None of them were anywhere near ready to get up, but there was too much movement for him to stay asleep. And it had somehow gotten hotter in the bedroom. Because he was in a bedroom, his bedroom, not out under the open sun which would have explained the increased heat. But why would his bedroom suddenly be hotter?

Or, no... the wriggling thing next to him had gotten hotter, which made everything around it seem warmer.

It. No, not it. Her.

He opened his eyes, quite suddenly awake, heart racing in shock, because he'd fallen asleep and oh, claws, if he'd fallen asleep, he'd have Her claws--

No, no, no, wait. Not that Her, the other her. The her who was feverish and small and wasted away-- and who was squirming in earnest now, against his chest and his arms, and who was very hot again.

"Akizja?" he asked, a little warily, into the well-shadowed room, releasing her automatically. "Are you avake?" If she was awake, he was supposed to do something. What was it he was supposed to do?

She didn't answer, she just threw herself weakly out of embrace and blankets both, flopping onto her back on the floor and staring blankly at the ceiling. Was that a yes? Did people ever say asleep even though their eyes were open? He put a hand over her hand and tried the more direct method. Akija?

There was a blink.

A reaction!

A tiny one.

Even a tiny one! It's still a reaction!

She even rolled her head around so that she was peering in his direction, squinting as if the room was too bright even though it was dark. He fitted his fingers through hers, squeezed gently, as she tried to see him.

Then she smiled. "Coffee," her dry voice rasped.

And you were excited over a blink.

"Yes," he beamed at her, relieved, and untangled himself from the blankets, too, just enough to scoot closer and bring her fingers to his mouth, kissing the backs of them. "Yes. Isss me."

She kept smiling for a minute, but it was tight and turning into a more pained expression. "Coffee... s'hot. S'too hot."

"I know, I--" Fever. Hot. Lukewarm water. That's what he was supposed to do when Akija woke up. "Tchaiss sait you vood ket a bass. I ssink ssat vill help?"

Her brows came together and she frowned. "I... dunno... maybe?"

"I vill start ssse bass," he promised her quickly, then kissed her fingers again. "Ssen your mosser vill know." He let her go, started to get up, then paused to add, "I vill be back."

"Not leaving," she agreed absently. She even smiled a little. "Pieces're... back t'gether."

I don't know, I feel fairly separate, personally.

I don't think she's talking about you, Flash.

So? It's nice to pretend, sometimes, doncha think?

Araski actually sighed.

Cacopheny ignored them, climbing the rest of the way to his feet, and hurried into the bathroom. He didn't even care what Akija meant. She'd smiled again. She'd recognized him, been glad to see him, and she was going to get better. She was. He started the water, for Chaith, though he didn't know how warm to make it. It certainly wasn't as hot as Akija, herself-- and not nearly as hot as he'd want it-- and it wasn't cold, so maybe that was all right.

But he didn't want to take too long. If he had any say about it, Akija wouldn't know he was gone for more than a minute or two at a time until she was better. So, he shook the water off his hand after plugging the drain and hurried back out. She hadn't moved, laying on her back on the floor and panting softly, eyes shut. He crouched beside her, but before he could take her hand again, Chaith pushed the door further open and came in, as well.

No growling.

Right. Right, no growling.

Not as if you could lift her, anyway, mutt.

Akija's eyes cracked up as Chaith leaned over her. "Hi, Mum," she rasped.

Claws, she sounds like you, Almadir muttered.

"Hi, kitten," Chaith answered, putting a hand to Akija's forehead. "Ready to cool off some?"

"Sounds good," Akija agreed succinctly. "Hot's bad."

"Let's fix that, then," Chaith nodded.

Between them-- well, mostly Chaith, but Cacopheny helped, dammit-- they got Akija sitting up, undressed, and moved to the bathroom, where the light was better--

Worse, Flash corrected, wincing at the light, so that they all did.

--and into the tub, where she gasped and shivered but didn't squirm or protest. Seeing her in the light, and without her clothes, she looked even more starkly thin and frail, her usual brightness muted, somehow, like her fur had lost some of its color. Even her grip on his hand-- which he returned as strongly as he dared, half-afraid of breaking her, even while Chaith carried her-- seemed so weak. Flash, who might normally have been making rude comments at Akija being naked, even kept his ethereal mouth shut.

Definitely worse, Tek moaned, watching from behind Cacopheny's eyes.

"You can turn it off now, this is plenty," Chaith told him, and he belatedly turned off the water. One-handed.

Washcloth, Genner pointed out.

She said there were-- ah, there! He turned around until he spotted the squares of folded towel-cloth on the sink that Tek had pointed out, and twisted further so he could grab one without letting go of Akija. At least this he could figure out on his own, soaking it in the tub and running the cool water over Akija's shoulders, neck, back, and chest, along her arms and the thin membranes of her wings, while Chaith held her upright in the water. He even managed to keep her hand while he worked-- or maybe it was Tiger who was keeping her hand, or maybe it was Tek who was doing the work. He honestly wasn't sure, and though he expected that odd blurring together would disturb him later, he was too focused right then to care.

So, it was such a surprise when she suddenly and unexpectedly flicked water into his face from her clawtips that he dropped the washcloth into the water with a splash and a snort, shaking his head and blinking at her. "Vat vassat for?" he asked, but he couldn't help smiling a little, too. Again. Still. Akija was looking at him, really looking at him, and smirking her usual smirk-- a little tired, maybe, but still hers.

"Now yer wet, too," she told him, as cheerfully as a tired and feverish daemon could. She even lifted her dripping hand again and tapped his cheek. All he could really do was grin back at her, tilting his head faintly in her hand's direction. He had come back, but now, here, so had Akija. He hoped she stayed.

Chaith was chuckling quietly next to them. It was easy to forget her, with the silent shadow and the joy and relief of Akija, even if she was bigger than he was. She had never seemed threatening to him. "I think that means she's done," the big daemoness said.

Akija flicked her fingers at her, too, but she was out of water.

"Come out," Cacopheny suggested. "Ve'll help. Tchario vill be klad to see you."

They got her out and dried-- it was more then helping, because it was all Akija could do to stay on her feet while he and Chaith supported her with one hand each and dried with the other, sometimes trading off one hand or another for a more thorough job. Cacopheny let Chaith do more drying than supporting, because now Flash was starting with the lewd comments, and he thought it would probably be a bad idea to handle it himself. It helped when they got her dressed, especially since she seemed to surprised, looking at herself, at how tightly they had to tie her pajamas to keep them on her bony hips.

"Where'd the rest of me go?" she wondered, without really seeming concerned, just curious.

That's what happens when you're sick and don't eat, Tiger muttered.

Chaith stroked her hair fondly. "No place some good eating can't get it back from, in time," she said. "Come along, Chario's keeping your soup warm."

He was keeping it warm in dragon-form, holding the mug of it between his large paws, and he looked up hopefully as they walked her out into the afternoon-bright living room. "Aki?" he asked, though Cacopheny didn't see a response, if she made one. He was busy squinting uncomfortably, wishing he had his sunglasses-- where the hell were they, anyway?-- even if they were indoors, and keeping her hand without tripping or jostling her as they moved her across the room. They got her settled on the floor against his big, furry side, and the first thing he did was butt his big head against her chest and whine, in the back of his throat. Akija just laughed a little bit and, letting Cacopheny's hand go, clumsily wrapped her arms around his muzzle.

No growling, Araski warned Tiger, speaking over whatever it was he was going to say. He muttered unintelligibly.

"Hey," Akija said, smiling at her bond. "No leaking. Yer no Water."

Leaking?

He's crying, moron.

Oh, poor boy....

Chario made a strangled sound, half laugh and half sob. "This's our Akija, all right."

She even splashed us, Tek confided warmly as Cacopheny folded himself down behind Akija, putting a hand on her shoulder if he couldn't have her hand anymore.

What is with you people and being so chatty today? Araski groused.

Nobody answered her. Akija was busy trying to wipe tears off Chario's muzzle, and Tiger was growling jealously. Thankfully, Cacopheny could keep that one quiet.

"Well," Chaith said, smiling, "I'll leave it to you men to get that soup in her. I'm going to go tell Deiv about his kitten, then I'll be back for summer."

"'Kay," Akija grinned at her, and Chario drew back his head to nod. The dragon scrubbed at his eyes and face while Chaith left to do just that, then offered Cacopheny the mug.

"Here, Cacoph," he said. Claws, it had been a long time since he'd heard that version of his name. Longer, even, than "Coffee". "You can hold it better."

Well, of course he wasn't about to turn him down. He took the mug carefully, despite Akija's obvious misgivings. "I just stopped bein' hot," she pointed out.

"It's not hot," Chario assured her quickly. "Just warm. See? Not even steaming."

"I'm surpris't," Cacopheny added with a smirk. "You're ssinner ssan I am, even, and I vas starfingk ven I kot home."

Akija just frowned, at that. Well, she frowned at the mug, but at least she took a few swallows, with his help. He'd never fed anyone before--

Liar.

Er. Not like this. A sick person, not a-- a--

Yeah.

Well, all right, we'll give you that one.

How the hell did you even remember that?

I'd forgotten, too. That was forever ago.

I just did. I think I was the one, just then.

Oh.

--but he kind of liked it. The... the helpfulness, the way she needed help, the way his hands were by her face and her hands were on his, and she could look up at him between sips. That, he could do forever.

Akija, apparently, could not. She pushed him away before she'd had nearly enough, despite his worried frown. "Where's Sentio?" she asked.

He blinked. "Uh. Oh. Toes he know? I am home? I, er. I haffn't tolt him, myself." He was still nervous, and hadn't wanted to ruin Akija by thinking about it... he didn't think Sentio would be as forgiving. "Is he at school?"

"He's, um, at his apprenticeship," Chario answered, looking a little guilty. "I could've told him through Kenjista... but I didn't want to deal with her with things all, you know, nice and quiet. He'll probably be mad at me, but...." He trailed off, half-smiling sheepishly and resting his chin on Akija's leg. The explanation made sense to Cacopheny, but Akija just frowned, looking between them. Chario added hopefully, "He'll be home soon, anyway."

But with Akija's unhappy expression, Cacopheny thought that maybe "soon" wasn't soon enough. He sighed and smiled a bit, brushing his fingers to her cheek. "I vill ket him," he said. "He can yell at me peforrre I brink him home."

To his surprise, she made an unhappy noise-- well, that wasn't surprising-- and leaned over against him, slipping easily under his arm-- that was the surprising part. "Shouldn't yell," she muttered. "Should be happy."

Well, look who's making it hard to leave, Tiger commented with a smirk as Cacopheny snugged his arm around her warmly.

"I vas haff-esspecting you to yell at me," he admitted. "I vas kone a ronk time, tidn't say goot-bye, tidn't essplain...."

"Shows what you know," Akija smirked, which actually made him feel better. She hadn't even considered being angry with him? With them?

Yeah, you'd better not forget us.

"Well," Akija continued, a little reluctantly, "I'll finish my soup first. Then you can go get Sentio if he isn't back yet."

What her shadow said, though, was, At least it'll keep him here, and maybe Sentio'll be happier if he isn't gone and gotten, or if we're here, too, or something. He should be happy, dammit.

Cacopheny smiled a bit and offered her the mug again. Anything to get her to eat, at this point, even false hope. He offered her the mug again. "Vell, ssen. Ret's see. You trrrry some more," he suggested warmly, ignoring the way the sentence fragmented as long as she did.

And, of course, she did.