"The caretaker." // Kwei x reader
summary: you got sick on one of your hunts and Kwei takes care of you.
tags: fluff, hurt/comfort (ig?), sick!reader
author's notes: just something I wanted to write out of boredom because I'm still not getting better from my flu. Grab a tea and enjoy!
I didn't proof-read this, so I apologise for any spelling mistake or typo. Also english isn't my first language, hope you like this anyway;;
At first it started out as a sore throat. Nothing serious, you thought, since the planet you and Dek's clan were visiting had unusual low temperatures; but you didn't mind: after all, you would've had to hunt for food somewhere, sooner or later.
Kwei was the one who suggested to stop by the planet, as the computers of Dek's ship identified life-forms on it.
As you landed, you decided to go on the hunt with Dek and Thia, while Kwei agreed to guard the ship – and Bud, of course.
«Tell me if you're in trouble.» he warned his little brother before your small group set off. At first you didn't notice, but as you were laying in your nest now you had the feeling that those words mostly referred to you.
Nevertheless, you returned from the hunt with plenty of food to stock. Dek was the proudest about it and Thia and Kwei wouldn't stop cheering him for his energy.
That night you ate with some delicious steaks and curious fruits that strangely could survive the chilly temperature of the planet – Thia made sure they were edible before serving them, obviously.
The morning after, you woke up rather dizzy and your throat was achy. You weren't surprised, since you were out the whole day getting worked up to bring some food back. It was just a natural consequence to you, so you asked Thia to prepare you some herbal tea with the spare parts of the fruits and you were good to go.
«Are you sure about that?», the synthetic looked worried. «Your body temperature is a bit higher than usual. You might have caught a cold, Y/N.»
As she handled the cup to you, a reassuring smile appeared on your face: «It'll pass! Besides, I still have some stuff to care about before we leave this place.»
«I can do that–»
«It's fine, Thia. Really. Thank you for the tea.»
Of course, you wouldn't listen – maybe because as a human you were a little too stubborn, or perhaps you unwittingly wanted to prove yourself: Dek, Kwei, Thia and Bud were all strong and skilled, you always felt a bit behind. So you always did your best whenever you could, even if it meant not to care about your needs.
The sore troat eventually got worse. You thought that the herbal tea had weakened the pain, however a couple of days later you started manifesting some back pain and a blocked nose.
Not even that was able to stop you, as you still wanted to take care of whatever the ship or the others needed.
Thia insisted that you had a break, but to no avail. Even Dek noticed that you weren't as cheerful and lively as you usually were, and Thia promptly sighed: «They're rather stubborn! Now it can only get worse...»
Thia's words became true the very next day, as you started sneezing non-stop and felt shivers running down your spine anytime you tried to move.
At first you cursed yourself: perhaps you should've listened to Thia and get proper rest; then you blamed your body: if only you weren't this weak, maybe you wouldn't get sick.
«It's just a cold.» your mouth continued to spit out the words over and over, hoping to deceive your body from forcing yourself to stay in the bed. You dragged yourself out of the furs and immediately regretted it: the ship wasn't exactly cold, but your body still sensed the temperature difference.
You changed your clothes, only to find out they were all drenched because of your sweat: you must've had a high fever that night. Strangely enough it didn't make you delirious.
After washing yourself, you headed over the control room (or rather, you walked in like a zombie). Since Dek and Thia weren't in their rooms, you thought they went out.
In fact, you only found Kwei and Bud on the ship. The yautja was checking something on the holo-screens of the ship, while the kalisk was sleeping peacefully beside him.
«Morning, Kw–», you stopped mid sentence because you started coughing. Kwei averted his gaze from the screen, almost startled: «Y/N? Are you alright?»
You raised a thumbs up in his direction as you were trying not to collapse on the floor: «Yeah, yeah. All good.»
His mandibles clicked. «Doesn't seem to me.»
«I swear I'm doing perfectly fine.»
«You're burning.»
Your eyes blinked twice. Then your head sank in-between your shoulders: of course he would notice. He didn't have to check you: he could just see it.
«I think I got a fever.» finally, you decided to admit it. Not that would make much of a difference, but somehow it felt less shameful to just reveal things as they were.
Kwei stood up from his sit and walked towards you.
You quickly put yourself together. «B-but it's alright! I... I just need some medicines and I'll be perfectly fine in a couple of days, trust me!»
The yautja stopped in front of you and you were forced to raise your head to meet his gaze. Now that you noticed, he never came this close to you before. You didn't know if the heat rising was because of his proximity or the fever suddenly just went up.
Kwei lifted his good hand (since the other one was replaced with a prosthetis) and gently pulled away the strands of hair that got stick to your forehead. He took a look at your tired eyes and the paleness of your flesh, then simply said: «Come.»
He left the control room and you, puzzled, followed him.
Kwei led you back to your room. He pointed your bed and you sat.
Before you could even speak again, Kwei fixed some of the furs on your shoulders, then knelt down so he could be at your same height.
«I'll prepare something warm for you to eat.»
Your heart started racing in your chest and tears formed in your eyes. In that moment, perhaps out of exhaustion, your mind and body finally gave up.
«I'm sorry.» you sobbed, as your throat began to ache once again. Your voice came out in ragged gasps. «I just wanted to be of help. But I'm too weak.»
Kwei kindly stroked the corned of your eyes with his thumb. «Even yautjas get sick sometimes. But you overwork yourself too much, Y/N.»
You watched him like a puppy who has just been scolded. «How do you know?»
«I watch.» Kwei's touch ran down your arms. His hands then cupped yours. «We're a clan. We help each other. Thia always says that.»
His touch relieved some of the pain. Until then, you didn't realise how much you yearned that feeling. It felt peaceful, it felt gentle, something you would never expect from his species, but here you were.
You held onto his wrist and lifted it up to your cheek, your eyes still teary as you smiled back at Kwei: «Thank you. I should've asked sooner.»
«I'm happy to take care of you.», his mandibles twitched again, this time with amusement, as he leaned in and gently stroked your forehead – a cute imitation of a kiss that scorched your cheeks as you jolted with surprise.
When Kwei noticed your astonishment, his gaze widened in what you felt was... Embarassment?
«Y/N?» he tilted his head, both confused and worried. «Did your fever raise up again?»
His hand didn't pull back. You held onto it as you were afraid of waking up from a dream.
«Y-yeah...» you muttered. «It's the fever.»
In the end, you were the one to let him go. The shivers immediately rose back as Kwei stood up.
He adjusted the furs on you once again, then said calmly: «I'll be back soon.»
You found it funny, the way he was reassuring you non-stop.
«It's not like I'll get up and roam around the ship.» you teased.
«Knowing you, you're stubborn enough to do so.»
«Kwei!»
His mandibles spreaded and he let out a laugh at your reaction. You listened at its sound: deep, warm, almost playful. You also tried to engrave in your memory his expression, the way the small and subtle folds of his face creased.
In the back of your mind, you thought: "Oh, I love him".
