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There are some things that Edelgard was convinced she’d never get tired of, being married to Dorothea: the way her eyes shimmered when she sang - even when it was just the two of them; how her wavy hair bounced about with her strut; the way she held her like she never wanted to let go; her warmth radiating as they snuggled on a cold night. Edelgard especially loved waking up with Dorothea in her embrace, legs tucked into each other - so much so that she always set an alarm 5 minutes earlier than she needed to get out of bed, so that she could really appreciate her warmth as she mentally prepared herself for the day. But today, the second her hands reached around Dorothea’s waist and she pulled herself flush to her wife’s back, she realized that something wasn’t right.
Dorothea was hot. She was also - almost imperceptibly - shaking like a leaf.
“Thea?” Edelgard bolted upright, leaning over her wife. “You’re burning up.”
Dorothea barely stirred. Only a pained moan escaped her throat as Edelgard continued to nudge her awake.
“Thea!” Edelgard said louder, frantically smoothing the hair away from a sweaty forehead. Her heartbeat began to race more with each second that passed.
Finally, Dorothea’s eyes squint open. “Edie… ‘s cold.”
“Because you’re burning up, Love.” Edelgard cupped Dorothea’s cheek. She felt a small amount of relief wash over her when Dorothea opened her eyes but it was short-lived when she pressed her hand to her forehead. “You have a fever.”
“Noo,” Dorothea whined, shaking her head.
“Are you feeling stuffy? Do you have a sore throat?”
“No, I-” Dorothea tucked her face into her arm just in time to shield a sneeze.
“You’re sick, Thea. Stay in bed, okay? I’ll be back.” Edelgard tucked Dorothea back under the sheets, and grabbed her phone. She stepped away from the bed, far enough that Dorothea couldn't hear her.
“Hubert, you’ll have to reschedule all of my meetings today - possibly tomorrow as well.”
“Good morning to you too, Edelgard,” Hubert answered. “What’s the matter?”
“Dorothea’s sick,” Edelgard lamented. She was never sick. She always stayed in the most impeccable shape, and barely ever had so much of a cold - being a theatre star, she always took care of her health so as to not disappoint fans.
“Do you want me to come and take care of her?”
Edelgard scoffed at the offer, “She's my wife, I will nurse her back to health.” Edelgard casted an eye back to the bed, where Dorothea had already drifted back to sleep. She watched for the subtle rise and fall of her chest. “I’ll keep you updated regarding my return to work, but unless there’s an emergency I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Very well. Do let me know if you need anything, then.” The scepticism in his voice mildly irked her.
“I’ll manage,” she assured him. As soon as she hung up she ran through all of the things that she’d need for the task of nursing her wife back to health. First, she grabbed their thermometer. Gently rousing her, she used it to confirm that Dorothea did in fact have a mild-grade fever. Thankfully, she always kept a full stock of medicine in the house.
“Edie,” Dorothea whispered pitifully, “I don’t like being sick.” Dorothea curled herself up and clutched Edelgard’s hand to her cheek.
“No one does.” Edelgard squeezed Dorothea’s hand, “but I’ll get you better, okay?”
“What about work?”
“Are you kidding me, Thea?” Edelgard pressed a kiss to her warm forehead. “You know you’re more important to me than that.” A couple of years ago, Edelgard would never have thought she would shelve work for anything . But when Dorothea came back into her life after landing an extended contract with the Mittlefrank Theater, she promised she would never let anything keep them apart again.
***
Edelgard had never made chicken soup before, but she figured it couldn’t be that difficult. She was a managing partner at one of the biggest firms in the country, surely she could make a good pot of soup. After giving Dorothea the paracetamol, she immediately went to the kitchen. She even became so engrossed in her work, that she almost didn’t notice when Dorothea came hobbling into the kitchen an hour later, wrapped in her blanket. “Edie, what are you doing?”
“Dorothea!” Edelgard rushed to usher her back to bed, “You need to rest - just leave it to me.”
Dorothea laughed through a cough, “But Edie, you can’t cook! I’m fine, let me help you.”
She ignored the sting of Dorothea’s words, “Help me by going back to bed and waiting like a good girl.”
Dorothea stopped in her tracks, and leaned over Edelgard, “You know I’ve never been a good girl.”
“You sound delirious,” Edelgard teased her back, but she couldn't help but smile. “I’m almost done, okay? Then I’ll bring it to you.”
"Okay, Edie," Dorothea turned with a sigh. Her foot caught on her blanket, and she would have fallen face first if it weren't for Edelgard sweeping her arm around her waist just in time.
"Seriously, Thea," Edelgard wrapped the sheets around her wife properly, and scooped her up in her arms. Dorothea rested her head on Edelgard's shoulder as she was princess-carried back to bed. "I'll be with you soon, okay? Don't get back out of bed." She tucked her back in for good measure and kissed her on the forehead before returning to the kitchen.
***
Edelgard proudly carried a bowl of her soup on a tray, along with a cup of ginger tea, to her ailing wife. “Soup is ready, my rose,” Edelgard helped Dorothea into a sitting position, and put the tray in her lap.
“It smells great,” Dorothea sang a bit hoarsely. She brought a spoonful to her lips and sipped on the broth.
Edelgard watched in horror as Dorothea’s face slowly contorted.
“I-is it bad?” Edelgard reached for the spoon to try, but Dorothea kept it out of her reach.
“It’s not bad! Just…will take a bit to get used to the taste.” She made a show of continuing to drink the soup, pushing past her very obvious discomfort. In truth, it was the most bitter soup she'd ever had.
Edelgard hid her face in her hands, “I probably should've tasted it first,” she apologised. “Wait, let me test the tea to make sure it's not too hot.” She took a sip, and mirrored Dorothea’s pained expressions, “Not too hot, but definitely too sweet - I'll make another-”
“Don't be silly, Edie.” Dorothea pried the mug from Edelgard’s hands and tasted it. “The honey is really soothing,” she forced a smile, knowing full well that Edelgard would see through it anyway.
Still, Dorothea finished everything down to the last drop, without a complaint, while Edelgard sat mildly embarrassed but full of appreciation. “How are you feeling?”
“Definitely better,” she smiled. “Thank you, Edie.”
“I haven’t done anything,” Edelgard dismissed. “But I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
After her first failure as caretaker, Edelgard resolved to do everything in her power to prove she was capable of taking care of her life partner. She prepared a humidifier with essential oils, a cold compress, and grabbed a tub of VapoRub, while Dorothea continued to nap. Gingerly sitting next to Dorothea so as to not shake the bed, Edelgard placed the cold compress on her forehead, and unbuttoned Dorothea’s nightshirt to reveal her chest. She opened the tub of VapoRub and scooped a generous amount onto her fingers, before realising how strong it was and putting half the amount back. She softly ran small circles across Dorothea’s chest, humming softly to herself.
“Mmm, Edie,” Dorothea stirred awake. She pulled Edelgard by the hem of her shorts into a straddle. Her eyes shimmered a dangerously brilliant emerald. “Don’t stop.”
“You stop,” Edelgard chided. “You’re not getting any of this until you’re fully recovered.”
“I’m much better now.” Dorothea persuaded. She rubbed her palms up Edelgard’s thighs, stopping at her hips and lazily pulling her back and forth to grind her down on her. Dorothea’s fever had subsided, but Edelgard could still feel heat through their clothes. Edelgard could also still hear the congestion in her throat. "I've been a good girl, shouldn't I get my way now?" Her right hand slid under Edelgard's shirt, and tenderly drifted upwards,
“Save your voice,” Edelgard said sternly, pulling the cold compress over her eyes. She continued rubbing her chest, slowly and tenderly moving up her throat. “Once you’re all better, you can have your way with me.”
“Do you promise?” Dorothea sounded so desperate, Edelgard wanted to give in right there.
She leaned down and pressed her lips to Dorothea’s neck. “Get better quickly,” she whispered.
Edelgard stayed at her side the whole day, continuing to replace the cold compresses when they became warm, absentmindedly stroking her hair. Most of the day, Dorothea was out like a light, but when she roused from her slumber Edelgard would soothe her back to sleep, only waking her for food or medicine. She sat devotedly and patiently, switching between watching her sleep, and reading a book. But Dorothea was so still sometimes, that Edelgard would get scared and lean close to her, just to feel the tickle of her breath.
"Edie," Dorothea called wistfully to her, eyes still shut.
"Yes, Dot?" Edelgard kept her voice low.
"You're my angel," her sleepy smile tugged at Edelgard's heartstrings.
"You're mine," Edelgard slinked down the bed to hold Dorothea close. "You know I'll always take care of you, right?" The lack of response told Edelgard that Dorothea had fallen back asleep - or she was probably never fully awake to begin with.
***
The following day, Dorothea had slightly more energy, but was still in and out of a delirious fever. Edelgard ordered food for both of them instead of attempting what she regrettably admitted would be another failed recipe, and they cuddled together on the couch. Edelgard played all of Dorothea’s favourite feel-good movies while Dorothea laid in her lap, half-asleep. Edelgard continued to admire her gorgeous features, and listen to her soft breathing instead of pay attention to the movies. “Please get better, Thea,” Edelgard whispered down to her, “I need you to.”
“I will, Edie,” Dorothea said through a hoarse voice. Edelgard didn't even realise she was awake.
“Do you want more tea?” Edelgard combed her fingers through thick, wavy hair. “I make it better now, right?”
“It was always perfect, because you made it for me,” Dorothea smiled genuinely. “Could I have it with some biscuits?”
Edelgard pressed her lips to Dorothea's forehead, and was relieved to feel that her temperature was still normal. “Of course you can.”
Dorothea held her by her shirt, keeping her close, “Can I kiss you?”
“Always.” Edelgard was missing the softness of Dorothea’s lips terribly.
“Even though you might get sick?” Dorothea pulled herself up and leaned in toward Edelgard again.
Edelgard wrapped a hand around Dorothea’s neck and pressed their lips together, lingering for a few seconds to show she meant it. “It will have been worth it.”