*Some required background for this chapter:

Pierce doesn't feel well while out at the Fall Festival (the events of The Guardian do not play out the same). Ava and the other Daemos are trapped on the other side of the portal, so it's up to Emerald to take care of Pierce on her own.*

Pierce felt...odd.

It was difficult to put his finger on what exactly what wrong, but he had been feeling out of sorts for the past few hours. It might have been the treats Ava had insisted on giving all of them which, though delicious, had settled heavily in his stomach.

Or it might have been the "rides," which had been both exhilarating and somewhat worrying.

Or it might have even been all the time they had spent outside. Ava and Emerald had never let them be out so long before, and Pierce was guessing they weren't all as used to Earth's environment as they thought. The runs he went on with Emerald were helping, but she only ever allowed two of them to come at a time and Prince Asch had been hogging her time quite a bit lately.

No matter the cause, the point was the former general didn't feel like himself.

Up ahead, the others were absorbed in their own conversation. Ava lead the way to the portal, slightly hopped-up on all the sugar she'd consumed at the festival and declaring her intention to soak in the Daemos "hot tub".

"Won't that make you ill again?" Rhys asked worriedly, slowing down to hang back with her while the others plowed on through.

"I promised Em we'd only stay in for a few minutes: just long enough for you guys to change out of your human clothes. Then we can order some pizza and relax - " Any further conversation was cut off as they both passed through the portal in the wall.

As he trudged after the others, Pierce felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over him. He stopped following, instead sliding ungracefully onto the couch and almost squishing Johnny in the process. The cat hissed at him, upset at the disturbance.

"I...apologize," Pierce wheezed out, closing his eyes against the vertigo. He could feel sweat trickling down the side of his face, but reached out a hand for Johnny, wishing to pet him as an additional apology.

The cat gladly returned to his spot, meeting the Daemos's fingers with his head and purring loudly. When the strokes did not continue, Johnny made a small noise of displeasure and looked up.

Pierce was leaning forward with his head in his hand, eyes closed. He was breathing heavily, something the cat had never seen him do before, not even when carrying Ava or Emerald. He gave a small concerned mew, a noise he repeated when it didn't elicit any sort of response from the towering man.

Johnny sniffed the Daemos, flicking his tail rapidly. He could sense that something was wrong, but had no way of knowing exactly what it was. At the same time, a sharp crackle sounded from the wall where his mistress and the other tall visitors had gone.

The cat hopped down, cautiously approaching the wall and sniffing it experimentally. For some reason, he could no longer pick up his mistress's scent. He glanced back at the Daemos on the couch, then took off down the hallway towards Emerald's room.

Emerald sat on her bed in her swimsuit, looking through her phone. Her clothes were folded neatly on the bed, waiting for her return after going for a quick soak in the Daemos "hot tub". She'd gotten quite a few pictures of the guys at the festival and was sorting through them for the best ones to keep. As she did, she found her thoughts flicking between each of them in turn.

Acsh was obnoxious and overbearing, still displaying all the traits of a spoiled brat raised to believe he was better than everyone around him.

Rhys was inquisitive and sensitive, his eyes wide behind his glasses as he took in everything around him.

Leif was...well, he was Leif. There was a certain vulnerability under his tough exterior, but he tried very hard to bury it under a veneer of unflappable bravado.

Noi was sweet and innocent, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement (and a small bit of fear) at every new experience.

And Pierce...

Emerald frowned as she looked through the pictures she had taken throughout the day. Was it just her imagination, or did he look...flushed? She zoomed in on the last picture they had taken, right before leaving the festival.

Yep, definitely flushed. And was that sweat on his face? She'd been standing right next to him...how had she missed that?

Johnny suddenly jumped up on the bed, headbutting her hand. "Hey, what gives?! You almost made me drop my phone! Silly cat..." the veteran muttered under her breath, giving him a gentle push. The cat in question butted her hand again, giving a low meow that somehow sounded...concerned? That was weird. "What, did the guys leave something behind before they went to their rooms?"

The answering meow could have been interpreted as a "yes," if Emerald wanted to believe Johnny could understand her as a sentient being. "Well, then you'd better show me," she sighed, getting up and following him out into the living room.

The sight that greeted her was enough to almost make her drop her phone. Pierce was perched precariously on the couch, head in his left hand and his right resting listlessly beside him. He was breathing heavily, eyes closed and sweat dripping from the tip of his nose.

More worrying was the fact none of the others were anywhere to be seen.

"Pierce!" Emerald cried, coming over to his side quickly. "Are you okay?! What's wrong?!" She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder, trying to pull him up to meet her gaze.

Instead of answering, the Daemos flopped against the back of the couch, his head lolling back. He groaned softly, his eyes squeezing further shut as his breath shuddered in his chest. A sheen of sweat was visible on his face.

"Pierce?" She shook his shoulder again, but the Daemos didn't respond. "Dammit, why'd you have to do this now?" She looked around for any of the others, but they must have already passed through the passageway back to their rooms. A quick glance into Ava's room showed her the shorter woman was missing as well.

"I'll be right back," she assured the tall Daemos, making her way over to the portal -

- only to stop as her foot collided with the solid wall.

"Wait, what?" Emerald put her hand tentatively against it, surprised when it didn't give way and allow her to pass through. "Is the portal broken?" She smacked it a bit harder, frowning at the loud, empty thud that greeted her. "Why would Rhys close it up?"

A quick glance over her shoulder made up her mind for her. It didn't matter what was going on right now with the portal or the others: Pierce needed her help now. She made her way back to his side. "Hey," she whispered, shaking his shoulder again. "You awake?"

Pierce grunted softly in reply, his eyes cracking open to slivers. "Em...rald?" he groaned, trying to sit up. His arms began shaking even from that simple effort.

"Whoa, slow down!" she exclaimed, placing a hand on his chest to force him back. She could feel how hard he was breathing, as well as how warm his skin was beneath his shirt. "Tell me what's going on."

"I feel...wrong," he wheezed out, swallowing hard. "I am...dizzy. Hot. Head...hurts..."

"How long have you been feeling like this?" Emerald placed her hand on his forehead. He didn't feel too hot, but then again, she didn't know much about baseline Daemos physiology. She could feel the sweat, though.

"...since...the festival." He blinked, trying to open his eyes more but not getting beyond slits. "I thought...coming back would...help..."

"Okay, try to relax. I'll be right back." Emerald rushed towards her bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and running it under the cold tap. She returned quickly to the living room, hoping Pierce hadn't slid off the couch while she was gone: she didn't know if she'd be able to get him back up off the floor by herself if he did.

Luckily, the Daemos was still right where she'd left him. Johnny was curled up by his side, gently licking his hand. Emerald smiled at the cat, then carefully folded the washcloth and placed it on Pierce's forehead. He sighed heavily, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch.

"Hey, it's not naptime. I'm not sure what's going on, but you should probably try to stay awake for a little bit." The veteran sat down next to him, leaning in close. "Can you look at me, Pierce?"

It was a struggle, but he slowly brought his gaze to bear on her. "Where are... the others?"

She paused before answering. "They went through the portal, but it's not letting me through right now. Not sure why."

"Is...Princess Ava...with them?"

She nodded. "I'm sure she'll keep them from panicking too much. The portal might be closed because Rhys is so adamant about you guys conserving your remaining magic. Maybe he got distracted and let it slip for a bit, but I'm sure he'll get it going again soon."

"...okay..." he sighed, trying to draw a deeper breath which ended in a coughing fit. He leaned forward, the cloth falling from his forehead to the coffee table in front of him.

"Pierce!" Emerald rubbed his back, considering her options. She knew he needed help, but the only ones who could do anything were on the other side of a closed-off portal. The veteran briefly considered going to Mrs. Oates for help, but quickly changed her mind: the elderly woman was a trained nurse, so she'd pick up on anything out of the ordinary right away.

No, asking for outside help was too risky. She was on her own, whether she liked it or not. "Okay, Pierce? I'm going to go get some stuff ready for you in my room. Will you be all right until I get back?"

The tall Daemos fell back against the couch, resting his head on the back cushion. He nodded weakly, gasping for breath.

Emerald returned the gesture, flashing what she hoped was a reassuring grin as she stood back up. She carefully repositioned the cloth on his forehead, then turned and headed towards her room. It took every bit of her resolve not to sprint down the hallway.

After a few minutes, everything was ready.

Now dressed in a tank top and shorts, Emerald pulled back the covers of her bed. A fresh cloth with a bowl of cold water sat on her nightstand. Satisfied with her preparations, she went back to the couch to retrieve the Daemos. "Hey, Pierce?" the veteran murmured softly, putting her hand on his shoulder as she sat down next to him. "We need to get you up and into my room. Think you can help me out?"

He cracked his eyes open again. "I will...try..." He grunted as he tried to sit up, arms instantly shaking with the effort as the cloth slid off once again.

"Hey, slow down!" she cried, picking up his right arm and draping it over her shoulder. Once secured, she put her left hand on his broad back, feeling his shallow breaths. "We're going to stand up on the count of three, okay? One...Two...Three!"

Pierce had the presence of mind to grab the couch armrest with his left hand, actually offering some assistance to get upright. They both paused for a moment once he was standing, trying to determine if he would be able to walk down the hallway once he let go of his handhold.

Eventually, they decided to just go for it. Emerald helped Pierce practically stagger down the hall through her bedroom door, stopping in the doorway so he could regain his balance.

He panted heavily, trying not to lean too much on her. "I am... sorry...," he gasped, ashamed of how weak he was acting.

"It's not your fault, Pierce," she reassured him, giving his wrist a light squeeze. "It's okay to not feel well sometimes. For now, let's just get you to bed."

The Daemos was about to nod, then thought better of it. "Yes," he murmured softly, weakly tapping her hand to let her know he was ready to continue.

Emerald led him over to the bed, alarmed when she felt his legs begin to give out under him. She desperately launched herself forward, hoping to get him onto it before they both fell down. The result was... less than ideal. Pierce was lying on his stomach in the middle of her mattress, arms flung out to his sides. His left cheek was against the sheets, eyes closed as he breathed heavily. The veteran was slightly trapped under his right arm, face inches from his.

"Hey, you still alive?" She carefully extracted herself from his embrace, sitting up and tapping his shoulder gently.

"Y-yes..." Pierce murmured softly, eye opening blearily to look at her. "Are you...hurt?"

The veteran paused for a moment, then let out a breathy laugh. "I'm fine. It's sweet of you to ask, though." She looked back towards the end of the bed. "I'm going to take your shoes and pants off so you're more comfortable. Is that okay?"

He nodded, a barely-noticeable gesture. "Yes."

Emerald got off the bed and went to Pierce's feet, carefully undoing the fasteners on his boots before removing them. She noticed he wasn't wearing any socks. 'That's a little weird,' she thought, eyebrows furrowed. 'Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen any of the guys wearing socks. Did Ava - ' She broke off her own musings as she came to a realization:

Ava never bought the Daemos any undergarments.

The veteran reached up and carefully glanced down the top of his pants a little. 'Yep. Definitely commando.' She huffed out a small laugh as she remembered how Pierce had declared he didn't like the human clothing. 'Probably a bit pinchy around the zipper.'

Instead of continuing, Emerald returned to his side and gently put her hand on his back. "Hey, Pierce? I don't have anything for you to change into and I'm not going to leave you half naked in my bed, so I'm just going to help you get comfortable right now. But I need your help so I can lay you on your back. Okay?"

Pierce shakily began pushing himself onto his elbows even as the veteran rushed to get her arms properly around him. "Whoa, slow down! There's no need to rush...I'm right here." Together, the two of them got the large Daemos turned over. He fell heavily onto his back, letting out a soft hiss as he rested his arm over his eyes.

"I know, I know. Just give me a minute." Emerald pulled up the sheets to cover him, sitting down next to him once he was tucked in. She carefully wrung out the water from the cloth in the bowl. After folding it, she gently reached over and moved his arm away from his face. "I'd give you some of the fever medicine, but I'm not sure how you'd react to it as a Daemos."

Pierce let out a low hum as she put the cloth on his forehead. "That feels...nice." He looked up at her through barely-open eyes. "I forgot you know healing rituals."

She paused, then let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, I do. Luckily these things don't require magic, so - eep!" Emerald's words were cut off as the Daemos suddenly grabbed her wrist, easily pulling her over onto him. He hugged her close, almost crushing her in his embrace.

Another low hum rumbled deep in his chest as his eyes fluttered shut. "You are nice and...cool..." Pierce snuggled further down under the covers, somehow still keeping the cloth on his forehead as he held the woman against his chest.

Emerald considered if it was worth it to try and separate herself from his grip, but almost immediately dismissed the idea. All she had to do was wait for him to fall asleep, then she'd be able to get up and -

"...sorry..." came a barely-audible whisper.

"Hmm?" The veteran looked up at him, folding her hands on his chest and resting her chin on top of them as she studied his face. He adjusted his grip, shifting to her lower back but still helping her maintain her balance. "What's wrong?"

"I am...making things hard...for you..."

"Oh, no! It's not your fault you got sick and Rhys let the portal close up." Emerald reached up and ran a hand through his long hair. She knew what it was like to be sick and feel like you were bringing everyone around you down, so she could imagine what a strong Daemos like Pierce must be feeling. The veteran felt him relax further under her touch, making her wonder if he liked having his hair played with. "Just rest for now: I'll go check on the portal later."

The veteran felt herself smile softly when he didn't answer, sensing he was already asleep. But instead of getting up like she originally planned, Emerald laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. If he wanted to use her as a living ice pack, she didn't see any reason to deny him. Besides, it was a bit worrying how out of it he was. Ever since she'd first met him, Pierce had been a bastion of strength, even among the other Daemos. To see him so vulnerable reminded her he still had his limits.

"Sweet dreams, Pierce," she whispered, feeling herself drift off to the sound of his heartbeat.