The Strangers in the Palace (Closed)(Fantasy)

Arquis felt his face grow hot. He was trying his best not to act frustrated, but the conversation was going absolutely nowhere. Every time he thought that he or Lovey had made a good point, Rin would completely deny it. That wasn’t their fault. He knew it was not. Someone in his life had convinced them that they should be caregiver and not cared for; that he should patch the wounds of others even when bleeding out.

He opened his mouth to try a different approach and was cut off by Honey’s hand on his shoulder. The blonde gave him a subtle nod before switching his focus to Rin.

“Hey, handsome. Let’s pause for a second and think. Say that I was running a fever. Probably had a sore throat, too. What would you tell me to do?”

He frowned faintly, looking at Honey. "I…get some rest? Have some tea, maybe a hot bath?" they said slowly. They knew exactly where Honey was going with this, and they hated it, but they didn't know what else to do. They ran their hand through their hair, blinking at the blonde.

Honey nodded, his expression soft and sympathetic. “I can tell that you know why I asked that, so let’s cut the hypothetical and get to the point. We wanna help you like you would help us. And I know that it’s hard to accept that help. Maybe you feel like you don’t deserve it, or maybe you think that my whole mess is more important than your own. Or maybe it’s both, I don’t know. What I do know is that you’re not feeling great, and it’d be a lot less stressful for everyone if you let lover boy here make you feel better.”

The words ‘lover boy’ got a slight frown out of Arquis, but it was at the very least better than boytoy. He shrugged and kissed his partner on the forehead.

Rin frowned. "But…" his protest trailed off. He didn't really know what to say now. Honey was…right, they supposed. It might be easier for everyone else if they let Arquis take care of him, but…but he didn't know what to do. "I just…it's not that bad." they said, voice soft and faint.

(sorry I promise I haven’t forgotten this!!! it’s been a super busy day and I only had time to send out some messages, but now I’ve got time to actually write replies again!)

Honey tore a hand through his hair, defeated. “I don’t get it. We know it’s bad. You know that we know it’s bad. So why won’t you-”

It clicked. His mouth flattened, and he turned his head away. Strands of his fine hair spilled over his cheek. They glowed almost like real gold in the light of the candle. He combed through them again with his fingers, let out a huff of breath, and glared at his bad arm. His nails looked bitten and bare without any polish.

“I’m not going anywhere, y’know. I’m not. I may have- listen, I might’ve said some shit in the moment. I get like that sometimes. But I’m gonna be alright. I am. You don’t gotta babysit me anymore. Take care of yourself.”

Sugar yipped in agreement. She wormed her way into Rin’s arms and licked at their chin. Her tongue dangled unsophisticatedly out of her mouth as she spun in an inelegant circle.

(it's fine!! Glad you're doing alright!)

Rin held Sugar gently, frowning for a moment. "I just…" his gaze flickered around the group, studying all of them. "I…are you sure?" he said softly. "I don't want…I don't want you to hurt yourself again, and…" his gaze moved to Lovey for just a moment, then back over to Honey.

“Wait, again?” Lovey interrupted, wide-eyed. She nervously tugged on a strand of her hair. “What do they mean? What’re you guys talking about?”

”Nothing. I’ll tell you later,” Honey grunted in response. His face contorted as if he’d tasted something bitter. He hid his mouth with the neck of his sweater and stared stubbornly to the side. The part of his nose that was still visible looked slightly scrunched.

Arquis did his best to ignore Sugar’s little whimpers and sniffs. He cradled his partner’s chin in his fingers, smiled softly, and kissed the spot of their cheek that was right by his ear. He really wanted to move downwards to his lips, but they were likely still infectious. While he knew there was still a chance he might catch their sickness, he still wanted to at least try to be cautious.

To answer their question, he whispered, “We are sure, my love.”

Rin leaned into Arquis, hesitating for a long, anxious moment. "I…fine. Fine. If it…if it makes you all happy." they said slowly. He looked over at Lovey. "Can, uhm, can you stay with Honey? And…and make sure he doesn't…do anything?" bad, at least. Nothing bad. They really, really didn't want Honey to hurt himself.

Lovey looked incredibly unsettled. As she leaned forward to scoop up Sugar, her pink lips curved downwards. She was watching her brother out of the corner of her eye like he was going to get up and run away. He was still partially hidden in his sweater, his attention on the drawstrings of his pants.

“I will,” she promised. Even though she was clearly upset, her voice was extremely gentle. “I have the feeling that we’ve got a lot of stuff to talk about.”

Honey still didn’t answer. He wasn’t angry or openly upset, but Arquis could tell he didn’t want to talk with her. It likely had to do with what he’d been saying. He saw his sister like Arquis saw Marsiquia: pure, gentle of heart. Happy and not to be worried. Good. Genuinely good. Quirisa was similar, though she was tougher. She had a lot more on her shoulders.

Arquis hugged his partner. “So, to our room, then?”

Rin nodded slowly. "Thanks, Lovey." he said softly, then looked up at Arquis. "Uhm…yeah. We can go to our room now." they snuggled closer to Arquis, clearing his throat faintly and wishing he had more tea. Tea helped soothe his throat.

Arquis stood as slowly as possible to avoid jostling his partner. His eyes took them in. They were still healthy enough, he hoped, to stand and walk without much trouble. He’d support him, of course, and would carry them if necessary, but it would be hard. He wasn’t very strong.

“Alright, my love. How would you like to do this?” If they had a preference, he’d cater to it. Rin was very good at keeping up appearances. Only they knew how badly he was feeling.

“You want any help?” Honey asked, then winced, remembering what they’d said about his wrist. “Pretty’s strong. She’d probably be willing to give you a hand. You’re not too heavy—she used to give me piggyback rides when I was, like, eighteen and drunk. And I’m not a small dude.”

"I'll be fine. I can walk." Rin replied, a touch grumpy at being treated like a child. He pushed himself up from the bed, stumbling as they caught their footing. He reached up to hold onto Arquis for balance, but didn't fall. They would hopefully be able to walk alright, though only time would tell.

Arquis slipped an arm around their waist to steady him when he saw them stumble. He knew that this whole situation was an annoyance for them—he could hear it in his voice—but he wasn’t going to let them trip and fall. Better to treat him with caution than to watch them accidentally hurt themself. The odds that they could walk, he thought, were still high, though he knew now for sure that he’d need assistance.

When Honey saw them having trouble, he instinctively moved off the bed as well and came over. His mouth twitched in frustration. He couldn’t help them with his bad arm, and Arquis had already taken the other side. With a huff, he sat back on the comforter. His sister placed a light, placating hand on his shoulder.

“Hm. What did I promise you earlier?” Arquis murmured softly. He brushed the damp hair from their forehead and kissed his burning skin. “Tea, a bath, and a nap? Was that it?”

They nodded slightly, taking a deep breath and glancing over at Honey. "Yeah. That was it." they said softly, clearing their throat for a moment. "I…yeah. That was it." he was tired, and a bit groggy, and it was all just so exhausting, to be honest. They sort of just wanted to sleep some more.

“Alright. Let us go.” Over his shoulder, he called to Lovey and Honey, “Please do come by and see us whenever you would like. I would very much enjoy it if we kept in touch.”

Rin’s exhaustion had not gone unnoticed. As he moved forward with him to the door, his arm still around them, he shifted so he was carrying the majority of their weight. He gave them a sweet, brief peck on his temple before opening the door and ushering them through. It worried him, how warm they felt. Feverish, clearly, yet refusing to take any medicine. He knew that if it got too much worse then they’d have to have that discussion again.

The hallways were still dark, though they’d been strewn with lanterns and dotted with candles. It would’ve been romantic, if they’d been in any other situation. Luckily, nobody was out of their rooms; there were a few very active sounds pouring out from a couple that made Arquis blush, but nobody emerged. He was glad for it. The trip to their suite would be slow, and he would’ve hated to run into anyone.

He squeezed his partner’s hip gently as they walked. “How are you faring?”

Rin leaned against him slightly as they walked, but was capable of walking on their own for the most part. "It's…'m fine." they replied faintly, focusing on just walking and moving with his lover. "I'll be fine." he cleared his throat softly, wanting more tea and a bath and a good nap, too. With plenty of blankets.

Arquis made a soft sound of disapproval and stroked his thumb along their jaw. They were likely lying. Nobody could sound so tired and have a fever and feel legitimately fine. This habit of lying was starting to grate on his nerves. He understood it, he did, but he just wished they would be more honest. Still, he wouldn’t call him out on it. Being ill was already bad enough. He didn’t want to argue with them and make him feel even worse.

When they finally reached and entered their room, the first thing he noticed was that it had been cleaned. The wastebasket he’d brought to Honey and any residual items from the previous day were gone. The drops of blood from his scratched back had been scrubbed as well, and the sheets had been washed. They smelled strongly of lavender, which Arquis loved. He picked up a tiny note on the middle of the bed and read it aloud. The maid service had come by to tidy everything up.

“Wonderful. It always feels best to rest in clean sheets,” he murmured to himself. Then, he looked to his partner. “Here we are. You would like the bath first, I imagine?”

He nodded faintly. "Yeah. Please." he replied softly. It was nice that everything was washed and clean, and Rin was glad of it. They could smell the lavender, too, the soft, soothing floral scent filling their nose. They rubbed their eyes, yawning softly and leaning their head against Arquis's shoulder. "Thanks, love."

The pet name made something stir inside of Arquis. He’d used it himself with them more times than he could count, but hearing it spoken back did something strange to his chest. Flustered, he ducked his head, mumbling an incoherent response. He then helped him into the bathroom and onto the edge of the tub. To avoid their gaze, he busied himself with drawing the bath. He rolled his sleeves up his forearms so they wouldn’t get wet, turned on the tap, and began to study the objects around them. One plump, unopened bag of unscented bath salts was labeled to have soothing effects on the muscles. A handful of it went into the lukewarm water. He also added just a touch of mint soap in hopes that it would clear their lungs.

After he was finished, he stood and turned to leave. And then he paused. Was it safe to leave them alone around water when sick and exhausted? Likely not. He himself had fallen asleep in it, and he hadn’t even been ill.

“Ah, um…” He winced, trying to think of a way to word what he wanted to ask. Nothing came to mind. He gestured uselessly at the bath.

Rin blinked at him uncertainly, not understanding what Arquis was stammering about, then he understood. "Oh. Right. Uhm." they glanced about. "I…I'll leave my boxers on?" their voice tipped up into a question at the end, not quite sure whether this was what Arquis had been concerned about. They leaned their head on the wall, still feeling sick and tired.

“You may dress however you like,” Arquis responded, then, after a moment, amended, “in whatever way is most comfortable. I will not deny you that. But I do think it best that I remain in here.”

That last part was spoken apologetically. He didn’t want to watch them undress, as he was afraid it would make them feel vulnerable. He’d prefer it if he himself were in a similar state. Leveling the playing field, as people said. But that would be odd indeed, for him to sit outside of the bath with his shirt off, and perhaps it would make his partner feel even worse. In the end, he left it up to them. His eyes searched his face as he patiently waited for an answer.

"I'll just…ah…bathe in my boxers, then. That might be best." he replied. He shifted to stand, peeling off his pants, and then his shirt, setting them aside. He was shivering now, in only their boxers, clothes in a messy heap on the floor. He moved to get into the bath, sitting down and relaxing a bit in the hot water, the heat helping to soothe him, though it might not do much for the fever.

Arquis averted his eyes until they were submerged. When he saw the pile of clothes on the floor, he went down on one knee to pick them up and fold them. He set them aside on the nearest countertop. Then, shyly, he turned his gaze back on the tub. He leaned forward to add a bit of cold water to the mix, fearing that his partner would get overheated.

His eyes caught on him, and he forced himself to look away again. It would do neither of them good to stare. If he was needed, they would ask for him. He walked to the cabinet below the sink and sat so that he was leaning against it.

The air wasn’t full of steam—the bath wasn’t as hot as the ones he normally ran for himself—but there was some drifting about. It was scented slightly of the mint soap. He briefly closed his eyes and took a soft breath in. The past few days had been hard, and he had the feeling that it wouldn’t be over anytime soon. He felt drained. He couldn’t imagine how Rin felt.

His eyes opened. “Alright, my love?” he asked, risking a glance at them.

Rin nodded faintly at the question. "'m alright." they replied softly, letting themself sink down into the water until only their head was poking out. They were tired, and the water felt good, and it smelled good too, and they kind of just wanted to sleep.

Arquis approached the tub slowly and ever so gently ran his fingers through their hair. It wasn’t wet, as they hadn’t moved far enough into the water at that point. He tucked a solo damp strand of it behind his ear, then kissed the skin that it had been over. That was all he did. He didn’t wish for him to feel as if they had to reciprocate, not when he looked so weary. But he did wish to give them comfort, and he knew that his partner loved physical closeness and contact.

An idea came to him. He pushed up from his knees and sat himself on the tub’s edge. His sleeves were still rolled, so he wouldn’t have to worry about getting them soggy. He cupped his hands under the faucet and filled them halfway with water, which he let trickle down into their hair. He retrieved a bottle of soap from the floor. It was the same caramel shampoo they’d used previously. The texture of it was gel-like and smooth against his bare palm. He worked it into a lather, then began to massage it into Rin’s freshly-wet locks.

“How about this?” he asked quietly, most of his attention on massaging their scalp. “Is this alright?”

Rin leaned into the hand in his hair, a quiet breath escaping from his lips. "It's perfect. Thank you, darling." their voice was quiet, their eyes slipping shut as they just leaned into that touch. He was so tired, but the massage on their scalp felt wonderful, and he liked having Arquis so close.

“Of course, my dear.”

Arquis smiled to himself as he moved his thumbs to their temples and rubbed in small circles. Beads of bathwater dripped from his fingers, slipping down his partner’s skin like raindrops. He returned to his hair after a moment to wash the soap out. Suds chased the droplets down their neck in a foamy stream.

“What type of tea would you like?” he eventually murmured. While he hated to break the peaceful silence, he didn’t want them to fall asleep. Not yet. There would be plenty of time for that when he was out of the bath, but if he drifted off while in it then Arquis would have a problem. He might’ve been able to lift Rin for a little bit in a normal scenario, but he doubted he could lift them while they were soaking wet without waking him up.

He hummed faintly, considering the question. "Something herbal? Chamomile, maybe." they replied in a soft tone, not opening his eyes when he spoke. He was so tired, so exhausted now that he wasn't forcing himself to stay alert for Honey's sake. He just wanted to curl up in the bed and sleep.

Arquis nodded, even though they weren’t looking. Once he was done rinsing their hair, he pulled away. He propped his forearms on the edge of the tub and rested his head on top. He’d gotten the chance to draw him before, but he was constantly amazed by the way they looked. Those, however, were unproductive thoughts. They were ill. He could see the shadows under their eyes, the pale, uneven coloring of his skin. The bath had brought some red to their cheeks, but the fever was still in effect.

“Oh, my love,” he heard himself murmur. “Just a few more minutes in here, and then you can get some rest.”

Sleep would be easy for them, he imagined, unless he was to have a fever dream. Those were awful. He remembered one he’d had as a child, where his family kept coming to see him and then vanishing into nothingness. It had happened so many times that he’d actually woken up crying. That was a different time. He certainly wouldn’t cry if Muria vanished in the present.

The minutes passed slowly, but they did pass. Arquis drained the tub and grabbed a clean towel, which he offered to Rin. He then stood to fetch some clothes from their bags. While he hated to rummage through their belongings, he knew that everything would go smoother the sooner he got him into bed. He brought them back and set them on the nearest counter.

They took the towel, wrapping it around their shoulders with a faint, tired sound. They worked on drying themself off while Arquis grabbed the clothes, leaning against the wall and scrubbing the towel against his skin. The exhaustion had definitely ramped up since they left Honey, since he was no longer working as hard to stay alert. They just wanted to sleep now, they really did.