After getting over the initial shock and having made sure that he was breathing (he wasn't dead, thank the Booble) Mymble carried the Joxter upstairs and put him to bed.
It was strange carrying him like this... He would cling to her, usually, even if he was fast asleep, and lovingly nuzzle into her chest... But right now he was limp and completely motionless, except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest, and the occasional tremor going through his entire body, presumably from the cold.
Mymble carefully placed the Joxter in their shared bed, and looked at him for a few moments, before tucking him in as well. She brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead and tried to gently caress his cheek, but she quickly pulled her hand away again with a shiver. He was so dreadfully cold to the touch.
"... Dearest Joxter... What have you done...?" She asked, with a voice she tried to convince herself was simply trembling because of the cold.
She watched over him for a bit, before deciding to get some more blankets and a hot water bottle, to warm her frozen mumrik.
While she was gone, the Joxter began to stir. Not a lot. Just a twitch of a finger here, and a shudder there, as well as a slight furrowing of his brows. Movements one would make while having a dream.
Or perhaps a nightmare.
Poor Joxter was unfortunately experiencing the latter. He was back, walking in that seemingly endless desert of snow. Except this time there was no light. No matter how far he walked, he never reached home. Was he walking in circles? He had to. Perhaps if he walked back and retraced his steps...? His footprints could still be there...
He turned around, and he saw her.
The Lady of the Cold.
She was staring at him.
He couldn't move.
She got closer.
She had red eyes.
Dreadful eyes. Yet so pretty...
She reached a star-shaped appendage out towards his chest.
Why couldn't he move?!?
She was almost touching him, and...
The Mymble quickly ran back upstairs, as she heard a scream coming from the bedroom. As she opened the door, she could see Joxter in the bed, looking like he was fighting against the blanket she had wrapped around him, and quickly went to help him.
"Joxter? Joxter can you hear me?! Wake up!" She called, grabbing hold of his shoulders and shaking him a bit, trying to ignore how cold her hands were getting from doing this. "Please!"
His eyes suddenly sprung open, and they darted around in panic, before finally settling on the Mymble's face.
"Mymble...? Oh, Mymble, it's you," he said. "J-just you... I thought... Where am I...? Am I home...? Am I alive...?"
"Of course you are... Did you think you could just die from me, or something?"
The Joxter responded with a slight smile, though that seemed to fade as he leaned back again, to rest his head on a pillow.
"... I'm so cold... I... My chest feels strange..."
"You've just been outside too long, love... Stay there. Try to sleep some more... I'll get you some more blankets and a hot water bottle, and then I'm sure you'll feel better in no time..."
He nodded a bit, and quietly watched her leave. Perhaps she was right... Perhaps this would just pass once he rested a bit... Perhaps...
... He would love to believe that, but as he closed his eyes to get some more rest, a nagging, freezing feeling in his chest, was telling him that he probably shouldn't get his hopes up...