Young Royals One Shots

Sick

I wake up from my alarm and I reach for my phone to turn it off. I feel unnaturally hot, like a fever. My throat is sore and I get the urge to swallow a glass full of honey. Usually I'm pretty eager to get out of bed but not today. I don't want to move or make any effort to do things. I want to hide in my blankets like a snail in its shell and hope for the feeling to go away. I want to curl up in Wille's lap while he plays with my hair and kisses my face.

Wille. I grab my phone again and drop it in my face by accident before scooping it up again and holding it more steady. Under other circumstances I would've laughed but I just feel shitty right now. Nothing's going to make me laugh. Well, except a text from Wille. I manage a small smile, seeing his usual good morning text that he sends me every morning. 

Wilhelm
Good morning xx How did u sleep?

I respond right away, although I type slower because I can't move my hands well when I'm lying on my back and I just feel so goddamn tired. Why are there diseases in the world? I hate feeling like this.

Simon
I think I'm sick lol I feel like shit.

My mom walks in unexpectedly and I drop my phone in my face again. I groan, which turns into a coughing fit. I sit upright in bed, coughing violently into my arm. She comes to sit beside me, gently laying her hand on my shoulder. "Are you feeling sick too? I swear it's like a little mini pandemic, half of Bjärstad is sick."

The coughing subsides and I nod. "I have a sore throat. And a fever, I think." I sigh. "I don't want to move."

She rubs my back to comfort me. "You can stay home from school today. I'll get you some tea, you just relax and stay in bed, ok? You need some rest."

I nod, holding my legs against my chest and just sitting there feeling slightly miserable while she leaves to prepare something for me. She comes back with herbal tea and a sandwich. Both have a generous amount of honey added, she says it's to soothe my throat. 

I sit there for nearly an hour in my pyjamas and messy hair, scrolling on my phone while sipping my tea and occasionally nibbling on my toast. I find myself thinking of almost every other day, longing for the moments where I felt fine and moving didn't feel tiring. I hear a knock on the front door but ignore it, why would I get up and answer it when my mom's right there in the kitchen? I don't have the energy to get up today. 

I hear the door opening and my mom is talking to... Wille? It sounds like him. But he should be at Hillerska, why is he here and not at school? I toss my phone onto the sheets and put my teacup on my nightstand beside my half-eaten toast. I get to my feet, walking with sluggish movements to where my mom is standing at the front door. Wille is standing there on the doorstep, talking to my mom. When he sees me behind her, he gives me a sad little smile. "How are you?"

My heart could burst with love. Did he come here to check on me? My mom steps aside and lets Wille walk into the house, closing the door behind him. He hugs me and it feels like the first moment since I woke up that I feel okay. "The fuck are you doing here?"

He breaks away from the hug gently, looking at me with a mix of love and concern in his gaze. "You said you were sick so I went here to make you feel better. I would've brought chicken soup, that's supposed to help when you're sick or something, but-"

I pull him into a hug again, feeling like I might cry. He's way too sweet, I can't believe this. I cough unexpectedly into his shoulder and neither of us can hold back a laugh. I step back and he keeps his hand on my shoulder. Once I manage to stop coughing, I speak slightly hoarsely. "How'd you get away from school?"

He glances sideways, probably to make sure my mom is out of earshot before he explains. "I told Malin I felt sick and if I could stay in my dorm for the day, and she believed me. So I snuck out and got the bus here."