Subaru's not in good shape, the sequel (but this time at Crusch's place)
I love not knowing anything medical. I'm mostly going by Subaru's successful runs (while only regarding the damage he gains in the failed loops), though that may change as we get to season 2.
Also, before you ask, I'm headcannon-ing (is that a verb?) Ferris as a trans girl in my fic because I feel like it. I've heard WN/LN Ferris is a bit less morally inclined sometimes, but I'm an anime only so I'll just go with my current impressions.
Today was a very strange day for Rem in quite a few ways. It started out as normally as it could've in their circumstances till they walked out to the marketplace.
She was clutching a small basket of appas and humming to herself as she stared at a stand's collection of fruit, Subaru standing around nearby. With slight guilt, she would have to admit that having him all to herself was a treat she rarely had, and at the moment, she'd have to contain her giddiness at her love's presence lest she break a maid's code of conduct.
All of that warm buzz abruptly ended as the stench of the witch flooded her senses. That could only be-
"Subaru, are you alright?"
He turned to her, and Rem almost gasped. Dark shadows hung underneath his eyes, but more alarmingly, a spiderweb of white streaks covered his face; it was as if he were a clay cup that someone shattered and was glued back together with the most brilliantly white glue they could find.
Approaching him, she lifted a concerned hand to touch his face. But before she knew it, they were running full speed down the street, appas scattered on the ground and abandoned.
It was now that she noticed a slight mottling all over his skin. There were also some more lines around his fingers and a more unnervingly, a rough line that traced a circle around his neck. She thought about the previous image of that cracked cup and shook her head, trying to get that horrible picture out of her head. The miasma felt heavy.
Then, at the top of an empty plaza, Subaru exploded into a massive outburst of self hatred. It was a dangerous downward spiral that Rem knew she had to correct.
Despite Subaru's new influx of courage and determination, it didn't stem the flow of one of Rem's other worries that came to light after all was said and done.
Both Anastasia Hoshin and Russell Fellow had exited with cheerful smiles on their faces and left Subaru, the Crusch camp, and Rem to their devices.
Thankfully, the atmosphere had become far more relaxed. All the main details and agreements had been sorted out.
Subaru collapsed in his seat in relief after the negotiations finally concluded as a success, but when the senior swordsman standing next to him, apparently an Astrea, bowed and thanked him, Subaru (no doubt to thank Wilhelm for his aid, of course) tried to get back up.
Only to flump back into his seat. Subaru blinked.
Somehow, this was the moment when the entire room chose to go quiet from surprise for more than a few seconds. Crusch was the first to regain her bearings with a faint smile.
"Oh my, that relieved, are you?"
He flushed pink in embarrassment, and despite herself, Rem made sure to burn the image into her memory.
"Huh, I guess all the adrenaline running through me gave out?" he shrugged.
Ferris narrowed her eyes at him. "You knyow, somehow I think there's more to that statement than you're letting on."
"Normally say that I'm completely fine," sighed Subaru, "but it was probably the only reason I didn't pass out on the sidewalk today. Sorry, could you let me sit here for a little while longer?"
"Haa? I'll do better than that! My healer vision's telling me I gotta take a better look at you," exclaimed Ferris.
"Huh? What?" he sputtered, putting both hands up. "No, it's alright, I'll be fine by-"
"Natsuki Subaru." Crusch stated flatly.
He paused.
"Don't think I wouldn't notice your very recent change in appearance either. I won't pry, but make sure it will not hamper our future progress. Go with Ferris. I'm still contracted to heal you, regardless of our current deal."
A small nod from Crusch, and Rem understood the unsaid message. She lifted Subaru up with minimal complaint, looped his arm across her shoulders, and the duo trailed after Ferris out the door. It didn't take long for them to make it to their guest room.
"Subaru-kyun," she stated after giving him a once-over. "You should really ask for help when you need it."
Said patient squirmed under Ferris' stern gaze. She leaned forward and stared directly into his eyes. "How on earth are you displaying slight symptoms of frostnip when Lugunica hasn't dropped below freezing in the past week? Were you attacked with ice magic?"
"Uhh. I got stuck in a freezer for a while? I'm alright."
"If I could use Crusch's divine blessing, the winds of untruth generated by those lies would blast me out the room. I don't even knyow what a freezer is and I can tell it's nonsense. You seem to at least have an idea of what's going on, so spill."
Subaru frowned in discomfort. "I've had this sort of issue for a while now. Sometimes wounds just pop up on me out of nowhere."
"Oh? And how long has it been going on for?" she egged on.
"I - well, it's been going on a while now. Maybe for a month or two?"
"Are the pale lines around your body and your mottled skin related?"
"Maybe, but they seem random, I think."
"Is there something that seems to spark it? What sort of wounds are the most common?"
"They kinda hit me out of nowhere. I'm not really sure what kind of wounds happen the most, but I sometimes cough up a bit of blood without warning?"
Ferris' eyes widened. "Coughing up blood without warning? That's nyot a good sign at all. It might be a chronic unknyown illness that weakens you to the point where your body starts to break down sporadically over time, but that doesn't explain some of the current symptoms you're displaying. It cannyot be any curse I knyow of either, but you also haven't been cursed, period."
"Heh, I've always been different. I guess I'm a medical anomaly?" he muttered sheepishly
Different didn't even begin to explain the current predicament. She huffed.
"Yes, you are. Very much so." Suddenly, a predatory gleam shined in her eyes. "Had I been an evil researcher, I would've snatched you up as a case study subject in the dead of night."
A chill seemed to zip down Subaru's spine and he scrambled back in a feat of instinctual self-preservation. Or maybe it was simple fear? Smart, but futile.
"Nyow, nyow, I won't hurt you," Ferris laughed, holding up her hands in appeasing manner. "It's nyot like I have a scary prison in the basement for people like you!"
"That makes you sound even more suspicious!" he cried, waggling an accusatory finger at her.
She scratched at her falsely innocent face and looked off whimsically. "Hm? I suppose I have a better motive to do so than most."
"Hey hey, aren't you supposed to deny that?"
She sighed, then crossed her arms and assumed a more serious expression.
"People who don't divulge all the important details are the scourge of healers everywhere," she said flatly. "It's obvious you're hiding something, but you genuinely seem like you want to cooperate with the whale hunt and you're a terrible liar. I'll indulge you for now, but the consequences are going to catch up if you keep going like this, so you better learn your lesson real quick."
A flash of apprehension crossed his face. She took note of it and plowed on.
"My duty, first and foremost, is to aid Crusch. As long as you can promise that what's happening to you won't impede our current goal, I will let this go no matter how much it bothers me, at least for nyow."
Her eyes sharpened. "So do you promise? Do you swear that you'll perform to the utmost in order to make the whale hunt a success?"
For the first time since the talk began, he held eye contact with a clear, steady gaze. "I swear on my life."
The room stayed silent as they stared on. Ferris' ear twitched and broke the tense atmosphere. "I don't have time at the moment to drill you more, so count yourself lucky," she spoke, closing her eyes and tilting her head to the side.
Subaru let out a breath and relaxed his shoulders as he said, "I'm a pretty determined guy, if nothing else."
"Yep, I at least know that. I just wonder why you're so determined to sweep your 'condition' under the rug."
"I-" he cut himself off, hesitating. "I don't... I really-" he murmured. It was only due to Ferris' keen hearing that she could actually pick up bits of what he was saying.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
"Hm. Alright then. I'll fix you up for now. If you do anything stupid, I'll leave you to perish!" she declared with a giggle.
He groaned. "Don't say terrible things like that with such a peppy voice."
Even now, Rem couldn't help but worry even with the healing session over. For some reason, healing always seemed to put Subaru in a somewhat drowsy state. Said person was now tucked away in bed and out like a light.
The new lines on his body were quite odd. Their odd qualities could only compare them to the ones she saw on his stomach when Subaru occasionally flipped off his bedsheet cover in his sleep.
The markings didn't seem like something that could be healed away, but seem to fade to a near unnoticeable state after a month or so regardless of what happened. They weren't scars, she knew what those looked like. They sat flat on the skin, the only thing marking the spots as different was simply the coloring. The more physical problems seemed to be more internal, unfortunately.
Rem didn't know what to make of it all. Despite listening to the conversation, she had mostly stayed out of the way.
Still, Ferris pulled Rem over for a chat after Subaru fell asleep.
"Hey, I'm unsure if I can trust him to properly divulge his medical history after this is all over, and I'm nyot in contact with any of his current healers to make them nag at him, if he has any. You probably should keep an eye on him."
Rem gave her a steady, almost challenging smile. "I will. After all, I'll never leave Subaru's side.
Subaru's a bit of a dumbass here. Never bothered to think about how to explain why he gets random wounds out of nowhere, but then again, he might be a tad too stressed to do that. It's suffering o'clock almost all day in re:zero
I was gonna make him "swear to the dragon" to Ferris but then I vaguely remembered that Crusch wants to ditch Volcanica. Curses, I've been thwarted from using in-canon phrases once again
