Arthur's lights didn't seem as bright as before. For once, he was thankful for it.

He managed to open his eyes, and for the first few moments of his labored consciousness, he felt fine. Then, the soreness hit. The dizziness swam back in and his throat burned something awful. He groaned, rolling to his side and causing the rag that was on his forehead to hit the blankets with a soft 'thud.' He sniffled, pulling the blankets back up to his ears and attempting to go back to sleep.

"Oh, you're awake," came a familiar voice. Arthur opened his eyes and smiled as Bryony approached his bed with a bowl of hot soup. She placed the bowl on the chair that Steve had left by Arthur's bed before climbing up herself and bringing the bowl carefully up onto the young Claus's bed.

"You didn't... have to, Bryony," he whispered, nuzzling deeper into his pillow as the she-elf made herself comfortable.

"Maybe not, but I wanted to. Here, can you sit up?"

Arthur gave himself time to gently lift into a sitting position, resting his back against the mounds of fluffy pillows. His joints heaved, and he couldn't help the grunt of pain that escaped his throat as he settled back into bed. Bryony was looking at him worriedly but refused to rush him.

"Sorry," he muttered, grinning sheepishly.

"Don't apologize. Here. I made it myself."

"You did?" Bryony nodded, giving the young Claus a proud smile. "Th-thanks. Thank you, I mean. That's very sweet." Arthur took the bowl in his shaky hands, resting it in his lap before he began eating. It was chicken noodle soup, nothing exceptional, but it meant everything to Arthur. Plus, it helped to soothe the pain in his throat tremendously. He smiled again, some of the color returning to his cheeks. "I-I really appreciate it."

Bryony chuckled. "Of course, Arthur. Please, don't worry about it." She paused, glancing at the clock on his bedside table. "You've been asleep for quite some time. Almost eight hours."

"Really?" Arthur asked through a mouthful of soup. "Doesn't feel like it, heh."

"Well, considering you haven't slept in an entire week, I can only imagine why."

Arthur sniffed, scooping up another mouthful. Bryony noted that he was almost finished with the soup already, and she fought the urge to grin as wide as she could. "Y-yeah. I am really sorry, Bryony. For not telling you. I just didn't want to worry you. Or anyone else, for that matter."

Bryony patted Arthur's leg reassuringly. "I'm not angry, Arthur. I just want you to be honest with me. If you can't go to anyone else, at least come to me. Can you do that?"

Arthur swallowed, thinking for a moment. "O-only if you can promise you'll do the same. You'll come to me, I mean."

The she-elf smiled warmly and gave the man a curt nod of her head. "I promise."

"Then, so do I." Arthur placed the spoon back into the bowl once he was done and turned to put his dishes on the table by his bed. He sighed, content and happy, and melted back into the blankets. "Thanks again, Bryony."

"If you thank me one more time, I'm going to slap you," the wrapping elf joked. Arthur snickered, a deep yawn cutting through the motion. "You can go back to sleep, you know. You don't have to stay up."

The young Claus shifted to look her right in the eye, and Bryony found herself blushing. "I jus' woke up, though... Wanna see you s'more..."

Bryony's ears flattened back, and she couldn't help the giggle that left her mouth. "You're an even bigger dope when you're sick."

Arthur hummed in agreement.

"Well, here. How about I do this?" Bryony scooted up, slipping her legs under the covers and bundling up to her shoulders. She took Arthur's left arm and wrapped it around her center, pressing her back against his chest. "This is much more comfortable, ey?"

Arthur chuckled again, something he often did whenever he was sick. "I love you, Bryony..."

The she-elf's eyes widened at that, and she craned her neck to look back at Arthur's face. Of course, she loved him, too. But neither of them had said it up until now. Arthur's eyes were already closed again, his hair falling over his face. Bryony turned her body so that they were facing each other. The young Claus's breathing had evened out, his mouth having fallen slightly open as a sign he was already drifting off. It was during this moment in particular where Bryony was thankful she'd changed into her comfortable clothes; a pair of black leggings and her oversized grey tank-top. Sure, she almost never wore them, but at a time like this, taking care of a sick Arthur and cuddling him to pieces, she felt she was living the high-life of luxury. She took one of Arthur's hands that were balled up from under his sweater and kissed it, laughing inwardly at the way he'd painted his nails an array of reds and greens. Arthur smiled, showing Bryony that he was still there, and that was when the wrapping elf took her chance. She pressed herself closer to Arthur, moved her head up, and kissed him square on the lips. She was surprised whenever Arthur kissed her back almost instantly but didn't pull away for a long while. Bryony ran a hand through his hair, finally parting her lips from his and allowing Arthur's head to fall forward, further into his pillow.

"I love you, too," she said, pulling the blankets up even more and nuzzling into Arthur's sweater.