#henbin

No one was immune from it, not even sweet, innocent little blood bags like Morgan (Henry’s words, not yours).

So Henry quickly went from teasing you and being fascinated by how miserable you were to going into full-blown panic.

Like any disease, a baby catching it had a higher risk of complications. Most recover, Henry explained while frantically scribbling an urgent letter for Maribelle to tie to one of his crows, but itty bitty babies could suffer serious health problems.

Henry got to work on preparing you a bucket of cold water, a second bucket for the kerchiefs you would be blowing your nose into all day, and a third bucket in case you couldn’t keep your food down.

You didn’t.

“Gods, Henry- did you have to send that filthy animal to me? I’m literally down the block! It would take you fifteen minutes to-”

“Fifteen minutes is a waste of time! Morgan and Robin could be dead by then! And if it’s either of them, it’s no joke, nya ha!”

“Then why are you laughing?”

“It’s nervous laughter!” He chuckled again, though judging by how pale his face was, it seemed to be true. 

Maribelle simply scoffed and hurried to the bedroom, ready to treat her friend.

“Robin, darling! Oh, you look positively ghastly!” She gasped, drawing the mask over her mouth and nose. She pulled on her medical gloves, a stave at her side and a big pouch of herbs on her belt. “The Plegian swine flu is no joke...it’s very rarely found in Ylisse, but when it travels with you…”

“I-it’s a disaster.” You wheezed, not before you were overcome by coughing. “Anything y-you can do will be a welcome remedy.”

“Luckily for you, there’s nothing here that herbs and plenty of rest won’t fix. Now Morgan might be a little trickier, given his age...but we can at least get started with you.”

Maribelle was quick to send  Henry off to grind up the herbs, preparing some disgusting concoction guaranteed to get your body back to normal.

Presuming Henry could put it together.

“Now, when did you start to feel ill?”

“W-well, if I’m honest… It started around-”

Crash

“Ah, gods- I broke the cup!!”

“-The time we got home, last night. It was late-”

Smash

“The pestle’s shattered!!”

“-And I just thought I was tired, but...my head feels about the same as-”

Bang

“The herbs are everywhere!!”

“HENRY!!” Maribelle shouted out the door, “What in the gods’ names are you doing?!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make a mess!” Henry apologized, his voice shaky and unsure. “I-I just meant to help a bit, but it looks like I’m making things worse, nya ha!”

“Why don’t you come and sit,” Maribelle pinched  her brow, “Just settle down until you stop breaking things.” 

You watched as Henry wandered back into the bedroom, looking surprisingly pale and nervous. You had never quite seen him in such a way, before.

After all, it was always good times and weird vibes with your husband. Since when did he become the anxious type?

“I’ll be right back, Robin. I’ll get your medicine.”

“Give some to Morgan, first.” You asked, “I can wait.”

Maribelle nodded to you before taking off, leaving you alone with your husband who was bouncing his leg and fidgeting with his hands with a nervousness that you’d never seen before.

For a few moments, it was quiet, listening to the rhythmic, rapid tapping of his heel against the stone. Eventually, though, you would have to snap him out of it.

“Henry, a-are you all right?” You questioned as gently as you could. Henry started to nod, giving you a cracked, faux grin. Then he paused, his smile fell, and he shook his head.

“Well, if I’m honest? No. Not at all. I feel like I’m dying inside.” He admitted. “I mean, you’re sick, and so is Morgan! My two favorite living people! And there’s not a thing I can do about it- I mean, he’s just a baby, and we’ve only been back together for a year- I dunno. It scares me, y’know? Which is impressive! When’s the last time I’ve been genuinely scared, right! Nya ha ha!”

“There’s nothing to be scared of, Henry.” You tried to assure him. But he shook his head, folding his arms tightly.

“You don’t know that! All it takes is one thing to go wrong and it could be bye-bye wifey, or even bye-bye baby, and I...oh, I couldn’t handle that. Nope, not one bit.” 

It was certainly a reasonable concern. 

“Henry, sweetheart...come here.” You held your hand out to him, insisting he sit with you. You weren’t sure if it was the exhaustion or the pain that numbed your sense of worry, but you were far calmer than he was.

He took your hand, revealing trembling fingers. You squeezed it tightly, trying your best to comfort him despite your situation.

“Maribelle will take care of us. We’ll be okay, I’m sure.”

“But you can’t be sure!” He sighed shakily, “Anything can happen when it comes to Plegian flu. It can either be nothing at all, or really bad! And you never know until it happens. If something bad did happen to you or Morgan, I just...I don’t know what to do! You already told me I’m not allowed to re-animate either of you if you croak, so...I’m out of options!”

“I’m standing firm on that, just so you know.” You informed him with a soft smile, “But, Henry...there’s no value in worrying for worrying’s sake. W-we really shouldn’t be concerned with the unknown until it comes.”

“That’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one having to take care of both of you! What if I mess up?! What if I make it worse!! I already broke Maribelle’s mortar and pestle, there are herbs everywhere, a-and I just-”

“Henry,” You pressed a finger to his lips, “You’re overthinking.”

“B-but I just...I worry about you guys…”

“I know.” You beamed at him, stroking his cheek. “But please, try not to worry. We need to wait for Maribelle’s diagnosis, and we can go from there, okay? It’ll be easier if we take it a step at a time.”

“Gosh, Robin...how’re you able to stay so calm all the time?” He looked at you incredulously, “I’m about ready to pop out of my skin and just run around like a headless Risen!”

“Experience.” You laughed. 

Maribelle came in not long after, informing you both that the flu didn’t appear to be as bad as it could be. 

“Morgan should recover within the week, though we’ll need to make sure he receives two doses of medicine each day; one in the morning and one at night. Henry, you’ll have to make it for him each day- is that something you can handle? Or will I be making more visits this week?”

Henry shared a look with you, seeing your encouraging smile. He took a deep breath and nodded.

“I can handle it, I promise!”

“Good. Morgan’s going to be counting on you. Robin, you should need more rest than anything else, but I’m recommending you take one dose each evening; it will help you sleep better, and it’s strong enough that it should hold you the next day.”

“That’s fine by me.” You agreed; the less disgusting, bitter herbs you had to ingest, the better.

“Your recovery time will be a bit longer than Morgan’s, though, judging by how you’re doing… I’d say two weeks at minimum; a month-and-a-half at most. Now if you want, I can have Lissa or Libra come and help take care of you, so that Henry can focus on caring for Morgan. Or, we can simply send Morgan off with a wet nurse while you’re here.”

“N-no, I-!” Henry interrupted before you could reply, putting a hand to his chest. “I can handle it, Maribelle! After all, if I can’t take care of my family, what kind of man would I be? Just a sad bag of bones and sinew! Not good for anything but crow food.”

Maribelle glanced over at you, looking for some sort of response. You knew she was still wary of Henry, especially now that she was out a very lovely mortar and pestle. But you were confident in his abilities.

“He can take care of us.” You told her, “I trust him.”

“Well...if you insist.” She conceded, earning a whoop from your husband- and an apology for it shortly after when he realized you weren’t to be around loud noises with your headache. “I’ll be coming to check up on you twice a week until you’re all better- until then, Henry, we’re counting on you!”

“You got nothin’ to worry about, Maribelle! We just take it a day at a time, and it’ll be great, nya ha!”

“Robin, if anything changes, or you need help...please don’t hesitate to call me or the other healers immediately.”

“I will.”

“I do mean anything, dear.”

“...I will.”

“If Henry does one thing wrong-”

“Hey!”

“I got it, Maribelle.” You chuckled, waving her away. “Thanks for your concern. We’ll be sure to call for you if we need anything. But I’m positive Henry will take care of us just fine.”

“You can bet your organs on it!” He grinned, giggling happily with his wife’s support. Maribelle gave him a long, hard look, but eventually took her leave. 

Henry was quick to move Morgan’s crib into the bedroom, guaranteeing that he could keep track of both of you and ensure you were both recovering nicely at the same time.

While it was heartbreaking listening to Morgan’s discomfort and those tiny baby coughs, it helped to see him improve day after day.

You did end up recovering about a week after Morgan, all thanks to Henry. He made sure to give you only the best. Most of all you were just thankful that none of you could get the Plegian swine flu ever again.

Especially since he bought Maribelle a replacement mortar and pestle that came from a questionable source, covered in animal bones and bird skulls and...you really didn’t know what corner of Hell he summoned them from.

At least there wouldn’t be another opportunity for him to break anything else of Maribelle’s, seeing as you wouldn’t be getting sick again.

You didn’t realize how elated he’d be when he burst into your home and scared the living daylights out of you.

You reached for a tome when the door flung open, but that was all you had time for. In an instant Henry exploded into the room and threw his arms around you.

“ROBIN!!”

“H-Henry-?!”

“Robin, is it true?! It is!! You said so in the letter! You always tell the truth, right? Right?!”

He spun you around the room, and you weren’t sure how to react when he laughed his head off.

“Henry, slow down!” You grasped his shoulders and attempting to push away.

Henry chuckled, letting you back to the ground. His eyes met yours with a gleam.

“Y-you could at least say hello, first!”

“Oh, that’s true-" Henry pecked your forehead. “Hello, love!”

“H-hey.” You managed, recovering your normal heartbeat as his arms slipped around your waist. “How was the mission?”

“It went perfectly! Though it went even better after I got your letter.” He added, and your eyes widened when he held it up. “I finished the mission as quick as possible so I could come home!”

“That explains why you’re so excited.” You laughed this time, “I didn’t know you’d be so ecstatic about a baby in the house.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve never been more happy in my entire life! It’ll be great having our very own mini-Morgan here! We’ll be a family! For the first time in my life, I’ll know what it’s like!" He told you breathlessly.

You looked up at him with a softened gaze. His constant positivity almost made you forget the situation he’d been left in as a child.

"Do you think you’ll be up for the task?”

“Of course! I know we’ll figure it out. If I can survive two months away from my lady, I can handle raising our kid!”

“Those are two very different scenarios. But I’ll hold you to that.” You kissed his nose. Henry hummed, leaning in closer.

“C’mon, can’t I have a real kiss? I haven’t gotten a smooch for two whole months. You owe me!”

“I owe you? You’re the one who went on the mission!!” You argued. He snickered and nuzzled your neck.

“I know, I know. But if I didn’t go then you would’ve gone, and I’ve had enough of you being in danger.” He mumbled, “Don’t you think a couple years with Naga is good enough?”

“Well, I guess, but-”

“-No buts!” He cut you off with a feint of a kiss, his lips pressed chastely to yours. “We’ll both stay home, okay? Otherwise we won’t have anyone to look after Morgan!”

“That’s a fair point,” You blushed, “So long as you hold up your end!”

“My end?” He blinked rapidly, before you grasped him by the collar and yanked him down ‘til your noses touched.

“Spend a little time catching up with me?” You said, sending shivers down his spine. “It’s been two months, after all.”

“That’s true. Besides,” He pressed you flush against his chest, lifting you up once more, “We’ve gotta celebrate!”

“Right.” You laughed happily, letting him lower you onto the bed.

Henry climbed over you with joy in his eyes. You spent the rest of the day together between the sheets, skipping dinner for "personal reasons".

Personal reasons that Chrom discovered after trying to check up on you that evening.

“You can't ignore me, Robin~!!”

“For gods’ sakes, I’m busy!” You replied, and pushed Henry off to get some space (and try not to fall down the hill). “We can talk later. Just let me finish this…”

“It’d be fun to conjure up something! But you’re always putting fun things off for work! It’s like work matters more than people, dead or alive!”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get this done. It’s best I do it now and then do 'fun stuff' later.” You attempted to reason, but Henry shook his head.

“That’s your problem! Worrying about all the things Chrom needs you to do makes stuff you’re not even supposed to worry about, things you worry about! It doesn't matter if you take a little break, you know! Nya ha!”

“When you’re the chief tactician of an army, you don’t have many other choices.” You responded flatly, and Henry huffed, leaning back to rest the weight on his hands.

“You know… There’s a real quick and easy way to stop worrying about all that and spend a little time with the ones who really matter!”

“Oh?”

“Yeah! All you have to do is-”

WHUMP

“H-Henry?!”

“Go for a ride!!”

The two of you were flung down the hill, with you sustaining a dislocated shoulder and fractured rib, and blood pouring out five different spots in Henry’s tunic and out his head. Needless to say, you definitely paid attention to Henry.