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by the time you reached his place in N109 Zone, the mansion was quiet. the light from your watch displayed that it was 11 pm, and this usually is the time where the mansion's owner is most active.
but alas, Luke and Kieran had dialed you earlier with hushed voices, asking if maybe you could come over and coax their boss to drink his meds.
"medicine? is he sick?" you frowned, adjusting your gun back in their holster resting on your waist.
"oh, very! he is not letting anyone step foot on his floor!" Luke protested, "we highly doubt he eats the soup the chef made for him. he even ushered Mephisto out, boss-lady! there is no way to talk to him!"
the crease between your brows deepened as you try to connect the dots together. Sylus, down with a fever? it's.. hard to imagine.
"so we were wondering.." Kieran pipes in, "if maybe you can come visit, pleaseee?" the twins chimed in tune.
chuckling, you nodded. "yeah, I just finished work nearby. I'll be there in 10."
and that leads you here, in front of Sylus' door with Mephisto perching on your right shoulder. the mechanical crow joined the twin to welcome you earlier, all three reporting your boyfriend's condition like news anchors to your left, right, and above.
"his temperature was very high!"
"the doctor said it might be because he overworked himself!"
"caw! caw caw!"
Luke and Kieran dismissed themselves upon reaching Sylus' floor, following his orders to not step foot within his unit. they'll be downstairs if you need anything, just one call away.
"now off you go, Mephie." you petted the crow's beak, and he tilted his head once, twice, before flying off your shoulder to perch on his spot by the large window as if keeping watch.
you took a deep breath, and knocked. you didn't wait for him and let yourself in, slightly surprised to find the door unlocked. for someone who didn't want to be bothered, he sure let his guard down with this one.
"who is it?"
his groggy voice echoed in the silence of his room, and you took note of how there is no music playing in the background like usual. he even only used the kitten night lamp you got him as a source of light, set on the lowest dim possible by the bedside table.
and there he was, sitting on the single velvet couch with both arms resting upon the arm rests. he was donning only his night robe, revealing his bare chest and from this distance, you can make out the distinctive shadow of his nose. you didn't have to look closer to know he was frowning.
Sylus wasn't even fully facing you yet, but just from the sound of your steps, and the scent he caught in the air, he knew.
"..oh, it's you." he mumbled.
now facing you, his ruby eyes glinted in the dark. "I already said no one was allowed to come in. some people are about to lose their jobs."
you stood next to him, crossing your arms together. "so you're gonna kick me out now?" you tease, "and don't scold the boys, they were only looking out for you," you lean down, taking in his disheveled appearance. you always said that having his hair down made him look younger, but now that he's sick, it made him look sort of miserable.
Sylus huffed, "fine, you are an exception." he decided, "but I don't like how you're trying to cover for them."
you were about to tease him again for his behavior, but Sylus beats you to it.
"come here. I want to use your lap as a pillow."
curious to see just how out of the box his antics may be tonight, you quietly oblige as he grabbed your wrist and led you to the long couch. seconds after you sat down, he made himself comfortable on your lap, snuggling close to your stomach. like muscle memory, your fingers immediately combed through his locks.
"are you sick, Sy?" you asked gently, a smile already adorning your face. Sylus opened his eyes and frowned again, and his lips almost formed a pout. adorable.
"am I sick?" he scoffed, "I'm gravely ill, one might say." he gently took your right hand that was playing with his tresses, and brought them to his temple. "touch it. it's burning up."
you've noticed earlier that his body was indeed warm, when he held your wrist. now with him laying on your lap like a big dog, it gets even warmer even with the air conditioning running in the room. he is surely down with a fever, but maybe has passed through the worse of it. you guessed his temperature would be around 37-38°C now, which has gone down a degree from what the twins informed you.
"yup, you're burning up." you answered instead, not missing the way the corner of his lips tilted slightly upon your agreement. "how long does it usually take for it to go down?"
"how long will it take?" he repeated the question, "who knows. but it won't be going away anytime soon," he stared at the ceiling mindlessly, blinking slow.
"you know, it never occurred to me that you can get sick." you admitted, combing his hair once more and he leaned into your touch, turning to lay on his side and curling even more towards you.
"what do you think? of course I can get sick." he muttered, as if offended. you can't help but chuckle, not believing how childish the head of Onychinus had become once struck down with a fever.
he didn't approve of your enjoyment, apparently, because his human pillow vibrated and it disturbed his rest. "shh," placing his right pointer finger in front of his own mouth, "be quiet for a bit."
trying your best not to giggle, you took a deep breath. oh my, I wish I could record this. Sylus, your 6'2'' boyfriend, is now cuddled up on your lap, big body trying his best to fit in this long sofa. the sofa itself is already enormous to begin with, but somehow still looks small in comparison to its owner when laying down like this.
it's a shame you left your phone by the entryway earlier along with your hunter's watch, not wanting to have any notifications disturbing his rest. sighing softly, you return to combing through his hair while humming a lullaby softly.
Sylus hums in approval upon hearing your voice, the sound almost akin to a purr. it rumbled deep and low in his chest, and by now, you know it's a sign that he is content and comfortable. it relieved you that his condition is not as bad as you had imagined it to be, but a part of you still worry since he never got sick before.
well, at least during the time you know him. which made you wonder, how did he handle being sick before? did he went through it all by himself?
the image of younger Sylus being sick and alone pangs your heart. tenderly, you massaged his temples with a soft circular motion which gained another hum of approval of him. as if to give you better access, Sylus shuffles and lays on his back, his chest rising and resting steady with his breath.
you took notice of the growing eyebags underneath his eyes, and the overall exhaustion in his face. you gently massaged his slightly furrowed eyebrows, relaxing them. you couldn't fight the urge, and bend down to kiss his forehead.
the kiss lingers, and you smiled into it.
"Sy," you whispered softly, noticing his slower breaths, "let's move to the bed, hmm? so you can sleep better." you offered, cupping his cheeks.
he groaned, "no," one ruby eye revealed itself, peeking at you, "are you tired?"
nodding, "that, too. my legs are getting numb,"
without much protest, Sylus agreed. "okay."
you helped him sat up, and tilted your head in confusion when he stayed still even after you stood up and straight your legs. and lo and behold, he pulls you in by the waist, looking up at you with his doe ruby eyes.
"hold me."
you almost fainted at just how adorable he looked and sound like. this one will be imprinted in your memories forever.
so you held him and helped him up, trying your best to support his weight in your much smaller frame.
"you can't because I'm too heavy?" he teased. apparently, being sick doesn't mean he lose the ability to tease you.
"mind you, you're almost twice my body." you replied, walking to the bed with him in tow.
"I thought you were stronger than this,"
you can't help but roll your eyes at that, deciding to let him off the hook for now because he is sick. yeah, he definitely loves to tease you no matter what.
after some effort, you managed to tuck him in bed. you smiled with your hands resting on your hips, feeling some sense of accomplishment. but then Sylus tugged at your thigh, pulling you in you almost toppled over him.
"nuh-uh, I gotta change first." you refused, pulling away. you're still in your uniform, although you've taken off your jacket.
Sylus grumbles in protest, the sound foreign to your ears. "that's too much of a hassle," he muttered, "just take them off. you can shower later, I don't mind."
you two have made an agreement on your earlier dating days that no outside clothes should be worn to bed, hence why Sylus said that.
"but I do mind," you argued, half-serious half-joking. he looked like his fever could spike up again if you don't follow his wishes.
Sylus' hand that was on your thigh remained, but his eyes looked conflicted. in one hand, he wanted you close to him right now at this very moment, but in the other, he wanted to respect your boundaries. and in the middle of it all you saw the steadily growing pout, his lip starting to jut out whether he intended to or not. this is the second time this night in a row, a first in the span of time you've known him.
and undoubtedly, you're weak to him just as you are his weakness.
wordlessly your hand moved to your shirt to unbutton them and his ruby eyes visibly sparkled at the sight. he shuffles further in bed to give you space, ruffled the blankets and adjusted the pillow.
left only in your undergarments, you raised one pointer finger.
"one last condition," you announced, and he tilted his head.
"you have to drink your meds."
almost in a heartbeat, he answered. "no." petulantly, like a child. "it's bitter."
"then I'm not joining you." come your firm reply.
Sylus, who was laying on his side awaiting to scoop you into his arms, now dejectedly laid on his back as if giving up. he even had his arms crossed on his chest, his head facing away from you. does he hate it that much?
and once again you mentally cursed at how weak you are against him.
once he felt you climbing into bed, the mattress dipping underneath your weight, he turns to you in an instant and engulfed you in a hug, catching you by surprise.
caging you in his larger form, long legs tangling with your own, Sylus hummed in approval.
"I don't need them. I only need you, kitten."
feeling yourself blush furiously at his words, you're grateful your face is hidden in his chest.
"if I also get a fever after this, I'm blaming you." you playfully jab at his ribs, and he chuckled.
"then I'll be your medicine."
sighing, you accepted defeat and shuffled your position so he was now the little spoon. Sylus didn't protest, resting his head on your abdomen with the steady rythm of your heartbeat lulling him to sleep, and your hand caressing his head and back ever so gently.
for once in his life, Sylus doesn't mind being sick.