RTYY 147 – Fever
211 6 8
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

Nox1Literally nox (night). Nox is the name of the Clan (family name), also the name of a Province. ZaiWin uses it because he is the Governor of Nox ZaiWin2Literally zai (blade) + win (chaos). opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The wind outside had eased a bit and the soft, cold white light pouring from the narrow entrance told him it was probably morning.

Moving his cold, stiff body, he looked at the boy sleeping beside him. Snow was actually warmer than him, now, his pale cheeks taking on a rosy tone, his breathing deep and slow. He didn’t even need to touch him to know that, like before, when his daitai had been corrupted by the feimao3Literally fei (raging / furious) + mao (beast / monster). Raving beasts that appear in unbalanced, ungoverned lands. They possess destructive markings that in turn corrupt the land even further. Hard to explain in just 2 lines -_-; Anyway. Bad, vicious things that need to be killed., he was running a fever. Which was good, and bad at the same time.

It was good because it meant that he had recovered enough for his body to realize that something was wrong and to try and fight it off. Bad because there was no way that would work, and the fever would only leave him dehydrated and weaker.

Making sure he tucked the cloak tightly around Snow’s shoulders, he gritted his teeth and sat up, having to hunch his back so he wouldn’t hit the ceiling. He was sore all over, from tumbling down the cliff and then lying down in the cold like that. With a second thought, he finally took the time to check his leg. His pants were torn and the skin beneath had been completely scraped off. He wasn’t bleeding anymore, but the dark, dried blood that covered his leg gave it a really unpleasant look. Well, at least it wasn’t broken, he confirmed, even though it hurt like crap! But for now he had other, more important things to take care of.

Looking at his own clothes, ZaiWin searched for an area of his tunic that wasn't too dirty and tore a piece of it, dragging himself all the way to the entrance of that small cave. Shivering, he looked outside, his breath condensing the instant it left his mouth. It had stopped snowing and the dark weather from the day before had lifted a bit, but he knew all too well that, out in the mountains, everything could change very quickly.

Holding the piece of cloth open in one hand, he quickly scooped a few hands full of snow and piled them on it, closing it in a small bundle that he then quickly carried back inside.

Dragging himself back to Snow’s side, he gently touched his hot forehead and watched as he frowned, disturbed by his cold hand.

“Hey! Wake up.”

ZaiWin slid his hand down his face, trying to refresh him a bit, but Snow simply frowned and went back to sleep.

“Hey, wake up. Open your eyes, Snow.”

At the sound of that command the boy finally made an extra effort to obey, wincing in pain even though he had assured him that he wasn't hurting anymore, just the night before.

“LanRan4: Literally lan (white) + ran (moon) …?”

At the sound of that mumbled word ZaiWin nearly dropped the bundle of snow, his heart stopping for an instant.

“What did you call me …?” he asked but Snow was already closing his eyes again, as if he couldn’t keep them open even if he wanted to.

“Hey! Snow! What did you call me?!” he demanded, couping his face, leaning closer to make sure he didn't miss a single word out of his mouth, but Snow simply mumbled something unintelligible, sliding deeper into a feverish sleep.

“Okay, fine. Forget it. But open your eyes!” he decided, gently slapping his cheeks, and Snow obeyed again, his gaze unfocused and tired.

“That’s better. Here. Drink some water,” he told him, pressing the bundle of snow that had already started to drip against his lips, and Snow frowned again, trying to turn his head away.

“I know it’s cold, but you must drink. You have a fever. You need to replenish your liquids.”

Still clearly unwilling, Snow obeyed once more, gluing his lips to the round bundle and sucking on it. The warmth of his mouth quickly melted the rest of the snow, allowing him to drink the water that filtered through the fabric. And ZaiWin couldn’t help stare in a daze at that small mouth and flushed face, at the way his eyes were glistening even though they were barely open. Pale, icy eyes, he realized, that easily reflected the white light of the morning.

He was startled out of it when he saw Snow lick the now much smaller bundle, that small tongue flickering in and out of his mouth, and he couldn’t help recall how soft and warm that same tongue had felt, when he had kissed him.

Looking away from that disturbing image, ZaiWin pressed his cold hand against his own lips, as if that could erase the memory of that hot sensation. The damn brat was sick and had a fever, and there he was, thinking how enticing he looked. He was clearly sick as well, he decided, sitting up once more, pulling himself together before he dared look back at him again.

“I’m going to get you some more,” he informed and, since he didn’t get a reply, started dragging himself back to the entrance.

A hard pull on his hair forced him to ha alt, and ZaiWin looked back to see what had happened.

What had been a mere frown had turned into a fullblown scowl, and Snow kept staring at him between silvery eyelashes with an annoyed expression on his face.

Looking down, ZaiWin could clearly see what had stopped him, Snow's hand firmly grasping the end of his ponytail.

Well, it wasn’t as if this was a first, he considered, patiently holding his hand and trying to pry his fingers open.

“I’m not leaving. I’m just getting you some more water. If you don’t let go I’ll have to cut it and be done with it,” he declared, half-joking, but the minute he said those words Snow immediately released his hair. He didn’t look any happier than before, ZaiWin quickly concluded, but he still couldn’t help smile at that angry expression on that flushed face. “Just wait a bit.”

Dragging himself all the way to the entrance, he made a new bundle of snow and returned to his side. But, by the time he reached him, Snow had closed his eyes again, looking as if he’d fallen asleep.

“Hey, wake up.”

He pressed the cold bundle against his lips and, this time, Snow simply opened his mouth and started sucking on it.

He felt so hot that, even in that cold temperature, he had started to sweat, his silver hair sticking to his forehead. Gently brushing it back, ZaiWin pressed his cold hand against his scalding skin, hoping it would grant him some relief. He still had one cleansing crystal left, like the ones VinWei had used on him before, but he knew that in Snow's present condition that would never be enough, far from it. He’d only be wasting a perfectly good crystal that might be useful in some other situation.

When all the snow was gone, he stored the wet fabric to one side in case he might need it again, and simply allowed himself a moment’s rest. He had finally been able to stabilize all the dark energy he had absorbed from him, but there was still a lot of work to be done, and he had to be careful not to unbalance his own markings in the process, or things would only take a turn for the worse.

A soft tug on his hair captured his attention and ZaiWin looked down to see that Snow was awake again, scowling again, and pulling his hair again. Not pulling, he realized, wrapping it around his hand, which in no time forced him to lie down and scoot closer to him.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! Stop pulling! Do you want to pull it out?” ZaiWin contested, his face now practically glued to the cold floor, and the brat clearly glared at him, squinting suspiciously, but thankfully stopped pulling his hair.

Actually amused by the whole situation, and with nothing better to do, ZaiWin smiled and simply went with the flow, turning on his side for a more comfortable position.

“You like it that much? My hair, I mean,” he asked, teasingly, looking at Snow's hand now wrapped in black hair, and Snow simply pulled it closer his chest, as if he had threatened to take something precious away from him.

ZaiWin couldn’t help chuckle, faced with his serious, threatening expression, even though the heavy way he was breathing through his parted lips told him that he was probably delusional.

“Fine, I won’t take it away. You can keep it,” he declared and Snow immediately seemed to relax, his eyelids closing as if they were too heavy, only to snap them open the next instant, as he fought to remain awake.

“How about I trade you?” ZaiWin suddenly asked, reaching inside of his pouch. Finding what he had been looking for, he pulled out the blue hairpin and flaunted it right in front of Snow’s eyes.

Snow immediately frowned again, trying to reach it, but with his hand wrapped in his hair he could hardly even move his fingers.

“Let go of my hair and I’ll give this to you.” ZaiWin smiled, having fun watching the boy’s flustered expression as he tried to reach the hairpin without releasing his hair, and Snow finally gave up, scowling at him.

“Mine …”

ZaiWin looked at him in surprise and a mischievous smirk took over his lips.

“Oh really? Which one?”

Snow looked at the hairpin in his hand, floating right above his face, and his conflicted expression made ZaiWin laugh again.

“You have to think about it?”

“Give it … back …”

“No. Choose one.”

Lowering his gaze, Snow looked as if someone had just scolded him. And ZaiWin couldn’t take his eyes off him, waiting patiently, eagerly to see what he would do next.

With a deep breath, Snow took his hand wrapped in hair to his face, snuggled against it as if it were a comfortable pillow, and closed his eyes. And ZaiWin couldn’t help laugh again.

Placing the hairpin back on his pouch, he caressed Snow’s hot forehead with the tip of his fingers, but Snow didn’t even move, breathing deeply.

“Are you sure that this is what you want …?” he whispered but, as expected, Snow didn’t reply.

He had to rest as well, he told himself, closing his eyes. He had to go back to work soon, preferably before he woke up again.

Ehhhh! ? ZaiWin is actually laughing? OMG! ??️

8