Fever

It's autumn again.

Another season had gone by, and there had been no reports of Ho-oh after that young girl had climbed the Tin Tower and battled it. Perhaps it was gone; perhaps she'd captured it and no one had told the tale. But he'd been there at her descent from the tower, her Ampharos looking battered beside her and the smile on her face too strong to deny that the outcome had been in her favor. The Kimono Girls had followed shortly behind her, all dazzled by the experience; they had greeted him with a bow and a smile and returned to the theater.

I wonder, has he found her yet?

It had been since the first time the girl had passed through town that Entei, Suicune, and Raikou were last seen. He had been there then, too, when she braved the climb down to the bowels of the Burned Tower and emerged after three streaks of color went racing by. Her face then had been awestruck, and the Flaaffy that followed her then was dancing around excitedly. It, of course, was not alone in its joy.

He would have called, had he heard anything.

"Great spirits, I approach you tonight with a heavy heart..."

He knelt and lit the incense, then placed it at the altar. There was silence in the shrine; it was almost twilight, and the sky was filled with color.

"There has been no sighting of Ho-oh, nor of my friend, and I ask you tonight for both their..."

"Morty."

The voice behind him was thick with exhaustion, but relief was dusted over it in a light coat. The purple and white garments were tarnished, the once pristine gloves had been torn to complete shreds, and the normally polished shoes were scuffed and dirty. Despite all this, there remained one sole fact – this was Eusine, the Mysticalman, of whom no one had seen nor heard from in far too long.

"Eusine, you're back," Morty gasped, standing too fast and feeling his head spin. Blood surged in his ears – was this just some vision brought on by grief and worry? The vision stumbled towards him, toeing off his shoes as he entered the shrine proper, and sagged onto Morty.

"I...I..."

And in that instant, there was no doubt that this was the real Eusine, as he was collapsed and unconscious in Morty's arms, burning with fever and battered from the journey of tailing Suicune.

The pin he now wore was from a shop in Hoenn, or so the letter that came with it said.

It was no secret that Eusine's goal in life was to catch and tame Suicune – Morty was convinced that some days, it was all that got his friend through. It was a goal that brought him around the world, sometimes to where there was no post nor phonelines to call and announce that his efforts had been for naught. Sometimes these travels were to large cities, and he'd receive postcards then; the small villages and townships were where a vast number of the strange trinkets the other man sent him had been sent from. Eusine admitted that the pin had been from Mount Pyre, the Poke'mon burial ground in Hoenn that was maintained by one of the elite four of the region.

Sometimes there were no letters or packages at all. Sometimes, it was a waiting game, as this had been.

Eusine now lay on the bed, changed into pajamas by the gym leader, mumbling incoherently in the grasp of a fever. Eusine's home was on the outskirts of Ecruteak, and thankfully, he'd had the foresight to hand the spare key over to Morty the last time he'd left. The house was decorated with all sorts of bizarre objects from the man's many travels and escapades, but at the same time, it lacked the quality of a home – its owner was gone from it far more than he was there, and when he returned, it was only for a brief period.

Bzzzzzzt, bzzzzzzt, bzzzzzzzt.

Morty's cell phone was ringing; something was going on at the gym or one of the towers. It was his duty to answer it, but it was also his duty to ensure that Eusine would be safe and comfortable...

"Good evening, this is Morty," Was the polite answer; he stood from his friend's bedside and left the room, leaving the door slightly open.

"Oh, Master Morty, good evening! This is Sayo, from the dance theater? We were calling to invite you to a performance this evening." It was one of the Kimono Girls, and on any other night, Morty would have been happy to attend.

"Unfortunately, an old friend is in town tonight, and I'd arranged previously to spend time visiting with him," Morty replied smoothly. "Perhaps next time?"

"Is it Master Eusine?" The girl enthusiastically responded; Morty had no doubt that she'd colored up, as Eusine had charmed the women of the dance theater far too many times previously.

"It is indeed, Sayo. I'm afraid he's a bit ill and will be unable to attend. May your performance be blessed."

"May you be blessed as well, and may the Gods see fit to heal Master Eusine. Until next time, Master Morty."

"Who was that on the phone?"

Morty flung the door open to see Eusine sitting against the headboard, all color washed from his face except the dark purple rings beneath his eyes. It took all the restraint he had to keep from flinging himself at the other man and refusing to move until Eusine promised to stay.

"It was Sayo, from the dance theater. The news of your arrival is going to be all over town, come morning." Morty answered gently, sitting down in the chair next to the bed once again. "Where have you been now, my dear friend? And why return now, with this illness?"

"Precisely my reason for returning," Eusine said, ending with a small cough. "And that Quentin has found and tamed Suicune, yet refuses to capture the beast. I'm guessing that it'll return to the Burned Tower, given time. You should have seen Suicune – she was definitely worthy of the fight she put up, Morty, I..."

More coughs tore through his body, causing Morty to wince. Where was it that he could have been?

"As I was saying. It was just north of Cerulean City that I ended my quest, and where I bid Quentin farewell. I had been through Sinnoh, to the lakes of legend there, and finally returned to Kanto to see if there was any way to pick up the trail. Just before I departed from Sinnoh, I was caught in a terrible blizzard, and have been meaning to return home for some time now. My health, however, takes less of a priority -"

More coughing.

"Than Suicune; I know. But Eusine..." Morty protested. Eusine held up a finger to his lips for just a moment, and then smiled. His gaze was miles away – north of Cerulean, where he had seen someone else live out his dream. He reached for his bedside, where there was a box of tissues placed there from some previous malady, and blew his nose and sneezed.

"Do you remember how you got here?" Morty finally asked.

"Ah...I remember that I took a ferry from Snowpoint City – the legends there, Morty! - and thought I was bound for the Olivine harbor, but instead wound up somehow in the Vermillion port. I found Quentin, who said she felt drawn to search for Suicune as well, and we met on Route 25...and after that, I don't remember much of anything. That is, until, your phone rang and you left." Eusine paused to examine himself. "I would think that I'd remember getting changed, however..."

"I took the liberty of taking your dirty clothes off and putting you in those," Morty stated simply, pointing a finger in the direction of the bathroom. "I was unable to coax you into waking up to shower, though, so you may want to do that at some point in the near future."

"A shower would be nice," Eusine said, already shifting to remove himself from the pile of blankets.

"Would you like me to make you some tea while you shower? I brought some over," Morty asked.

"That would be lovely, Morty," Eusine replied in earnest, smiling broadly now; he stood up. "I won't be long...and, ah, what time is it?"

"Just past nine in the evening. Welcome home, Eusine," Morty said, standing to leave to the kitchen. Eusine grabbed his hand and tugged him back, and kissed him on the cheek.

"It's good to be home."

By the time the tea was done (for Morty was a tea purist and refused outright to use a microwave), Eusine's shower was long done and the man was curled up in bed again. Morty had managed to uncover two mugs from the cupboard; one was from the Ruins of Alph, and the other from Mossdeep City. As Morty pushed the door open, he saw the prone form of Eusine sprawled across the blankets, one leg buried under them, mouth wide open. His wet hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, and he wore naught but boxers and an old t-shirt announcing a festival in Azalea Town.

Morty hadn't realized how badly he'd missed Eusine until that moment.

They played off one another in a way no one else ever had – Eusine was the overenthusiastic dreamer, and Morty was his attachment to the Earth. Some days, Morty was too far under the burden of his identity to face reality and the duties he was to perform, and Eusine was the only one who could pull him out of it. It was a relationship that was sacred – sacred, secret – and something he could not put into words.

He set the tea down on the table. "Eusine. Eusine, wake up, you need to get under the covers if you're planning to get over this..."

With more mumbling, Eusine climbed into the bed and settled in for the night. Morty pulled a blanket over him and righted a pillow, then felt the Mysticalman's forehead for fever. His temperature had clearly risen since earlier in the evening; Morty sighed and hoped that it wouldn't worsen over the next several hours, as he needed to sleep, too.

"Hey, Eusine," Morty said, nudging the sleeping man. Eusine stirred slightly. "Would it be okay if I spent the night here? I..."

"Shuddup 'nd get in here," Eusine muttered, pushing covers off and dragging Morty in by the one hand he could reach. Morty's face exploded in bright pink, and he sighed.

"That might not be the best idea, Eusine...you're sick, after all, and I have..." He protested, but Eusine's tugging did not cease.

"You'll be fine. 'Sides, you can just take somethin' in the morning. I missed you for so long..." Eusine said, rolling over to look Morty straight in the eyes. "Please?"

How could I say no?

It was the middle of the night when the nightmares started.

Eusine was tucked against Morty, with one leg pinning him into the bed, so when Eusine abruptly pulled away, Morty snapped awake. Eusine was sweating, and his eyes were restless beneath his eyelids. Morty could feel from the limbs that he still held that the fever was raging through, and there was going to be no short way out of it. He climbed out of bed and turned the lamp on.

How many times has he suffered like this, alone?

Morty found his way to the bathroom, and after a small consideration, wet a small cloth and wrung it so it was merely damp. With Eusine squirming as he was, he would just have to sit there and hold the cloth to Eusine's forehead...

"Please, don't take him! Please!" Eusine shouted from the other room, voice desperate and terrified. Morty rushed back to the bedroom to find Eusine knotted into the sheets, fingers clenching a pillow as though his life depended on it.

"Please! All I have, all that matters any more -"

He was talking about Suicune; there was no doubt in Morty's mind. It was a terrible realization to have after being so comforted by Eusine's very presence. Suicune penetrated every level of Eusine's being, and the intense hope that Eusine held to someday be a part of the legendary beast's existence...well, it had brought him back to Ecruteak. And it had been crushed by the girl – Quentin, from the way Eusine spoke of her...

"Hey, Morty, now that I've finished with your gym, where do I go?"

"Okay. Thank you for everything, Eusine. I'm sure we'll be seeing one another again, hopefully sooner rather than later!"

Her naivety.

"I have a Master Ball now, and I don't know what to use it for, since it can catch anything. I'm happy with my team now, and I don't know what to do..."

"Mistress Quentin was very skilled in her battle, Master Morty. She chose not to capture Ho-oh, and it has left the tower. One day, it will return..."

"Morty?"

Startled, Morty looked across the room to see Eusine peeking out from under the blankets, shivering. "Morty, if it's you, please, please, come here,"

His tone was beyond desperate now; Eusine almost sounded pathetic. It felt so wrong to describe him that way – he was a grown man, out searching the world for a legend, perfectly capable of being whatever he chose. Morty stepped towards the bed and felt Eusine's forehead – it was too hot. Absentmindedly, he took the cloth and wiped some of the perspiration away from his friend's face, sighing gently.

"Morty, you're here, it's you, they didn't take you," Eusine sputtered, running his fingers up and down Morty's arm. "You're here, you're here, I thought they had you...but it's okay, I have you and that's all that matters."

Eusine's eyes were glassy and unfocused. Morty smiled softly. "Yes, Eusine, I'm here. What reason would I have to leave you?"

"They told me that you had to go somewhere, and then you never came back, and they said you were dead because of me and I..." Eusine recalled, but choked on his words. "You won't leave me, will you?"

"No, Eusine. I wouldn't even dream of leaving you. Why don't you get some sleep?" Morty answered, holding Eusine's hand. Eusine nodded, and rolled over once more.

Morty sighed.

He dreams about me.

Morty meditated.

It was best to meditate now, to keep any spirits at bay and away from Eusine. Long since had the last lights been put out in the town, and all the homes were dark; Morty had lit four candles and placed one in each corner of the room for the simple protection they would offer. Eusine would occasionally mutter something, but it was nothing in comparison to the outburst earlier in the night.

Morty opened his eyes to look at Eusine.

The man was curled in on himself, holding a pillow against his chest with both arms. The normal mystique he doused himself in was gone – he was ordinary once more, caught in an ordinary situation. He was shivering, still, a sad fact that could not be avoided given the circumstances; Morty would do whatever it took to change them and make things better.

"I've heard that the other two are roaming Johto now. I never meant to get caught up in all of this, but if what you say about me is true, then I guess I'll go after them. D'you think I could scare them into coming back to Ecruteak? I mean, not just Entei and Raikou, but Suicune too? ...No? Are you going to rebuild the Burned Tower?..."

Morty sighed. Foolish girl.

The Legend of the North Wind had captivated Eusine's heart and soul. It wasn't merely a goal, or some jaunt to go out into the world and fling Poke'balls at random beings: it was Eusine's passion, his life's work. Seeing Quentin settle into his work so easily must have been disruptive, as it had been for him to see her climb the Tin Tower and have her ring the bells there...

"The music they make is so pretty! How come they don't chime like this every day, Morty? ...Because of me? No, you're wrong, you and Eusine are both wrong and out of your minds."

The bells haven't chimed since she emerged from the tower.

Morty inhaled. He couldn't break his focus, that would be horrible, not to mention immature. The candles in the corners of the room continued to burn, and Eusine slept still. He wondered when the last time Eusine had been to Celadon City was, if he'd been there while in pursuit of Suicune and Quentin. His family had to worry about him at some point, right?

Or is that my job now?

Eusine rolled over in his sleep, sighing.

It was a far cry from the screaming mess he'd been not all too long ago, but the fever he was running was still far from what Morty considered to be comfortable. All Morty could do was wait, watch, and protect Eusine from outside harm; there was no way to undo the damage Eusine had weathered while outside of Ecruteak. Morty knew that he held no real control over Eusine while he was away, though Eusine kept a strict hold of Morty's heart whenever he left. It did, somehow, work, as Morty was Eusine's hub, and Morty knew that his friend would always return to him.

One of the candles began to flicker; Morty focused his attention on it. Eusine's Poke'mon were outside the room, anxious to see their master. Morty dared not break the protection the candles, functioning as wards now, provided them. Both of them were too weak tonight to deal with outside spirits, even just the ones of their companions. Several spirits had likely risen in Eusine's path to the shrine, sensing his presence and emerging shortly afterwards.

And naturally, he came to me first.

But would he have it any other way?

No.

The world had frozen over. No, it was a blazing inferno. No, he was trapped in an inferno, and icy winds were blowing in. And he had been right – Quentin defeating Ho-oh had turned the sun off, no, that couldn't be right, stars were still lit...

"So, are you awake?"

Morty. Every muscle, every nerve, every cell in his body sang – Morty was here! With him! But, where was here? Here was slightly damp, and cold (no, hot – or maybe that was just him, Morty didn't seem overheated), and had Morty.

"Where 'm I?" Eusine asked hoarsely, blinking and taking in the wonderful sight of Morty sitting next to him on the bed. Really, when had Morty come back from being killed?

"You're at your house, in Ecruteak. You came back after chasing after Suicune again, ill, and I've been here with you all night to make sure you were okay. How are you feeling, by the way?" Morty explained, while all the while wiping sweat from his face (it felt lovely).

Oh. That explained everything, so neatly, so perfectly. He reached a hand to feel his forehead, then his cheek – he definitely was running a temperature, and a bad one at that. And Morty said he'd been with him all night; Morty had been there through the dreams and the terrors, and Morty must have been the one to have set wards around the room and hold them strong.

"I love you," was all Eusine could say to convey his gratitude. Morty met his gaze, then leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"I love you too, dear Eusine," Morty whispered into his ear in response. "Your fever is starting to break. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"You can get some sleep," Eusine said. "You poor man, you must have been up all night with my antics." He reached out to touch Morty's cheek. "I'm so sorry."

"Not to worry," Morty said. "Though, I do have to ask if it's okay if I use your bed again – I don't want to have to move the wards, let alone leave you,"

Eusine nodded, smiling and delighted.

"Let me remake the bed first, so that way, it's a bit nicer to sleep in," Morty said, already pulling sheets and blankets off the bed, "And so we can cool you down. Don't help me, you'll overexert yourself,"

As Morty made the bed, Eusine stared out the window. Lanterns had been lit at the top of the tower, but all other lights in the city were out for the night. It had to be very early in the morning, and if the Kimono Girls had called to ask Morty to attend a performance, then Morty had been up since six o'clock the previous morning. Eusine turned and watched, hypnotized, as Morty's wrists flicked the sheets to fall perfectly across the bed.

"Ready to sleep?" Morty asked, standing next to the bed. "I took the liberty of borrowing a pair of shorts that most likely hadn't been worn since you were a teenager, if you don't mind,"

"Not at all," Eusine said, padding his way to the bed and pulling back the covers. "Sleep now?"

And so they slept.

Bzzzzzt, bzzzzzzzt, bzzzzzt, bzzzzzzt...

"Good morning, this is Morty,"

"Master Morty! It's seven o'clock, is everything alright?"

"'M sorry, Martha, I'm unfortunately quite ill today. Please see to it that no gym challenges are accepted today; I should return tomorrow. I do apologize for not informing you sooner."

"My apologies for waking you. I'll alert everyone; may the Gods bless you and your speedy recovery."

"May the Gods bless you as well."

Morty shuffled back under the safe nest of blankets to wrap an arm around Eusine again.

It was dawn when Eusine woke. Muted colors peeked through drawn curtains and cast warm shadows all over the room. Smoke rose from the centers of the candles that Morty had placed around the room; the door was slightly ajar, and three Haunters were dutifully floating just outside the room. Morty's arm was draped protectively over his chest; Eusine smiled at the gesture. A glass of water sat on the nightstand, and as much as he didn't want to disturb Morty, every fiber of his body demanded the water. Gingerly, he slid out from Morty's hold and took the glass, draining it instantly. He needed more.

Eusine took great care as he rose from the bed. He remembered stumbling into Morty last night, and didn't want to put either of them in a similar situation again. He walked slowly to the bathroom, and filled the glass with water, only to drain it once more; he repeated this process twice more before his thirst was quenched and his legs exhausted.

"I see you're awake," Morty said from the bed, obviously pleased. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Eusine summarized, climbing back under the covers. "Why haven't you left for the gym yet?"

"Martha called an hour ago, and I told her that I was miserably sick. It's not entirely a lie; I am exhausted, and I am hungry, and you're still not in top condition." Morty explained, placing a hand to Eusine's forehead. "Your fever is almost gone."

"You didn't have to do that for me," Eusine argued, brushing his fingertips over Morty's jaw.

"Yes, I did, my love," Morty said, "It's been far too long since I've seen you. The gym can survive a day without me, but I'm not ready to let you go just yet. We can order food from one of the shops in town. You shouldn't be overexerting yourself after last night,"

Eusine was left speechless, and cuddled into Morty to express his love. "But...why?"

"Eusine." Morty laid his head down next to Eusine's. "You are the most precious thing in the world to me. I know that I can't always be with you, and I understand that; when I can be here, with you and for you, I want to be, and I don't want anything to get in the way of us being together." He gently kissed Eusine, and had the kiss returned passionately.

"I know I've been awful since Quentin went up the tower...I know I've been gone more than I've been here with you," Eusine said, "And to repay all of the worrying that you do over me, I come home terribly ill without a decent explanation. Suicune is gone, and I do admit my disappointment...but...I...Morty...I love you, and for that, there is nothing more I can say or do,"

The two men stayed in that position, foreheads touching, for some time, content just to be. Hunger and thirst were of no matter to them – they had each other, and were able to hold on to that simple fact to sustain their hearts, minds, and bodies. Occasionally, the silence was punctuated by Eusine sniffling or coughing, but it was immediately resumed thereafter. It was only Morty's ringing phone that broke the pleasant atmosphere.

"Hello?" Morty did his best impersonation of someone who was, in his words, 'miserably ill'.

"Oh, master Morty, I'm so sorry to trouble you...it's just...a young woman named Quentin has come looking for you. Should I send her to your home?" It was Martha again. Morty's eyes widened in shock.

"Tell her to go out and explore for the day. Have a room for her at the inn; I will pay for it myself. I will meet with her tomorrow, in the interest her of not falling ill as well." Morty said. "Please thank her for coming, and apologize on my behalf."

"Take care, Morty." Martha's voice was gentle.

"I will. Thank you." Morty hung up.

"She's in town?" Eusine asked.

"She can wait – you got here first, and I have no intention of letting you go."

Author's notes: Sacredshipping, sacredshipping, how I love thee! The end of this was rather abrupt, but unless this was to go on for another two thousand words, I figured it'd be best to stop before I wore out my welcome. I wanted to put Eusine and Morty into a "normal" situation and strip away all of the things normally associated with them - there are mentions of them, but they are not the story's central focus; the different ways the relationship functions is something I wanted to play with for this fic. I've never seen Eusine as insane for his chase of Suicune, nor have I seen Morty as unfeeling because of his affinity for ghosts; I hope that after this, you see them a little differently, too.

I'd like to take this moment and give a big "thank you!" to the Ambassador for inspiring me to finish this. If it weren't for him, his amazing work, and a fantastic conversation, this would have never seen the light of your monitor! Go visit his page and give him some love.

Thank you for reading!