Where Geno gets sick.

that's it. i don't know how else to develop this smol description without it sounding way too specific and detailed. just read sweet adorable bebehs.

No one's POV:
-

Geno's eyesocket was shot wide open, waking up abruptly back to the living. It was dark, night had fallen and barely anything was visible. Yet he recognised the ceiling of the ship's hermitage and kept his look there as he was trying to calm down from what he had experienced back in the afterlife.

His dad was there.

And he was in danger!

"Daaa..." He tried to talk but his voice came out shaky, raspy and with big difficulty.

His throat was hurting. That added to his panicked thinking and tried to sit up and get off the bed. Instead he was soon met with the floor, falling on his face. He felt he had barely any strength to move. Even more, he felt immeasurable cold everywhere on his body.

Geno could hear clearly his bones rattling from how much he was shaking. He took fetal position as he tried to give himself warmth, unable to reach the heavy blanket which was on the bed, so close yet so far away in that moment he needed it.

"Geno!"

Thank God and the stars Alter entered the hermitage and hurried to approach Geno's petite trembling body. Just by touching his forehead, he took his hand back quickly surprised.

"So... cold. Help... Al..." Geno managed to say.

"Hang in there son..."

~

Geno had never felt more grateful that Alter could control fire, because he wanted badly warmth. He didn't just want it though, it was needed. The monster afterlife wasn't merciful at him and by staying for way too long there the temperatures in his body had lowered greatly.

Thing which he hadn't understood while being there and only the moment his body woke up in the living he faced the consequences. To put it mildly, Geno was faced with severe hypothermia, which was thankfully treated by being wrapped up like a burito with a heavy blanket.

All while in Alter's arms who had increased the temperature of his own body to help bring back up the smaller's temperature through the whole night. During nightime, it needed many minutes for Geno to finally stop shaking, but he could feel himself less and less cold.

Then he started feeling extremely warm.

Now he had a heavy fever that was causing him to throw off him the blanket with which the priest insisted to tuck him back on the bed. He couldn't stay motionless and would constantly squirm around. The compress on his forehead meant to cool him off wasn't helping and it would constantly slip off.

Adding to the annoying troubles, he was constantly dizzy, he couldn't even sit up without the room spinning in front of his eyesocket. More than ever however, Geno felt completely helpless, panicking when Alter would leave the hermitage for even just minutes. He didn't want to be left alone.

Luckily for the smol however, there were more of the crew who had his back.

In the morning everyone sooner or later realised that he hadn't appear on the deck. Hearing from Alter that he was sick caused a surprisingly big havoc, as if they had hear their Captain was actually dying. Not long after in the day, Geno started having visits from others.

Markus had come to check on the small skeleton about just 2 times during the day, due to his duties and responsibilities, but he had wished for him to have a quick recovery. Michael would often ask for permission to enter the room, just not for long as Alter would advice him, to not catch the fever too.

After all Geno's symptoms might were the typical familiar ones of a fever, but you never knew how a sick monster could affect a human's system. Michael was still careful, asking often if the small skeleton was alright. His concern was all sweet and considerate.

But he had preached Geno's nerves, sensitive because of his current health. Adrian had sit for a whole hour by Geno's side and actively had helped him not to feel bored by singing to him mantinades and rizitika from his homeland.

He had even taught him how to form his own, even in English. Sam didn't actually want to visit Geno, but then again him and Adrian were inseparable. So, he just stayed for the biggest part quiet while the minotaur was spending time with the small skeleton.

Though Yalin showed actively to be concerned too for Geno's health, he didn't want to enter the hermitage simply because of religion. However because he was a monster and not a human to be THAT concerned about it, eventually he came to replace Adrian.

"Forgive me Allah, I'm sssimply looking after a friend."

He had stayed for 2 whole hours by Geno, avoiding to look at the icons and the books. And during that time the small skeleton had hear from him more about his life before the Reapers, he had even opened up a little bit about Error and Fresh.

Aldo was coming to check up on Geno often and twice in the day had brought a little bit of warm food. The small skeleton had honestly no appetite for it, but for the beaver's sake he would eat a little. Tasty, but really, he wasn't in the mood to eat.

As much as Geno wanted to sleep, he was terrified to do that. He could swear that everytime he was about to let his eyesocket close, he was seeing from the corner of the door's hermitage Ramirez' face glaring at him. But when he would try to focus, there was nobody there watching him.

And everytime he was actually sleeping, unable to stay awake for long, vivid and intensive dreams would agitate his sleep. Sometimes they were starting off as neutral, only for them to become aggressive and scary nightmares. Faces and actions that had caused him some deep fear were appearing before him, but even ones that hadn't done so.

He had seen Calisia from years back when still a little boy tearing into little dusty pieces Fresh, then Error, then him, laughing maniacally and evilly at him. She had many more eyes scattered on her body.

He had seen the dark pirate woman claiming his soul, except she had extra limbs and black liquid was running off her eyesockets and mouth as she laughed at him. The nightmare had ended with her breaking his ribcage and grabbing the last part of his soul.

He had seen the soldiers which had tortured him and got him blind, thankfully temporarily, but he had the illusion he was actually getting hurt in his short sleep, reliving the pain they had given him before Alter gave them tenfold.

He had seen Alter too, laughing and crying with blue fire swirling all around him. Screams of the ones burning from his flames were heard before he would start burning up too and screaming louder.

He saw Ramirez' angry expression staring right at him as he was choking him, except Geno had felt as if his head had actually gotten deattached off his shoulders.

He saw even Alejandro. Starting off looking like the copy of his dad except smaller, screaming in pain, gripping his arms, head and chest as his flesh was slowly melting off, then his bones too, until becoming a pile of screaming and weeping white sludge.

His brothers, he had seen them being taken away by some unknown force, while they were yelling at Geno to save them. Error mainly. In another nightmare of his, his last one, he had seen them again, except they were blaming him for being unable to defend them.

Then they were walking away indifferent and cold, as the pirate woman was starting to torture Geno, who was desperately calling for them to come back, apologising, all while the pain was eating up his body.

And just like with that nightmare, Geno had woken up abruptly.

The darkness had fallen in the hermitage. Nightime again and he hadn't managed throughout the day to sleep for even at least 10 minutes. He knew because he would ask Alter of what time it was. The priest was just as troubled as Geno and worried that his little friend couldn't get proper rest.

"If you don't eat some more you can't have sedative. It will hit you way too hard and worsen your state." Aldo had explained as he had come for the second time to receive Geno's barely touched food.

Geno couldn't care less. He wanted to be hit way too hard by the sedatives and sleep already without nightmares haunting him. As of now. He groaned and rubbed his eyesocket as he tried to pierce through the darkness and look at his surroundings.

He could barely move his head to look left and right, not even sit up on the bed. He sighed frustrated and tiredly. Then started feeling concerned. Alter was usually sitting nearby to supervise him. Now he wasn't in the hermitage.

"... Alter?" The small skeleton whispered, attempting once more to sit up. Groaning and panting heavily from the struggle he was putting through his weakened body, he managed to bring himself to sit, despite his head spinning. He looked around once more. No sign of Alter.

The compress on his forehead fell off, all dry and unable to cool him down. Geno looked at it frustrated and let his head hang forward. Stars, was there anything that could help him stop feeling so annoyingly hot anymore from the fever?!

And just then, was the moment he felt the temperature in the hermitage becoming slightly but abruptly colder.

Geno froze, the pupil inside his eyesocket dissapeared. He caught something... airy, entering the room beneath the door, like black fog which was quickly thickening. Fear started creeping into his soul and started lightly shaking.

The fog crawled further into the room and towards the bed. And when it reached the feet, Geno shut tightly his eyesocket and covered himself with the blanket. Wrapping it around himself tightly, the only thing that could supposedly protect him right now from what he was seeing as threat, he trembled and whimpered.

The climax of his agony came when he heard footsteps, slow and steady approaching towards his bed. Geno held his breath and waited terrified for what would happen to him first, while begging himself to wake up from the nightmare he was in, if he actually was.

He waited. The footsteps stopped. The cold was prevailing in the room. And then...

Music was heard, calm and slow.

Slowly Geno opened his eyesocket, he started shaking less as the fear was replaced by confusion. But he didn't immediately took his head out of his blanket fortress and listened.

Days seem sometimes as if they'll never end
Sun digs its heels to taunt you
But after sunlit days, one thing stays the same
Rises the moon

Geno couldn't help but finally peek his head from the blanket. He looked around the room, but saw nobody to connect with the deep voice of whoever was singing. Then he looked up. The fog had created a dome in which he was in.

Days fade into a watercolour blur
Memories swim and haunt you

Swirling playfully and at the pace of the music and melody, colors were travelling in the black, sometimes looking like water, other times like birds flapping their wings slowly and gracefully, or like shooting stars. His eyesocket perked up, slightly getting mesmerised by the sight, the fear now being almost nonexistent.

But look into the lake, shimmering like smoke
Rises the moon

A small figure entered the dome of black fog. Geno flinched seeing and recognising... the Captain approaching and standing next to the bed, staring up to the ceiling grinning gently. Then his gaze turned at the smol sick skeleton.

Oh-oh, close your weary eyes
I promise you that soon the autumn comes
To darken fading summer skies
Breathe, breathe, breathe

He sang the last lyrics, like he had done so with the previous ones. Then paused. The colors started moving extremely slow, but didn't vanish, same as the dome of black fog. As Reaper stared up, Geno was staring at him. Surprised and curious as to why was he here with him.

"... Are you feelin' any better?" The necromancer suddenly asked, still staring up. Geno flinched and looked away.

"... Why are you here?" He mumbled.

"Checkin' up on you." The other answered and the half-siren heard him taking one step closer to him. He snapped his head to look at Reaper, only for him to hold his skull from dizziness while hissing.

"Ow..." He did quietly.

"Smooth movements angelfish. You might harm yourself further." Reaper said gently, the grin not leaving his face. Though his expression slightly darkened then. "Heard from Al about what's happenin' with you all day."

"Yeah and?" Geno asked abruptly crossing his arms. For many seconds silence prevailed, until Reaper giggled quietly. The smoller skeleton turned to look at him with daggered eyesocket. "Am I that funny for being sick to you?"

"I ain't laughin' about this." Reaper stated grinning wider. And seeing Geno raising brow at him, silently asking to know what was he laughing for, his look fell on the compress. "Wanna see a magic trick?" He asked then.

"What are you intending to do?" The sick skeleton asked suspiciously.

"Hand me the compress and you'll find out." Reaper replied and winked. After many seconds of thinking, hesitantly Geno slowly grabbed the compress and tried to hand it over to the Captain.

Still weak and unstable in his moves as he was, barely after moving it, his whole arm started shaking. But the moment it was falling, unable to hold it up, Reaper walked closer and his glove-wore hand held gently Geno's from below. The siren flinched and looked up to him startled.

He received the other's calm and unreadable smiling expression, who nodded as he took and held the compress in his palms. He cursed beneath his teeth and his already boiling head grew hotter thinking about this simple gesture of Reaper's. Why was he so bothered and making a deal out of it damnit?!

"So... What trick are you gonna do with the compress? MaKe It DiSsApEaR?" He asked sarcastically to hide his agitation. Reaper laughed calmly.

"Watch." He brought the compress close to his mouth, closed eyesockets and then blew air on it gently for about 5 seconds. The sound he made reminded Geno greatly that of howling wind being heard behind a closed window. After that Reaper turned to look again at Geno, grinning. "Allow me to place it on top of your head now." He said.

Though confused and still a little distrustful, Geno stayed motionless, watching every move of the necromancer as he placed the compress on top of his head. The very next moment his eyesocket widened up. The compress felt... cold!

And it wasn't even in an overwhelming way, it was the exact type of cold that made Geno feel the heat of his fever being reduced, giving him relief from it. He looked at Reaper shocked, who chuckled seeing the smoller's expression.

"How-?! You just blew air on it!" He yelped, all while pressing the compress harder on his head to receive more cold at once.

"I told you, magic." Reaper said, grinning widely and playfully. "A necromancer's breath can be colder than snow if they so please to make it that way." He explained shortly, still enjoying the other's surprise. "Must be a relief for your fever. It can stay cold like that for an hour. You're welcome."

The 2 stayed silent, Reaper watching Geno and Geno enjoying tremendously the cold that was on the compress, his expression serene and relieved. The necromancer then looked behind him on the table. He saw the plate with the untouched food in it and called it close with telekinesis.

He looked at what it had. Soup, with a lot of rice in it. It was this close to resemble pilaf. He grimaced at what his siren was supposed to be eating for being sick. It smelled nice, congratulations to the chef, but it wasn't like he would prefer eating that often.

Again with telekinesis, he dragged the stool in front of the table close to the bed. He sat on it and faced Geno, who was now staring at him on guard and focused. Then he saw the plate in the Captain's hands and raised brow. Reaper held the spoon, stirred the food a little and took a spoonful.

"Here." He approached the spoon with the food close to Geno, who hurried to keep his mouth tightly shut and look away stubbornly. "You need to eat."

"... I'm not hungry." Geno mumbled.

"You need to gather back your strength." Reaper insisted, calmly smiling. "Come on."

"... I don't want it..." Geno whispered. The necromancer felt in the mood to tease there and chuckled.

"Ya gotta grow big and strong Gen-."

"I don't deserve it..."

As quickly as the mood to tease came, in the same speed it vanished.

Reaper stared at Geno with perked up eyesockets, placing the spoon back inside the plate. Now the smaller was clenching his fists, his face still to the other direction of the Captain's.

"... Why would you say that?" The necromancer asked. Geno didn't respond, he just wrapped his arms around himself. Reaper looked away too, thinking for many seconds before facing the smaller again. "... Look. Whatever it is you think makes you unworthy of eating, you're probably simply confused from the fever. It'll pas-."

"Is it fair?" Geno suddenly asked as he let his head hang forward. Before Reaper could say anything, the other kept going. "Why am I still alive really? Why? What more do I have, or am, that has kept me alive until now? Am I really only here today because of the purpose I have to accomplish? What if I had no purpose to fulfill? What if I didn't have to stay alive until my 21 years? What is it that hasn't caused me to be dead, yet others... like me..."

"... Geno?" Reaper whispered, more surprised and confused by the second.

"He was only 5..."

"... Who?"

Geno flinched. Upon his fever state he had let his mouth slip and say things he wanted to keep for himself. He slowly turned to look at Reaper, staring at him with both eyesockets empty, confused and... worried?

He stayed silent to recollect his thoughts and think of what to say, suspecting that where he was now, he wouldn't be able to get away without explaining. He lowered his head again and closed eyesocket.

"... While I was in the land of the dead monsters, I met a kid there..."

He didn't specify of what monster it was he met. He didn't mention any name. He just described what had happened while interacting with the kid, aside from the brief encounter he had with his dad and 'Mister Wraith' appearing to ruin everything before coming back to the living. Reaper listened silently.

"... We have the same illness he had said. Except it had killed him. Why did it have to kill him? He was just an innocent, carefree and loving kid, he had his whole life ahead of him and he was happy! He had everything he needed, he had so much to live for in a safe place and with faces who loved him- why?! Just why did he have to die?! And why me, who was left with nothing and no family had to live through this whole suffering?" Geno raised head to look at Reaper with indignation and frustration. "What did I do wrong for life to keep me going through all this torture?! What did the boy do wrong to-... for him to be robbed off his happiness?! Why does it feel like Life hates us both?!"

The necromancer flinched hearing the last questions. But as the other skeleton was looking right at him, in silence still demanding for an explanation, he got off the stool, put the plate on it and next sat down at the edge of the bed, closer to Geno.

let's see.

trying to get into each other's nerves? check.

jealousy phase? check

bonding and gaining better understanding over backstory? check.

the one of them takes care of the other who is sick? has just begun but checky check check.

getting in danger and fighting together, consequently bonding a little bit further? still waiting to happen.

start spending more time together for whatever reason and excuses i'll keep for myself until we get there? still waiting to happen.

argue and fighting, seperating ways? still waiting to happen.

reuniting and start bonding again by spending time, leading up to their first kiss? still waiting to happen.

yup. the stereotypical recipe for "2 lovebirds in the making" has still a long way to go folks! let's see how many will manage to stick through this whole process.

3540 words. bye.