Firhaur got sick once. It was ridiculous.

He came into the lab one day with dark circles under his eyes and a runny nose (which, trust me, for as bad as you think it is, a dragon with a runny nose is a million times worse than it sounds.) When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, and he kept having lapses in attention.

I was concerned, of course. Even if it was just a cold, he was in bad shape. And besides, dragon snot is really hard to deal with, and he was getting it everywhere.

I told him, multiple times, go home and get some rest.

"No," he would respond in a rough, congested voice, "I'm fine. I's jus' a colb."

"That doesn't matter!" I indignantly argued. "You're sick, so go home and get better!"

"Gas'er, I'm oka-- ahh-- ahhhh--"

Anticipating one heck of a sneeze, I quickly stepped to the side so I wasn't in firing range.

"Ahhhh-- ... chu!"

I lowered my arms from my face and looked at Firhaur, who, after wiping his nose with the back of his hand, looked back at me.

"Wha'?"

"You're kidding."

He looked confused. "Wha'? Wha' am I ki'ing abou'?"

"That's how you sneeze?"

"... yeah? Wha' 'boud it?"

"You sound like a kitten!"

It was true. Firhaur, this massive dragon, capable of breathing out Magic fire hot enough to melt most metals, sneezed like a kitten.

And then he did it again. And I laughed.

"I's not thad funny, Gas'er."

"But it is!" I snickered, nearly doubled over in laughter. "You sneeze like a kitten!"

"I do nod."

"Yes you do.

"Do no'."

"Yeah, you do. I'll prove it."

We spent most of the rest of the day at the computer, me actually in the chair, and Firhaur sitting right behind me. I looked up some videos online of kittens sneezing to prove to Firhaur that he sounded like one.

"... I don' sound like tha'." He continued to protest, before sneezing exactly like the kitten in the video.

"Yes you do." I replied as Firhaur rested his head on my shoulder. "You sound exactly like that."

He continued to protest, and we argued back and forth, but as his responses became slow in coming, I realized he was falling asleep. Eventually, he slumped forward so his head was hanging over my shoulder, resting on my chest.

It was a little uncomfortable. Even just Firhaur's head was heavy- you have to consider that, aside from the fact that he's just big, he also had scales and the horns of his crest.

But Firhaur had done so much for me, that it would have simply been petty of me to not let him sleep. Besides, I had been bugging Firhaur about getting some rest. I was happy to accommodate for his comfort, especially if it meant something so little as being a pillow for a little while.

And hey, my lab coat was meant to keep hazardous chemicals off me. So it was fine that his nose was still really runny.

But I still can't quite say what prompted my next action. Maybe it was because I was already comparing him to a kitten. Or maybe it was because he just looked so comfortable. Either way...

I started petting Firhaur.

It was a little weird at first, and bone rubbing against scale is a sort of unusual sound.

But then, the edges of Firhaur's mouth turned upward, and I could feel a deep vibration in his chest. The sound was probably much rougher on account of his sore throat, but there was no mistaking it: Firhaur was purring.

Let that sink in for a minute.

Firhaur was purring.

Which made the dragon snot all over my coat totally worth it.

Because not only was Firhaur purring absolutely adorable in the most ridiculous way, but it meant that he was comfortable. Happy. I was making Firhaur happy.

So I kept petting him. We just sat there for... hours. Sometimes I would start to doze off, but every time my hand stopped moving, Firhaur would gently nudge against my hand, making small whining sounds, waking me up.

Thankfully, the computer monitor went into hibernation, so at least Dagiel didn't see the kitten sneezing videos when he came looking for me. I have no doubt there would have been a variety of jokes about that, had he seen it.

Nonetheless, I could tell he was about to make some snarky remark about Firhaur being asleep, so I quietly shushed him. "Can't you see Firhaur is sleeping? Shut up."

He grinned a little and shrugged before quietly asking, "Since when is this a thing?"

"Since Firhaur refused to accept that it would be better for him to stay in bed when he's sick."

"... Ah. Is that why his nose is leaking worse than a broken dam?"

I just gave a small nod. Firhaur snuffled a little in his sleep.

"... yeah." Dagiel nodded a bit. "He should probably go home."

"He is refusing to, though. Which is why he's here, rather than there."

Dagiel was silent for a moment. Then, suddenly, he grinned. "But he can't refuse a direct order from royalty! I'll be right back."

He left. I kept petting Firhaur.

While Dagiel was gone, Firhaur began to wake up.

That didn't mean he got up. He just snuggled his head closer to my chest.

"Firhaur?" I asked gently.

"Whhnnnngghhh?"

"How do you feel?" I lifted my hand off his head.

"Whh-... nnn-... nnnghhh keep dnghh thaa-..." he lifted his head a little, trying to press it against my still-raised hand. "... Feelsss g'd... keep doingghhhh..."

I laughed a little, and kept petting him. And he purred. Louder, now.

Eventually, Dagiel returned with Princess Toriel.

I stopped petting Firhaur then. He put up another half-asleep protest, but I gently poked him a couple of times to get him to wake up. Finally, he lifted his head off my shoulder, rubbing at his eyes and nose.

"Hello, Dr. Wyngblaise."

He stopped, blinking, and looked at the princess. "Whu-... y'r highness-... why--..?"

"I see Dagiel was right." Princess Toriel folded her arms across her chest. "You are sick."

"No--..." Firhaur waved a hand dismissively. "I's jus' a col'."

Toriel frowned. "Doctor. You are sick, and you're going to go home. I am commanding you to go home and get some rest. In fact," she turned to me, "I think, Dr. Gaster, that I'm also commanding you to accompany Dr. Wyngblaise, and make sure he stays home until he's well."

I nodded as I stood up, satisfied with this plan.

Grumbling, Firhaur shambled towards the door, and managed to hit his head on the doorframe before staggering out.

I sighed a little. "I had better go with him. Thank you, your highness." And then I was trailing behind Firhaur, then walking beside him as we headed for his home.

When we got there, I made sure he was lying down in his nest of blankets and pillows- because mattresses were too small and inconvenient for someone of Firhaur's size, and nests are just much more comfortable anyway- before returning to his kitchen to make some tea. I don't think Firhaur was partial to tea, but I knew that it helped to soothe sore throats, among other things, and would probably be beneficial to Firhaur.

Making tea probably took twice as long as usual, as Firhaur's kitchen was just so much bigger than most, not to mention the fact that I only vaguely knew where everything was.

But, while I was searching for stuff, I did find a large jar of honey, of which I added a generous helping to the tea when it was finished.

When I brought Firhaur the mug of tea, I found he had half-burrowed himself into his nest. It was a little surprising, honestly, how easily such a large creature could almost vanish in enough blankets.

Enough... warm... soft...

...

... Firhaur really was a cat in disguise, wasn't he? And I only noticed when he was sick because he didn't have the energy to put into hiding his feline attributes...

Or, maybe, dragons and cats just have a lot in common.

Regardless, having gotten comfortable in his nest, I found Firhaur was much more cooperative in accepting that he was sick. He accepted the mug with a grateful smile, and drank it. When he had finished, he settled back into his nest, and closed his eyes.

And then, one big, amethyst eye slid open, and he looked up at me. "Gas'er?" He asked, still unfortunately congested.

"Yeah?"

"Will you keep rub'ng my 'ead?"

I just laughed and sat down beside him, and started to pet him again.

I still associate that sound, bone on scale- or anything close to it- as well as purring, with that night I spent at Firhaur's house, helping my sick brother.

§

A/N

Crack headcanon that dragons are actually furry under their scales.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and votes are my Favorite Things, and every notification I get makes my day!