#poor Thena with a stomach bug

[softquietsteadylove]

Hii, how are you?, i have a little idea for the Mermaid Au:

Thena gets sick for the first time, she is feeling really bad and scared but thankfully her boyfriend Gil is there to take her of her.

Thank you so much for all of your writings they are sooo amazing and perfect, i love them. 😃🖤

"Angelfish?"

Thena's groan echoed in the tub as she turned over.

Gil sighed, setting down the tray and leaning on the edge of the tub. He looked at her tail, sitting limply out of the water. "Still not feeling great?"

Thena whimpered, her face still contorted as she rolled over in the shallow warm water to look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were ghostly pale. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Thena," Gil whispered, reaching into the tub to help pull her out. He had even added sea salt to the bath in hopes it would soothe something in her.

At least she wasn't throwing up anymore.

They still weren't sure what she had eaten, or if it was simply a stomach bug going around (humans). But she had never experienced vomiting before, and the sensation had both hurt and scared her half to death.

Once she had completely emptied her stomach, the sickness of it still hadn't left. Gil had immediately called in sick to work. Thena had almost told him not to, but the painful cramping in her stomach made her grateful for his usually comical worrying.

"Come here, Cuddlefish," he soothed, holding her in his arms as he kissed her clammy forehead.

Thena buried her face in his chest, inhaling the scent of him in hopes of soothing her nausea. "Why?"

"I don't know, baby," he cooed, pushing her dry hair away from her temple. "But I'm right here. I promise I won't go anywhere until you feel better."

She sniffled. After all her work to become better at wearing her legs and be more independent from Gil, she was back to lying in his bathtub with limp fins. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," he nudged her to look at him. He kissed the tip of her nose, "you have nothing to apologise for."

She disagreed with that, but she didn't argue. Her head felt foggy (and not in a fun way). Her whole body ached and she was both way too hot and way too cold. She lifted her tail somewhat but it felt inordinately heavy. "Cold."

"Okay," Gil rubbed her back. He knew what she meant every time she uttered just a single word. He moved carefully, letting her lean against the edge of the tub. "I'll bring you some warm clothes, you use a towel to get the salt off you. And have some of that!"

Thena smiled as he rushed off for her comfort. He really had been perfect through all of this. She pulled a towel over her, wiping off the salt in the water that crystallised on her body instead of being absorbed into her skin. At least her legs were a little lighter than her tail, at the moment.

She licked her lips; the drink Gil had brought her was sweet, and it tasted like ginger. He used a lot of ginger in his cooking, although it was usually more subtle. The first time she had seen it, it looked a little like an anemone, or a sea sponge. She had taken a big ol' bite out of it at her own risk.

"Here," Gil smiled as he came back with one of her favourite sweaters of his and some soft pants she had seen him wear. He kneeled down close to her feet, "shirt first."

She pulled it over her head, letting the towel fall into her lap as she did.

"Now these," he held up the pants. She knew how they were worn, but she still wasn't very good at putting them on. "One leg at a time, just lean on me."

She smiled as he turned, letting her brace herself on his strong, warm shoulder as she pulled them up her legs.

"Got 'em on?"

"Hm," she confirmed, giving his arm a squeeze. He turned slowly, careful not to knock her off balance. "Here."

She let him wrap his belt around her hips. Any pants of his had no chance of fitting her, after all. "Soft."

He smiled at her, kissing her forehead between her brows. "They are, huh? Ready?"

She nodded, melting into him as he picked her up. He had carried her around the house ceaselessly since she became ill. It was rather like when they first met. The nostalgia was comforting, through the dizziness.

"I made you something," Gil said gently as he walked downstairs with her in his arms. She buried her face in his neck and hissed. "I know, Angelfish, but you have to try and eat something."

She whined again. She didn't want to experience that expulsion of food anymore. She would rather dry up completely on a hot rock.

"I know," he whispered, trying his best to assuage her fears. "Just a little bit, Thena, please? I'm worried about you not eating."

She pouted as he laid her down on the couch. She knew he was just as scared about her condition as she was. He had called Sersi in a panic, regardless of the unspeakable hour it was when she had first expelled her meal. "Fine."

"I promise, it'll be gentle," he pressed his palm to her forehead before running it over her hair on his way out.

Thena sighed, snuggling back into the blankets he had laid out for her. She had never tried and failed so terribly to retain warmth in her more human body.

"Here we go, Angelfish," he said gently as he walked in with a clay pot he often cooked food in. It wasn't sizzling and bubbling though, steaming gently as he set it down. "This is just rice with a little seafood broth. I even put some anchovies on it."

Thena smiled at the little bowl, her favourite snack sprinkled over the top enticingly. She blinked, swiping at her cheeks with a frown.

"Hey, it's okay," Gil rushed from kneeling in front of her to beside her, swiping away her tears more gently. "It's okay, Thena. I'm right here, sweetheart."

Thena leaned against him, soaking up how warm he was. She pressed her face into his sleeve again.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he rubbed her other shoulder, kissing her hair again as she trembled faintly beside him. "I know this must feel awful."

She pulled away, looking at him with blurry vision. "Will you get sick if you kiss me?"

His brows rose, and she would be embarrassed if she had the energy to spare. He blushed faintly, "uh, n-no, I don't think so."

She pouted.

He smiled, tilting his head at her, "do you...do you want a kiss?"

She nodded, her eyes tearing up again.

Gil just smiled, leaning forward and kissing her so, so gently. She could cry with relief, but she was too focused on kissing him. He pulled back, just barely, his breath hitting her lips as he asked, "better?"

She nodded, feeling a familiar fluttering in her belly that was much more pleasant than what she had been feeling the past few days. She looked down at her food again, "much."

"Good," he sounded quite pleased, watching as she took a tentative bite.

"Hm," she blinked, trying another spoonful. She really was hungry, and it tasted nice. It wasn't as boldly flavourful as some of his cooking, but it was still delicious, and it was nice and gentle on her tongue.

"I think this might help soak up what's hurting your stomach and your throat," he explained gently, gesturing to the broth-softened grains of rice. "There's lots of ginger in it, too, which should relax the muscles that are hurting you."

Thena just nodded, taking another bite. It was good, and she could practically feel her unruly stomach calming. She looked at him, "can I have more anchovies?"

Gil kissed her cheek, "you can have anything you want, Angelfish."

She watched him stand from the couch for more and immediately felt his absence. She shimmied a little closer to his spot, which was much warmer than hers. Once he was sitting beside her again, she would have everything she needed.