Archive of Our Own ^beta

Sylvie sat on the couch, wrapped in blankets. Normally, he would have been throwing a hissy fit over this, but he was too ill to care at the moment.

Giovanni had wandered into the kitchen a little while ago, looking for a large pot enough to make soup for everyone in. Molly was sitting on the couch next to Sylvie, swinging her legs.

“So,” she began, “How are you feeling?”

Sylvie didn’t respond.

She scooted closer to him, peering at his face. He was staring at the floor, eyes glossy.

“Giovanni?” She called, without taking her eyes off of her friend, “I think there’s something really wrong with Sylvie.”

“What do you mean, Beartrap?” Giovanni stuck his head out from the kitchen. He frowned when he saw Sylvie, who hadn’t said a word since he’d sat down. Coming fully into the room, he walked over to the couch, standing in front of the two kids.

“Well,” he said, hands on his hips, “I think we’d better get a thermometer.”

A thermometer was found, and duly used on Sylvie, which garnered an impressed and also slightly concerned whistle from Giovanni.

“That’s one serious fever, man. If it gets any worse, we might have to go to the hospital. Too high a fever can cook your brains.”

Sylvie still hadn’t stirred, so Molly gently nudged him to be leaning back against the couch and Giovanni moved back into the kitchen.

Molly pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her head on her knees as she watched Sylvie’s chest rise and fall with shallow breaths.

A few minutes later, he began shivering violently. Molly jerked her head up, uncertain of how to proceed.

There was an intake of breath, then—

“Molly, I’m… I’m scared.” He mumbled it, almost inaudibly, but she caught the words slipping out of his mouth like the barest flutter of a moth’s wings.

“‘Scared’? Scared of what, Sylvie?”

“I don’t want you to leave.” Again, it was a whisper.

Molly tilted her head, puzzled. “Why would we leave? You’re sick, we’re not going to just abandon you.” She gestured at herself and Giovanni, who had bustled in carrying a bowl of soup. “We care about you.”

Sylvie sighed, eyes downcast as he avoided looking at her. “I don’t want you guys to leave me because I’m sick; because I’m becoming too much of a burden.”

“A– A ‘burden’?” Giovanni spluttered, making his way over. “Why would being sick make you a burden? Everybody gets sick, that’s just life.”

But Molly nodded her head. “I understand. When something becomes more trouble than it’s worth to keep around, you drop it. It’s like when a toy is too expensive to make and no one wants to buy it; you stop carrying it.”

“That doesn’t make any sense…” Giovanni muttered, crossing his arms and slouching.

Molly laughed softly. “Okay, think of it like this: If one of your minions was making too much noise all the time and getting you caught–”

“Like Ben?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Molly felt slightly guilty using Ben as an example, but she hoped he’d forgive her. “But they didn’t ever actually help you achieve your goals, would you want to keep them around?”

“Of course I would!” He cried, straightening up indignantly. “My boys would be lost without me! They need me to take care of them, and they take care of me. We stick together, no matter what!”

Sylvie made a derisive noise, but it caught in the back of his throat and he began coughing.

Molly hurried to get him a cup of water, bracing his hand as he drank so that his trembling fingers didn’t drop it.

“...Thanks.” He murmured, shifting uncomfortably.

“Sylvie,” Molly began hesitantly, “You know we would never leave you, right? Gio’s right; we’re friends, and we stick together.”

“You say that now, but everyone leaves sooner or later. I’m not easy to be around, and it’s like you said, when the costs outweigh the benefits you’ll drop me.”

Molly winced, regretting her previous matter-of-fact explanation. “That’s about toys and things, not people.”

“And me.” Sylvie insisted, fever-glazed expression detached and resigned. “That’s why I live on my own; I’m too insufferable for anyone to want to stay with me. You guys are good friends, and great people, but when you really get to know me it only makes sense that you would leave too.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Giovanni looked incensed; utterly flabbergasted. “That’s not how friends work, four eyes. Haven’t you ever had a friend before?”

When Sylvie slowly shook his head, the taller boy balked at the thought.

“Never?”

“Boss,” Molly hissed, “Maybe this isn’t the time.”

Giovanni nodded, glancing concernedly at Sylvie over his shoulder as he turned back to her. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, Beartrap.” He sat down on the couch on Sylvie’s other side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, Sylvester. We are not going to abandon you.” He said, placing emphasis on each word. “Not today, not ever. It doesn’t matter how sick you get, or how annoying you can be sometimes, we’re your friends. And you may not know this, but friends stick together, through thick and thin.”

“Yeah!” Molly chimed in. “You wouldn’t leave us if we got sick, would you?”

“...No.” Sylvie blinked sluggishly as his addled mind tried to process what they were saying.

“Right. And we aren’t going to leave you either.”

Giovanni smiled at Molly, watching her take charge and be assertive as she cared for their friend. It was nice to know that, while she still struggled to stand up for herself, she was getting better at being brave for others.

Stretching his arms up, he watched Sylvie out of the corner of his eye. The boy was still staring rather confusedly at Molly as she continued explaining how friendship worked, but he seemed to be relaxing a bit. Likely he was just exhausted from trying to fight off the sickness and had given up on arguing with her.

In any case, it was good for him to know that they cared about him, and that they would continue to, no matter what.