you can try a little something?” he coaxed.
I sighed. “Yeah.”
“Alright.” Sylus stroked my hair again and stood up, leaving the room briefly.
He came back with a tray holding several items and urged me to sit up so he could put it over my lap.
“There’s crackers, and either broth or a smoothie—I didn’t know if you’d want hot or cold.”
I eyed the options and finally selected the smoothie, deciding that would feel the best on my throat.
It did feel good even though it made me shiver more. I drank about half of it and ate a few crackers before I decided to stop.
Sylus seemed happy enough and took the tray from me before taking out the appropriate amount of pills. He took my hand and set them in my palm, picking up the glass of water.
“I can do it myself,” I muttered.
“I know,” Sylus said with amusement. “But I like to take care of you. Now come on. Take your medicine.”
I sighed, looking at the pills tiredly.
Sylus chuckled. “What? Are you going to demand a reward if you take them?”
I smirked a little. “Maybe.”
Sylus hummed. “I see. Well, then, be a good girl and you might get a reward.”
I wrinkled my nose but took the pills, swallowing them down with the water.
“Okay, what do I get for a reward then?”
Sylus smiled and leaned in to kiss the corner of my mouth. “Will that suffice?”
I pretended to pout. “I was thinking of ice cream, but…”
He laughed. “Alright, later, I promise to get any flavor of ice cream you want. Right now, you need to focus on sleeping.”
I sighed and laid down in the bed, trying to get comfortable. My body was both aching and restless from the fever though. “Everything hurts,” I whined.
“I know, sweetie,” Sylus said softly, pulling the light sheet up to my shoulders and cupping my cheek. His hand was nice and cool and I nuzzled it a little.
Sylus smiled fondly before he got up to take the tray of food back to the kitchen. I moaned a little, staring at him a bit woefully.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Nothin’,” I muttered into one of the stuffed animals as I pulled it to my chest. “Jus’…wan’ed you to stay with me.”
“I’ll be right back, and then you can have me for the rest of the night. I promise.”
I sighed and tried to get comfortable, but the fever was still making me shiver and my head felt like it was going to explode, as did my lungs from suppressing the urge to cough for so long. I coughed into the blankets, making my eyes water as I couldn’t seem to stop and catch my breath.
Sylus appeared beside me again, rubbing my back gently as I continued to cough.
“Let’s have you take some cough suppressant too, you can take it with the fever reducer.”
I groaned. “It tastes so bad.”
“You’ll be coughing all night if you don’t,” Sylus warned and reached for the bottle on the bedside, measuring out the nasty syrup. “Come on, Kitten.”
He helped me sit back up and put the tiny cup to my lips. I reluctantly swallowed it, cringing at the taste.
“Gross. Why do they have to make it so bad?!” I moaned.
Sylus hummed in sympathy and kissed the top of my head. “If you hate it that much I’ll mix you some brandy and honey next time.”
I hummed, sniffling a little as I leaned into him.
Sylus handed me a tissue and then stood.
I tried to grab him so he wouldn’t leave again, but he chuckled, grabbing my hand.
“Let me go change into something more comfortable. Then I promise you can cuddle me like one of your stuffed animals.”
Content, I let him go change into a set of comfortable pajamas before he returned as promised and slid into bed next to me.
I instantly snuggled up to him, loving the feeling of his comfortable warmth, his heart beating under my ear.
Sylus sighed contentedly and pulled me closer to him, propping me up at just the right angle so I could still breathe through my congestion.
“Comfortable?” he rumbled.
“Mm-hmm,” I said in contentment, then tilted my head up to meet his eyes. “Sylus…thank you. For coming to get me, and…and taking care of me.”
He nuzzled his cheek against my hair before kissing my temple. “Of course, sweetie. You know I’ll always be there when you need me. And you never have to worry about showing your weaknesses around me. You know that.”
I sighed. “I know and…I appreciate that.”
He hummed and kissed my cheek, before tilting my chin up and kissing my nose. I giggled tiredly before I felt his breath on my lips. He met my eyes briefly before his mouth caught mine in a gentle kiss. I let my eyes slide shut, enjoying the moment before I had to pull away as another cough bubbled up.
I buried my face in the blankets, embarrassed. “Maybe we shouldn’t do that while I’m…so gross,” I groaned.
Sylus only pulled me closer, trailing his fingers soothingly up and down my back. “Sweetie, you could never be ‘gross’,” he said in amusement, kissing my forehead again.
“But you’ll probably get sick too,” I warned.
“Well, if that happens, you’ll just have to take care of me,” he smirked, giving me another chaste kiss before tucking my head under his chin. “Go to sleep. You need your rest.”
I pressed my lips gently to his collarbone and let my heavy eyes shut. I briefly thought about the mission report that was due in the morning, but honestly, didn’t care. Once I explained I was sick I was sure Captain Jenna would give me a little leeway. Right now, all I cared about was that I felt incredibly safe and cared for by this amazing man who I was so lucky to have in my life.
I knew I would sleep soundly in his arms and that was enough to lull me to sleep.