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It had started off as a pleasant day, just like all the others they had shared. Both of them had risen early, Essek due to his short trancing time and Caleb due to his internal school-regulated clock (even in summer), and while Caleb cooked breakfast his husband slipped to the garden to water and converse with the plants. He smiled as he heard the soft, lilting lecture towards the roses begin in undercommon, then turned his attention back to the vegetables he was chopping.
It was still pre-dawn when he finished cooking and made his way out into the chill early-morning air, two plates balanced expertly in his hands. They were no strangers to their morning routine, and Essek didn’t look up from where he was carefully shifting leaves aside to make sure their blueberries were getting the maximum amount of water possible. Caleb couldn’t help but smile as he stopped beside his husband, waiting for him to rise again before offering a plate.
“How were the roses this morning?”
Essek gave a put-upon sigh as he accepted the offering. “Stubborn, as usual. I’m not sure why I expected anything less. I will continue to discuss things with them, and with any luck they will soon see the error of their ways.”
Caleb chuckled, and leaned in to kiss him good morning. “I could always ask Caduceus to come over and have a chat with them. He might be more effective than either of us, schatz .”
That earned him a smile, and a fond head shake. “No, no. Don’t trouble him with this, I’m sure we’ll have a breakthrough at some point.”
No more words were exchanged as they settled down in their customary nook within the roots of the tree that had come with the house (and been there longer than either of them), and as they finished their meal in silence the trilling of birdsong heralded the oncoming dawn.
“We should go back inside,” Caleb murmured eventually, leaning down to rest his head on Essek’s shoulder and wrap an arm around his waist.
“A few more minutes,” came the reply. “You’re warm.”
“Mmmm.” Caleb could feel sleep closing his eyes as he rested, nestled in between the Wildmother’s creation and his darling husband. “A few more minutes, then we go inside.”
“Of course.”
As far as definitions go, “a few more minutes” is fairly vague. It is usually used to refer to something small, as in, maybe ten minutes at most. It is not typically used to describe the passage of hours, and yet, as Caleb comes back to himself, his perfect internal clock informs him that is exactly how much time has passed.
It is now nearing 1:26 in the afternoon.
He thinks he should be worried about this. There was something he had to make sure of, but it’s hard to think as he comes back out of his nap. The sun is warm, blazing above him, sinking into his front and kindling the constantly-burning fire that thrums relentlessly in his core. He stretches, brushing against the tree, and brushing against Essek, who stirs beside him-
Essek.
Caleb was awake in an instant, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and wincing as the rough skin of his hands caught at what was promising to be a fairly impressive sunburn as he turned quickly to his partner. Essek looked… His skin was a shade darker than normal, and he was wincing at the light as he came awake as well, one hand coming up to clumsily shield his eyes. Gods- how had both of them fallen asleep? It was perhaps to be expected, what with Caleb finally being free of exams and Essek at last getting a break from his traveling, but for both of them to be so careless-
He reached out and gently carded his fingers through Essek’s hair, coaxing his gaze up.
“Are you alright, liebling ?”
It seemed to take a moment for his question to reach his husband’s ears.
“Ah- yes, I’m-” Essek paused, seemingly to take a mental inventory of himself. Caleb could feel his anxiety rise with every passing second. “… No, maybe not.”
The low-stirring anxiety suddenly had his throat in a vice grip, but Caleb had long since learned to set it to the side in moments of crisis. Wrapping an arm around his waist to help him rise, he guided Essek to his feet. To Caleb’s dismay, he wasn’t even floating, instead leaning on him like a lifeline and stumbling along next to him as Caleb led them both back to the house. He didn’t seem to be entirely there, dazed and confused if Caleb was any judge. It was exceedingly worrying, to put it mildly, and it didn’t seem to improve when they stepped into the dark and blessedly cool hallway of their home.
“Essek, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
It felt a little silly to be so direct; usually they were a little more discreet with their inquiries towards one another, but if Caleb concentrated he was fairly sure he could feel Essek’s heart pounding hard and too-fast through the thin, loose material of his shirt.
“I- dizzy.” Essek’s free hand came up and he pressed the back of it to his mouth. His next words were slightly muffled. “Feel sick.”
Right. Find somewhere to set Essek down - the couch - and do… what? Jester had messaged him the day before saying she and Fjord would be busy at sea for the next several days, and Caduceus- Caleb could only assume he would be at his home, but would Essek be alright teleporting there? Could he bring Caduceus here?
His mind was racing as he set Essek down on the sofa, mentally calculating how long it would take him to draw out the circle and get them both to the Blooming Grove while simultaneously berating himself for failing to restock their supply of healing potions. The best thing to do currently would be to cool Essek down, but their house was still fairly warm and without expending too many spell slots to cool it- spell slots.
The tower-
Caleb was on the floor in an instant, pulling the components he needed from his desk drawer in a flash before turning and beginning to cast, listening as hard as he could to make sure Essek could still catch his attention if he needed him. The tower was completed in what felt like moments, and Caleb turned quickly to help him inside.
He looked- gods, had he gotten worse in the time Caleb had spent casting? No, no- he’d be fine. He would. He had to be. It was only sunlight, right?
The door sprung open before them, and before they were fully inside Caleb had already alerted every spectral cat he could mentally reach to inform them of what was going on, and to bring cool water and cloths down to the library at once. He guided Essek inside, half carrying him to the couch they had often spent time on sharing theories and kisses in the depths of Aeor, and sank down beside him, pulling the table closer as several cats appeared with a large basin of chilled water and soft cotton cloths. If Essek had appeared dazed before, now he barely looked conscious, and Caleb’s worry only climbed higher as he dunked the cloth and wrung it once, twice, before placing it carefully across the back of his neck.
The response was near instantaneous; Essek inhaled sharply and sat up a little straighter, wincing as he seemed to simultaneously want to get away and be closer to the chill. It had taken this long for him to notice, but now that he was looking for it, Caleb could feel him radiating a feverish heat even between their layers of clothing. Given that his husband usually ran cool, this was… bad. This was bad.
He needed to call Caduceus.
Caleb kept one hand on Essek’s shoulder as he mentally directed some of the cats to keep the cloth on his neck cool while also bounding off to find some aloe for the sunburns he had sustained, and the other he used to summon his spellbook and leaf through it until he found Sending. He was more glad than ever he had finally gotten around to transcribing it, and he dug around quickly for his copper wire before lifting it to his mouth.
“Caduceus-” scheisse , he had already wasted a word. “Essek is sick. Spent too much time in the sun. Feverish, dazed, and confused. Trying to cool him down. Could use your advice, friend.”
Twenty five words exactly. Jester would be proud.
The response was almost instantaneous.
“Keep him indoors, keep him cool. Make sure he doesn’t pass out. If he does, or it gets worse, come get me.”
Caleb took a slow, steadying breath. Keep him indoors, done. The tower was inside of their house, so it was about as “indoors” as they could get. Keep him cool- that was proving to be a bit more of a challenge. Even as he had the thought, the cats leapt down to exchange the cloth that had been pressed against Essek’s neck. He still had that same feverish warmth, and he was swaying a little where he sat, eyes half closed and staring at nothing.
The cats that had been sent to fetch aloe returned and Caleb, in a stroke of partial genius and partial desperation, sent them to draw a bath of cool, not freezing water. Gods, the last thing he needed now was to accidentally send Essek into shock. He squeezed some of the aloe out and rubbed it between his hands before reaching up to gently brush it across Essek’s forehead and cheeks, and down the bridge of his nose. The deep purple flush was pretty on him, though to Caleb it brought only worry. His husband seemed to gain a little lucidity with the cool salve, and he blinked blearily at Caleb as though trying to figure out what he was doing there.
“How are you feeling, Essek?”
It took him a few seconds to process and reply, and Caleb had to take a few steadying breaths in the interim.
“Tired, I think. Not myself.” He was slurring his words slightly and Caleb had to stamp down the tears threatening to well up in his eyes. “Hurts.”
“Do you feel overheated?”
“Yes.”
“Here- can you drink something for me?” Caleb gestured briefly around and a glass of water appeared at his elbow, which he helped Essek grasp and raise to his mouth.
He drained the glass clumsily, but Caleb was desperately thankful to whoever was listening that he was able to drink it at all.
“Are you alright if we take a bath together, Essek?”
He called his attention back as it had started to drift again, watching his husband’s eyes rove for a moment before settling on his own, still with that soft, dazed look.
“A bath?”
“A cool one. It will help cool you down.”
“Alright.”
Caleb rose, gently helping Essek with him, keeping one hand on the cloth behind his neck to ensure it stayed in place. He led him carefully into the center and then floated them both up to their rooms, sweeping into Essek’s and moving into the bathroom where the spectral cats had prepared exactly what he had requested.
There was even the scent of lilac in the air, one of Essek’s favorites, and the soaps and shampoos he favored were lined up neatly on the table at the corner of the tub.
Caleb helped him disrobe, carefully handing the clothing off to some of the cats, who waited a respectful distance outside the door. The two of them moved together over to the bath, and Caleb tested the water with his hand- cool, but not cold.
“Are you ready, liebling ?”
A vague nod.
Caleb got the sense it was all he was going to get.
He took Essek’s hand, helping him slip into the water, and the moment Essek’s chest hit the surface the change was instantaneous.
He gasped sharply, pulling away from Caleb and wrapping his arms tightly around himself, curling up into a ball as he began to shiver violently, his body visibly protesting the sudden and unexpected change in temperature.
“Essek- shh, shh, schatz, liebling, mein stern, sternenlicht breathe, you’re alright, I’m here-”
He reached out without thinking, tripping over his words and carding his fingers through Essek’s hair, rubbing his shoulders and back, wherever he could reach, trying to soothe.
“I have you, I’ve got you, just breathe, breathe-”
Essek gave a pitiful whine in response, and as he raised his head slightly Caleb could see his jaw was clenched tight, probably to keep his teeth from chattering. He was breathing hard, still shivering, and Caleb wondered for a moment if he’d made an awful mistake by trying to cool him this way before their eyes met, and Caleb’s heart soared to see the dazed, confused look gone.
“Cold,” Essek forced out, but he leaned into Caleb’s touch and, slowly, slowly but surely, his shivering was seemingly dying down.
“I’m sorry, liebling ,” Caleb murmured, pressing kisses to his hair, leaning precariously over the tub in order to do so and thinking nothing of it. “It is helping, though, ja ?”
“It is. Unpleasant, though. Would not care t-to repeat this in the future.”
“Neither would I,” Caleb replied, relief making a mess of his emotions as they warred between gratitude and fear that the worst was still to come.
The longer they sat there the less Essek shivered, and by the time the water had reached something more akin to lukewarm he seemed perfectly at home. His skin felt far less feverish, and while he still seemed a little dazed and he professed to being slightly dizzy atop that, he was looking better than he had since they had woken from their impromptu nap.
Caleb helped Essek walk back into their shared bedroom shortly after, and Essek was feeling well enough to snap a quick Prestidigitation to dry himself off before they both slipped under the covers.
Two spectral cats brought them dinner, a simple meal for both of them and plenty of water for Essek in particular, but once the plates had been cleared away the two of them laid down to rest.
Caleb felt Essek drift off at some point, and he rolled to the side to stare up at the darkened interior of the room he had made for his husband. The stars on the ceiling rotated slowly, revolving in mesmerizing patterns around his field of view, attempting to lull him to sleep, but he couldn’t quite get there. He was too focused on Essek breathing beside him, too attuned to any change in temperature, any sign that whatever the heat and light had done to his starlight had returned. He would stay up all night if he had to, or until Essek was done trancing- no, all night, just in case he was needed. Just in case. He could feel the itch of his own neglected sunburn on his arms and face, and he winced as he rubbed at it to try and keep from scratching. It was a good way to keep awake-
Essek’s hand caught him by surprise in the dark, and he nearly jumped out of his skin as the backs of his husband’s fingers pressed gently against his cheek.
“You’re too warm,” Essek mumbled, his voice sleep rough and gentle. “Are you alright?”
Caleb attempted a steadying breath, turning his head to face his partner as his heart rate slowed again. “You should be trancing, sternenlicht .”
“And you should be asleep,” Essek countered, moving along the pillows to press a kiss to Caleb’s shoulder. “Did you get burned too?”
“ Ja , but I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
He could hear more than see the inquisitive tilt to Essek’s head. “Then why are you still awake? You look exhausted, vallabha .”
“I wanted to be there for you if you needed me,” Caleb replied earnestly, and he rolled to face Essek in the dark. “So you would not have to waste time waking me up.”
He felt him move closer, and was therefore anticipating the gentle kiss he received. “Caleb, ssinssrigg , please get some sleep. If I need anything and cannot wake you I will ask the cats, and you need rest just as much as I.”
Caleb hesitated, ready to argue that he had taken a several-hour-long nap earlier, but the stress of the day had indeed exhausted him again. Essek was, as usual, right.
“If you need anything at all,” he began, but he was interrupted.
“I will wake you, Caleb.” A moment’s pause. “Thank you for helping me today.”
“Essek, of course. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
A kiss pressed to his forehead. It stung a little, but it was a reminder that Essek was there, and alive and well beside him.
“I will be here in the morning.”
“As will I.”
“Sleep well, vallabha .”
“You too, sternenlicht .”