AU: Son of Science

Context: Sabre (once again a bit of a timeskip from last time, now a year older) gets sick, and because he has no idea what Sabre actually is and how any illness from the Realm will affect him, the Professor is freaking out a bit. The crazy dad is very worried.

Warning: Mention of vomit (it's not actually described, it's mentioned as it happened before this chapter takes place, so hopefully that might make it more bearable for anyone sensitive to it)

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[Professor Red's POV]

I placed a hand on his head to check again, the fifth time since this morning. His temperature still hasn't gone down.

He groans and slightly tilts his head to the side, clutching his red bear tight. I take my hand away and take the rag he had before, which was now warm and only a bit damp, and replace it with the cold wet rag I had brought with me. It seems to bring him some relief, as he relaxes a bit and loosens his grip on his bear again.

I get up and check on the bucket I had to put next to his bed. Thankfully it's still empty, he must have gotten it all out earlier. Maybe I should add a bathroom up here so this won't be needed again in the future, and he wouldn't have to go down so many flights of stairs. Once he's recovered, of course...

if he will

No. Don't think like that. He's a strong kid, and this is just a little bug. He'll get better.

Making sure to be quiet as I leave the room as not to wake Sabre up, I head back downstairs and to the kitchen area of our living quarters in the lab. Getting to the sink, I wring out the used rag, then walk to the bowl of ice water on the counter and place it in, it already soaking up the cold water. I'll have to swap out the rags again later, so I should have it ready for when he needs it.

But... what he really needs right now...

...I know I can't give it without risk.

I snap out of just staring at the countertop when the Assistant comes into the room.

"Professor? There you are." He says.

"Yes, Assistant?" I ask.

"The Red Leader is here to see you."

"Tell him to come back later-"

"He says that he needs to talk about something important with you."

"Still, tell him to-"

"He said that he'll come find you himself if you don't go see him."

I sigh and lower my head, knowing that's code for 'Get your rear over here or I'm going to drag you to my office so you have to talk', and I can't have that right now. Sabre needs me here. I stop leaning on the counter and head to the door, the Assistant following me as I pass him.

"Go keep an eye on Sabre while I'm gone, will you?" I give him new orders as I walk to the next flight of stairs. "He needs supervision while he's so... unwell."

"Yes, Professor."

"And remember to be quiet, we don't want to make his headache worse. He's going through enough as it is."

"Noise will be kept to a minimum."

The Assistant heads up to the observatory, and I start going down the stairs. When I reach the end, the Red Leader is waiting for me next to the table.

"You weren't supposed to come in without permission." I say as I approach.

"Professor, you haven't been seen by or had contact with anyone for a few days." The Leader says, his face concerned. "I was worried something happened."

"I've just been busy, okay?"

"Busy with what?" Not even while making the Core did you disappear for so long."

"I've been taking care of Sabre. He's..." I find myself pausing as I have to say it out loud. "He's sick."

The Red Leader looks even more concerned now.

"He's been like this for four days-?" He asks.

"...He's really sick." I explain. "He caught some sort of bug. From the looks of it, it seems like it could be Vermeil Fever, but I can't be sure because... well, he's not a Steve. So I don't know if he's reacting the same we do to one sickness, or if it's a completely different one and he just shows different symptoms than we do. All I can really do is care for him and wait for it to go away on its own-"

"Have you tried giving him medicine?" The Red Leader asks. "It makes sense it could be Vermeil Fever because it's been going around since the temperature outside dropped because of the seasons, and it should be going away faster than this if you've given him the proper medication-"

"I can't!" I exclaim, almost shouting. It makes the Red Leader jump. "I can't give him any medicine because again, he's not the same species as us, and I don't know if we're similar enough in biology for it to work on him, or if it'll even have any effect at all, or if it'll just make it worse! I can't risk his health like that! I-"

"Woah, woah, hey... it's okay." The Red Leader says calmly, interrupting my... spiral. "I get it. You don't want to accidentally make it worse. That's perfectly understandable, any good parent wouldn't want to risk their child's health. But I have to ask, couldn't you have done any research using your equipment here to figure out what would help and what wouldn't?"

"I... I can't bring myself to run tests on my own son." I reply. "It- worries me. That he might think he's just another experiment, or that it would feel... depersonalizing."

"Professor, I'm sure he wouldn't think that. He trusts and loves you with all his heart, to him it'd probably be the same as going to the doctor. And it wouldn't really be an experiment either, it'd be helping him. You'd know how to take even better care of him, and know how to help when he's hurt or if he gets sick again. Of course you don't have to do it right after he recovers, but you should establish some base research on his biology soon. For his sake."

I just think for a moment, then take a deep breath. I didn't even realize I was so tense before. The lack of sleep probably isn't helping... I've been stressing over Sabre day and night, afraid to leave him alone for too long out of fear.

"...Thanks. I think I needed to hear that." I finally say.

"You're welcome, old friend." The Red Leader smiles at me. "Now, why don't you share the symptoms he's been having? I might be able to help you."

"Yeah, you have more experience with this. Okay, so... his temperature is high, that's a start. I've been putting a cold cloth on his head to help with that, and have still been keeping him warm. He's been staying in his bed while he's been sick, resting. Sleeps a lot of the time."

"Good. You're doing the right thing with that. Don't worry about the 'sleeping a lot' thing, that's normal when someone catches a bug like this."

"Mhm. He hasn't talked much, but he's told me that he has a horrible headache and he switches between having a sore throat to it being normal every few hours."

"There are teas that can help with both, and since we've already established all of the plants we use for tea are safe for him, you can give him that. Maybe add some honey to help a bit more with the sore throat."

"Okay, but... he's been having trouble keeping things down. I'm a bit worried about that."

"Since he has a bug, it's very likely just his stomach being sensitive because of it. Feed him lighter things like crackers, bread, and soup that doesn't have any big chunks of things in it. Soup is probably the best option since he'll likely have an easier time keeping liquid things down. Some kind of juice would also be good, but make sure he always has some water nearby to drink."

"Alright... thank you so much. For one of the first times in a long time, I had barely any clue what I was doing."

"That seems to be the normal when dealing with Sabre."

I laugh.

"Yeah, a little bit."

"..."

"..."

"Heh, you called me a good parent earlier."

"Pft- Well, your parenting style could use less explosions."

"Says you."

"Did you just say I have more experience?"

"...Shush."