Amitie takes care of Sig while he suffers through a fever. Requested by arguably-so on tumblr!

Bad Fever Mode

Amitie pressed the cool towel to Sig's forehead, his groan almost inaudible. His sigh cut through the silence, and Amitie relaxed, her tense fingers pressing against her shorts. She sat at the edge of his bed, the linens covering his thin frame. Only his claw was out for her to inspect, and she quietly watched as it faintly pulsed in a deeper scarlet hue.

She snickered. "This isn't the kind of fever we like, huh?"

He hummed, gingerly touching the towel. It wasn't like him to get sick. Ms. Accord diagnosed him with a fever when he started sweating in class and sent him home for the day. Amitie volunteered to escort him, promising she would make sure Sig didn't take any detours to play with insects. He would have protested, saying that the bugs would have comforted him, but he was too tired and let Amitie hold his hand as she pulled him home, his face only growing redder with each step.

Amitie fidgeted with the hem of her blue shirt. She tilted her head, watching his flushed skin deepen to a darker pink, his half-lidded gaze glaring a hole through his ceiling. Dealing with illnesses wasn't her specialty, but seeing him in such a vulnerable position made her heart twinge. She knew she couldn't leave him to rest off his fever; he needed some genuine comfort and care to get better in her opinion, and with a bright smile, she leaped off his bed.

"Can I get you anything? Some water? A book? A cool bug from outside?" She counted on her fingers as she listed more items, but noticing Sig wasn't answering, she pursed her lips. Edging closer, she cupped his cheek.

Despite the heat contaminating his arms, his face felt frozen. It was like she was caressing a block of ice. Withdrawing her hand, she worried that she made the towel too cold and went to remove it when Sig shook his head. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, concern burning in her gaze as she asked what he needed.

"Hm...uh..." He trailed off, glancing outside. Moonlight slipped in through the open window. A gentle breeze pushed inside, causing the curtains to billow.

"Want me to shut it?" she asked, and he nodded, closing his eyes again.

He listened to her footsteps inch across his floor. The subsequent slam of his window would have made anyone else flinch, but he mere stayed still. Listening to his floorboards groan as she returned, he felt his bed shift and his right leg lower slightly.

Sitting on his bed, Amitie wondered what else she could do for him. She knew she needed to let his fever pass, but she couldn't stand seeing Sig in such discomfort. Considering his peculiar anatomy, if he was having an unfortunate reaction to the illness, she knew she needed to seek real medical attention and sprung back to her feet.

"Want me to get Witch? She could brew a healing potion."

He shook his head, a soft groan pressing against his lips. "Think I'll let it pass."

"Oh, okay! You know your body best."

Her attention drifted towards his claw. The aura hadn't stopped pulsing to her bewilderment. She reached forward and took his wrist, realizing it was limp and caused his curved fingers to fall back onto the sheets. Frowning, she pressed her palm against his larger one, the once comforting softness replaced with sweat and heat, forcing her to withhold her recoil.

Standing up, she tucked his hand back underneath the blanket. She let him turn to his side, his hands shifting underneath his pillow. Before the towel could drop off and cover his face, she took it back and skipped off to his bathroom.

He listened to a faucet run. Opening an eye, he watched Amitie soak the towel. Her humming mingled with the quiet stream, the subdued trickling pacifying him. He knew she was giving him her undivided attention even when he insisted he would have been fine, but having her nearby made the chills and heat seem like passing nuisances. Her presence alone was enough to quell his quickening heartbeat and relax his tired muscles. It was almost like she herself was the magic potion he needed to find the strength to overcome his fever, and as she shut the faucet off, he closed his eye.

Amitie tucked the towel underneath his sky blue hair and wrapped it around his head, saying, "It looks like you're wearing a cool headband, Sig."

His antennae-like hair twitched as the towel made contact with his brow. A satisfied sigh slipped over his chapped lips. He felt like he had been embraced by the clouds, so light and airy as the sweat cooled on his cheeks.

"I'll take that as a yeah!" Amitie laughed, resuming her spot at the foot of his bed. "So, want me to do anything else?"

"Stay the night," he said, snuggling into his pillow.

Her cheeks darkened, a yelp bursting over her teeth. "Th-that's really forward!" She giggled, dropping her hands into her lap. "But I'll totally stay. It'll be like a sleepover."

Sig opened his eyes and took in her pure smile. He returned it, already feeling like his fever was going down. He nestled into his pillow as Amitie stood up to find one of his many sleeping bags to set by his bed. Nodding off as Amitie hummed to herself, he realized it was the perfect lullaby needed to drift off through his foggy, hazy illness.