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Dani woke up sweating. She lurched from the pallet she and Kyana had created on the floor and sprinted to the bathroom, clamping her hand over her mouth to keep from vomiting before she could make it there. As soon as her head was over the toilet bowl a wet cough ripped out of her throat and she retched. Intense waves of heat repeatedly washed over her as everything in her stomach was harshly expelled from her body. Her face burned uncomfortably and hot sweat poured down her neck and back, drenching her clothes. She choked, trying to gasp in a bit of air, but only serving to trigger another round of painful gagging.
Shudders racked Dani’s frame as she finally managed to take in a deep breath. Her stomach churned, and she didn’t try to move, afraid any attempt to do so would make her sick again. She sniffed and wiped her face, unable to stop shivering despite the incredible heat coursing through her body.
“Dani?”
Fuck.
Kyana stepped into the bathroom, looking confused and sleepy. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
Dani swallowed the bile trying to rise again in her throat. “It’s fine,” she coughed out. “‘M fine. Go back to sleep, Kyana.”
Kyana took in the sight of her crouched in front of the toilet and cocked her head. “It doesn’t look fine.” She carefully sat down next to her on the floor and put a hand on her shoulder. Dani cringed away despite the relief Kyana’s cool hand against her skin brought. She knew how hot she must feel.
“Dani, I think you have a fever,” Kyana said.
“No I don’t,” Dani lied. “I always feel hot to you.” She pressed her lips together quickly as her stomach lurched again, taking slow controlled breaths through her nose.
Kyana placed a hand at the base of Dani’s neck and started rubbing up and down her back. “It’s okay. Just let it out.”
Dani shook her head. “Don’t— wanna.” Her stomach cramped hard and she was forced to lean forward, vomiting up more bile. Ugh, it fucking hurt.
“It’s alright, Darling. You’re okay,” Kyana soothed.
Dani groaned. When her stomach was finally empty, she didn’t have it in her to do anything but take in ragged breaths and shiver. Her body felt like it had been lit on fire and her mind was foggy and sore.
“You think you’re done?” Kyana asked.
“I… dunno…” Dani slurred. She didn’t have anything left to throw up, but her stomach still boiled with nausea. Kyana moved her hand to Dani’s hair and Dani leaned into it pathetically before she could think better of it.
“You definitely have a fever, sweetheart,” Kyana mused. “Is it okay if I take you back to bed? You’ll be more comfy there and then I can go get you some medicine.”
Dani huffed out a heated breath. She didn’t want to go to bed, it was too hot in there. She slid down onto the floor and pressed her cheek to the cold stone of the bathroom. Her aching joints complained at the hard surface.
“Dani?”
Dani didn’t respond. Her head hurt.
“I’m going to pick you up now,” Kyana warned. Dani didn’t resist but had to shut her eyes as the movement made the room spin dangerously. Kyana deposited her onto their pallet and sat down next to her, immediately beginning to stroke her hair again. Dani whined.
“What’s wrong?” Kyana asked. “Does something hurt?”
A lot of things hurt. She didn’t have the energy to rattle off the laundry list.
“Your hair is all sparky,” Kyana mused after a moment, running her fingers down Dani’s scalp. “More than usual. It’s not as bright, but little bits keep popping off.”
“Mhmmm,” Dani mumbled. She didn’t have the words to tell Kyana that was how her hair got when she was upset or sick, or that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep an eye on how lighted it was because if it got really low, it was not a good sign about her health.
Kyana’s fingers continued to card through her hair, sending up more sparks. “I’m going to go get you some medicine, alright? It’ll help you feel better.”
“No.”
“What? Why?”
Dani pushed herself up just enough to flop over Kyana’s lap. “Don’t leave,” she begged. She wrapped her arms around Kyana’s waist and pressed her face into her abs. Kyana’s skin felt blessedly cool against Dani’s overheated body, and her steady arms cupping her aching head and folded around her shoulders was the most comfortable Dani knew she could get. She didn’t want to move. She didn’t want Kyana to go anywhere. She felt too exhausted and sick.
“Don’t leave,” she whispered again.
Kyana exhaled a little. “Okay,” she conceded. “But only if you promise to actually try to sleep and take something in the morning.”
Dani grumbled, but didn’t explicitly refuse. She closed her eyes and scooted closer to Kyana, already feeling the need to adjust her positioning. Kyana accommodated the change easily.
“Shhh. It’s okay, baby,” she soothed. “Just rest.”
— —
Dani woke to her whole body aching. She groaned and rolled over, curling in on herself miserably. Sweat coated her body, making her skin feel chilly despite the furnace burning in her stomach and face. The clothes she was wearing were slightly damp, only furthering how gross and uncomfortable she felt.
“Dani?” Kyana’s familiar fingers swept over her hairline, pushing away the hair stuck to her forehead so she could test her temperature. “You awake?”
Dani breathed out a half groan. Her head throbbed with a vengeance and opening her eyes seemed like far more effort than it was worth.
Kyana brushed the back of her fingers over her closed eyelids. “Not feeling any better? It didn’t really seem like you slept that well.”
Dani just exhaled tiredly and shivered.
“I’m going get some medicine, alright? Your temperature is still pretty high… I think. It might actually be really high. It’s kind of hard to tell with you. You feel super hot.”
If Dani was more coherent, Kyana’s confusion about the way her body temperature worked would be funny. Right now, though, a halfhearted hum was all the response she could muster. Kyana rubbed her thumb over her cheek and gave her a quick peck before getting up to do as she said.
“I’ll be right back.” Dani couldn’t help the small whine that escaped her throat as Kyana left her side. All the comfort and distraction Kyana’s presence brought, dissipated in moments, and Dani was left alone in her misery. She pushed down the urge to just lay on her face and cry, instead managing to drag herself up to change out of her sweat soaked shirt. Her energy ran out before she could change her pants, but she felt at least marginally better in the lighter, clean tank top. As she crawled back to the pallet, she kept half an eye out for a hair tie she was sure would be on the floor somewhere, hating how hot her hair felt against her neck. Nothing appeared by the time she had reached the bed, so she just collapsed down and gave up, resigning herself to have to change shirts again in a few hours.
Spending so long on the floor was making her back ache, but she didn’t have the strength to pull herself into her hammock. Besides, it would make her overheat too quick since she wouldn’t be able to sprawl out like she could on the ground. She just wanted Kyana. She wanted Kyana to hold her. She wanted Kyana to rub her shoulders and kiss her and play with her hair. The pain behind her eyes throbbed harder and she moaned.
Maybe a moment, maybe an hour later, Kyana reentered the room a couple of pills, a glass of water, and a damp cloth in hand. “You need to swallow these and drink this whole cup of water. It’ll be really bad if you get dehydrated,” she said.
Dani sighed, and pushed herself up into a sitting position, taking the things Kyana handed her. The pills went down without an issue, and the water was refreshingly cold so it wasn’t too hard to finish, even with her upset stomach.
As soon as she was done, she leaned forward and flopped into Kyana’s chest. Kyana gathered Dani up in her arms, letting her press her hot forehead to her neck. Dani shivered and scooted impossibly closer. She didn’t know why she could handle being so near to Kyana when contact with anything else made her feel like she would burst into flames, but she was absolutely not going to complain.
“There you go,” Kyana whispered as Dani settled on her lap. “I’m gonna put this cloth on your neck,” she warned. “It’s a bit cold, so it’ll help bring your temperature down, alright?”
Dani hummed. She flinched a little as the fabric touched her skin, the difference in temperature jarring her. Steam and relief immediately began to lick up from the wet fabric, and she sighed.
Kyana brushed away her bangs and wiped the sweat from her brow. “We’ll keep this here for a while. Does it feel okay?”
Dani immediately nodded.
“Good, that’s good,” Kyana breathed. She pulled Dani closer to her chest, cradling her in her arms, and began to gently rock. Dani leaned into her collarbone and let her eyes slip closed tiredly. She wasn’t able to sleep, but she could find it in her to rest.
Kyana’s rocking made her feel like a little kid. Not like when she was a kid, it was far too comforting for that, but like she was someone else as a kid. Someone for whom a day spent in the clutches of fever didn’t mean the next would be filled with agonizing hunger pangs. Someone who knew the feeling of being taken care of. Someone who hadn’t nearly died of a chest infection at eight and could have a bad cough without flashing back to being curled up in the dirt, delirious, starving, and alone.
Dani breathed out and pressed her face deeper into Kyana’s skin, reminding herself where she was. She hated it when things made her feel like a kid.
“You alright?” Kyana asked, stopping her motion.
“….’s fine,” Dani mumbled. “Just don’… don’t do that….”
“Oh, okay.”
Dani shifted uncomfortably and Kyana easily helped her lie down with her head in Kyana’s lap. Her hand moved to Dani’s hair, twirling bits of it around her fingers. “Is this alright?”
Dani nodded. She liked it when Kyana played with her hair. No one else really touched it. The sensation didn’t remind her of anything but being close to Kyana.
Dani didn’t fall asleep, more like drifted in and out of awareness. Between bouts of unconsciousness, she could feel Kyana, steady at her side, and occasionally hear the sound of hers or other voices. One time she felt a hand on her face that wasn’t Kyana’s. It felt too hot against her skin, tiny flames boiling her alive at the place of contact. She mumbled unhappily and leaned away, immediately consoled by Kyana’s cool fingers coming to rest on her cheek instead.
— —
When Dani fully woke, it was several hours later, and Kyana was asleep. She didn’t try to move for a long moment, body stiff and sore, but eventually she tilted her head up to look at the blonde. A bit of sweat was running down her face, and Dani immediately felt guilt creep up her throat. Of course Kyana was overheating from being this close to Dani and her fever hot skin for so long. And of course she hadn’t said anything. She’d probably been uncomfortable the whole time. Dani pulled herself out of Kyana’s lap and collapsed onto the floor.
What time was it? How long had it been since she’d gotten sick? More guilt and anxiety rose in her stomach as she realized she’d been lying around for almost a day. What kind of captain was she, letting a bit of sickness knock her on her ass for a whole work day?
Dani pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, ignoring the way her arms shook, and, with a great deal of effort and help from the desk, managed to stumble into a half-standing position. She felt better than this morning, she felt fine enough get back to work— she just needed a minute to catch her breath, and shake off the dizziness that was making her sway precariously, and ride out the wave of renewed heat burning her up. Dani sucked in a breath of cool air and squeezed her eyes shut, steeling herself.
It was at that moment, Kyana shifted and blinked blearily awake. “…Dani? What are you doing? What’s wrong?”
Dani felt her legs wobble but didn’t answer. She was fine. She heard Kyana quickly get up and put a steadying hand on her shoulder right as her knees buckled. Kyana’s quick reflexes kept her from falling to the floor, and she helped her slowly sit down.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Why’d you get up? Was it too hot?” Kyana asked as she helped her settle. Dani breathed heavily, feeling unfairly winded from her attempt to stand up.
She nodded slowly. “…for you.”
Kyana blinked and absentmindedly wiped a drop of sweat from her chin. “Oh. I don’t mind, Dani. I like being close to you more than the little bit that the temperature bothers me. If you’re worried about me being uncomfortable, you don’t need to.”
“I’m gonna make you sick,” Dani sighed miserably. “You should leave.”
Kyana gave her a soft smile. “No, you aren’t. I don’t get sick anymore, remember? Weird monk stuff.”
“…weird monk stuff….”
Kyana nodded. “Weird monk stuff.” She opened her arms and Dani hesitantly scooted into them.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” She whispered. “I’m being so useless… but you… you keep doing nice things for me anyway. It’s weird….”
Kyana placed her hand at the back of Dani’s head and breathed deeply. “I don’t care how useful you are. I do nice things for you because I love you and I want you to be happy and healthy. Besides, it’s good for you to be useless right now. You’re sick.”
Dani furrowed her brows. “…that doesn’t make any sense.”
“That’s okay,” Kyana said, pressing her cool forehead to Dani’s blistering one. “Don’t try to be useful. Just be sick for a while. It’ll be good for you.”
“Good for me to be sick?” Dani snorted.
“Good for you to let yourself rest.”
Dani sighed. “…Okay.”