ONE-SHOTS

Sick [Hela x reader]

Sick
by OswinTheStrange

Summary:
Reader is sick and Hela helps her.

   Everything hurt. Your body ached, your head pounded, you were cold and yet you were sweating, and a sharp pain emanated from your abdomen. It hadn't nearly been this bad earlier. You'd felt tired and had a headache coming on, and since almost all your work was done, Ysolda had offered to finish up while you went to lay down. But now, several hours later, you felt absolutely horrible.

Your eyes widened, and if you were able, you would have jumped up. It had been several hours! Hela had told you to come to her room tonight, but now you were late! You swore. You were no doubt going to be in so much trouble!

Moving as quickly as you were able, which wasn't very fast, in your state, you stood from the bed. Your vision began to tilt and swim slightly, and you blinked, trying to clear it up. It barely did anything. Fighting against you, you began walking towards your door, one step at a time.

Each step felt like a mile, and your small room seemed to stretch endlessly. Half-way to the door, a loud pounding make your head ache even worse. It took you a moment to work out it was coming from the door. "Coming!" you called weakly.

After a few more steps, you'd reached the door. Turning the knob with shaky hands, you pulled open the door. Your heart froze when you saw Hela standing there, looking rather annoyed.

"M-My queen, I'm sorry I'm late," you stammered. "I lost track of time. It won't happen again!" You attempted a curtsey, but almost fell over as you did, causing you to cling to the doorway.

Hela's face immediately turned from annoyance to... was that concern? "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," you lied. "Just a bit... tired. And I have a headache. But I'm alright."

Hela raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you look as though you're about to faint?"

"Maybe I'm not that great," you admitted, looking down. "But a bit of sleep and I'll be fine... I think."

"I doubt that," Hela said. Without warning, she had reached out and lifted you into her arms. Instinctively, you wrapped your arms around her neck.

"What are-" you began to ask.

"You're seeing a healer. You're obviously not well," Hela said, carrying you away from your room towards the healing room. "And no arguing. That's an order."

She never gave you 'orders' outside of her bedroom, so you knew she didn't mean it the way she would if you were anyone else. However, you also knew better than the argue with her, so you stayed quiet, deciding to rest your head on her shoulder and close your eyes, trying to ignore how awful you felt.

Time passed slowly, and yet somehow in no time at all, you arrived at the healing room. You were set down on the soul forge. You didn't even know what a soul forge actually was, just what it was called. Hela ordered the healers to help you and instantly they went to work. The soul forge was activated, tiny gold particles floating above you in a form mirroring your body. One of the healers went about asking you questions; how did you feel? What were your symptoms? When had they started? Had you eaten anything unusual or been around anything that could have potentially caused you to become ill?

You answered their questions as best as you could, the last several being more difficult to answer. You worked around the palace, doing any chores that were assigned to you, and they often varied from day to day. The cause of your illness could have been anything.

Eventually, your 'illness' was classified as not being very serious, probably being caused by stress or tiredness affecting your immune system. You didn't doubt it. Working as a servant was difficult, and you often lost several hours of sleep or relaxation whenever Hela called you to her room, which was becoming more and more frequent.

They gave you a lavender colored potion to drink, saying it would fight your illness and help you sleep. They also recommended, although it sounded more like they demanded, that you get plenty of rest and not work for at least a day or two after. You thanked the healers, drinking the potion. It went down fine, tasting almost like apples, despite the color, but had a slightly bitter aftertaste. They warned you it would take effect within an hour, and that you'd be better off staying the night in the healing room.

You moved to get up, intending to switch to one of the beds, but instead Hela picked you up again, saying nothing and leaving the room. You blushed, thinking of the sight you must've been to the healers, and hid your face in Hela's neck.

"You don't have to trouble yourself over me," you mumbled.

"If it was any trouble for me, do you think I'd be doing this?" Hela asked.

"I suppose not, but..." you said.

"But nothing. Now hush," Hela said.

You thought she was going to take you back to your room, but when she missed the turn you realized she was taking you to her room. 

"Why are we going to your room?" you asked.

"My room's warmer, larger, more comfortable, and better protected. It's the perfect place for you to recover," Hela said. "I'd also prefer to keep an eye on you. I don't want you getting worse."

"The potion the healers gave me should be fine. I don't think I'll get worse," you said.

"I'd rather not take that risk," Hela said.

You were too tired to continue arguing, and instead just relaxed in her arms. Minutes later, you arrived at Hela's room. She was right. It was warmer. And you knew from experience that her bed was much more comfortable than your own. And no one would dare enter Hela's room without being called for.

She set you down on her bed, covering you with a blanket and making sure you were comfortable. Already, you were fighting back a yawn and struggling to keep your eyes open.

"Sleep," Hela said, briefly caressing your cheek.

"Only if you stay with me," you yawned. "That's my bargain. Take it or leave it."

With your eyes fighting to stay open, you missed the smirk on Hela's face. "You drive a hard bargain," she said, climbing in next to you. "But I'll take it. Now sleep."

Gratefully, you snuggled up next to her, resting your head over her heart. It was strong and steady, and helped you ignore the pounding in your head. "If getting sick means getting treated like this, I should get sick more often," you mumbled.

"Don't you dare," Hela said. "I hate to see you this way."

You chuckled. "Alright, I'll try not to get sick in the future." Moments passed, and you felt yourself slipping deeper into sleep. "Thank you," you whispered, "for taking care of me." Her only response was a kiss to the top of your head. Seconds later, you were asleep