mtap-comics

[mtap-comics]

Arlo ♥ My Portia-love!

[mtap-comics]

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo!

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya had always been proud of her good reflexes. Combined with her clumsiness, they had saved her from so many injuries and broken glasses. But today this blessing was proving to be more of a curse.

Word count: 7'742

Prompt: Bleeding Through the Bandages

Well, look who's back! It's been a while since my last story, but I started a new job at the beginning of February and haven't had much time to write for a while.

But now I welcome you back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo!

You'll experience the usual angst, followed by enough sweet Arlo to rot your teeth. It's once again quite a bit to read, so make sure you have enough time for it!

Warnings: Blood, Injury, Stitches, Fainting

Read on AO3: Link

Healing Hands

Elenya had always been proud of her good reflexes. Combined with her clumsiness, they had saved her from so many injuries and broken glasses. But today this blessing was proving to be more of a curse.

It was a mild late summer morning in Portia and Elenya was in her garden, as she often was, working at her workbench. Paulie had posted an order for 3 grinding saws on the commission board and as luck would have it, she still had 3 blade blanks in stock and just needed to sharpen them. She had already finished the first two and the third just needed a final polish to give it the outstanding quality she had become known for in Portia over the last year and a half.

With an exhausted sigh, Elenya lowered herself onto the small stool at her workbench and took off her leather gloves. It was only 10 o'clock in the morning, but she would have loved nothing more than to go back to bed. She had been working almost non-stop for the past few days, finishing the pump and boiler for the new hot springs that Mayor Gale had planned. In theory, she needn't have rushed, but if she was honest with herself, she couldn't wait to relax in the hot water herself.

She had been able to install the machines yesterday, and now all that remained was for Albert to finish the building. And even though she had finally gotten enough sleep that night, the exhaustion still lingered in her bones.

But it was no use. Work never stopped in Portia.

With another sigh, she reached for the water bottle in the corner of her workbench, took a deep drink and put it back. Unfortunately, she wasn't careful enough and bumped her elbow against the nearly finished grinding blade, which immediately slipped over the edge of the workbench.

Without even thinking about it, she grabbed the blade with both hands in a flash, and while this ensured that neither the blade nor the wooden floor underneath the workbench was damaged, the blade slipped a few, but critical, millimetres through her hand, leaving deep, burning cuts in her palms.

The pain shot from her hands through her entire body, and it was only with great difficulty and a great deal of swearing that she managed not to drop the blade and throw it back onto the workbench. Blood immediately began to flow from her palms.

Quickly moving her hands away from her body to avoid bleeding all over herself, she frantically looked around for something to stop the bleeding. Her eyes, blurred by rising tears, fell on her textile machine, which had just finished sewing a fresh piece of fabric.

That would have to do.

On trembling knees, Elenya hurried to the machine and grabbed the fabric, squeezing it tightly between her palms. Another unsavoury curse escaped her as more pain shot through her body, but she gritted her teeth and didn't let go of the fabric. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fucking fuck!

How stupid could a person be? What was she supposed to do now?

The fabric between her hands was already turning red and through the pain she tried to grasp a clear thought.

Stop the bleeding. She had to stop the bleeding somehow. Where was her first aid kit again?

A few single tears escaped her as she stumbled uncoordinated towards her front door, but she managed to open the door and get deeper into her house.

Once in her bathroom, she managed to use her elbow to open the door of her bathroom cupboard and take out her first aid kit. She still held the piece of cloth between her hands and didn't dare let go. 

But how was she going to open the box, let alone take out the bandages?

Elenya decided to drop the box to the ground and wedge it between her knees. It took a moment, but with the help of her elbows, fingers and teeth she finally managed to tear open a pack of compresses and a bandage.

She took a deep breath. Now it was time to let go of the fabric.

Carefully, she slowly released her left hand and immediately her stomach turned and she got lightheaded. The cut was deep and blood was still flowing from it.

Normally she had no problem with blood, but when it was her own and in large quantities, her circulation could not keep up. At least she could still move her fingers, so nothing important had been cut, but she was afraid the wounds would need stitches.

Just thinking about it made her even more dizzy, and she shook her head vigorously, trying to clear the black dots from her vision. She had to pull herself together!

Elenya let go of the cloth with her right hand and laid it roughly over her lap and the floor to catch at least some of the blood that was dripping again. Then she grabbed a compress and used three fingers to press it firmly against the cut on her right hand, leaving her thumb and forefinger free.

With these two fingers, she tried as best she could to wipe the blood from the other hand, apply a compress and wrap a bandage around it. She didn't succeed very well. Her hands were half numb with pain and she couldn't muster enough strength to tighten the bandage properly.

She repeated the process on the other side and then collapsed exhausted against the wall behind her. She carefully placed her hands on her drawn knees to hold them above her heart and closed her eyes with a sigh. Pain was still pulsing through her hands and the stress of the whole situation was sapping the last of her strength.

She would have preferred to sit here forever, but the temporary bandages wouldn't last long and she needed to get up to the clinic. She waited a few more minutes for her heartbeat to calm a little and the pain to subside, but then she couldn't put off the inevitable any longer.

With another deep sigh, Elenya slowly straightened up, and as soon as the black dots disappeared from her vision, she set off, holding her hands carefully to her chest.

Without really noticing, she reached the gate to the village, her body automatically following the familiar path. As soon as she turned the corner, however, she collided with something and lost her balance. Fortunately, this something, or rather someone, also had good reflexes and grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from falling. Had it not been for that, her reflex would probably have been to catch herself with her hands, and that would not have been a very good outcome for her.

But now she found herself leaning against a strong chest, her throbbing hands trapped between them, and a warm, familiar voice reached her ears.

"Oh, Elenya, sweetheart! I'm sorry, I didn't see you. Are you all right?"

Elenya's knees went weak as she realised who she had walked straight into. Arlo, her wonderful boyfriend, tightened his grip on her back as he felt her lean into him even more and she could feel his worried gaze on her.

Despite everything, her heart leapt with joy at the gesture and she couldn't help but nestle even closer to his chest. The warmth of his body filled her with a sense of peace that made her forget the stress of the last half hour for a moment. She was no longer alone with her injured hands and only now did she realise how much that fact had affected her subconsciously.

"Elenya?"

Arlo's worried voice sounded again and Elenya finally lifted her head to meet his gaze. Blue eyes rested warmly and questioningly on her face and she tried to smile reassuringly at him. Judging by his expression, she didn't succeed.

 "Hey Arlo, I, um..." She didn't really know what to say. How do you explain that you were stupid enough to catch a sharp grinding blade with your bare hands?

Before she could think any further, Arlo finally caught sight of her roughly bandaged hands and his eyes widened in shock.

"Your hands! What happened to your hands?"

He quickly took a step away from her and gently gripped her wrists so that he could see her hands better. Blood was already seeping through the bandages and the sight made Elenya dizzy again. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Oh God, what was wrong with her today? She usually had no problem with blood!

Instantly, the grip on her wrists tightened as she swayed in place and was pulled back against Arlo's chest. Exhausted, Elenya let her head sink against his shoulder.

"Woah, hey, it's all right. I've got you. Come on, I'll take you up to the clinic."

Leaving one arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders, Arlo pulled away from her, planted a soft kiss on her temple and then led her along the path she had intended to walk alone until a moment ago.

~~~~~~

Elenya didn't know exactly how long it took them to get up the hill. She was completely focused on Arlo's warm, reassuring presence, blocking out everything else, including the constant throbbing of her hands. It was only when they entered the cool interior of the clinic that she became aware of her surroundings and found herself face to face with Dr. Xu.

"Oh god, Elenya! What happened?" Concerned, the doctor approached her and cautiously grabbed her hands, which she was still holding protectively to her chest. Two startled sounds rang through the room as she opened her fingers, and Elenya dared to look at her hands again.

The bandages had almost completely bled through, and a few drops of blood were already running down her hands again.

She quickly looked away before she could get lightheaded again.

Why haven't the cuts stopped bleeding? How long had it been?

Dr. Xu also seemed very concerned about the amount of blood and quickly led her over to his desk and instructed her to sit on the stool. Arlo stood close behind her so she could feel his warmth and she was incredibly grateful to him. Now that the inevitable stitches were imminent, panic began to creep back into her.

Dr. Xu quickly cleared the table, placed a flat cushion on top, threw a clean sheet over it and instructed her to put her hands down.

Elenya silently complied.

As soon as her hands touched the sheet, Dr. Xu began to remove the first bandage from her left hand. Elenya did her best not to look at her hands. She felt that if she saw the cuts again, she would faint.

It was only when a large, warm hand rested on her shoulder and a second began to soothe through her hair that she realised her whole body was shaking slightly. Almost immediately, some of her tension was released and she leaned gratefully against Arlo. He supported her like a warm stone in the surf.

Again, two startled sounds echoed through the room as the first bandage was removed, but this time she managed to suppress the reflex to look at her hands. However, she could not suppress a painful hiss as Dr. Xu presumably pressed a new compress firmly onto her wound and wrapped a new, tighter bandage around it. The hand on her shoulder squeezed reassuringly.

"This definitely needs stitches. God, Elenya, how did this happen?" Dr. Xu's voice sounded horrified and Elenya dared to look up at him. Dark, worried eyes met her gaze and she shrugged her shoulders, blushing.

She really didn't want to tell him how this situation had come about, but she could feel Arlo's gaze resting on her, tense and worried, so she gave in with a soft sigh.

"Well, I was working on some grinding saws for Paulie..." She recounted how disastrous her morning had been, hissing painfully several times as Dr. Xu tended to her right hand. When she finished, a soft sigh sounded behind her and a gentle kiss landed on her head.

Tilting her head back, Elenya looked up at Arlo and met his exasperated but loving gaze.

"Oh sweetheart, what am I going to do with you?" He stroked her cheek lovingly and she leaned into the comforting gesture, a sheepish smile forming on her lips.

"I'm sorry." For a moment, she lost herself in her boyfriend's deep blue eyes until Dr. Xu's throat clearing brought her back to reality. She quickly raised her head again and looked forwards.

"Okay, before I take care of your hands, I have a few more questions. First things first: can you still move all your fingers?" The doctor observed her attentively and she nodded. At least in that regard she was still lucky enough.

"Can you show me?" Dr. Xu turned his gaze to her hands and, without looking, Elenya carefully moved each of her fingers. Pain throbbed in her hands as she moved, but Dr. Xu quickly seemed satisfied and indicated that she could stop. Relieved, she sank a little more against Arlo's supportive body.

"That's good. At least the blade didn't hit anything important. Do you know roughly how long ago the accident happened? It's really worrying that the wounds are still bleeding so much."

"It must have been about 10 o'clock." A quick glance at the clock on the wall told her that it was now almost 11 o'clock.

Was she really still bleeding?

Without being able to stop it, she looked down at her hands and immediately regretted it. Dr. Xu had tied a new tight bandage directly over the cut on her left hand, but her right hand was exposed and her stomach instantly turned and the world spun before her eyes. Everything went black for a moment and when she came to, she was hanging slightly sideways from the stool, two strong arms wrapped around her torso and horrified exclamations met her ears.

"Elenya!" It was Arlo right next to her ear. He must have caught her. 

Had she really just fainted at the sight of blood? Shame crept up her spine and she quickly tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't obey. The arms around her upper body tightened their grip and gently lifted her up until she was sitting upright on the stool again. Exhausted, she slumped down and wished she could hide her face in her hands. 

Could this day get any more embarrassing?

Fortunately, she was able to resist the temptation and instead looked into the worried eyes of Dr. Xu, who had stood up and was now crouching in front of her.

"Does your body always react like this at the sight of blood?"

Ashamed, Elenya shook her head and Dr. Xu's gaze became thoughtful as he scrutinised her face.

She felt completely stupid. Sitting here, Arlo's arms still wrapped around her torso, his tense chest behind her - had he knelt down? - and her injured hands still outstretched on the table in front of her.

"Would you rather lie down?"

Another shake of the head. She just wanted to get this over with.

"Have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

Arlo's arms tightened around her and Elenya had the feeling she'd better not answer that question. But her silence seemed to be enough of an answer for both men and with a sigh, the tension drained from Arlo's body behind her, and his supportive grip became more of a warm embrace.

"Oh sweetheart, what am I going to do with you?" His words rang out again and apologetically, she snuggled against him. Her tendency to forget about her own health as soon as she had a project in front of her had always given him a headache and she was sorry that he was worrying about her again.

"One day I'll get you to look after yourself first and then the town." Warm lips pressed a gentle kiss to her mop of hair and a sheepish smile crept across her lips.

She wished him good luck with that.

"Well then, I'll leave that problem to Arlo. Let's take care of your hands now, okay?" With a sigh, Dr. Xu straightened up, took a small bottle from one of his cabinets and explained: "Here, this is for the pain. Can you help her drink it, Arlo? I'll get everything else I need in the meantime."

"Of course." Arlo took the already opened bottle and then leaned over her to gently place it to her lips. Slightly ashamed that she needed this help, but grateful, Elenya drank the painkiller. 

A bitter taste followed by the sweetness of honey washed over her tongue and she had to force herself to swallow the concoction. She knew that Dr. Xu was always trying to improve his medicines, but unfortunately the taste still left a lot to be desired.

As if the latter had already known this, a glass full of water appeared in front of her shortly afterwards and Arlo took it with a soft chuckle. He also held it gently to her lips and she gulped down the water greedily to get the taste out of her mouth.

"Thank you." Elenya turned her grateful smile first to Dr. Xu, who waved her off with a simple hand gesture, and then to Arlo, who still had an arm around her back and was looking at her lovingly from the side.

"Of course. Anytime for you." A warm kiss on her forehead followed Arlo's soft words, then he positioned himself behind her again, his second arm wrapped back around her waist, and with a sigh she let herself sink back against his strong chest.

Her hands were still throbbing with pain, her stomach was churning with nausea and she still felt like she could faint again at any moment, but for a moment she could forget all that and just concentrate on the familiar warmth.

Without noticing, her eyes closed and she was only jolted back to reality when something cold - burning - suddenly flowed over her hands. With a startled hiss, she sat up abruptly, barely managing to stop herself from pulling her hands protectively towards her.

"I'm sorry, perhaps I should have warned you. But I'm afraid that wouldn't make cleaning the wounds any more pleasant." Dr. Xu looked up at her apologetically for a moment, but quickly turned his attention back to her hands, and Elenya had to do her best not to look there herself.

Gritting her teeth, she tried to bear the burning sensation, but the feel of the disinfectant flowing over her open hands felt all wrong and a new wave of nausea spread through her.

Oh God, please let this be over quickly.

"Breathe, Elenya. Come on, you can do it, sweetheart." Only when Arlo's voice suddenly appeared next to hers did she realise that she was holding her breath and that black dots were already appearing in her field of vision. Startled, she took a deep breath.

"That's good. Take a deep breath..." He inhaled behind her and she did the same. "And out again. That's it. Nice and slow." 

For the time it took Dr. Xu to clean her hands, she followed Arlo's breathing and was once again so grateful to have him by her side. 

"Okay, that's that. Fortunately, the bleeding has almost completely stopped by now. I'm going to apply an ointment now to numb the skin around the incisions so that I can put the stitches in, okay? How are you holding up?" Dr. Xu's dark eyes searched her gaze warmly and, exhausted, she could only nod.

She just wanted to go home.

In the five minutes it took for the ointment to take effect, Dr. Xu got everything ready for the stitches. Once again, Elenya tried not to look. She generally had no problem with needles, but this wasn't the first time she'd had stitches and the feeling of a thread being pulled through her skin was more than unpleasant and always made her feel nauseous.

Arlo seemed to notice her growing discomfort and positioned himself so that he was now kneeling to her left, his right arm still wrapped supportively around her back and his other hand gently cupping her cheek.

"Hey, are you all right?" He looked at her with concern and affection and she leaned gratefully into his touch.

Her voice trembled slightly as she replied, "I hate having to get stitches."

"It's going to be all right, okay? I'll be here the whole time. And it'll be over before you know it." Encouragingly, he leaned his forehead gently against hers and she instinctively breathed in his soothing scent. Some of the tension drained from her body and she gratefully pressed a brief kiss to his lips.

However, the sound of someone clearing their throat startled her and she turned back to Dr. Xu with slightly flushed cheeks. He smiled at her reassuringly and then pressed his now gloved finger to a spot next to the cut on her left hand and asked her: "Can you still feel anything?"

It felt strange. She could somehow feel the pressure, but she couldn't feel the warmth or the rubbery surface of the glove, which meant the ointment was working and Dr. Xu could start the stitches. She swallowed hard, but then shook her head.

"No. I think... you can start." At her shaky words, the arm around her shoulders tightened and she hid her face in Arlo's chest as best she could. It wasn't easy in her position, but Arlo moved slightly towards her, burying his free hand in her hair to hold her close.

"Don't worry, I'll be as careful as I can." Dr. Xu's reassuring voice reached her ears, but even his words couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling as he made the first stitch. Instantly, nausea spread through her stomach and with a soft whimper, she pressed herself even closer to Arlo. Her heart pounding, she tried to concentrate on his warmth and the hand that was gently stroking through her hair.

"Shh, it's all right. It'll be over in a minute."

And indeed, it wasn't long before her first hand was treated. Elenya felt her hand being gently washed again, the wound disinfected, and then a tight bandage tied around her hand to her wrist. She dared to take a look at it.

The bandage was pristine white, no blood in sight, and with relief she looked up into Dr. Xu's warm eyes.

"You're doing great. Ready for the second hand?" She felt like a little child at the doctor's words, but she probably wasn't behaving much differently and so she just nodded, her cheeks slightly red. The sooner she got this over with, the better.

Before the next stitch could be placed, she quickly hid her face in Arlo's chest again. His hand found its way back into her hair, though a soft laugh rumbled through his chest.

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound. Even though he was laughing because of her, it was still her favourite sound and it filled her with warmth. She could melt every time she heard it.

The left hand was finished almost faster than the right, and she wondered for a moment if the cut wasn't quite as long, but it didn't matter. The main thing was that it was over, and she no longer had to endure that horrible feeling.

While Dr. Xu bandaged her second hand, Elenya let herself sink completely against Arlo. Now that most of the stress was over, exhaustion caught up with her and she struggled to stay upright. Immediately, Arlo changed his grip on her to better support her weight.

"You okay, sweetie?" Warm and concerned, his voice rumbled through his chest, and she nodded slightly. She felt warm and safe, a light fog in her head, and she suspected that the painkiller had finally taken full effect. She only realised that Dr. Xu had finished with her hands when he gently lifted them from the table and placed them in her lap. Her muscles sighed in relief. Holding her arms out for so long had become very uncomfortable after a while.

"All right, that's it. You did great, Elenya. How do you feel? Are you still in pain?" Dr. Xu's voice rang out from behind Arlo's back, and with difficulty she managed to pull her head away from Arlo's chest and look up at the doctor with a blurred vision. She had to blink a few times, but then the gentle smile came into focus and she smiled back automatically.

Arlo's gentle laugh reached her ears and she couldn't help but turn her smile towards him at the sound. Warm, loving eyes caught her gaze and her smile widened even more.

Another laugh and Arlo said without letting go of her gaze, "I think your painkiller is working wonderfully, Xu. Am I right, sweetheart?"

Elenya nodded with an approving hum, even if she didn't know exactly what she was agreeing to. But if Arlo said something, it was bound to be right.

"Well, I'm glad." Dr. Xu also let out a laugh, but then became a little more serious. "I'd like to discuss the next steps, but it looks like I'd better do that with you, Arlo. I don't think she'll remember much later."

More words followed, but a new wave of exhaustion washed over Elenya, so she snuggled back against Arlo's chest, leaving the thinking to him. Wrapped in warmth, she let the conversation flow over her.

She caught words like 'don't get wet', 'clean daily' and 'not touch anything'.

Wait... what?

A brief rush of adrenaline gave her enough strength to completely detach herself from Arlo and look up at Dr. Xu in horror.

"You want me to do what?"

Xu met her gaze sympathetically. "For the next three days, you should touch as little as possible. Ideally, you shouldn't grab anything at all. The less the cuts are moved, the better and faster they can heal. I know that's a lot to ask, but if the wounds can't heal properly, the scars could harden and affect your range of movement.”

She was even more horrified. This could not happen! She needed her hands! She couldn't work without them!

But how was she supposed to not touch anything for three days? She wouldn't even be able to pick up a glass of water!

Desperation must have been written all over her face, because two warm, rough hands softly cupped her face and gently turned her gaze back to Arlo.

"Don't worry, darling. I'll stay with you and take care of you, okay?” Full of love and care, he held her gaze and she looked back, confused and uncertain.

"But... you have to work. That's much more important than me.”

"First of all, nothing is more important than you, alright?" She felt herself blushing. 

"And secondly, as luck would have it, I was actually on my way to you earlier to tell you that Sam and Remi have banished me to holiday for at least two days with the words 'You work too much'. I'm sure they could also manage without me for three or four days. Fortunately, it's very quiet at the moment."

A mixture of warm relief and guilt spread through Elenya.

Relief that Arlo wouldn't leave her alone, and guilt that thanks to her stupidity she was now taking up all his precious free time. Without being able to do anything about it, tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..." A sob escaped her lips and soon she found herself pressed tightly against Arlo's chest, his strong arms holding her together.

It was all too much right now. All the stress, the pain, the exhaustion and the difficult days ahead. She felt helpless.

“Shh, it's okay. It was an accident. We'll get through this. Together." Arlo's warm words washed over her head, but they only made her cry more, and she spent the next few minutes buried in Arlo's chest, her body wracked with violent sobs.

She didn't know how much time passed, but eventually she ran out of energy and just hung limply in Arlo's arms. He didn't hesitate for long, loosening one arm from around her back and sliding it under her knees instead, carefully lifting her off the stool. With just a few steps he carried her over to one of the hospital beds and carefully laid her down on it. He placed her hands gently on her chest and then moved away from her.

She missed his warmth immediately.

"Get some rest for a moment, sweetheart. I'm just going to get some things so I can stay with you for a few days, okay? I'll be right back." A lingering, warm kiss graced her forehead, followed by a gentle caress of her cheek, and then Arlo was gone and she fell into a light sleep.

She awoke when the door to the clinic opened again, but she was in no mood to open her eyes. Instead, she listened to the sound of soft footsteps, the muffled conversation between Arlo and Dr. Xu, and the soft clinking of glass vials. She almost fell back asleep.

But then a warm hand cupped her cheek again and Arlo's voice rang out softly: "Hey sweetheart, ready to go home?"

"Mmmh." Tired, Elenya opened her eyes and was about to use her hands to sit up, but luckily Arlo quickly saw what she was trying to do and gently grabbed her wrists.

Damn, she wasn't going to be able to get used to this.

"Careful. Let me help you." Arlo helped her sit up and with a grateful look, she glanced up at him.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She felt exhausted, her body heavy with the weight of everything that had happened.

Arlo smiled at her, his hands steadying her as she shifted her legs over the side of the bed. "Of course. Can you stand?"

She nodded, feeling a little more awake now. "Yes, I think so."

With his help, she slid out of bed. Dr. Xu approached her with a small smile, holding a bag. "Here are some extra supplies for cleaning the wounds. Make sure you follow the instructions and come back in three days for a check-up, okay?"

As Arlo took the small bag and placed it in the rucksack she now noticed he was carrying, Elenya nodded with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Dr. Xu. For everything."

He waved her off with a friendly gesture. "It's my job. Take care of yourself, Elenya. And Arlo, make sure she follows the instructions."

Arlo chuckled, his arm securely around Elenya's waist. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she does."

With a final nod, Dr. Xu stepped back, allowing Arlo to guide her out of the clinic. The walk to the exit felt longer than it actually was, each step reminding her of how weak and exhausted she felt. But Arlo's steady support kept her going.

The journey back to her home was a quiet one, with Elenya concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, while Arlo remained a steady presence at her side. When they reached the door, Arlo helped her inside and shut the door.

"Sit down for now, sweetheart. I'll just take your medicine and bandages to the bathroom, okay?" With gentle pressure on her lower back, Arlo led her to her couch, onto which she sank gratefully. She had declined Arlo's offer to carry her - her legs still worked fine after all! - but she was still glad to be able to sit down. Her exhaustion was growing, and she couldn't wait to lie down for a few hours.

With a quick, gentle kiss on her forehead, Arlo made his way to her bedroom and the adjoining bathroom. Elenya watched him go, lost in thought, and even after he was out of sight, she continued to stare at the doorway to her bedroom. She still felt so stupid and guilty. Here she was, having spent the last year and a half building impossible things and fighting all sorts of monsters, and then managing to incapacitate herself for several days because she couldn't control her clumsiness or reflexes.

But before she could indulge her thoughts any further, Arlo reappeared in the doorway. Much quicker than she had expected and his face devoid of any colour.

What had happened?

Before she could ask, he hesitantly opened his mouth. "Um... d... do you still need that piece of fabric? I don't know if we can save it..."

And suddenly she remembered how she had left the bathroom behind. The contents of her first aid kit strewn everywhere and a piece of fabric soaked in blood on top. And who knew where else she had left traces of blood.

Oh God, no wonder he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

Startled, she jumped to her feet. "Oh shit. Wait, let me..."

She didn't get any further. As soon as she stood upright, her vision went black and her legs buckled. She fell uncontrollably back onto the couch, luckily without falling on her hands, and when her vision cleared, Arlo was already leaning over her. His strong hands cupped her shoulders and gently guided her into a lying position.

"Careful. Let me do this, okay? You just stay here and rest. I just got a bit scared at the sight." He held her gaze firmly and with an annoyed sigh she let herself sink into the cushion of the couch.

She hated this whole situation already. She wasn't used to sitting around idly and certainly not when someone else had to clean up her mess. She wanted to help!

Arlo's big, warm hand cupped her right cheek and she reluctantly met his understanding gaze.

"I know you want to help, but you have to take it easy. I really don't mind looking after you. In fact, there's nothing I'd rather do. I love you and I want you to get better quickly, okay?”

Damn, how could she not melt at those words? 

"Okay... And I love you too." Her words of agreement were rewarded with a short, soft kiss and then Arlo straightened up again.

“Good, now that we've got that out of the way: What do you want to do with the fabric? Do you want me to throw it away?"

“Yes, I don't need it urgently. It wouldn't be worth the effort.” She could always make new ones.

“Okay. You rest and I'll tidy up.” Another quick kiss was planted on her forehead and then she was alone in her living room.

With another sigh, she sank deeper into the couch and, without meaning to, dozed off again.

~~~~~~

Strong arms slid under her back and knees and lifted her up, but before she could be startled, a familiar smell reached her nose. With a confused sound, she tiredly blinked her eyes open and was greeted by Arlo's neck.

"It's all right, sweetheart. I'm just taking you to bed.”

Bed? Oh right, she had fallen asleep on the couch.

She tried to lift her head to look at him, but her body felt like it was filled with lead, so she contented herself with snuggling even more against his warm chest. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before she found herself in her bedroom.

Arlo gently set her down on the edge of the bed, his hands lingering to steady her. "Let's get you into something more comfortable, shall we?"

Elenya nodded weakly, her eyelids heavy with fatigue. She felt his hands move to the buttons of her shirt, his touch gentle and careful. A wave of shame and frustration wanted to spread through her, but she was too tired for such emotions and so all that remained was gratitude to Arlo.

His strong, battle-hardened hands were always so gentle with her, so loving, and so she didn't feel the slightest discomfort as he dressed her in a soft t-shirt and warm sweatpants.

"There you go," he said gently, smoothing the fabric. "Now let's get you comfortable."

He helped her to lie on her side and carefully positioned her so that she could put her hands in front of her. He placed a soft pillow under her head and another behind her back to support her.

"How does that feel?" Eyes as warm as his voice watched her.

"It's good," she murmured, feeling the comfort of the bed and the softness of the pyjamas. "Thank you, Arlo. For everything."

Arlo smiled and leaned down to press a tender kiss to her forehead. "Anything for you, Elenya. Get some rest now. You'll feel better when you wake up."

Before he had even pulled the blanket over her and tucked her in, she was drifting off into an exhausted sleep.

~~~~~~

When she woke up again, the sun was a lot lower and she felt anything but better. Nausea churned in her stomach, cold sweat covered her body, her head ached and her hands throbbed and itched terribly. Everything felt off.

With a soft groan, she opened her eyes and was surprised to see Arlo sitting in an armchair next to the bed, intently reading a book. She looked at him for a moment, transfixed, admiring the way the late evening sun made his red hair glow and the way his lips moved silently as he read, as they always did.

But then the terrible itching in her hands picked up again, and with a croaked "Arlo." she drew his attention to herself. His head immediately shot in her direction and he put his book aside to kneel down beside the bed at the level of her head.

"Hey, darling. How are you doing? Feeling any better?" His eyes rested warmly and attentively on her face, but she could only answer with a pained expression and a shake of her head.

His eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Oh no, what's wrong? Are you in pain?" 

"Yes, that too, but... I don't feel well. Everything hurts and my hands itch like crazy."

Worried, Arlo pressed his hand gently to her forehead, his eyes filling with even more concern. "I think you have a slight fever. That's not good at all. I hope the cuts haven't gotten infected. What exactly hurts?"

Fever? That would at least explain why everything felt so wrong.

"Everything hurts. My hands are throbbing, my limbs are aching and my head is burning. But the worst part is the itching. Can we please take the bandages off? I can hardly stand it."

It took all her willpower not to scratch.

"Technically, we shouldn't change the bandages until tomorrow morning, but I think it would be better if we checked right away to see if anything is infected. Then we can clean your hands and hopefully reduce the itching a little. Come on, I'll help you up."

With practised movements, Arlo helped her to sit up. The world spun before her eyes as soon as she was upright, and with an unconscious whimper she buried her face in his stomach. The nausea intensified, but Arlo's soothing scent and his hand gently stroking her hair quickly brought relief and she felt well enough to stand.

With Arlo's arm around her back, they took cautious steps into the bathroom where he carefully lowered her onto the toilet seat. He got everything he needed from the bathroom cupboard, filled a small bowl with warm water and then knelt in front of her.

"Let me have a look. I'll be very careful, I promise." He gently reached for her left hand. He cradled it oh so gently in his, her palm facing up, and she couldn't help but marvel once again at how much bigger his hands were compared to hers. Bigger, rougher and yet so tender.

With deft fingers, he began to remove the bandage from her hand. Unconsciously, she followed his movements, her mind focused on the warmth of his palm. It flowed up her arm, filling her heart with calm and easing part of her headache and nausea.

When he pulled the cloth off, he winced at the sight of the cuts, but he quickly composed himself. Unfortunately, she couldn't. Her nausea intensified at the sight of her reddened, stitched-up skin and she quickly turned her gaze to Arlo's face.

He was examining her wound intently, his eyebrows knitted in concern. "Hm, the wound's a bit red, but I don't think it's infected. That's good." His warm blue eyes met hers, his gaze reassuring. "The fever is probably your body's reaction to all the stress from this morning. Hopefully it'll be gone by tomorrow. Let's get you cleaned up anyway. I hope that helps with the itching."

He gave her a gentle smile, then dipped a cloth into the warm water and began to clean the wounds, his touch so gentle it barely caused her any discomfort. Elenya watched him work, her heart swelling with gratitude and love for his care.

After cleaning the wounds with antiseptic, he applied fresh bandages with a tenderness that belied the strength of his hands. He repeated the process on her right hand and then pressed a feather-light kiss on each of her injured palms, making her heart melt at the sweet gesture.

"Thank you," Elenya whispered, her voice full of gratitude and awe at his tenderness.

He answered her gratitude with a gentle kiss, his lips warm and soft on hers, and she automatically followed him as he pulled away. Her movement earned her an affectionate chuckle and another brief kiss, but then he really pulled away from her, reaching instead for one of the small vials he must have gotten from Dr. Xu.

"Here, according to Dr. Xu's instructions, you are allowed to take some painkillers again. It should also help with the nausea and, with any luck, the fever." He uncorked the bottle and held it carefully to her lips.

She could tell from the taste that it wasn't the same mixture as before, but that didn't make it any better. But to her surprise, her nausea didn't get any worse, as she had expected.

As soon as the vial was empty, Arlo set it aside and started to put away everything he had used. As Elenya watched him again, she suddenly began to shiver, and before she could even say anything, Arlo took off his grey sweater and pulled it over her head instead. She was instantly enveloped in his familiar scent and warmth, and with a happy sigh, she buried her nose in the soft collar.

Oh, how much she loved this sweater.

As soon as he had finished tidying up, Arlo turned back to her. "You should eat something, even if it's just a little. It'll help your body recover."

Elenya grimaced. "I still feel nauseous. I don't think I can eat much."

Arlo insisted gently. "Just a little, for me? How about some crepes with fruit sauce? I'll make them just the way you like them."

Damn, he just knew her too well.

She agreed, and he helped her into the kitchen, where he sat her down at the small dining table. She watched as he moved around the kitchen, preparing her favourite crepes with practised ease.

The kitchen filled with the comforting aroma of baking crepes. Arlo's movements were efficient and confident, the result of the countless times he had prepared this dish for her. He whisked the batter, heated the pan and expertly flipped the crepes, always keeping an eye on her to make sure she was comfortable.

He brought her the finished crepes, pulled one of the chairs close to her, and picked up a piece of crepe with a fork, holding it out to her. Full of frustration and shame, she glared at the fork as she realised he was trying to feed her.

She had been wrong earlier. Her day could get even more embarrassing.

She almost snapped at Arlo that she was no longer a child and could eat on her own, but luckily the logical part of her brain was able to intervene before that.

Because firstly, no, she couldn't eat alone right now, no matter how much she wanted to.

And secondly, Arlo was not at all to blame for her shitty situation. It was all her fault.

On the contrary. Without him, she would have been completely screwed and the last thing he deserved was to be snapped at by her.

Arlo still held the fork in front of her face, his gaze patient and full of understanding love, and her brain finally gave in. For it was Arlo sitting next to her. Arlo who loved her and whom she trusted with her life. There was no need to be ashamed in front of him.

So she let him feed her, and despite her initial reluctance, the crepes tasted wonderful and comforting. Each bite gave her a little strength, and the sweetness of the fruit sauce was a soothing balm for her frayed nerves.

After dinner, they moved to the couch where Arlo wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled up against him. He picked up the book he had been reading and began to read to her, his voice a balm to her weary soul.

The warmth of his body against hers, the familiar hum of his voice and the captivating story created a cocoon of safety and love around her. She closed her eyes and let the rhythm of his voice carry her out of her discomfort and into the world of the story.

When it was time for bed, Arlo helped her into the bedroom. She lay back down on her side and he climbed into bed behind her. He gently slipped his left arm under her head and wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her tightly against his chest.

"Good night, Elenya," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "I love you."

"Good night, Arlo," she murmured back, feeling his love and warmth surrounding her. "I love you too."

With Arlo's steady presence by her side, Elenya finally drifted off to a more restful sleep, knowing that no matter how hard things got, they would always face them together.

[mtap-comics]

So, I had been bored over Christmas and started recreating the romanceable characters from Portia in The Sims 4. I didn't finish them back then, but now I've finally got them all! I'm not sure if you can even recognise them, but I've done my best with what I've got! (I'm very sorry for Oaks, but the Sims 4 sadly doesn't offer a bearskin coat).

I made Arlo shortly after I got the game 2 years ago, and he's gone through a few different lives since then. xD From living off the grit, going to college, owning a horse ranch to being a tourist/archeolocist in Selvadorada. Always with Elenya at his side.

I can upload them to the gallery if anyone is interested in playing with them or just letting them run around in their world!

[mtap-comics]

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo! I finally got my first Bingo! @badthingshappenbingo

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya really just wanted to fix the railing of the platform of the hot air balloon ride so that no one could fall into the freezing water.

Word count: 6'301

Prompt: Drowning

Author's note: I had planned to write here a few things, but I think I will just leave this here and wish you a happy reading!

(Little "funfact": I was tempted to title this with "It Could Be Slippery")^^

Warnings: Drowning, Hypothermia, Pneumonia, Asthma

Read on AO3: Link

Frozen Depths

Patiently, Arlo waited outside Elenya's workshop. Relaxed, he took in the white, glittering landscape, the low winter sun warm on his face.

It was 4:15 p.m. and his little whirlwind of a builder was once again running late for their date. He could count on one hand the number of times she was actually on time, but he didn't mind. 

He knew how much she loved her work, and how easily she lost track of time. 

She was never more than 20 minutes late, though, so he expected her to show up at any moment. And no sooner had he finished that thought than he heard hurried footsteps from the direction of Peach Plaza.

He looked in that direction expectantly, and sure enough, Elenya's small figure appeared shortly afterwards. A warm smile immediately spread across his face. Seeing her was always the highlight of his day.

Today she wore a warm red hat, a matching scarf around her neck, a thick black coat and sturdy boots. A small weight fell from his shoulders as he saw her wrapped up so warmly. Since the onset of winter, he had been even more worried about her than he normally was, and when he saw her at her workbench the other day, wearing only sneakers and a hoodie, her hands already blue from the cold, he almost had a heart attack. 

The lecture he had given her - after he had warmed her up properly - seemed to have worked, thankfully.

But as she finally arrived in front of him, still catching her breath, the next wave of concern washed over him.

"I'm sorry, Arlo..." She coughed briefly. "Mayor Gale had been holding me up."

"Hey, it's all right. Take a deep breath, okay?" Arlo gently gripped her shoulders and took a deep breath, encouraging her to do the same. Fortunately, she knew the procedure well by now and didn't need to be told twice.

After a few deep breaths, her breathing returned to normal and, relieved, he pulled her into a warm embrace. Even though they had her asthma under control with Dr. Xu's help, he was always worried that she might have an attack.

"It's okay, Arlo. I'm fine." Elenya mumbled against his chest, but didn't seem to mind his hug and cuddled up to him with a happy sigh.

"I know you are. But I'm always worried about you. But enough of that." He gently pushed her away from him and pressed his lips to hers instead. They were a little chapped and cold, but that didn't make the kiss any less wonderful. As soon as they had to catch their breath, he broke away from her again.

"Hey sweetheart, glad you could make it."

"Hey." Lovingly, she smiled up at him. "I would never miss our date. But..." An apologetic look appeared on her face. "I'll have to put it off a bit. Gale kept me because he wanted to ask me if I could fix the railing on the hot air balloon platform. During the last flight, one of the baskets must have crashed into it, taking part of the railing with it. I promised him I'd do it straight away to prevent anyone slipping and falling into the freezing pond. But it shouldn't take long! I just need..."

As she explained, her words became faster and faster, as if she was afraid he might get angry if he were to think about it too long, and he quickly used the best technique to calm her down. He gently pressed his lips to hers again and her rushed words instantly fell silent.

With a soft sigh, she leaned into the kiss and he couldn't help but smile a small satisfied grin. That just worked every time.

This time out of breath for a much better reason, Elenya looked up at him, her eyes wide, and he gently brushed a strand of hair from her face that had come loose under her cap.

"It's all right, sweetheart. Safety always comes first. But if you don't mind, I'd like to come with you. We can start our date with a little ride to the duck pond, you work your builder magic, and then we can warm up with a relaxing dinner at the Round Table. How does that sound?"

Arlo didn't need to hear Elenya's answer to know. The way her green eyes began to light up told him enough.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. I'd just have to get the materials. I should have everything here, though. Can you saddle Rayna in the meantime?" Without really waiting for his answer, she scurried off over to her factory and he looked after her, smiling fondly.

He loved to see her in her element. She usually had such a quiet, gentle personality, but when it came to building things and helping other people, she blossomed like a beautiful flower. He could watch her work for hours without getting bored, so he didn't mind at all that it interrupted their date.

Just ten minutes later, Elenya had packed everything she needed and they were off at a leisurely trot towards the duck pond. Arlo held the reins firmly in one hand while Elenya sat in the saddle in front of him, her back nestled against his chest. He always loved the way her small body fit so perfectly between his arms, as if she was made for him, and couldn't help but pull her a little closer.

They didn't talk much on the way, just enjoyed the familiar closeness, and Arlo was almost a little disappointed when they arrived at the hot air balloon platform. Nevertheless, he quickly dismounted to help Elenya off the horse before she could try it herself. The snow was quite deep and he didn't want her to stumble.

"Let me help you." Wrapping both hands tightly around her waist, he carefully lowered her to the ground and then planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"There, safely on the ground." Grinning, he looked down at his pouting builder and dodged her blow against his arm.

"I could have done it on my own." Crossing her arms, she glared up at him, but he had an easy solution for that too. As it happened, it was exactly the same as when she started babbling nervously.

After another deep, loving kiss, she was snuggled back into his arms, a happy sigh escaping her lips.

"I know you can do it on your own, but I didn't want to risk you tripping and landing in the cold snow. Now off you go. The sooner you work your magic, the sooner we can get warmed up at Django's."

Arlo's eyes softened with a touch of worry as he added, "Please be careful, though, okay? That platform looks really slippery." He glanced over at the platform, its surface glistening slightly in the sun. When wood glistens, it's never a good sign, and the chances of a thin layer of ice were very high.

"Don't worry, Arlo. I'll be careful. It's not the first time I've worked outside in this weather." Elenya gave him a quick, reassuring kiss, then grabbed her bag from the saddle and walked over to the platform.

Arlo followed her movements with watchful eyes, but when he saw that she could walk on the platform without any problems, some of his tension eased. He decided to watch her from a few paces back, so as not to disturb or accidentally startle her.

He watched for a few minutes as she sawed the frayed pipes straight, then measured the exact dimensions of the resulting gaps before cutting the new ones. To his relief, she moved away from the dangerous edge to do so and he let his gaze glide over the beautiful landscape.

The sun was already setting and both the water and the snow around him were glowing in all kinds of beautiful colours. If there was to be another clear day like this soon, he would have to take Elenya up to the church. The view from up there at this time of day was simply incredible and he just knew she would love this natural spectacle. 

And maybe... he could finally use the ring that had been hidden in his room for a few weeks now?

He was just imagining how Elenya would react when a startled cry tore him from his daydream. In an instant, his eyes darted back to the platform and he was horrified to see the very thing he had been afraid of.

Elenya seemed to have lost her footing at last, and before he could give his own feet the command to move, she fell over the broken railing with a dull thud, followed by a splash.

Completely frozen, he stood there for a split second before his legs finally began to move. With her name on his lips, he sprinted to the platform as fast as he could, barely managing not to slip on the icy wood as well. Panicked, he leaned over the intact part of the railing, hoping to find Elenya swimming, albeit completely frozen, but instead he had to look down at her slowly sinking body.

Damn it, why the hell didn't she try to get to the surface?

He saw the answer a second later. The water was crystal clear, so he could easily make out the red streak coming from her head.

Fuck, she'd hit her head too!

As quickly as he could, Arlo tore off his jacket, sweater and shoes and hurried over to the shore to wade into the icy water. The freezing water was like a shock to his body, but he didn't have time to pay any attention to it. He was completely focused on saving Elenya!

Fortunately, the bottom of the pond was sloping very slowly, so he could easily run forward to where Elenya had fallen into the water.

After a far too long 30 seconds, he finally reached her, the water now up to his waist. She had completely sunk to the bottom by now and he took a deep breath to brace himself for the shock, plunging his arms into the water until he could grab her under her arms. His chest touched the surface and his front was completely submerged in the icy water, but the shock barely registered in his brain.

Without any effort, he lifted her up until he could free one arm and slide it under her knees. The light wind that hit his now wet torso cut into his skin like little knives, but he couldn't have cared less about that right now. Elenya showed no sign of life.

She lay lifeless in his arms, her face pale as chalk, her lips blue and her body not even shivering from the cold. He didn't think he'd ever run so fast in his life.

Breathless with panic, he set her down on the fateful platform and dropped to his knees beside her. He tried to feel her pulse on her neck, but his hands were numb with cold, so he decided to press his ear against her chest. 

Holding his breath, he listened intently and after a few terrifyingly long seconds he heard it. Faint and slow, but there it was.

Thu-thump. Thu-thump.

Slight relief flooded through him, but there was still one huge problem. She wasn't breathing. Her chest wasn't rising and falling, and for a panicked moment he didn't know what to do. His brain was paralysed with fear.

Come on Arlo, you have to do something! She's dying!

Finally, his brain kicked in again and he frantically began to rip open Elenya's jacket to free her chest, then turned his attention to her head. Gently, he tilted her head back slightly to open her airway, squeezed her nose tightly with one hand and then, after taking a deep breath, pressed his lips firmly against her blue ones.

He really hoped they were only blue from the cold and not from lack of oxygen.

He pumped his breath into her as evenly as he could. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her chest rise and fall slightly, and after waiting 6 seconds he repeated the process. Each time he had to repeat it, his panic increased.

Why the hell didn't she start breathing? Was he doing something wrong?

"Come on, sweetheart! Breathe! Breathe for fucks sake!”

He had just completed his 12th rescue breath when he finally heard a sign of life. A soft gurgling sound came from her lungs and he hurried to turn her on her side. Coughing and gasping, gush after gush of water escaped from her and he gently patted her back, hoping to help.

For almost a minute, Elenya tried to get rid of the water she had inhaled, but then it finally seemed to be all out and her body slumped lifelessly again. For a brief, panicked moment, Arlo thought she had stopped breathing again, but the rattling sound coming from her lungs told him otherwise.

She was far from out of danger, but she was breathing again and, exhausted, he collapsed for a moment. Now that some of the adrenaline had worn off, he began to feel the cold seeping through his wet clothes, threatening to paralyse him, but he quickly forced himself to move again.

He had to get Elenya out of her wet clothes as best he could. He quickly pulled the jacket completely off her body, and with some difficulty managed to remove her stiff sweater and T-shirt.

Elenya didn't make a sound during the whole procedure, not even when he accidentally bumped against her head wound, and his premature relief quickly faded. He really had to hurry.

He quickly tore off his own wet T-shirt and socks and put on the sweater and shoes he had had the good sense to take off. He slipped his still-dry jacket over Elenya, hoping it would keep her torso, and therefore her heart, warm long enough for them to reach the clinic.

He briefly considered bandaging her head injury, but the cold meant that there was hardly any blood oozing out and he decided that this would only waste more time unnecessarily.

Sure that he had done everything in his power to keep Elenya alive for as long as possible, he gently lifted her back into his arms and ran back to Rayna. Without even glancing back at the platform and the items left behind, he lifted Elenya onto the horse and then hoisted himself behind her. He couldn't waste another second.

"Come on, Rayna, ride as fast as you can." With a gentle nudge to her side, he spurred the horse on, one arm wrapped tightly around Elenya, his hand resting on her chest to count every faint, rasping breath.

He hoped he wouldn't be too late.

The airstream pulled coldly at their bodies and he tried as best he could to shield Elenya from it. He kept casting anxious glances at her, hoping to see the slightest sign of life, but not even her body shivered to fight the cold. If her chest hadn't moved under his hand, he would have thought she was dead.

Even at the fastest gallop, it took them nearly 15 minutes to reach the clinic, and Arlo could feel the cold getting to him. His limbs stiffened and he found it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes open.

Shaking his head vigorously, he tried to keep the fog out of his head. He couldn't give in now!

Fortunately they had reached the gate to Portia by now and he steered Rayna to the left to speed up the hill. They finally arrived at the clinic with a hard stop and Arlo struggled to get out of the saddle. His pants had turned to ice with his legs and he found it difficult to move.

Nevertheless, he managed to lift Elenya safely back into his arms, for nothing in the world could make him drop the love of his life. He stepped stiffly through the door of the clinic and immediately attracted the attention of the two doctors.

Dr. Xu was the first to react.

"Oh God, Arlo! What happened? You two are frozen!"

It was only when Arlo tried to speak that he realised how much his teeth were chattering from the cold. "Elenya... she... she fell into the duck pond. Had to... get her out. Was... wasn't breathing. Help her... please."

"Of course! Quick, put her down here." Dr. Xu pointed to one of the beds and Arlo followed his request.

"Phyllis, quick, get all the blankets we have! And fire up the stove. We need all the heat we can get." The two doctors sprang into action. Dr. Xu set about freeing Elenya of all her wet clothes, while Phyllis dug out blankets from every possible drawer.

And Arlo just stood there, his feet frozen to the ground. The fog in his head, which he had managed to control on the ride, returned, blurring everything in front of him.

He didn't even notice himself swaying slightly on his feet until suddenly a small hand closed gently but firmly around his upper arm and pulled him a few steps over to a stool. Without resistance, he allowed himself to be lowered onto it, his knees buckling beneath him.

What was wrong with him?

Confused, he looked down at his hands. Why were they shaking so much?

Something warm suddenly wrapped itself around his shoulders and, even more confused, he looked up into Phyllis' worried blue eyes.

"Arlo? Can you hear me?"

He started to answer, but then he noticed what was wrapped around his shoulders. A blanket. But that wasn't right. Elenya needed it. He was fine.

He tried to pull the blanket off, but his arms wouldn't move.

"No... Elenya... needs..." A frustrated sound escaped him.

Why wouldn't his arms move? He had to help Elenya!

"Hey, Arlo! Calm down! Everything's fine. We're taking care of her. But you were in the cold water too. You need to get warm." Phyllis desperately tried to stop him pulling off the blanket and, to his confusion, she succeeded.

The more he tried to move, the more exhausted he became. The fog in his head thickened and he was only vaguely aware of Phyllis trying to get his attention.

What was happening to him?

He could feel himself tipping to one side, then everything went black.

~~~~~~

When Arlo came to, he felt exhausted. Pain throbbed behind his temples and his body felt stiff.

What had happened?

He sensed that he wasn't lying in his own bed. The mattress was a little too soft and he would never use so many blankets at once. Why were there so many blankets?

Then it hit him. The duck pond. The ice-cold water. Elenya!

He shot up, only to regret it immediately. The pain in his head began to pulse and with a groan he let it fall into his hands.

Fuck.

It took a moment for the pain to subside enough for him to lift his head. As soon as he did, Dr. Xu's worried face appeared in his field of vision.

"Arlo, you're awake. How are you feeling?" The doctor's eyes watched him intently. Arlo decided to tell the truth.

"Exhausted. My head hurts and everything feels a bit stiff. How long have I been out? What about Elenya? Where is she?"

He was about to swing his legs over the edge of the bed to get up, but Dr. Xu stopped him.

"Slow down Arlo. You were slightly hypothermic too. Gave Phyllis quite a scare. But you weren't unconscious for long, about 40 minutes. Elenya is... quite well, considering the circumstances. We're still slowly bringing her body temperature up, but she's already started to shiver again. Look, she's over here". Calm and understanding, Dr. Xu tried to reassure him, but when he realised that his words weren't having much effect, he stepped aside to reveal the second hospital bed.

Arlo finally noticed that the beds weren't in their usual places. Instead, they had been pushed as close as possible to the small stove that stood in the left corner, giving Arlo an unobstructed view of Elenya's trembling body.

An intravenous line disappeared beneath a thick layer of blankets, her hair was dry and a white bandage was wrapped around her head. But what struck him most was that her lips were no longer blue. Relieved, he slumped down. As he took in the details, he noticed a small device clipped to Elenya's finger - a tiny, pulsating light on it.

His gaze fixed on the device, he asked Dr. Xu, "What's that on her finger?"

Dr. Xu followed Arlo's gaze and explained, "It's an oxygen metre. It measures the oxygen saturation in her blood. It's at 94% right now, which, given the circumstances, is okay for now. We'll keep a close eye on it to ensure it stays that way."

Arlo found a glimmer of reassurance in the small, pulsating light on the oxygen metre, a tangible indicator that Elenya was still breathing fine.

"How... how is she otherwise? Will she be all right?" Anxiously, he looked back at Dr. Xu. He knew that just because her body temperature was slowly returning to normal didn't mean that she was going to get better.

Dr. Xu sighed heavily.

"Well, that depends on a number of factors. Can you tell me how long she hasn't been breathing?"

Arlo strained to remember what had happened. The pain in his head made it difficult to think, but he thought he could estimate the time fairly well. The answer terrified him.

"I think it took me about two minutes to get her out of the water and back onto the platform and start the rescue breaths."

Oh God, what if she had suffered brain damage?

But instead of being horrified, Dr. Xu's tense shoulders actually slumped slightly in relief.

"Okay, that's shorter than I feared. 2 minutes is a long time, but hypothermia actually has an advantage in this situation. The slowed metabolism means the body needs less oxygen, so 2 minutes is less critical than under normal circumstances. That's at least one less thing for me to worry about." The serious look Dr. Xu gave him made his heart sink.

"I have to be honest with you, Arlo. I can't promise you she'll make it. I've listened to her lungs and there's definitely some water left in there. That in itself is extremely dangerous, but with her asthma, I'm really just waiting for her body to react violently to it. If we're lucky she'll get a severe case of pneumonia which we'll get under control again, and if we're unlucky..."

The doctor didn't finish his sentence and Arlo was grateful. He felt like he was back in the freezing water again. He sat there in complete shock.

Was he going to lose his wonderful, loving Elenya after all?

He didn't even notice how his breathing quickened, or how his hands clenched in the top blanket that covered him.

Dr. Xu's words echoed in his head, a haunting chorus of uncertainty. Arlo wrestled with the dread, the fear that every breath Elenya took could be her last. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the images of a future without her, a future he never wanted to experience.

The room seemed to close in on him, crushing him with the weight of helplessness. "I can't lose her," he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible. He felt a hand on his shoulder and was torn from his dark thoughts. Helplessly, he looked into the dark eyes of Dr. Xu.

"Arlo, nothing is certain yet. We're going to do everything we can to help her. We won't give up on her."

With a nod, Arlo tried to dispel the dark thoughts. Dr. Xu was right. Elenya was still with him and he would do everything he could to keep it that way.

His eyes wandered back to the bed beside him. The flickering light from the stove cast shadows on Elenya's face. Arlo studied her features, memorising the curve of her lips, the way her eyelashes curled against her cheeks. As if in a trance, he followed the slow rise and fall of her chest, letting it help him to calm down.

He didn't know how long he sat there, his gaze fixed on Elenya's chest, ignoring everything else around him, but at some point the throbbing in his head became noticeable again and the exhaustion returned.

With a soft groan, he had to admit defeat to his body and let himself fall back into the pillows. In an instant, Dr. Xu was back at his side, a small vial of clear liquid in his hand.

"You should rest, Arlo. Your body has been through a lot today as well. Here," he held out the small vial, "this should help you sleep and relieve your headache. And don't worry too much about Elenya, Phyllis and I will be here to look after her the whole time. "

Arlo accepted the bottle gratefully, but made no move to drink the medicine. His eyes darted between Elenya and Dr. Xu.

"Can you tell me what else is wrong with her? What about her head? Could that be causing problems too?"

Dr. Xu sighed and tried to reassure Arlo.

"Well, her head isn't a major concern. The wound wasn't too deep; I suspect it's just a mild concussion. As for her other injuries, she had early signs of frostbite on her feet and hands. I applied a warming wound healing ointment and wrapped them for protection. I can't guarantee there won't be any nerve damage, but I'm reasonably confident. The warm saline solution we're using to gradually warm her up should help."

Arlo listened intently, but the emotional strain was draining him. His body begged for sleep, despite his inner struggle to keep a watchful eye on Elenya.

Sensing Arlo's inner conflict, Dr. Xu reassured him, "As I said, Arlo, we'll take care of her. Get some rest." Nodding, he gestured to the vial and Arlo complied. He downed the liquid, nestled back under the warm blankets, and soon drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~

Arlo awoke to a state of chaos.

At first he didn't realise what was happening, his brain struggling to clear the fog of sleep. His body felt heavy and he wasn't sure where he was.

Two voices, urgent and desperate, pierced the haze of his confusion, telling him that something was terribly wrong. 

He strained to remember what had happened, but only slowly did images begin to form in his mind. Snow glistening in the evening sun, Elenya hurrying towards him, the balloon platform and the duck pond. 

The duck pond!

Alarmed, Arlo shot up in bed.

Elenya! Where was Elenya?

He looked around frantically until his gaze finally fell on the other hospital bed. Dr. Xu and Phyllis were scurrying around it, exchanging words he didn't understand.

What was going on? What was wrong with Elenya?

With difficulty, he managed to hoist his heavy legs over the edge of the bed. They didn't really want to carry him, trembling beneath him, but he didn't have time for that now. Something was wrong with Elenya and he needed to find out what it was.

~~~~~~

An hour later, Arlo found himself sitting in the chair next to Elenya's bed, a fluffy blanket wrapped around his shoulders and a warm and, according to Dr. Xu, invigorating cup of tea between his hands.

With a heavy heart and full of worry, his gaze was fixed on Elenya's chest, which was slowly rising and falling with a terrible rattling sound. A transparent mask lay over her face, fogging up with each breath and providing her with extra oxygen.

Arlo couldn't remember exactly what had happened in the last hour, but he knew that Elenya's temperature had suddenly skyrocketed overnight and that Dr. Xu and Phyllis were struggling to get the fever under control. In addition, her oxygen saturation was deteriorating and she was plagued by violent coughing fits.

The sound of her painful coughing and unconscious whimpering still rang in his ears, and he was incredibly glad that Dr. Xu had finally found something that both lowered her fever and suppressed the coughing urge.

According to Dr. Xu, what he feared had happened. Severe pneumonia. And it came on quickly. Elenya's vulnerable lungs and weakened body barely managed to clear the dirty lake water from her lungs.

With a sigh, Arlo drank the last of his tea, placed the cup on the small table beside the bed and took Elenya's right hand between his own as carefully as he could. The palm and each finger were individually wrapped in bandages to protect the skin from further damage, and he hardly dared to apply even a little pressure.

The exhaustion of the previous day still coursed through his body; according to Dr. Xu, he also had a slight fever, but that wouldn't stop him from watching over Elenya. He carefully lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a feather-light kiss to the back of her hand.

"I'm here, sweetheart. I'll take care of you. You just rest."

What followed were 8 days of stress, worry and fear. Each of her terrible coughing fits tore a hole in his heart.

Day and night, Arlo watched over Elenya, sitting at her bedside, talking to her, soothing her hot forehead with a cool cloth and chasing away any terrible fever dreams. He left her side only to eat, shower and occasionally sleep for a few hours in the other hospital bed.

Dr. Xu and Phyllis took turns so there was always someone with her. Visitors also came regularly, but Arlo hardly noticed them. He was far too focused on Elenya and every little change.

Her eyes opened from time to time, but each time they were glassy and she seemed oblivious to everything around her.

This was almost more worrying to Arlo than if she were just lying there unconscious. To see her normally bright green eyes so dull and empty frightened him. Dr. Xu said it was probably due to the high fever, but what if she had suffered brain damage from the lack of oxygen?

What if she never came back to him fully again?

He quickly tried to push that thought out of his mind and turned his attention back to Elenya's face. He was alone in the clinic at the moment, the two doctors taking a much-needed rest after the past few exhausting days. This morning, Dr. Xu had finally been able to remove the oxygen mask without her oxygen levels dropping back to dangerous levels, and so he was finally able to look at her face in full.

Her face was pale and sunken, with two red spots high on her cheeks the only colour left, deep shadows under her eyes and her dull hair framing her head.

Her face blurred before his eyes and he rubbed his eyes in frustration. He had barely slept the last few nights. His dreams had been haunted by blood-stained water and blue lips, and only Elenya's hand between his could bring him out of the nightmare.

His body seemed to have finally reached its limits, and without being able to do anything about it, his burning eyes closed. He briefly considered lying back in bed, but decided against it. He wouldn't get any decent sleep anyway.

Instead, he pulled the chair a little closer to the bed and let his head sink onto the mattress next to Elenya's hand. His back would pay for it, but he didn't care right now.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he fell asleep.

~~~~~~

Something rough tickled Arlo's cheek. He wrinkled his nose and tried to shake it off, but it refused to budge. In fact, it pressed a little harder against his cheek and now he realised it was more of a caress than a tickle. Confused, he opened his eyes.

His vision blurred and it took him a moment to realise where he was. During this time, the something did not stop caressing his cheek and he closed his eyes again for a moment to savour the feeling.

He almost fell asleep again when he finally realised what, or rather who, was caressing him so tenderly.

All at once he shot up in his chair.

With wide, disbelieving eyes, he stared up at Elenya's face and sure enough. There they were. Those beloved green eyes, tired but clear, looking straight at him.

"Elenya..." Still in disbelief, her name left his lips like a breath.

He couldn't believe his eyes. She was awake! And now she smiled at him! It was weak, but it was a smile, and it made her look so much healthier that it brought tears to his eyes.

Then it had indeed been her fingers, still wrapped in bandages, that had gently caressed his cheek.

"Elenya..." Her name left his lips once more as he stood up, ignoring the pain in his back, and then carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, the need to be as close to her as possible overwhelming him.

"You're awake." He cupped her left cheek gently with his hand, and with a barely audible sigh, Elenya nuzzled into his palm. The familiar gesture loosened a tension in him and he couldn't stop a few scattered tears of relief.

At last she was with him again. His wonderful builder.

A worried, hoarse sound escaped Elenya at the sight of his tears, her face twisting in pain and he quickly tried to calm her down. Her throat was sore from the many violent coughing fits and Dr. Xu already predicted that once she woke up, it would be a while before she could speak again.

"Shh, everything's fine. Don't try to talk. I'm just so glad you're finally getting better." Still cupping her cheek gently in his hand, he leaned down and pressed his forehead lightly against hers.

He closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the feeling of her closeness, soaking it in. He felt each of her warm breaths on his lips and he didn't think he'd ever felt anything so wonderful. Another weight was lifted from his shoulders.

A light touch on his thigh made him open his eyes again to see Elenya's eyes looking at him with love. Only with great difficulty did he manage to suppress any more tears.

Instead, he finally did what he should have done in the first place. He sat up again and reached for the glass of water that was always ready on the bedside table.

"Here, would you like some water?"

At Elenya's slight nod, he gently pushed the straw between her lips and softly reminded her not to drink too fast. With small sips, the glass slowly emptied, but before half the water was gone, Elenya's lips went slack again and her eyes threatened to close. Arlo could see her trying to fight her exhaustion in frustration and hurried to put the glass back down.

"Hey, it's all right. You've been really sick the last few days and you need to rest. I'm here, okay? I'll take care of you." He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead in the hope of calming her down a little, but she still didn't seem willing to go back to sleep.

With heavy eyes, she looked up at him pleadingly, but he didn't know how he could help her.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? Are you in pain? Shall I get Dr. Xu?" Full of concern, he looked down at her, ready to run off immediately if she answered his questions in the affirmative. But Elenya just shook her head gently and tried to speak again, but only another painful sound left her lips and Arlo quickly tried to stop her.

"Shh, please don't speak. You'll only hurt yourself. "

He desperately tried the next question. "Are you cold?"

Elenya hesitated briefly at this question, but then nodded cautiously.

He finally seemed to be getting somewhere, but when he asked if he should get her another blanket, she answered in the negative again and instead tapped the mattress next to her with her trembling right hand. And finally, Arlo understood what she wanted from him.

"Oh, of course. Nothing I'd rather do. But we have to be careful, yes? Let me know immediately if I hurt you."

Arlo rose from the bed and then carefully slid his arms under Elenya's legs and back to gently push her to the other end of the bed. Just as carefully, he laid down beside her under the covers and gently pulled her into his arms, making sure the IV in her left arm couldn't slip.

Once he had his arms firmly around her weak body, she relaxed in his arms and her head nuzzled against his chest with a contented sigh. Only then did he notice that he was wearing the soft grey sweater that she both loved on him and loved to wear herself. Every time he wore it, he could hardly remove her from his chest, not that he would ever mind. 

Happy that he had unknowingly been able to offer her even more comfort, he pulled her a little closer to his chest and enjoyed the feeling of finally holding her in his arms again. The fear and anxiety inside him finally calmed down. Gently, he pressed a long kiss to the top of her hair and whispered, "Sleep well, sweetheart. I've got you."

[mtap-comics]

I wrote a little story that has nothing to do with my Bad Things Happen Bingo (still hurt/comfort thought because my brain can’t produce anyting else). If you are looking for something short and are also craving a warm hug from Arlo, maybe you can give it a go!

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: My Time At Portia (Video Game) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Arlo/Builder (My Time At Portia), Arlo/Female Builder (My Time At Portia) Characters: Arlo (My Time At Portia) Additional Tags: Pre-Relationship, Mental Breakdown, Crying, Stress-Crying, Mutual Pining, Hugs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Touch-Starved, Elenya (Builder), Elenya really needs a hug, and Arlo will give her one, Fluff Summary:

Elenya found herself at a loss, standing in front of her garden gate, her gaze unfocused on the spot where two agents of the Free Cities Debt Collection Agency had been moments before. What was she supposed to do now?

[mtap-comics]

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo!

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya was tired. No, scratch that. Elenya was exhausted. She didn't think she'd ever been as exhausted as she was at that moment.

Word count: 6'581

Prompt: Worked Themselves to Exhaustion

Author’s note: I'm not really sure what I have to say to this one. I had these three scenes in my head and tried to tie them into one story. Not sure I managed that that well, but I hope you enjoy this anyway!

Oh, and I'm sorry for the rushed end, but I saw how many words I had already written again and needed to stop myself.^^

Warnings: Fainting, Crying, Lots of comfort, Migraines

Read on AO3: Link

Drained by Duty

Elenya was tired. No, scratch that. Elenya was exhausted. She didn't think she'd ever been as exhausted as she was at that moment. A bad migraine had been throbbing behind her temples for hours, every muscle in her body ached, and she wasn't sure how she was even standing upright.

The last few days, or rather the last few weeks - since Ursula arrived in their little town, to be precise - had been the most exhausting she had ever experienced. 

It all started five weeks ago when Ursula hired them to build a bridge into Somber Marsh. Or rather, two bridges, as she couldn't resist building the more difficult route and leaving the easier one to Higgins.

The entire operation had cost her three weeks of continuous work, and that in winter, which this year was only reluctantly giving way to spring. So she spent most of her time either in the mines, replenishing the iron ore that was constantly running out, or behind the tree farm, assembling the parts of the bridge that had already been completed.

Alone the way from her workshop to there cost her more than an hour every day, time that she could otherwise use much more usefully. For example, to complete all the other open commissions she still had.

Every night she woke up after only a few hours of sleep - if she managed to fall asleep at all - feeling guilty that she was taking much longer than usual to complete the villagers' commissions. Just because she had a little more work to do than usual didn't mean she could leave the others in the cold!

Arlo had tried to convince her to give the urgent things to other builders, but that felt even more like failure to her than anything else. She had promised to help the people, and she would!

So every night she had slipped out of Arlo's arms to do as many commissions as she could out in the cold and sparse light of her work table.

At the thought of Arlo, a small part of her tension disappeared and her heart filled with warmth. Without him, she would probably have collapsed days ago.

They had only been married for two months, but in that short time Arlo had become an integral part of her life. And she never thought she could fall even more for this wonderful, selfless and kind man than she already did.

Every day he had made sure she ate at least two full meals a day and had at least tried to get her to sleep. And this despite the fact that he himself had a lot of extra patrols and other work imposed on him by Ursula.

She knew how concerned he was about her, that he had noticed how little she slept and how much she was exhausting herself. Knowing that had only stressed her more over the last few days, as she didn't want to add to Arlo's workload by making him look after her, but she didn't knew what to do about that. The only thing her brain was still functioning in was 'work'.

Even now she could feel his piercing, worried gaze at her back.

They were currently standing together with Ursula and Mayor Gale in the latter's office, discussing the next steps regarding All Source. Arlo stood much closer behind her than he usually did in Ursula's presence, as if he was afraid she was going to collapse at any moment, and if she was honest, he probably wasn't that far off. 

Just an hour earlier, Elenya had installed the fan that was supposed to remove the toxic gases from the ruin where the final key was located. And if she was honest, she couldn't even remember how she'd managed to do that, let alone make it back to the mayor's office. Somewhere on her way back, Arlo had picked her up and led her somewhere, no doubt very worried at her lack of response. It wasn't until Ursula showed up at the office that Elenya realised where she was.

Something about the woman's aura always made Elenya afraid to show the slightest weakness. So she stood up as straight as she could, ignoring her aching body, and tried to follow the conversation. But that quickly proved to be a futile effort. 

The migraine reared its ugly head, making it impossible for Elenya to form a single clear thought. The roaring in her ears drowned out every sound around her, and her vision kept blurring.

What was being said? She didn't know. She was sure that if Ursula hadn't been standing two metres away from her, she would have lost the strength to fight against her protesting body. It took all her willpower to keep herself upright.

How she would have liked to just lie down. Closing her eyes against her headache for just a brief moment.

Blurredly she could see how Gale apparently nodded in conclusion, as if they had come to an agreement with the plan, and shortly after Ursula's outline disappeared from her field of vision.

The click of the door echoed through the room and, like a signal to her body, the last of the strength she could muster for the meeting dissipated. The roaring in her ears took over, her eyes closed and her legs gave way. She could faintly feel strong arms catching her, but then everything went black.

~~~~~~

"Damn, I should have taken better care of her. Should have insisted on taking a break."

"This isn’t your fault Arlo. I should have done something. Especially about Ursula."

Two familiar voices filtered through to Elenya. One as warm as a roaring fire and the other full of fatherly warmth. But both full of deep concern.

What had happened?

A splitting headache kept her from focusing. It settled over her thoughts like a fog, and the two voices around her vanished into it.

She tried to turn her head in the direction of the voices, but a heavy blanket of lead lay over her, preventing her from moving a single aching muscle. For a moment, her awareness slipped away.

Then, as if out of nowhere, a soothing, cool hand touched her forehead, bringing some relief from her raging headache. The fog that clouded her thoughts lifted just a fraction.

A curse echoed beside her and more confusion spread through her. What was going on?

"Sorry about that, boss. But damn, I think she's got a decent fever too." The hand on her forehead stroked down to her cheek, and she would have liked to lean into the familiar, loving gesture, but not a muscle would stir.

"There's nothing to apologise for, Arlo. If there's a time to curse, it's at a time like this." There was a brief pause, during which the thumb on her cheek drew gentle circles in her skin. "Shall I send for Dr. Xu? I'm really worried about her."

There was another pause as the now warm hand moved back to her forehead and then gently stroked through her hair.

"No... I think she just needs a lot of rest. Dr. Xu won't be able to do much for her. I'll take care of her. Like I should have been doing for the past few days..." At the guilt-soaked words, an instinct stirred in Elenya that had become ingrained over the past few years.

What was Arlo blaming himself for again, and what could she do about it?

With difficulty, she finally managed to open her eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling appeared above her and a confused sound escaped her.

Immediately, the voices that had been talking stopped and familiar blue eyes entered her field of vision.

"Elenya! Thank God you're awake. How are you feeling?" Full of deep concern, Arlo's eyes darted over her face as a second head slid into her field of vision, which she recognised as Mayor Gale's.

So she was still in his office. Probably lying on one of the sofas against the back wall. 

"Sweetheart?" Gently, the big, rough hand went back to her cheek and turned her gaze back to Arlo. Only then did it occur to her that she had probably been staring dumbly at the mayor instead of thinking about Arlo's question. 

She struggled to find the right words, to tell him how much her head hurt and how exhausted she was, but it was difficult to form even a single clear thought. What finally escaped her lips was not at all what she had in mind.

"Cold..." 

And it was only as the word slipped from her lips that she realised it was true. A chill had taken hold of her limbs, and with the last energy her body could muster, she began to shiver.

Confused, Arlo looked at her for a moment. He probably hadn't expected to hear those words any more than she had, but then he jumped up and began to take off his jacket and then the grey sweater he was wearing underneath.

He held the sweater out to Gale.

"Can you help me dress her in this?" 

"Of course."

Confused, Elenya watched the two of them. She just couldn't follow their quick movements.

Then Arlo knelt beside her again and slid his left arm under her back. Slowly he lifted her into a sitting position, but her aching head didn't like the movement at all and she let it fall weakly against his shoulder. Soothingly, Arlo stroked her hair with his free hand.

Then a second pair of hands joined in, manoeuvring her arms into the sleeves of the sweater, and a moment later the soft, warm fabric was pulled over her head. She would have liked to help, but her muscles just wouldn't move when she told them to.

"There, now you should be warmer." Lovingly, Arlo whispered these words into her ear, and soon the warmth of the sweater reached her and mixed with his familiar, wonderful scent, a calm spread through her, causing her eyes to close.

Completely exhausted, she collapsed further into Arlo's arms, burying her face in his shoulder. More of his scent rose to her nose and she felt sleep trying to take her.

The arm around her shoulders tightened and she had expected Arlo to urge her to stay awake. Instead, warm lips pressed against her forehead and equally warm words filled her ears.

"That's it. Get some rest, darling. I'll take you home." A second arm slipped under her knees and a moment later she was in the air, pressed tightly against Arlo's chest. Unfortunately, the movement caused her head to fall off his shoulder, hanging uncomfortably backwards, but she had no strength to lift it back up.

Fortunately, she didn't have to stay like that for long, because two smaller, but just as careful hands came to the back of her head and guided it back to Arlo's shoulder. With a grateful sigh, she curled up even closer to the warm chest and let the fog in her head take over. The two voices around her blended together and soon everything went black.

~~~~~~

Elenya awoke sluggishly. She felt as if she had slept too much and too little at the same time. Her limbs were heavy, her thoughts emerged from sleep only with difficulty, and for a moment she simply lay motionless in bed.

How had she gotten here? She couldn't remember getting into bed. And where was Arlo?

Searching, she opened her eyes. The space beside her was empty. Confused, her eyes continued to wander to the clock on the wall.

10:30, it read.

For a moment she stared at the hands of the clock until the information finally reached her brain. Startled, her eyes widened.

Oh no, it was already so late! Why hadn't Arlo woken her up!? What if Ursula needed her help again? Or someone else? And what about all her open commissions?

Without her realising it, she shot up in bed, her chest heaving up and down in panic. If she hurried, maybe she could still get everything done!

Quickly, she threw off her covers and jumped out of bed. With quick steps she hurried to the door of their bedroom, but before she could reach it, a terrible pain stabbed through her head and she became dizzy. Desperately, she tried to hold on to the chair by the door, but she lost her balance more and more, and with a loud crash, the chair fell to the floor with her.

Completely disoriented, she was left on the floor. Her head was pounding like a jackhammer, and the vibrations from the hurried footsteps rushing towards her didn't help. The door to the bedroom burst open and a frantic Arlo stood in the doorway.

"Elenya!" Horrified, he threw himself on the floor in front of her and helped her to sit up. "What happened? Did you hurt yourself?" Full of concern, his eyes wandered over her body, but Elenya had no time for such questions.

She had to get up again!

Desperately, she tried to get her legs under her so that she could stand up, but her muscles began to shake and her dizziness returned, causing her to fall back to the ground. Arlo's strong arms caught her before she could hit the ground again.

"Whoa, hey! Slow down! Easy! What's going on? Elenya, calm down, please!" Panic welled up in Arlo's voice as he tried to stop her next attempt to get up. Firmly gripping both her wrists with one hand, he placed the other against her cheek, gently guiding her gaze to him.

Firmly he held her gaze.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Talk to me, please."

For a moment she could only stare back. Her chest was still rising and falling in panic and she could feel her heart racing in her chest. 

"I... I'm way too late. I have to... I have so much to do... And wha... what if Ursula needs me? I... I can't rest now..." Stuttering and desperate, she managed to get the words out as tears welled up in her eyes.

She couldn't take it anymore. She could feel her body reaching its limit, every single muscle aching, but she couldn't give in now. Portia still needed her.

Arlo's expression in front of her became incredibly sad and suddenly she found herself in his arms. They were still sitting on the floor, but now she was sitting sideways between his legs, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her upper body.

"Oh, sweetheart... Everything's alright. You can rest. You don't have to do anything for the next few days."

Full of sadness and love, Arlo spoke the words against her head, his cheek pressed firmly against her mop of hair and his arms tightening around her body.

She... she could rest? She didn't have to work?

An incredible relief released all the tension in her body and with it the last chance to hold back her tears. Incessantly they flowed from her eyes and seeking shelter she buried her face in Arlo's chest.

"Shh, everything is alright. You are okay. I got you." Arlo whispered softly into her ear, his strong arms keeping her from falling apart. And so she let out all the pent-up emotions and stress of the last few weeks. Cried against his chest for minutes until not a single tear was left.

In the end, her head hurt even more and exhausted she slumped in his arms. Soothingly, Arlo stroked her hair before stopping suddenly and placing his hand against her forehead.

"Oh sweetheart, I think your fever is even higher than it was yesterday. Come on, back to bed with you." Arlo pulled away from her, stood up and gently lifted her into his arms. Unfortunately, her head didn't like that at all and, overcome by terrible pain and dizziness, she buried her head in Arlo's neck with a whimper.

Immediately, Arlo stiffened beneath her and the arms around her body tightened.

"Oh no, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Full of concern, Arlo's voice filtered through to her through the static in her ears, but she couldn't answer. Even in the darkness of Arlo's neck, it felt like the world was spinning around her and her stomach began to churn.

With another whimper, her hand that held Arlo's T-shirt tightened.

Oh God, please don't throw up... please don't.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Come on, talk to me." Desperately, Arlo tried to catch a glimpse of her, but she didn't dare move a muscle. Thankfully, Arlo didn't seem to dare move her either, and after a seemingly endless minute, the world finally stopped spinning and her stomach settled.

Completely exhausted, she went limp in Arlo's strong arms, knowing that he would never let her fall. The world blurred around her and for a moment the only thing that existed was the incredible pain in her head.

Only when she suddenly felt a soft mattress and pillows beneath her did she realise that Arlo had been trying to get her attention. Full of worry and almost panicking, he leaned over her, his left hand gently rubbing her cheek. Trembling, she reached for that very hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Immediately, Arlo's shoulders slumped in relief.

"Oh, thank God. What happened? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"

"No... My head... I think..." It took her a moment to find the right word through the pain. "Migraine."

The panic disappeared from Arlo's eyes, instead the worry deepened and he sank down on the bed beside her.

"Oh no, my poor darling. How bad is it?" He lowered his voice to a low rumble, for which she was grateful. It wasn't until there were no more loud noises that she realised how much they had hurt her head.

"Bad. Really bad." She rarely got migraines, but this one topped all the others she'd had. The vision in front of her right eye kept blurring, the soft light shining through the curtains stung her head, and she just wanted to curl up into a ball to hide from the world and the pain.

Arlo let go of the hand she was still clutching and stood up. "I don't like the sound of that. I'll just get you a cold cloth and then see if we have anything else for the pain, okay? I'll be right back." Still keeping his voice low, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead and then disappeared into the bathroom.

Elenya let her eyes fall shut. How she would have loved to just go back to sleep, to sleep away the pain, but it was that very pain that kept her from doing so. It kept penetrating her head and she felt a new flood of tears leaking from her eyes, making everything worse. But she couldn't stop them. She didn't have the strength anymore.

A soft sob broke from her throat and she heard muffled, rapid footsteps hurrying towards her. Moments later, the bed beside her lowered again and a familiar, rough hand gently wiped away her tears.

"Oh, sweetheart. It's all right. We'll fix you up." Like a warm breath, Arlo's voice brushed over her, comforting her and letting her relax a little.

"Hurts..."

"I know, darling, I know. Here, this should help a bit." Something wonderfully cold settled over her hot forehead and eyes, and almost instantly the pounding in her head calmed a little. Quivering, she took a deep breath.

"That's it. Try to breathe nice and easy. I'll just see if we have any more of Dr. Xu's medicine for your migraine, okay?"

The edge of the bed beside her rose again and Elenya tried to follow Arlo's advice. As best she could, she breathed deeply in and out, trying her best to fight the pain.

The cold cloth on her face felt wonderful, especially as it blocked the last bit of light from her eyes. Together with the controlled breathing, she actually managed to doze off and forget the pain for a moment.

Only a gentle touch to her hand brought her out of her light sleep and with a questioning sound she turned her head slightly to the left.

"Here, sweetie, this should help." The washcloth on her face was removed and for a moment she wondered how that was supposed to help, but then an arm slipped under her shoulders and slowly pulled her up. 

She was about to open her eyes when Arlo stopped her gently. "Shh, keep your eyes closed. I'll help you." Another questioning sound escaped her, but then she felt something being held to her lips. Judging by its shape, it was a small vial, and after a moment's hesitation, she opened her mouth slightly.

She knew what Arlo wanted to give her. A mixture from Dr. Xu that worked wonders for her migraines, but unfortunately tasted disgusting. According to the doctor, adding honey would counteract the effect, so there was nothing he could do about the taste.

Arlo slowly poured the liquid into her mouth, and as soon as it touched her tongue, she cringed in disgust. The taste was nearly impossible to describe. Bitter and sour at the same time. To top it off, it tasted like three day old socks smelled.

Simply disgusting. But it helped, so she forced herself to swallow the liquid and then slumped exhausted against Arlo's chest as soon as the bottle was empty.

"That's it. You'll feel better soon. Here, I've also brought you a glass of water." After a brief clinking of glasses, something new was held to her lips and she drank the refreshing water greedily. 

Relieved, she noticed that the water both washed the horrible taste out of her mouth and calmed her stomach a little at the same time.

"There you go. Drink it all down. You've been asleep for almost 16 hours, you really need to drink something. I'd prefer you to eat something too, but we'll have to wait for the painkiller to kick in first, won't we?" Still whispering softly, Arlo's words brushed gently over her.

Elenya found it difficult to follow his words. Dr. Xu's medicine had a habit of making her tired within seconds, and combined with her ongoing exhaustion and the pain in her head, the world around her began to blur.

A brief jolt ran through her body as she perceived the words "slept for 16 hours", but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. Instead, she snuggled closer to Arlo's strong chest, who was still holding her upright with one arm, and let out a sleepy murmur.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'll make you something to eat later. Get some rest." Gently she was laid back into the pillows and after a brief splash of water the washcloth, now wonderfully cool again, was placed back on her forehead. The last thing she noticed before falling into another deep sleep was a long, tender kiss against her temple.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Arlo's heart ached as he looked down at his sleeping Elenya. The pale cheeks and deep shadows under her eyes, which he knew were hidden beneath the washcloth, were so unlike the otherwise vibrant, happy woman he had married so recently. Her desperate sobs still rang in his ears, and the memory of her collapsing in front of him would haunt him for a long time.

If only he had taken better care of her.

He knew how much she had built, farmed and fought over the last few weeks, and that she had barely slept at night, but he simply didn't knew how to help her. He couldn't do the building for her, nor all the tasks Ursula had given her. Not that he didn't try, but he quickly realised that Ursula was not to be trifled with.

Gale also felt that there was something wrong with this woman, but neither of them could put their finger on it, so they decided to play along for the time being. With whatever it was.

The only thing he could do for Elenya was to make her eat breakfast and dinner and pull her into bed with him late at night, even if he woke up alone in it in the morning.

But now, thanks to Gale, they had three days of undisturbed time in which he could nurse his little builder back to health. Never again would he allow her to work herself to exhaustion. No matter who he had to fight.

With one last lingering kiss to her temple, he left the bedroom as quietly as he could, picking up the overturned chair as he went, and retreated to their kitchen. He would have felt much better if Elenya had eaten something now, but he also knew how nauseous her migraine made her, and she wouldn't have been able to keep anything down anyway. So he settled for preparing her a sustaining soup for later and hoping that she would be able to keep it down.

And so the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon passed very slowly for him. He tried to distract himself with paperwork, but his anxious thoughts kept wandering back to his sick builder and eventually he gave up and slipped back into the bedroom.

Elenya was still lying there as he had left her, which was just further proof of her exhaustion. She hadn't even turned her head, so the washcloth was still untouched on her forehead and eyes. By now it was completely warmed by her feverish forehead, so he filled the basin he had left on her bedside table with fresh, cold water, pulled the chair to the edge of the bed and then dipped the warm washcloth into the cool water.

Wringing out the excess water, he gently wiped Elenya's face with it before placing it back on her forehead. A soft sigh escaped her lips and with a gentle smile, Arlo watched her sleep. He regularly dipped the washcloth back into the cold water as soon as it got too warm, and each time Elenya relaxed more.

He would have to take her temperature later when she was awake. The cold washcloth seemed to help her, but if it was too high, he would have to resort to one of Dr. Xu's tinctures. Too high a fever would only prevent her from getting the rest she needed.

He didn't know how long he sat there like that, watching over her sleep, but just as he had freshly soaked the washcloth and then gently clasped her hand in his, it twitched in his and a soft moan escaped her. Instantly he straightened up more and watched her face intently.

"Elenya, sweetheart, are you awake?" Tense, he watched as her eyelids fluttered a few times before her eyes opened completely. Confused, she looked up at the ceiling and Arlo hurried to stand up and lean over her.

As soon as her eyes caught his, a slight smile formed on her lips, easing a small part of his worry.

Her smile always managed to put him at ease.

"Hey." Tenderly, he returned her smile. "How are you feeling? How's your head?"

Her attempt to answer him came only as a croak from her throat and he quickly reached for the glass of water he had already refilled and placed on the bedside table. Gently, he lifted her head slightly and held the glass to her lips. 

The glass emptied quickly and, pleased that Elenya had drunk so much again, he put it back and then looked at her expectantly.

After a quiet clearing of her throat, her soft voice finally sounded. "As if I'd been run over by a dee dee. But my head is better. It's just everything else that hurts now."

"That must be the fever. You've really overexerted yourself. But don't worry, I'll take care of you." Arlo's heart swelled with love and concern as he watched Elenya struggle with her weakened state. Gently, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.

"You've been pushing yourself too hard, sweetheart," he said, his voice filled with concern. "I know how much you care about the town and its people, but you can't help anyone if you don't take care of yourself."

Elenya managed a weak smile as she looked up at him. "I just... didn't want to let anyone down."

Arlo leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "You could never let anyone down, Elenya. You're Portia's heart and soul. But you have to promise me that you'll take it easy from now on."

She nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I promise."

Gratefully, he kissed her softly on the lips and then moved on to something else that was just as important to him.

"I have made some soup for you. Would you like some? You haven't eaten for almost 24 hours and I'm sure you'll feel better with something in your stomach." He watched Elenya carefully, hoping that her nausea had passed and she would agree. And to his relief, she did.

With a grateful smile, she nodded at him and then tried to sit up, as if she wanted to get up. But her attempt to push herself up with her arms didn't go well and halfway through her muscles gave way.

"Woah hey, what are you doing?"

Arlo quickly caught her and looked down at her with concern.

"Getting up." Came as a hoarse, quiet reply while she leaned her head exhaustedly against his chest.

"Oh no, you're not. You stay nice and comfy in bed and rest. Here." With one arm holding Elenya tightly against his chest, he used his free hand to reach for his own blanket and puff it up behind Elenya so she could lean against it. With ease he pulled her up a little higher until she could sit comfortably.

Satisfied with his work, he straightened up and laughed softly at the pout that had formed on Elenya's lips.

"There, you stay here and I'll heat up some soup for you, okay?" Arlo pulled Elenya's blanket back up to her shoulders when he saw that she was shivering slightly and pressed a gentle kiss against her warm forehead to placate her a little.

With a surrendering sigh, Elenya nodded and snuggled a little deeper into the blankets surrounding her.

Glad that Elenya was willing to listen to him, he quickly made his way to the kitchen to heat up a plate of soup for her. He also filled a glass with juice, hoping the extra vitamins would help her get back on her feet more quickly. Loading everything onto a tray, he brought the items to Elenya and placed it on her lap.

"Here, sweetheart, this should make you feel better. Do you need help eating?" Tenderly, he met her indignant gaze at his words, but it soon became apparent that they were not unfounded.

Determined, she reached for the spoon and dipped it into the soup, but her whole arm shook so much that the soup fell right back into the plate. He let her try three times, her expression growing increasingly frustrated, before he stopped her.

Gently, Arlo grabbed the hand holding the spoon and took it from her.

"Let me help you, sweetheart. Please." He looked at her as gently and openly as he could, reassuring her that he didn't think she was weak, and after a while she finally complied.

"Okay."

"Thank you." 

Pleased that she was letting him help, he pulled the chair a little closer to the bed, sat down and began to feed Elenya the soup spoon by spoon. It wasn't long before both the plate and the glass of juice were empty, and satisfied that she had eaten so much, Arlo set the tray down on the floor.

Elenya's eyes were already closed again when he turned back, and he hurried to remove the blanket from behind her back and gently lay her back down into the pillows. He had just sat down again when her eyes half opened again and looked at him tiredly.

"Thank you, Arlo." Coupled with her warm smile, those words filled him with love and he couldn't help but press another long kiss to her lips.

"Anytime. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too." With a happy smile, her eyes closed again, but it seemed she couldn't find rest. Worried, Arlo put his hand to her forehead to see if her fever had risen any further, but as far as he could tell it was unchanged.

Her eyes struggled to open at his touch and he looked at her with concern.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? Do you need anything else? Do you have a headache again?"

"No, it's just... can you hold me for a while, please? I'm really not feeling well." Tears welled back up in her eyes and Arlo's heart broke again at the sight.

"Of course, darling."

He quickly stripped off his uncomfortable jeans and joined her in bed. Carefully, so as not to hurt her, he pulled her towards him until her head rested on his chest, just above his heart. He wrapped his arms tightly around her upper body and intertwined his legs with hers, hoping to give her a sense of security. As long as she was in his arms, nothing could happen to her.

And indeed, it didn't take long after that for Elenya's breathing to slow down. Relieved that she was now getting some more sleep, he enjoyed the feel of Elenya's small body in his arms and, to his surprise, dozed off for a few hours himself.

~~~~~~

It was already dark when Arlo awoke from his light sleep. By the looks of it, he too had needed a few hours of extra rest.

Elenya was still sleeping peacefully in his arms, her head still directly over his heart, and for a while he watched her tenderly. Unfortunately, his bladder soon made its presence known, so he carefully pulled away from her and slid out of bed.

As Arlo moved around the room, he couldn't help but cast a loving glance back at Elenya, asleep and peaceful. He knew she needed this rest and it eased his worries about her health.

He quickly did his business in the bathroom, put on an old pair of sweatpants so he wouldn't have to walk around in his underwear, and then went into their living room.

However, just as he was about to step into the kitchen to prepare some herbal tea, a sudden, heart-wrenching scream that sounded a lot like his name pierced the silence of the evening. Arlo's heart leaped into his throat, and he rushed back to the bedside, nearly stumbling in his haste.

"Elenya! Sweetheart, wake up!" Arlo called out, his voice filled with panic. He gently shook her shoulder, trying to rouse her from the nightmare.

Elenya's eyes snapped open, and she gasped for breath, her body trembling with fear. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she clung desperately to Arlo, as if he were her lifeline.

"Shh, it's okay," Arlo whispered, his voice soothing. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, as she continued to tremble. "It was just a dream, Elenya. I'm right here. You're safe."

It took a while for Elenya's sobs to subside, her emotions still fragile from the stress of the past weeks. Arlo held her through it all, murmuring comforting words and pressing kisses to her forehead.

Once she had calmed down, Elenya buried her face in Arlo's chest, her fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt. "I... I dreamt that you were gone," she whispered, her voice quivering.

Arlo's heart ached at her words, and he tightened his embrace. "I'm right here, my love. I'm not going anywhere."

For a moment he wondered if the sudden lack of his heartbeat under her ear was the cause of her nightmare, but decided not to think about it any further. That would not help him right now.

Elenya was still clinging desperately to him and isolated sobs escaped her. "There... there was so much blood and... that awful laugh..." Her voice broke with every other word and Arlo was afraid she was going to cry again.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm here. It was just a dream." Gently he rocked her back and forth, but she wasn't finished yet.

"It was him... That mysterious knight... He... he killed you."

At those words, everything inside Arlo tightened painfully. Subconsciously, he tightened his arms around Elenya even more and curled around her, shielding her from the world.

The mysterious knight had been a looming threat in their lives, a shadow that refused to leave, and he knew how much she feared him. Ever since their first encounter a few months ago and the realisation that neither of them could really do anything to counter him. And he didn't blame her. If he was honest, he was also afraid of the next encounter. 

But unlike him, she was still primarily a builder, not a fighter. Of course, she could easily keep up with them in combat, but that didn't mean her heart could. 

In all the years he had been fighting for the Civil Corps, he had seen and experienced quite a bit, and he was glad that his sweet, loving Elenya had been spared this so far. But now such things hit her all the harder, and he wished nothing more than to be able to protect her from all the evil in the world.

He pulled her a tiny bit closer to him until there was not a bit of air left between them and pressed a long kiss to the mop of her hair.

"It was only a dream. I'm here. Everything's going to be all right. We'll get through this. Together."

He didn't know how long they sat there like that, ignoring the cramp in his back from his twisted position and just concentrating on holding Elenya tightly in his arms. She was still trembling slightly and her tight grip on his t-shirt had not yet loosened, so he continued to rock her gently from side to side and whisper comforting words into her ear.

Eventually, though, her tense posture relaxed and she sagged in his arms. A low murmur sounded against his chest, but the words were too faint to make out, so he pushed Elenya slightly away from him and gently lifted her face.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, dark shadows still under them, and yet his heart swelled with adoration at the sight of her. Gently, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"What was that, sweetheart?"

"Thank you Arlo and... sorry. I didn't mean to..." A soft hiccup interrupted her and he hurried to immediately dispel her thoughts.

"Hey shh, there's nothing to apologise for. I'm always here for you, just like you're always there for me." Arlo kissed her again, gently, but with a promise to always support her. Only when they needed to catch their breath did he pull away, gently wiping away the last traces of her tears.

With a happy sigh, she leaned into his gentle touch, her eyes only half open again, her emotional outburst taking its toll on what little energy she had managed to replenish.

"Everything will be alright. I know it."

[mtap-comics]

It's beautiful :D

for the arlo simps ;)

[mtap-comics]

I'm curious and have a question to all the Portia Builders out there: What's the highest level you ever reached in a play through?

Wondering how long people play in one safe game. :D

Mine is level 60 in my first play through where I did almost everything you could do in the game. At least of what I know. :D

[mtap-comics]

I know it's an old post, but I just have to reblog it here, too. (And I can refind it faster)

This is just my most favourite fanart I have ever seen of Arlo and I just love it so much. Thank you for sharing your beautiful art!

A little pose practice from random sources with my new favorite husband from my new favorite gaming obsession. I like when Arlo falls asleep on my armchairs instead of literally any other soft surface in my house, there’s a bed and a sofa but he likes the armchair i guess

[mtap-comics]

I just love this so much! Haven't read "Between Wrenchees and Wonders" yet, but his one here is so cute already. I thought a few times of doing something similar (or well, almost the same) with Arlo and my builder Elenya and their first meeting, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Maybe one day I will have the time for that!

Bells in The Wind

Read on Ao3.

Published:2023-08-02 Words:1,633 Chapters:1/1 Category: F/M

Alright, this was part of my original fic "Between Wrenches and Wonders" because I had started writing a whole story including how they met and everything, and scrapped it because I didn't want it to be too long. I was going through notes and stuff and found this and thought it was cute, so here you go. I have more cute stuff like this but I'm not sure if I want to post it because re-reading my cheeesy writing makes me go ick. Unrelated to MTAP, I am also working on a series of novels. I gave up working full time to persue writing (bad idea, i know), but since I believe all writing should be free for people to read, my upkeep of writing is donation based. If you're intested, you can check out my ko-fi. The first book is linked there an is completely free to read.

He often carried confidence. He spoke with resolve and conviction, and when he made a decision, there was no turning back. He was always sure of himself, and that often made it easier for others to follow his lead. He had unshakeable inner strength, and it was this quality that enabled him to be a successful leader. It was with these qualities that Arlo made a name for himself in Protia, someone people could look up to. To them, the young Captain was typically unphased and always available to provide assistance. He calmly accepted any challenges sent his way, never letting them overwhelm him.

And he had the uncanny habit of getting his thoughts across unconventionally. Even though it was unconventional for him to kick open the commerce guild door, he often lived off the high of his responsibilities. "Pres!" He shouted as his boot heel hit the aging wooden door. "I have a job for you!"

Arlo's bold entrance into the Commerce Guild's office had drawn the attention of everyone present, including the woman standing there with her arms crossed. He couldn't help but feel like a fool for kicking in the door, but there was no turning back now. As his gaze met hers, he felt a jolt of surprise at the sight before him; a woman he hadn't seen before.

With her small frame and curved hips, she commanded attention and had an undeniable aura of charm around her. Her bangs framed her mint green hair, highlighting the spark held in her hazel eyes. Arlo felt taken aback by her beauty, his composed manner faltering for a moment as he took in the sight of her.

"What do you require?" Presley's voice cut through the haze of Arlo's daydreams, and he shook his head to refocus. He looked to the man in front of him, regaining clarity on the task at hand.

"Ah, a bridge," he stammered, feeling a slight heat rise to his cheeks. He fished out the papers and diagrams from his pocket that had been sent over by the Mayor. "We need a bridge to Amber Island."

The woman continued to stare at him, her expression unreadable but with a hint of interest in her eyes. Arlo pushed away the distraction and passed over the documents.

Presley glanced at the papers and nodded, pushing his glasses further up his nose and turning towards the woman next to him.

Presley glanced at the papers and nodded, pushing his glasses further up his nose and turning towards the woman next to him. "This looks like something you could do, my dear."

Her voice was like a warm summer breeze, carrying a subtle hint of amusement and confidence. She raised an eyebrow as she reached out to take the papers, holding them close to her face. "Really now?" Her eyes flickered back towards Arlo, a playful glint dancing within them. "That was quite an entrance for a bridge."

Arlo felt a rush of embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head, feeling the weight of her gaze on him. He had meant to make a bold impression, but now he couldn't help but feel like he had overdone it.

Presley took a step back and motioned to the young woman standing next to him. "This is Bernadette, the new builder." He grinned mischievously and playfully added, "And this is the overly excited captain of the Civil Corps."

Arlo felt a surge of embarrassment at Presley's description but managed to maintain a smile. He was used to his friend's teasing remarks, and this time was no exception.

Bernadette's gaze stayed steady, her face showing a tranquil and composed facade. A hint of inquisitiveness lit up her eyes as she inspected Arlo—so there was a name to the attractive face, which made him more curious.

Stepping forward, Bernadette extended her hand toward him. Her voice was soft yet filled with a sense of confidence as she spoke, "Nice to meet you, Captain."

Arlo couldn't help but notice a slight curve to her hips as he shook her hand, and he found himself taking a step back ever so slightly, hoping she wouldn't notice his momentary fluster. "Likewise," he replied, trying to keep his tone steady despite the way her presence seemed to affect him. There was something refreshing about her presence, and he couldn't deny the spark of attraction he felt.

“Can I get my hand back?” she queried, and as Arlo followed her gaze to their hands still connected, his cheeks flushed a rosy hue. His heart raced with the realization that he had been holding her hand for longer than necessary. He meekly released his grip, feeling both abashed and entertained by his own embarrassed state. “Of course, sorry about that," he replied, striving to sound carefree.

"Arlo, why don't you take Bernadette to see where the bridge is going to be built," Presley suggested suddenly, and Arlo wished he could have stayed quiet.

The idea of spending more time with Bernadette stirred up a blend of emotions: he was excited, yet apprehensive. What if his infatuation was revealed when they were alone? He felt embarrassed for being so flustered by her, chastising himself internally for his lack of composure.

Arlo uttered "Sure, I can do that" almost instantaneously, trying to disguise the internal turmoil he was feeling. He tried his best not to show it as his eyes flicked over to Bernadette's face.

As they walked along the path towards the river, Arlo couldn't shake the feeling of awkwardness that hung in the air between them. He stole glances at Bernadette, trying to think of something to say that would break the silence. He mentally scolded himself for his lack of conversational skills, feeling regretful for agreeing to walk with her when he seemed incapable of holding a proper conversation.

"Uh, so, uh... where did you study? I mean, to become a builder?" Arlo finally mustered the courage to ask, hoping it would lead to a more engaging conversation.

Bernadette looked at him with a small smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Nowhere, actually," she replied. "I'm mostly self-taught."

"Oh," Arlo said, feeling a mix of surprise and admiration. He had assumed that someone as skilled and determined as Bernadette presented herself to be would have received formal training.

Arlo looked around the riverbank, tongue-tied and searching for something to talk about. The quiet was oppressive, and it didn't help that he wanted so badly to have a real conversation with Bernadette.

He finally mustered the courage to ask her why she had moved to Portia. She stared out to the horizon before responding.

"I needed something new," she explained, her voice barely audible over the sound of the river. "A fresh start."

He nodded in understanding; he too had made his own journey to Portia in pursuit of a higher purpose, becoming part of the Civil Corps. He couldn't help but admire Bernadette's bravery in leaving behind what was familiar and embracing the risks associated with a new life.

They continued to walk along the riverbank, the awkwardness slowly fading as they found common ground in discussing their respective journeys. Arlo discovered that despite their different backgrounds, they both shared a passion for their work and a drive to make a positive impact.

"It's really quite pretty out here, isn't it?"

Arlo's eyes followed Bernadette's gaze to the serene river before them. The sun's golden rays shimmered on the water's surface, creating a dance of light that painted the scene with a touch of magic.

"Yeah, it really is," Arlo replied, a hint of awe in his voice, even though it wasn't the river he was thinking about.

Bernadette nodded, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. She reached into her bag and pulled out an old journal, its pages filled with sketches, notes, and ideas. She had an analytical look on her face as she went surveying where she was supposed to build the bridge.

As she went to close the notebook, a pencil slipped from between the pages and fell to the ground. Both of them instinctively reached to grab it, their hands brushing against each other in the process. Arlo felt a jolt of electricity at the contact, causing him to briefly lose his train of thought.

"Sorry," Bernadette said, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I didn't mean to drop it."

"No problem," Arlo replied, trying to hide the flustered feeling that had taken over him. He picked up the pencil and handed it back to her, their fingers brushing once more.

She smiled, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. "Thank you."

For an instant, they were standing in a strangely comfortable silence. Arlo was mesmerized by Bernadette's genuine smile and the air around them, and it felt as if there was something being left unsaid.

He nervously asked, trying to get the conversation back on track, "Erm, do you visit here often?" Too late he realized how redundant the question was, wishing he hadn't said anything.

She emitted a light laugh that sounded like tinkling bells in the wind. "No, I haven't had the chance to explore this area since I arrived." Wrapping her notebook closer to her chest, she directed her gaze to the river one last time. "But I believe I have all that I need to start my project." As she said this, she began walking backward slowly while adding, "It was wonderful meeting you--" Suddenly, she stepped back too far and lost her balance; before he could help her, she tumbled onto the ground with an exclamation of surprise.

"Her voice was filled with joy as she declared, "I'm alright!" She pushed herself up onto her arms and, upon seeing the expression on his face, burst into laughter.

[mtap-comics]

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo!

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya takes a hit for Arlo. The latter, of course, is /not/ pleased about this at all.

Word count: 7,389

Prompt: Anger Born of Worry

Author’s note: I'm sorry you had to wait so long again. I had some stressfull weeks which resulted in a really bad writers block, but I finally manged to finish another fill. I hope the length of it makes up a little bit for it, though! :)

There will be a lot of angst in this one, probably the worst of all the works so far, but the ending is as cavity-inducing as you now it from me. :D Please notify your dentist in advance.

Now I won't keep you any longer and wish you a happy reading!

Warnings: Lots of Angst and lots of Fluff, Blood and Injury

Read on AO3: Link

Scars of Sacrifice

Sweat stood on Elenya's forehead. It was the height of summer and together with Arlo and Remi she was standing in front of a tunnel in the middle of the Eufala Desert. A small earthquake in the desert had revealed an old tunnel, and Arlo had immediately ordered that no one was to enter it until the Civil Corps had thoroughly examined it. 

Elenya helped Arlo and Remi on the dangerous expedition, even though she wasn't an official member. She was glad that Arlo, even though they had been married for over a year, still allowed her to help in such matters and trusted her ability to fight. He still worried about her, of course, but he also knew that Elenya was not one to be kept away from adventure.

Trouble always found her, even when she wasn't looking for it.

They had faced many challenges together since they first met in Portia, and their love for each other had only grown stronger through those experiences. Just as this one was about to do.

~~~~~~

The tunnel entrance was ancient and the air inside was thick and musty. It was hard to tell how old the tunnel was. Had it been dug before the Age of Darkness, or had it been dug by the people looking for relics a hundred years ago? They'd probably never know, but it wasn't really important. 

It was more important to make sure that there was no danger coming from this tunnel. Who knew what had been hidden here all these years?

Cautiously and attentively they followed the tunnel, Elenya at Arlo's request slightly behind the two men. And indeed, it wasn't long before they encountered the first giant worms. They shot out of the ground as if from nowhere, but the three of them made quick work of the four cell worms.

After a quick check from Arlo to make sure everyone was OK, they pushed deeper into the tunnel. The air became increasingly stuffy the further they went, and Elenya was glad she had taken one of Dr. Xu's tinctures for her asthma before they left. It was really hard to breathe in here.

For the next 5 minutes they encountered a few individual worms now and then, and so far that seemed to be the biggest threat coming out of the tunnel. But Elenya didn't dare hope that something much worse wasn't waiting for them.

Arlo and Remi were getting nervous as well. Arlo looked back at her more often, as if to make sure she was all right, and each time she tried to smile at him reassuringly. 

Anticipation was building inside her and she couldn't decide if she wanted the inevitable to happen sooner or later. With every step they took, the tension in the air grew.

After a sharp turn, a large cave suddenly opened up in front of them. An unnatural light shone from it and Arlo immediately stopped them with a wave of his hand.

"What...?" Remi started to speak, but Arlo pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him instantly.

"Shh." With a hand signal he told them to listen more closely and Elenya strained to follow his request.

At first she heard nothing, but then... The shuffling of feet and something being dragged across the floor.

It sounded like...

"Miner variants." Remi whispered her thoughts and tightened his grip on his hammer.

"Yes, and at least six of them." Arlo confirmed, his voice barely more than a breath.

Six against three then. That shouldn't be a problem for them. After all the hours she had already spent in Ingall's Mine, these monsters were more than familiar to her.

Still, an unpleasant anxiety spread through her. Her heart began to pound and sweat made her hands slippery. Almost painfully, she gripped the hilt of her sword.

Could they really take on so many at once? What if, for once, they were intelligent enough to lunge at one of them at the same time?

She did not notice how her breathing quickened until familiar blue eyes slid into her vision and instantly a part of her fear vanished. They looked at her with concern and determination, silently telling her that they were in this together, no matter what danger lay ahead. Arlo's unwavering support gave Elenya the strength she needed to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Without exchanging words, they formulated a plan. Arlo motioned for Elenya to take cover behind a large rock formation while he and Remi strategically positioned themselves on the opposite side of the cave entrance. She admired the coordinated movements between the two, a testament to the time they had already fought side by side together.

With a nod of reassurance, Elenya took her position, her heart still pounding, but now with a newfound sense of determination. She knew that Arlo and Remington had her back and she would do everything in her power to protect them as well.

With one last deep breath and a signal from Arlo, the two Civil Corps charged into the room. They surprised the monsters and quickly defeated the first Miner Variant before engaging in a battle with two of them each.

That left one more, which continued to look bewildered between the two fighting groups. This was Elenya's chance. She could always take on one of them.

At first she tried to sneak up on it as quietly as possible, but then she saw it turn its attention to Arlo and lunge at him, so she quickly jumped in between, deflecting the scythe with her sword.

The screech of metal against metal filled the cave as Elenya parried the Miner Variant's attack, pushing back against its immense strength. Her heart raced as she engaged in a fierce dance with the creature, every clash of their weapons echoing through the chamber.

Arlo and Remi were locked in their own battles, the sounds carried over to her. But Elenya couldn't afford to be distracted by their fights. She focused solely on the relentless Miner Variant in front of her, its glowing eyes filled with malicious intent.

She had fought many of these monsters before, but these seemed a little different from the ones in Ingall's Mine. Bigger, paler, and most of all... faster .

With each of her blows and parries, the monster managed to match her every move. It was as if this Miner Variant had an uncanny understanding of her fighting style. Frustration welled up within Elenya, mixing with the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She needed an opening, a chance to end this battle.

Suddenly it came - a fleeting weakness in her opponent's defence. Elenya seized the moment, her muscles reacting instinctively as she aimed her strike at the creature's exposed side. But in a blur of motion, the Miner Variant evaded her attack and countered, its scythe arcing towards her chest.

Fear tightened around Elenya's heart as she twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the scythe's deadly arc. The close call sent a shiver down her spine and her senses heightened. She knew she had to think fast, her life depended on it.

Every muscle in her body tensed as she observed the Miner Variant's movements, her mind racing to decipher its patterns. Taking a calculated risk, she went on the offensive, delivering a quick series of blows to the creature's legs. With precise, lightning-fast movements, she tried to impair the creature's mobility. The Miner Variant stumbled, its scythe momentarily off balance, and Elenya saw her opportunity.

She lunged forward, her sword gleaming in the dim light, and struck with all her might. In one swift motion, the blade sliced through the air and found its target, piercing the creature's torso. The Miner Variant let out a guttural roar, its body jerking in pain. Elenya stood, breathless and trembling, as the creature crumpled to the ground, lifeless. 

Her chest heaved, a mixture of relief and exhaustion washing over her. This had been much harder than she was used to.

How had these monsters become so strong down here? There was nothing in here after all.

The clank of a sword snapped her out of her thoughts and she remembered with a start that the fight wasn't over yet. She quickly glanced over at Remi, who had also finished off one of his opponents and was still busy with the second, but didn't seem to need any help.

Then her eyes wandered to Arlo and it was as if time stood still. He, too, had already killed one monster without any problems and, slightly turned away from her, was fighting the second, but that was not what made her freeze in horror.

No, behind him, completely unnoticed by the three of them, a seventh Miner Variant had crept up. As if in slow motion, she saw it raise its scythe high above its head, ready to strike a fatal blow.

A deafening buzz filled her ears, all-encompassing panic gripped her, and she tried to yell a warning to Arlo, but no sound escaped her throat. Without her knowledge, her feet began to move. 

Slowly, the scythe lowered and pure desperation made her speed up.

Oh God, please don't let her be too late!

Suddenly Elenya crashed into Arlo's side and time jumped back to normal speed.

With a dull thud, they both hit the ground. For a moment she thought she had prevented the worst, but then it hit her. The pain .

It spread across her back like fire. Tore at her body and had the impact not knocked the air out of her lungs, she would have screamed. But she couldn't. Instead, the pain overwhelmed her and everything went dark.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Arlo didn't know what hit him at first. One second he was delivering the final blow to the monster in front of him and the next he was on the ground, a familiar weight on top of him.

The impact knocked the air out of him and it took him a moment to catch his breath. 

What?

Confused, he looked first at the Miner Variant that had suddenly appeared where he had been, as if from nowhere, and at the way Remy was driving it away with his hammer, and then at the shock of black hair resting on his chest.

Elenya.

A surge of fear shot through him, coupled with the terrible realisation of what must have happened. Desperately, he called out her name, in the hope of some kind of response that would alleviate his growing dread.

"Elenya! Please answer me!" His trembling right hand reached out to gently shake her shoulder, but as soon as his fingers made contact, a small whimper escaped her lips and his heart clenched.

His fingers met something warm and sticky, and far too much of it.

"Elenya..."

As carefully as he could, he pulled out from under her, eliciting pained whimpers that tore at his heart, but he needed to know what had happened. He made sure to lay her on the floor in the same position she had been on top of him.

When he finally knelt beside her and could examine her back, he wished he could turn back time. A deep, long cut ran from her left shoulder down the middle of her back, stopping just short of her spine. Blood flowed in streams from it.

His stomach turned and horror rendered him immobile.

Oh God...

For far too long a time he stared at the horrific sight before him. Time in which Elenya lost precious blood.

By the time he was able to shake himself from his stupor, her blood was already spreading across the floor and he desperately pulled everything out of his waist pack until he had compresses in his hands. With both hands, he pressed the compresses firmly against her back, desperately attempting to stem the bleeding.

A faint cry of pain tore from Elenya's throat and a stream of apologetic words flowed from his mouth.

"I'm so sorry, darling. Everything will be alright. Please hold on. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

But the blood refused to let up, the metallic smell rising into his nose, and he pressed harder, his actions fuelled by desperation. Elenya's cries faded to silence.

"Please, please hold on. You can't die. Please don't..." Fear ate him up inside.

How had this happened? Why hadn't he noticed the presence of the Miner Variant? And, most agonising of all, why had Elenya chosen to throw herself in harm's way?

Fear, horror, confusion and anger mixed within him, overwhelming him like a searing wave. Unbeknownst to him, tears of despair fell upon his hands as he fought desperately to save Elenya's life.

Only Remington's shocked voice managed to break through the chaos consuming him.

"Arlo!" His best friend dropped to his knees beside him, his expression mirroring Arlo's own horror.

"Remi, help me," Arlo pleaded in a strained, shaking voice. He needed someone else to be there with him, his normal control slipping with Elenya's blood through his fingers. His mind raced, trying to remember any knowledge of first aid that might help them in this situation. But panic threatened to overwhelm him, and he fought to keep his focus on saving Elenya.

Despite his shock, Remington sprang into action. He dug into his waist pack and pulled out all the first aid supplies he could find.

"Come on, we need to get her jacket and T-shirt off. Otherwise we can't bandage her." Remi tried to pull his hands away, but he resisted.

"I can't! She's losing blood way too fast!" Pure panic filled his voice. Elenya was about to bleed to death and he didn't know what to do. 

"Okay, okay, I'll have to cut off the jacket then. We can leave the T-shirt on. You keep the pressure on, I'll work around you." Quickly, Remington pulled out a small knife and started cutting what was left of Elenya's jacket.

Meanwhile, Arlo never let up the pressure on Elenya's wound. The compresses and his hands were the only thing keeping her from certain death.

Once the jacket was out of the way, Remi grabbed a fresh pile of compresses and instructed Arlo to remove the ones that had completely bled through. With Remi's guidance, they managed to wrap several bandages tightly around Elenya's torso, stopping most of the bleeding.

"We need to get her out of here, back to Portia," Remington said, his voice steady despite the turmoil in his eyes. "I'll take her horse. You carry her. We'll ride as fast as we can."

Arlo nodded, his friend's words a lifeline in the midst of the chaos. Gently, carefully , he lifted Elenya into his arms, cradling her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Which she was. At least to him. He could feel her shallow breaths against his chest and prayed with every fibre of his being that she would hold on.

With Remington leading the way, they hurried out of the cave and mounted their horses. Elenya was carefully placed in front of Arlo on his horse, supported by his strong arms. Her head rested against his shoulder and he could feel her feverish skin against his neck.

"Stay with me, Elenya," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "Come on, sweetheart. You can make it."

The ride back to Portia was a blur. He barely remembered passing the bridge or the gate. Not even the people calling out to them anxiously as they raced through the streets. All he could focus on was the gentle up and down of Elenya's chest under his hand. They couldn't lose a second. It could be Elenya's last.

Twenty minutes after they had set off, they finally reached the clinic at the top of the hill. Remi helped him carefully lift Elenya off the horse, and then they rushed through the door of the clinic. 

Inside, two pairs of startled eyes locked on them, quickly widening in shock at the sight of the bloodied Elenya in Arlo's arms.

"Arlo, Remington, what happened? Quick, put her down here." Quickly, Dr. Xu scurried over to the bed behind the room divider and instructed Arlo to lay Elenya down on it.

Hesitantly, he complied. The fear and desperation in him didn't want to let her go, wanted to keep her safe in his arms, but reason quickly took over. As carefully as he could, he placed her on the bed and turned her onto her stomach so that she wouldn't lie on her wound.

At the movement, a pained whimper escaped her, tearing at his heart and at the same time flooding him with slight relief. As painful as the sound was, it told him they weren't too late. Her consciousness was still aware of something.

A horrified gasp went through the room as Elenya's back came into view of the two medics. The bandages that Remi and he had applied as best they could were now completely soaked through, and the mere sight of them made Arlo dizzy.

Oh God, how much blood had she lost by now?

For a moment all he could do was stare at Elenya's back in utter horror until Dr. Xu shooed him away. Or at least tried to.

He tried to force his legs to move, but another overwhelming wave of emotions had overtaken him, leaving him motionless. Paralysed, he stared down at the petite figure of his wife, his everything, who had risked her life to save his.

A hand wrapped around his upper arm and pulled him a few steps away, but he barely noticed.

Dr. Xu's voice broke through Arlo's trance, sharp and authoritative. "Arlo, I need you to step back. We need to tend to her injuries."

Arlo tore his eyes from Elenya's still form, his heart pounding in his chest. He nodded, feeling a mixture of guilt and helplessness. He stumbled back, his legs feeling weak beneath him. Remington stood at his side, a supportive presence in the midst of the chaos.

"Come on, let's give these two some space so they can work undisturbed." Without waiting for a response, Remi pulled him out of the clinic and over to their headquarters. 

Arlo wanted to resist, couldn't bear to leave Elenya alone, but Remi's gentle but firm grip on his upper arm wouldn't budge. Only when they were standing in the middle of the large room of their headquarters did Remi let go of him.

Not knowing what to do with himself, Arlo stopped. Completely lost, he stared unseeingly into the air before him until two strong hands placed themselves on his shoulders and brown eyes bored into his. There was deep concern and tension in them as well, but Remi was far more composed than he was.

"Arlo, everything is going to be fine. Elenya's strong and Dr. Xu and Phyllis know what they're doing. She'll be fine, okay?" 

Arlo nodded weakly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I know, Remi. It's just... seeing her like that, covered in blood... I can't shake that image."

Remington's grip on Arlo's shoulders tightened reassuringly. "I understand, Arlo. But right now you need to take care of yourself as well. You're covered in her blood and that's not going to help anyone."

Arlo's gaze drifted down to his blood-soaked clothes and a shudder ran through him. He hadn't even realised how much of Elenya's blood had gotten on him during their desperate struggle to save her. The reality hit him like a punch to the gut, and his stomach churned at the sight.

"You're right," he managed to croak, his throat tightening. "I need to clean up."

Remington patted his back sympathetically. "Take a shower, get the blood off you. I'll bring you some of my clothes."

Numbly, Arlo made his way to the bathroom. His movements were mechanical, his mind still clouded by the terrible events of the day. As he turned on the water and stepped into the shower, he felt the warmth seep into his skin, but he couldn't shake the coldness that seemed to have settled in his bones.

The blood was diluted now, swirling down the drain with the water. But even the sight of it disappearing didn't lighten the weight on his chest. He couldn't get the image of Elenya's injured form out of his mind, and the realisation of how close he had come to losing her was suffocating.

On top of that came this incredible anger. By now he didn't know whether he was more angry at her or at himself. How could he have missed the seventh Miner Variant? Why hadn't he noticed it sneaking up on him? And why, why had Elenya thrown herself in between?

Arlo abruptly turned off the shower, stumbled out and collapsed on the bathroom floor. His breath came in ragged gasps and he covered his mouth with his hand, fighting the urge to vomit. The blood, the fear, the helplessness, the anger - it was all too overwhelming.

Remington's voice echoed in his head, urging him to take care of himself. Arlo pressed his palms against his temples, his heart racing as he concentrated on the sound of his own uneven breathing. Slowly, his pulse began to steady and he pushed himself to his feet.

With trembling hands, he reached for a towel and wrapped it around himself, noticing that Remi had left some clothes on the counter for him. Barely controlling his emotions, he dried himself and pulled on the simple t-shirt and sweatpants. With one last look in the mirror to make sure all the blood had been washed away, he left the bathroom.

Outside, Remi was waiting for him with a slight smile. 

"Better?"

Arlo nodded curtly. It was an outright lie, but Remington was just as worried about Elenya and he didn't want to burden him with his out of control emotions.

"I'm glad to hear that. I'll take a shower as well, okay?" Remi demonstratively showed him another bundle of clean clothes and Arlo nodded again. He couldn't get a word out of his tightened throat.

With one last worried look, Remi disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Arlo alone with his inner turmoil. The training dummy, silent witness to his torment, caught his eye. Without even thinking about wrapping his hands or putting on gloves, he unleashed his pent-up emotions on the inanimate object. Each punch carried the weight of his anger, fear, and despair, as if he could physically beat away the tormenting 'whys' that plagued his thoughts.

The room seemed to shrink around him as he sought refuge in his relentless assault on the dummy. The dull thuds of his fists against the worn fabric filled the space, mirroring the cacophony of questions that echoed in his mind. Each blow was a futile attempt to find answers, a way to rationalise the incomprehensible.

His knuckles split open, but he didn't notice. The pain in his hands was nothing compared to the agony in his heart. Blood mixed with sweat, staining the dummy and his hands in a gruesome display of his inner turmoil. Yet, he didn't care about the pain or the mess; he needed an outlet for the overwhelming emotions threatening to consume him.

Time became a blur as he lost himself in this frenzied assault. He didn't know how long he had been at it when suddenly two strong hands closed around his upper arms, pulling him away from his desperate endeavour. Arlo fought the grip with all his might, every fibre of his being yearning to return to the only solace he'd found in this moment of chaos.

"Arlo! Stop!" The voice, barely recognisable through his tumultuous thoughts, penetrated his consciousness. Remi's familiar voice made him stop and clarity returned to his thoughts.

Arlo's laboured breaths filled the room as his arms fell powerlessly to his side. His eyes were wild, a storm of emotions swirling within them. He felt vulnerable, exposed, as if his soul had been laid bare. The 'whys' still echoed, but now there was another question fighting for dominance: "Why couldn't he protect her?"

As if in a trance, he followed the drops of blood dripping from his hands to the floor.

Drip, drip, drip...

Another pair of shoes slid into his field of vision and he recognised them as Sam's.

When had she come in?

Confused, he lifted his gaze slightly from her shoes to her green eyes and was greeted with deep concern. A sad smile sat on her lips.

Shame crept up his spine and for a moment he tried to control his emotions, to get into his 'captain' mode, but quickly realised he didn't have the strength. Instead, his shoulders slumped even more and he let Remi lead him over to one of the yellow armchairs without resistance.

He could hear Sam disappearing into the bathroom as he was pushed into the chair and a short time later Sam was kneeling on the floor in front of him, one of his bloody hands in hers, cleaning his cracked knuckles. The cleaning burned like fire, but instead of complaining, he welcomed the pain. It distracted him from all the terrible feelings that were eating him up inside.

No one spoke a word while Sam tended to his hands and there was a tense, worry-filled silence in the headquarters. Remi, meanwhile, wiped the blood from the floor and the training dummy, and a new wave of shame and guilt washed over Arlo.

Not only was Elenya badly injured because of him (he tried to banish the "maybe even dead" thought from his mind immediately), no, his teammates now had to take care of his mess as well. Couldn't he do anything right today?

15 minutes later, his hands were cleaned and bandaged, and the three of them were sitting squashed together on their couch. There had still been no word from either of them, and Arlo was grateful to his two friends. Nothing anyone could say to him would help him now. Only Dr. Xu telling him that Elenya would be fine would be able to quell his fear.

He didn't know how long they sat there. His thoughts were solely on his wife, who was fighting for her life one building away. All alone, without him.

His heart tightened painfully for the hundredth time today and with a low groan he buried his face in his bandaged hands. His emotions threatened to overwhelm him again when the door finally opened and an exhausted Dr. Xu entered.

All three of them were instantly on alert as they watched Dr. Xu walk over to them and drop into the chair beside them. 

Before any of them could say anything, the doctor began to speak.

"First things first, she's going to make it." 

Immediately, a heavy weight was lifted from Arlo's heart. She was going to make it.

"But it was damn close this time. Really close. Elenya had lost so much blood that her body went into shock and her heart threatened to stop..."

Arlo felt like his heart was going to stop. His sweet little builder had really almost died? The horror must have been written all over his face, because Dr. Xu hurried to continue speaking quickly.

"But we managed to stabilise her! We had enough blood to replace most of the blood she had lost. I cleaned and stitched the wound on her back and bandaged it tightly. She was really lucky. A little further and there would have been a risk of nerves in her spine being severed. But as far as I can tell at the moment, she should recover almost completely. However, I cannot promise that she will ever regain full use of her arm. The cut did a lot of damage to her shoulder muscles."

Exhausted, Dr. Xu sank further into the soft cushion of the chair after his explanation, letting his words sink in for the three of them.

Arlo didn't know what to feel. The strongest was relief, followed by pain at the thought of what Elenya would have to endure over the next few weeks, and then there was that anger that wouldn't let go of him. 

She might have risked her career for him. What if she could no longer move her arm enough to pursue her passion for building? How could she risk that just to take the fall of his own inattention?

Remi snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Can we see her?"

Immediately his attention snapped back to Dr. Xu. The latter gave a deep sigh.

"Phyllis is taking care of her right now. I just wanted to let you know in advance that she'll be fine. But I think Arlo can go and see her. I'm sure you're dying to see her."

He didn't need to be told twice. Without really paying attention to the others, he jumped up and a moment later was standing in the clinic, his gaze fixed on the room divider behind which he could hear Phyllis working.

Suddenly completely conflicted about whether he even wanted to know what was behind it, he approached the hospital bed with hesitant steps.

The first thing he saw were Elenya's feet, covered by a light white blanket. The closer he got, the more came into his field of vision. He quickly saw that she was turned onto her right side, large pillows behind her back ensuring that she couldn't turn onto her back and onto her wound.

He stopped at the foot of the bed. Now he could see what Phyllis was doing. She was gently wiping the dirt and blood from Elenya's face with a basin of water and a soft cloth. She had already braided Elenya's long black hair into a loose plait to keep it out of the way, giving Arlo a clear view of her pale and slightly sunken cheeks.

Seeing those beloved features, as unhealthy as they looked at the moment, relieved him a little more and he let his gaze slide down to her shoulder. Her left arm was resting on a large pillow and her entire torso was wrapped in thick bandages, but now they were pristine white and another weight fell from his heart. 

The only blood left was covering Elenya's forearm. Phyllis had probably not yet had time to clean it.

An uncontrollable desire to touch Elenya suddenly overcame him and he cleared his throat softly to get Phyllis' attention. Startled, she turned to him.

"Oh, Arlo, I didn't hear you come in. I need a moment, then you can sit with her." A warm, reassuring smile graced her lips, but he couldn't wait any longer.

"Can I maybe...?" It was only at the sound of his raspy voice that he realised how long it had been since he'd said anything, but didn't let it faze him. His hand pointed first to the soft rag in her hand, then to Elenya's blood-encrusted arm. Confused, Phyllis looked at him for a moment before she seemed to understand what he was asking. Her gaze softened even more.

"Of course. You just have to be very careful not to move her shoulder. It was very difficult to sew the wound and the stitches are very fragile." She handed him the cloth and made room for him.

Silently, he sat down on the chair beside the bed and dipped the cloth into the lukewarm water from the basin on the table beside the bed. He wrung out the excess water and then wiped the last bit of dirt from Elenya's forehead as gently as he could.

Once the spot was clean, he pressed his lips gently against it and whispered against her forehead: "Hey, sweetie. I'll watch over you, okay? I'll take care of you."

With the same tenderness, he continued to clean every bit of dirt and blood from her skin until she was as clean as she could be. Phyllis took the basin of dirty water from him, checked once more that Elenya was lying correctly and that the IV needle in the back of her hand hadn’t slipped, then left him alone.

Once more he pressed a long, warm kiss against Elenya's forehead and then leaned back in the chair to watch over her healing sleep.

For four days he sat there almost non stop, four long days in which Elenya didn't stir. Soothed the light fever she developed with a cool cloth, tried to dispel any bad dreams and whispered loving, encouraging words in her ear. And then, on the morning of the fifth day, he had just come into the clinic, freshly awakened from a fitful sleep in his old room, her eyelids finally fluttered open and her beautiful green eyes appeared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Elenya awoke in confusion. Where was she?

The first thing she noticed was that she was lying on her right side. Nothing unusual at first, she usually slept on her side, but then there was usually a muscular, warm chest beneath her, with a strong, reassuring heartbeat beating beneath it.

But there was no heartbeat under her ear, and the mattress she was lying on was definitely not hers. There also seemed to be several pillows behind her, preventing her from rolling over. In general, there were a lot of pillows around her. Her left arm also appeared to be resting on one. This, together with a tight bandage around her upper body, kept her in a stable position.

What was going on?

There was only one way to find out.

With difficulty she managed to open her eyes, and instantly all the tension that had built up inside her disappeared as her eyes fell on the familiar redhead in front of her.

Arlo was here, so at least she was safe. He was rubbing his eyes and didn't notice that she had woken up, but as soon as he lowered his hands and his gaze fell on her open eyes, his features lit up.

"Elenya, sweetheart! You're awake!" Joyfully, his slightly hoarse voice echoed through the room and his warm hand came to rest gently on her cheek. He leaned closer to her.

"It's good to see those beautiful eyes again. I was so worried. How are you feeling?" A warm but strained smile graced his lips and for a moment she could only stare at him.

Deep shadows lay under his eyes, his face was pale, and his normally bright blue eyes seemed dull. And she thought she hadn't imagined the bruised knuckles she'd just caught a glimpse of. What had happened?

She could barely remember. They were in the desert, that much she remembered, but what had happened after that? What had made Arlo so worried?

Elenya tried to ask him, but her mouth was completely dry and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. A strangled sound left her throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry, darling. Here." Arlo seemed to realise immediately what her problem was and reached for the glass on the table next to the hospital bed on which she must have been lying. A straw rested in it, which he now gently slipped between her lips.

She sucked greedily at the straw, enjoying the way the cool water moistened first her mouth and then her dry throat. Before she could empty the glass in quick gulps, though, Arlo pulled it away from her again. A protesting sound escaped her.

"Slow down, sweetheart, or you'll get sick. You've been unconscious for four days, your stomach needs to get used to liquids again." He stroked her hair apologetically, but his words made her forget her lingering thirst.

Four days? She had been unconscious for four days ? That would explain at least one thing. No wonder Arlo looked so exhausted. Worry must have been eating him up inside.

"Arlo?" She was startled by the weak, exhausted tone of her voice. Was that really her?

"Yes, sweetheart?" His hand slid from her hair down to her cheek, and with a soft sigh, she snuggled into his warm palm.

"What... what exactly happened?" Her second attempt to speak wasn't any better, but Arlo had no trouble understanding her.

"You want to know what happened?" To her surprise, his face suddenly twisted with anger and he withdrew his hand. "You almost died, that's what happened! Because you were a bloody idiot!" He was seething.

"How could you be so careless? I took you with me because I know you can look after yourself. But I didn't expect you to be stupid enough to get between me and the sharp scythe of a Miner Variant. What the hell were you thinking?!"

Furious, Arlo paced in front of her bed, running his hands through his hair and breathing heavily. 

Concern rose in Elenya. She had never seen Arlo so angry, let alone at her, and she didn't know how to handle that. 

At the mention of a scythe, however, images finally surfaced in her mind that would explain quite a bit.

"Why the hell did you do that? Why?" He stopped in front of the chair.

"You could have died, for fuck's sake! And it would have been my fault..." His voice broke on the last words and he collapsed on the chair, crying.

Her heart broke in two at the sight and she was overcome with guilt.

She didn't regret what she'd done, but she'd never wanted to put Arlo through that kind of pain.

"Arlo..." She wanted to reach for him, wipe away his tears, but even the slightest tensing of her arm sent terrible pain from her shoulder to her spine, and with a shocked gasp, she quickly dropped her hand back to the pillows in front of her.

Like fire, the pain spread down her back and she couldn't stop herself from whimpering.

Oh God...

"Elenya, stop! Please, don't move. You'll open your stitches!" Quick as a flash, Arlo shot back up from his chair. Anger still radiated from him, but his touch was all gentle and careful as he placed his large hand on top of hers, stopping her from moving any further.

Not that she had any intention of doing that again.

She struggled to breathe through the pain, tears streaming down her face as the agony refused to subside, taking her breath away.

"Hey, shhh, you're okay. Come on, take a deep breath. You can do this. Just breathe." Gently, Arlo's free hand stroked through her hair and she desperately concentrated on the sensation of his warm hands.

After several agonising minutes, the pain gradually subsided, leaving her utterly exhausted and her muscles limp. Arlo still clasped her hand in his and used his other hand to gently wipe away her tears. With great effort, she managed to flip her hand beneath his, offering a weak squeeze as an apology.

"I'm sorry, Arlo. I didn't mean to cause you so much pain." Her voice was so weak and she could feel her body fighting to stay awake, but she really needed to talk to him about it.

There was so much pain, fear and anger in his eyes and she wanted, needed , to calm at least some of it.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that..." Arlo pulled the chair closer to the bed and sank into it, exhausted, never letting go of her hand. "It's just... I don't understand. Why would you do something like that? What were you thinking?" Confusion and distress etched his face, and another tear slipped from his eye.

How she longed to wipe it away.

"To be honest... I wasn't thinking at all. I just saw you being attacked from behind and I... just acted. One moment I saw the raised scythe, and the next... searing pain, and then nothing..." Her voice weakened with each word, but she fought the exhaustion. She couldn't sleep now. Arlo needed her.

He flinched slightly when she mentioned pain and then ran a stressed hand through his hair.

"That was so stupid of you. Besides the big scar you will now bear forever, Dr. Xu said you might never get full use of your arm again. If that happens, you might never be able to build anything again, and all of this just to protect me. I just don't understand how you could do something so stupid..." Desperately he looked at her, confusion still deep in his eyes.

Before she could answer him, what he'd said hit home. For a moment, Elenya's world stopped. She might have to give up her profession? But... what would she do then?

For a split second, she regretted what she had done, but then that thought immediately vanished again. If she hadn't done what she had, she might have lost Arlo forever, and she couldn't bear that. She would rather not swing a hammer for the rest of her life than live without Arlo for even one day.

And she decided to tell him just that.

"I love you, Arlo. So very much. I'm sorry I caused you so much worry and pain, but I'd do it again any time. I can't imagine my life without you. I would rather not be able to work another day than have to be without you." Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes, but Arlo was quick to wipe them away.

"Oh, my sweet, idiot builder. I don't want to spend a day without you either. But that's what almost happened. For a moment, I thought I had lost you." A brief flicker of despair crossed his face, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by a look of love. Gently, he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I love you so much, darling. Please always remember that I can't lose you any more than you can." A short pause. "But thank you for saving my life."

For an eternally long moment they looked deeply into each other's eyes, lost in the familiar feeling of love, until Elenya's last reserves of strength were used up. Without her consent, her eyes kept falling shut, but she kept trying to fight it.

She didn't want to sleep again. Arlo was here with her.

But he, of course, saw her exhaustion and, after a gentle kiss against her forehead, moved away from her.

"You need to rest, darling. Sleep."

"But..."

"I'll be here when you wake up." Arlo, as always, seemed to know exactly what was going on inside her and so she finally gave in.

Her eyes closed, Arlo's gently smiling face disappearing behind her eyelids, but exhausted as she was, sleep wouldn't come.

She felt strangely cold. Not physically cold, but mentally. As if something was missing. But what?

With a soft sigh she opened her eyes again. Maybe Arlo could help her? He always knew how to make her feel better.

Concerned blue eyes met hers as her vision finally focused.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain?" Arlo's voice dripped with concern and she hurried to deny his question.

"No, it's just... I don't know... I can't fall asleep." Seeking help, she looked at him. Her head was swimming with exhaustion and she could feel her body crying out for sleep. But then why wasn't it coming?

The worry didn't leave Arlo's gaze and thoughtfully he looked at her. For a long time he said nothing, until suddenly he started to take off his sweater.

Confused, Elenya watched him. What was he up to? Not that she ever minded him taking his clothes off, but that usually didn't help her fall asleep.

As he held the soft, grey garment in his hands, he slid it as gently as possible under her head and adjusted it until the collar of the sweater was directly under her nose. The fabric was still slightly warm against her cheek, and with the familiar scent now rising directly into her nose, something inside her settled. The empty feeling inside her disappeared and her eyes closed in relief.

It seemed she had missed Arlo .

"Thank you..." The words left her lips like a soft breath, her mind already half asleep and only vaguely aware of Arlo's warm lips pressing against her temple.

"Anytime, sweetheart. Sleep well, my heart."

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I love your fics 😭😭😭

They were a pretty big inspo for me to write my own. Well..everyone I've read pretty much was but I really like yours tho!

Thank you soo much!!! I'm glad I could inspire other people to write for this little fandom. :)

I sadly hadn't had time to read through your story yet, but it's on my "Marked for later" list and I hope I have some time soon to read it!

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So, the Hulu Brothers just stood in front of my workshop to tell me that I'm their best friend, showed me their "Ultimate Move" and tthen gave me a t-shirt to show me that I'm now one of them... :DDD

Never had that happen before in my other two play throughs. It really pays off to try to make friends with everyone. :D

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Can someone tell me, what the hell is going on here? It was my birthday and 2 hours before my planned birthday party started, almost every villager started to show up in front of my workshop! I don't think I have ever seen that happen before. I mean, I made an effort in this play through to befriend as many people that I can (as you can see below), but that was really strage. (the presents were already delivered before that) :D

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No one asked for this, but if you have such a problem as I have and you want to hear Arlo say "I love you" to the builder in game, you just have to line up your birthday with your wedding day! Or, if you want to go all out, you can also try this:

I just started a new safe game where I will try this. Not sure if it's possible to romance someone that fast, but I will try. :D

Will probably have to sacrifice the training dummy quest for it, though and use all my Gols for roses., but I think it's worth it. :DD

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He will procede to do that for about five days! Really love that bug, I'm always happy if I can trigger it :D

I had a mission with Arlo that canceled a play event and now he won’t stop following me 😂

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If you plan to visit Amber Island, please refrain from cutting down the trees. They are the natural habitat of the Madcrabs.