Rindea tinged fic, contains spoilers for Ringabel's past.

With everything that's going on, the amount of stress and worry they're all under, it's only a matter of time before someone gets sick. They've gotten colds and allergies and even the stomach flu before, and have come to expect it.

This time, that someone is Ringabel. Usually robust and healthy, the man comes down with a cold after a surprise rainfall while shopping for supplies in Caldisla, followed by an all-nighter piloting Grandship halfway across the world to Eternia. It was a recipe for disaster, and really, they shouldn't have been very surprised when he faints suddenly as they prepare to disembark for Everlast Tower, snow drifting softly around them.

"Hey, Ringabel!" Tiz cries softly as they kneel beside the fallen man. His sickness is obvious; he's flushed and sweaty, and his chest labors for breath. Already they can hear him wheezing, sick building in his chest. "Ringabel?"

"He can't get sick now!" Airy says above them. "We have to awaken the crystal!"

"Shut it, Airy." Edea snaps, slipping one of her gloves off so she can feel his forehead. He's burning up, even with the snowflakes that build on his nose and eyelashes. "No one wants to get sick." She and Tiz exchange a glance.

"Well, if Agnès heals him, we can get on our way, can't we?" The fairy suggests. She's right; White Magic can technically be used to cure this kind of illness, but… it's a waste. Everyone gets sick, it's natural, there's no point in using magic magic for colds and papercuts.

Edea reminds her of that as she and Tiz carefully pick up Ringabel between them, Tiz with his arms under Ringabel's armpits, and Edea with hers around his knees. "Don't we want to preserve Agnès' energy? Ringabel just has to sleep this off." Especially considering that she doesn't think he slept the night before, having piloted instead. "He'll be fine in the morning."

Though Airy pouts, there's no point in pushing it further as the crew carefully transports Ringabel from the deck, back up the stairs, and into the inn. It's slow going, and as soon as the blond man has been hefted into bed, Edea collapses beside him.

"I think we've gotta put him on a diet."

Tiz wipes his forehead with the back of his head. "Stop feeding him your extra sweets and I'm sure he'll lose some weight." He sets to work on removing Ringabel's boots.

Agnès has already filled a basin with water and now places it on the nightstand. "I'm worried. He should have woken by now."

Edea shakes her head, but leans over to touch Ringabel's face. It's just as warm and clammy, and the snow has begun to melt now that he's out of the frigid air, droplets of water streaming down his face. "He's exhausted himself, likely. We'll have to keep him here until he's better."

The hardest part will be enduring his jokes about keeping him in bed, she's sure.

Agnès sets a cool washcloth over his forehead, and it's then that he stirs, grimacing and cracking one gray eye open to look at them. "Crystal?" He croaks.

That'd be kind of cute if his eye wasn't so bloodshot and his voice so hoarse. Edea frowns and smooths some of his hair back from his face. "Later. Go back to sleep."

The flush over his face deepens, and as expected, he tries to sit up. "No, no. I'm -" He only makes it halfway up when he sways suddenly and Edea shoves him back down. "I just need a nap," he insists weakly, smiling.

"Tiz?" Edea asks. The shepherd was now working on Ringabel's belt.

"Hold him down if you need to, Edea," Tiz replies as he finally slips the belt off of the other man's waist. He doesn't know how Ringabel could even *wear* it, much less sleep in it. "I don't think we should leave until he's better, though."

"I agree," Agnès says, cutting off the whining Airy has been doing in the background. "I don't feel safe fighting that beast without everyone at their best. We can wait an extra day."

The extra day looks like it may turn into two when Ringabel comes down with a deep cough sometime before lunch. The chicken soup Edea force-feeds him seems to help, but not by much. and she sets the bowl down with a frown, watching the man huddle under his blankets.

"You've gotta get better," she tells him, and swaps out the cloth on his forehead for a fresher and cooler one.

"Will you stay and nurse me back to health?" He whines, punctuating his words with a cough. The look he gives her is so sad and pathetic, she feels like she's looking at a puppy. And would be kicking one if she tells him to shove it.

"I'll stay," she promises, and doesn't miss the way that his tired eyes light up. "But in exchange, you have to promise to do your best to get well as soon as possible."

"Promise," he says, with a weak smile, and sneezes.

For the first few hours, all is well. Edea pulls up a chair next to his bed and a stack of books she's been meaning to read for a while and entertains herself while he sleeps. The romance novels she'd dug out of Agnès' belongings aren't really her thing, but the covers had looked interesting, though she finds that she skims more than she actually reads, skipping to the good parts instead of the boring exposition.

Ringabel naps fitfully, tossing in his sleep and kicking his covers off with a whine.

"Too warm," he mutters as Edea tucks them back over him, rolling around. "Too warm."

"Deal with it," she replies, ruffling his hair. "Just go back to sleep."

An hour later he's whining again, complaining of cold, curling in on himself and shivering.

This time Edea hauls her blanket off her bed and tosses it over him, not bothering with the tucking this time. Ringabel worms one of his arms out from under the whole mess and drags the blanket close so he can wrap around it, burying his face into the folds. As soon as he seems to be peacefully asleep, she reaches over to drape it around his shoulders and torso. There.

Tiz and Agnès bring them dinner.

"How's he feeling?" Tiz asks in a low voice.

"Well, he doesn't seem to be getting worse," Edea replies, shoving her sandwich in her mouth. "But he's not really getting any better, either."

"The Proprietress found some cold medicine for us," Agnès offers, setting down the little packets and bottle on the nightstand.

"Thanks. I'll make him take it later when he wakes."

"You don't mind watching him?" The Vestal leans over Ringabel to measure his temperature, laying a cool hand on his forehead.

Edea makes sure that he doesn't stir before she answers. "It's fine. Someone has to keep an eye on him. I don't mind." Agnès had offered, but Airy had put up such a fuss that it just wasn't worth the trouble, and Tiz could use the time to catch up on other things. Besides, a part of her felt like she owed it to him - she could remember the last time she'd fallen ill back in Eternia Central Command, Alternis had stayed up with her throughout the night, carefully holding her hair back.

And the last time she'd fallen sick on Grandship, having eaten her own concoction when no one else would, it had been Ringabel who'd stayed with her, camped out in the bathroom with water and ginger and allowing her to curl up against his chest when she wasn't heaving. She owes it to him.

She owes it to him, she reminds herself a few hours later, once Ringabel wakes and his whining starts up again.

"I'm too warm already, Edea!" The man fusses, trying to shove the blankets back at her. He tries, but breaks down into a cough, and it's then that Edea practically pounces him, blankets in hand.

"Grr… just stay down. Behave!" Maybe he didn't like it, but Tiz said it was probably best not to let him lounge around without covers, not when his body was trying to fight whatever he'd caught. And considering that Ringabel had kicked off his shirt and pants the first time he'd woken, Edea didn't want to see him in just his drawers. He was so pasty and sweaty.

"I'm behaving," he manages to say once the cough has subsided, and he blinks wearily up at the woman straddling him. His face is very red. "Can I get some water?"

"Of course." She slides off him to fetch him a glass of water. And then the medicine when he asks for it. And then a book, because he isn't tired, but he aches and wants to rest. And then he says he's feeling a little hungry, so she gives him some crackers. And then he decides he needs to use the restroom, so she has to unpack him out of bed, and then tuck him back in. And then another glass of water. And then...

"Ringabel." Edea says, her voice a little annoyed even if her hand is gently stroking back his damp hair. He glances at her mid-drink of his water, eyes wide. "Go to sleep."

He smiles a bit weakly as he hands the glass of water back to her. "I will in a moment." A moment takes a while, as he once again decides that he isn't sleepy, and instead curls up on his side to watch her.

She goes back to her stack of books, but it's very hard to read knowing that she's being watched. The urge to look back at him every now and then eats at her, and after glancing out of the corner of her eye several times, she finally puts the book down.

"What is it now?"

"Thank you," he replies, as though he'd been mentally rehearsing. "For staying with me."

"Oh…" She hadn't been expecting that. "You're welcome. But stop staring, that's creepy."

Ringabel obediently rolls over onto his other side, and Edea watches him for a few moments. He coughs, fidgets, and then seems to fall asleep, his breathing shifting to deep and even, if not still a little ragged from the cough in his chest.

That's acceptable. Edea dims the lights so he can sleep better, concentrating a lamp on her book. This was just about killing her, being so quiet and still. He needed to get better fast.

She moves from her book to his, taking out his journal to re-read some of the passages and make notes in the margin, and is about halfway through when she hears her name.

"Wha-" She looks up and shuts up immediately. How she'd missed his tossing, she doesn't know, but Ringabel is clutching at his face and chest in his sleep, crying out her name again as she watches. Biting her lip, Edea sets aside book and pen and kneels on the bed, unsure as to whether or not she would wake him. His nightmares had been terrible before, but they had petered off as far as she was aware. Had he just been hiding them? She watches him thrash, and cry, choking on his breath as he calls for her before breaking into a hacking cough between his sobs.

"Stop," she whispers, touching his fevered forehead, unsure of what else to do. "I'm right here. Just wake up."

At her touch, or perhaps the sound of her voice, he snaps awake, chest heaving. They both go silent, and she chews on her bottom lip as she stares at him. His eyes are wide, staring up at the ceiling, as though he isn't quite seeing it. He's so very still.

"Ringabel?" She tries, hoping he's actually awake and not trapped in his nightmare. He doesn't react, and she tries again, louder this time. "Ringabel, hey. Hey!"

His eyes slide over to her, and … recognition kicks in as he awakens fully. "Edea?" His voice is hoarse from both the yelling and the cough, and he swallows hard, his hands automatically moving up to wipe his face of the tears. "I…"

He doesn't have to say anything, she thinks, and shakes her head. "You had a nightmare." He seems to accept that, though he continues to run his hands over his face, then his chest. She can see marks on his face where his nails had scratched his skin, and frowns, her hand stroking his forehead again, pushing his hair off it. "Try to go back to sleep. You need to rest."

"I don't really…"

"Yes. You have to. You have to get better." He has to get better so they can keep awakening crystals, keep going on this quest… so he can keep bugging her. Today's just been quiet, and it's weird.

Ringabel's eyes slip shut and he reaches up to touch her hand, tilting up into it for a moment. "Will you lay with me?" It's a testament to how tired he is, because he doesn't even blush when he asks.

She really should tell him no, because he's gross and sweaty and half-naked and sick besides, and possibly contagious. If she gets sick too, then Airy will just get even more annoyed at the delay. But she can tell the nightmare has unnerved him, and if she felt like being honest with herself, it's unnerved her as well. She knows by now what kind of nightmare he'd likely had, and while she's not really happy with the idea of being killed off in his dreams, that's not something he can really help, now is it?

"I… fine. But keep your hands to yourself or I'll smother you," she says, and moves off the bed so that she can change into her nightclothes.

"I wouldn't dream of it, my angel," he replies, and pulls the blankets over his head.

They're still there when she comes back a few moments later. "Oh come on, if you do that you're just going to smother *yourself.*"

He laughs, then coughs, and pulls the blankets down. "But I'm cold."

"I thought you were too warm," she reminds him, pulling the blankets back and sliding in next to him. … He was right, it was way too warm under the blankets, and she makes a face as she settles in next to him. He nervously draws his legs up, rolling over to face her, his arms wrapped around himself.

Ringabel's a lot bigger than her, but Edea easily curls up on her side facing him, her hands resting between them. He's… so sick, she notices. Pale and worn and just tired. Had it really been that all-nighter that had done him in, or was this something that's built up over the past while they've all ignored? Ringabel's pretty bad at looking after himself, too occupied with looking after the rest of them. That needs to change. He needs someone to look after him.

For a few moments they stare at each other, until Ringabel dissolves into a coughing fit into his hands.

"You should take some more medicine too," she reminds him, and rolls back over to fetch some and a glass of water. Though she has to be extremely careful not to spill any on herself as she passes it over to him, Ringabel obediently sits up and drinks both water and medicine down, grimacing at the taste.

"I'll be good," he says. "Just don't make me take any more of that."

"If you get better, you won't have to take it ever again," she replies, and carefully moves the nearly empty glass of water back to the nightstand. "Now get some rest."

He sighs.

"I'm not tired."

She rolls her eyes but says nothing. He always gets like this after a nightmare, and she shifts so that she can move closer to him, laying her head against his shoulder. Ringabel makes a distressed noise, but says nothing, and his arms wrap around her tightly, as though he wanted to clutch her all along. He's so silly, she thinks, as they rearrange their legs so they can just lay together. If he just needed a hug, he could ask for one.

"I'm tired," she tells him, and her fingers trace down his warm, flushed chest. "So I'm going to take a nap and you sleep, and I'll see you in the morning." When his hand reaches up to catch hers, she frowns, but says nothing, not even when he raises her hand up to kiss her fingers.

He really shouldn't be kissing anything when he's sick like this.

"Edea?" Ringabel asks a few moments later, just as her eyes had started to slip shut and she'd started to fall into a light doze. It was really very warm under the covers, especially against the heat of his skin, but she felt comfortable all the same. Nice and cozy.

"Mmm?"

"May I… er. May I listen to your heartbeat?" He asks in a rush.

"... Sure. Why not?" It was a strange request, but Ringabel was a strange man, and sick, besides. She could indulge him this once.

It's a little weird, because he's so much more bigger than she is, by at least a foot or more, but they wiggle and squirm around until he can rest his head against her chest. She tugs on his hair. "Any funny business and I'm throwing you out of the bed." And she quite literally will - if he doesn't think she can suplex him right out of the sheets, he's wrong.

"I wouldn't dream of it, my dear," he mumbles as he nestles in close, ear flat against the center of her chest. This makes his mouth uncomfortably close to … other parts of her, and Edea carefully rearranges his head with a hand until he's settled a little more appropriately. The heat of his cheeks can be felt through her nightshirt.

It's too warm, she thinks to herself as their legs tangle together, the two of them settling in for sleep. He owes me.

Like this, it's easy for Edea to gently run her fingers through his limp locks, humming slightly so that he can hear that along with the sound of her heartbeat. Slowly, she feels him relaxing, and his breathing evens out before long, though the cough continues to rumble through him. She can feel it, his chest pressed against her belly, his arms tucked carefully around her waist.

At some point, Edea must have drifted off as well, because she wakes in the morning with a cough.

Ringabel's still asleep, but wakes when her cough gets worse, the woman curling in on herself as she tries to clear her lungs. For a moment, he seems confused, then panics when he remembers the previous night and scrambles away, nearly falling out of the bed in his haste.

"I'm… sorry," he breathes, as he fetches her some of the medicine by the side of the bed. His color is much improved after a full night's sleep. "Here. I'll stay."

She swallows down the medicine - it really does taste terrible - and pulls him back into the bed, instead of letting him hover by the side of it. "Stay," she croaks. "You owe me." He'd gotten her sick!

Ringabel stutters as she carefully arranges herself over him, tucking her face into his shoulder. "A-as long as you need me, Edea. I'll stay."

That's fine, she thinks, head hazy with heat. She'll just take a nap and wake up good as new, right?

"Ringabel?" She asks after a few moments of fidgeting. Too warm, it's way too warm.

"Yes, dear."

"I think I'm going to throw up."

Perhaps he hadn't given her what he had after all, but it doesn't matter now. Edea stays the whole day in bed with him anyway, because his cough has yet to abate and her stomach aches something terrible. It's a little too warm, and very sweaty, but as miserable as they are, they could at least enjoy each other's company.