The House in the Cerulean Sea - one shot (Linus & Arthur, M)

[Rika]

I'm so frikkin cold and sneeze starved that I've dived into fics way more lately.  There's a lot of fandoms that I've been wanting so badly to see written about, but they just don't exist.  So!  I've decided to dust off my old writing brain and start getting these lil things out of my brain and down on paper.  
Here's my first attempt, please forgive my rustiness.  

This book is ADORABLE, I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't yet! 
Ok here we gooooo!!!

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Title: Bed for the rest of the day

Fandom: The House in the Cerulean Sea

Characters: Arthur/Linus

Spoilers:  Mild and vague spoilers for the book. 

Disclaimer:  These lovely characters are the property of T.J. Klune, not myself.  
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Linus was absolutely soaked, dripping and leaving water puddling behind him, even in his haste to get up to his room and change.  He opened the door to see Arthur asleep in the arm chair by the window, a book abandoned on his lap and a crumpled handkerchief in his hand.  The poor man had been fighting off a nasty head cold for the better part of a week now, and Zoe had just this morning convinced him to sit out the weekly Saturday adventure in favor of rest.  Clearly, he had positioned himself with as clear a view of the island as possible, likely trying to see what the rowdy group of children had gotten up to this time.  Linus paused, smiling fondly, wondering once again how someone like him could have possibly been so lucky as to have ended up here in this magical place, with this wonderful man.  

His lovesick musings were brought to a quick end when he noticed yet another puddle forming beneath him.  Oh, he was making such a mess—in his hurry to rush to the wardrobe he tripped over a pair of his own slippers, left carelessly near the door, and tumbled unceremoniously to the floor in an undignified heap. 

“Whaa-Linus?” Arthur had shot awake, eyes wide, book falling to the floor in front of him, “You scared me half to death,” he croaked, “Are you all right?” 

“Perfectly f-fine, just my clumsy self.” Linus pulled himself up as quickly as he could manage (which was not particularly quickly), trying not to let Arthur see him rub the hip that had taken the brunt of the fall. 

“But…you’re soaking wet!” Arthur, hair rumpled and still sleepy-eyed, turned to look out the window, obviously expecting to see a sudden rainstorm.  The sky, however was just as lovely and clear as ever.  He sniffled and relocated his book and handkerchief, pressing the latter beneath his nose.

By this point, Linus was sniffling too, and shivering hard.  “Oh, th-that,” he waved away the other man’s concern, “just a game of dueling pirates gone wrong.”

“Don’t tell me Lucy did this!”

Linus paused on his way to their wardrobe, “Oh not at all!  No one to blame but myself I’m afraid.  I slipped on the rocks near the shore while chasing after the enemy hoard and s-so…” he gestured to the state of his clothes.

Arthur still had the handkerchief pressed below his nose, though now it seemed more likely that he was suppressing laughter rather than anything else, “And so…into the ocean you went?”

Linus smiled sheepishly, glad to see the amusement on Arthur’s face.  Anything to make the man he loved feel better.  “I can’t swim, you know.  Zoe had to use the pull of her powers to tow me back in”

Arthur outright laughed then, though the musical sound was quick to turn to a smothered coughing that had Linus frowning.  “I’m fine,” Arthur said, “I promise; I’m on the mend.  You, however are freezing! Let’s get you out of those clothes”. 

Linus, already thoroughly flushed with cold, felt his blush deepen as Arthur stood and walked over to him, helping him peel his sopping layers off and handing him a towel from the top shelf of the wardrobe.  Linus sniffled, pulling the oversized and very fluffy towel around himself, his shivering beginning to ease at last.  Though he sighed with relief, he felt something shift in his sinuses, demanding and unwavering.  He turned away from Arthur and pulled the towel up over his face, “HehhTSHHHieew…pardon me!” The sneeze had been harsh and wet, and completely taken him by surprise.  

“Bless you! Definitely need the coziest, warmest clothes possible…”

Linus recovered in time to see Arthur pulling out a soft cotton sweater and warm fleecy pajama bottoms.  He laughed, “It’s hardly time for bed, Arthur!” 

Arthur pressed the heavenly soft bundle of clothes into his arms, “Nonsense.  Any person who has braved an unplanned dip into the ocean on such a crisp autumn day deserves only the coziest clothes to recover in”. 

Linus wanted to protest, to explain the work that still needed to be done, the papers left on his desk that needed to be filed, the promise he’d made to Talia to work a few hours in the garden…but that shifting, tingling demand was back in his sinuses again, and all he could do was turn away once more, “HehhTSSHH….HuhhhTSHHieww!”

“Bless you again.”

Arthur’s voice was less amused now, more tender.  When Linus turned round, with the towel still hiding half his face, Arthur had somehow already grabbed a clean handkerchief.  He took the bundle of clothing out of Linus’s arms so his love could turn around and clean himself up.  

“Poor darling, you’ve caught my cold.  I knew I should have insisted on sleeping out in the guest house.”

Linus, now composed and reaching for the clothes again, scoffed, “As if I would ever have allowed such a thing!  Besides, I’m fine.  It’s just…some seawater up my nose, I”m sure.”

Arthur chuckled, then met his eyes and raised a brow, waiting.  

“Ok, fine” Linus sighed, “I’ll admit to feeling a bit…run down before this…what was it you called it?  Unplanned dip?”

Arthur made a humming sound low in his throat and approached again, helping to pull the soft, soft sweater over Linus’s head.  Linus almost moaned at the warmth of the sweater, and the man standing so near him.  He was sure Arthur was dialing up his body heat to help him warm up faster, and loved him for it.  

“For how long?” 

“Hmmm??” Linus’s voice was blurry with bliss as Arthur took him, now fully donned in max-coziness, into his arms, pulling Linus’s head down to rest against his collar bone.  

“How long have you been feeling…run down?”

“Oh not long at all!”

“Linus…” The tone was warning.

Linus sighed, sniffled, swiped at his nose with the handkerchief still held in one hand, “Since yesterday morning.  I woke up feeling a bit…off.”

Arthur pulled away, “You stubborn man!  Why didn’t you say anything sooner”

Linus only shrugged and pulled him close again.  They stood that way for a few minutes, basking in the warmth, in the simple fact of one another’s presence and the happiness they’d found.  Eventually, Linus felt Arthur pull away, twisting to one side, wrist lifted to his nose as time stopped for a moment.  Linus watched his shoulders rise and fall once, twice, and three times, until the hand still tucked in the waistband of his pants twitched involuntarily.  “HuhhhRESHHH” Arthur gasped, “HurTSCHHHooo” 

Linus knew to wait before blessing.  Throughout the whole course of this miserable cold, Arthur’s sneezes had come upon him in drawn out fits that never stopped at just one or two.  Sure enough, the taller man stayed where he was, twisted away but still bracing himself with that warm hand on Linus’s back, and then gasped again, “HuhhhRSHHHooo!  HuhhrrTSZHHuuuh” 

Linus pulled back just far enough to reach into the wardrobe for the last clean handkerchief, handing it to Arthur just in time for a final, crushing “HuhhRRTCSHHHOOO”

Linus knew a finale when he saw one, “BLESS you!  I thought you said you were on the mend.” He grimaced at the sound of his own voice, steadily more stuffy and obviously ill-sounding.

Arthur, in the middle of blowing his nose, chuckled and then shook his head in an attempt to clear his senses, “Fair enough.  Bed, I think, for the rest of the day.  For both of us.” 

“I think that’s a wise plan.”  He cupped Arthur’s face in his hand, then kissed his cheeks, forehead, nose, mouth in quick succession in a way that always made Arthur laugh, “But first…I need to find us some more clean handkerchiefs, or the situation will become very dire, very quickly.  Now,” Linus put on his best stern voice, “I expect to see you bundled and cozy in that bed when I get back!” 

Arthur smiled, eyes dreamy and dazed, “Only if you swear you’re really coming back and not abandoning me to sneak off and work somewhere.” 

“You silly man, I wouldn’t dream of it.  Now, bed!  See you in five!” 

And with that, he was off at a surprising pace.  Arthur heard a couple of sneezes echo down the hall as he slid into their bed.  He sighed, worried for a moment…but then remembered the way Linus’s lips felt on his, and smiled.  He’d rather be laid up, both sick in bed, with that man, than anywhere else in the world.  He reached out a hand to warm Linus’s side of the bed, and sighed again.  This time it was a happy sound.

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Thanks for readin!

[ellwren]

Thank you for sharing this!

I just recently read the book and I love these two.

[RedVelvetHeart]

Just read this book! There was that part when Linus gets off the train in the rain near the end and sneezes and wonders if he's getting sick...I was disappointed when it wasn't mentioned again! Thanks for bringing SickLinus to life!