I saw someone say they know they have a cold over allergies if they automatically sneeze after blowing their nose and that might be the hottest thing I've ever read.
A group of people huddled together in a tent or around a campfire. They are cold and damp, but in good spirits - until one of them suddenly sneezes, specks of the sudden sneeze dancing in the center of the circle of friends.
They all share a look, but the sneezes insists it was nothing, only the dusty air.
Then, one by one, the members of the group succumb to the fierce cold that set up shop in the first person's nose.
Since all of them are strong, stubborn individuals, none of them admits to having caught the illness until it is glaringly obvious as they are shivering from fever, nose bright red and dripping incessantly, thus they only accelerate the spreading of the disease by going about their day as normal.
Until finally, all of them are bundled up in blankets around their fire, a sneezy, sniffly round of feverish, red-nosed people, trying to get through the awful headcold they caught.
I know I’m a snz blog, but I also love other aspects of colds. I’m very ace so even with cold stuff I tend to lean more towards softness.
A partner noticing the subtle signs of something’s off. A dry cough that their partner has seemed to pick up suddenly. Maybe a mumbled concern. The small acts of love that comes with worry.
When the sickness starts to set in and one or both prepare for the inevitable. Stocking up, maybe symptom checks, and checking fever by hand first always gets me as being so thoughtful and intimate even in just platonic relationships.
Then the come down. I don’t think normal couple tend to cuddle and love on their sick partner, but the caring and holding and making sure their partner is warm and okay. Encouraging rest
Just siighhhhh I could read 1 million fics with this
i’m such a fever lover bro. like yes you’re delirious. yes you’re sweaty but you’re shivering. yeah you’re cuddling up to whoever, yeah you’re pathetic.
hi friends i was doing yard work the other day and my allergies were going so crazy that i had to go into my car twice to have a crazy sneezing fit. does anyone want to see…? feeling self conscious
summary: there's no way mira or rumi are letting zoey suffer alone when she isn't feeling well.
wc: 1k // tags: sickfic, uni au, slight pining, fluff
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Mira bumps her knee against Zoey’s, turning to frown at her. “Hey. You okay?” she asks quietly, so that the other students sitting in the lecture hall won’t hear her.
Zoey gives her a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes like it usually does. “I’m fine,” Zoey whispers back, shooting Mira a double thumbs-up.
Mira scowls down at her notes, her chest tightening with worry.
Zoey doesn’t seem fine, is the thing. Sure, she’s taking notes as diligently as usual in her turtle-covered notebook, listening attentively to their professor drone on about mitochondria. But over the three months that they’ve been in Bio 100 together, Mira has gotten to know Zoey as a study partner and now a close friend, and she can tell when Zoey’s off. She’s paler than usual and drooping in her seat, propping her head up with one hand. Her eyes keep fluttering shut every now and then, almost as if she has to force herself to stay awake.
It’s a stressful time of year, what with finals just around the corner and winter in full force, but Mira can’t help feeling protective over Zoey. That might be partially due to the fact that she definitely has more-than-platonic feelings for the other girl, but she doesn’t feel like examining that right now. Right now, she just wants to make sure Zoey is okay.
When class ends, Mira packs up her bag, then helps Zoey with her things, since she’s moving slowly.
“Where are you headed? I’ll walk you,” Mira offers as they make their way out of the lecture hall.
Zoey sneezes – a tiny, squeaky thing – and Mira feels her heart constrict with fondness and concern in equal measure.
“I think I’ll just go to the library,” Zoey mumbles, rubbing her nose. “I think I’m getting a cold and my roommates are germaphobes.”
Mira stops in her tracks, staring incredulously at her. “So they just expect you to camp out in the library all day while you feel miserable?”
Zoey shifts on her feet, hiking up her shoulder bag. “I don’t mind…” she says, trailing off uncertainly. Mira takes a long look at her tired eyes and the pallor under her skin and makes a snap decision.
“C’mon,” she says, slinging an arm around Zoey’s shoulders and pulling her close. “You’re coming to my room.”
Zoey hesitates, peering up at her. “Won’t Rumi mind? I’m all gross right now.”
“You’re not gross,” Mira says patiently, gently steering Zoey in the direction of her dorm. “And you know Rumi loves you as much as I do. Plus she’s really good at taking care of sick people. She brought me like, twenty different kinds of soup last time I was sick.”
Zoey giggles, which turns into a cough. Mira holds her even closer, tucked warmly under her arm. Mira wasn’t lying, her roommate Rumi has adored Zoey since the first time they met, so she knows bringing Zoey over for a little TLC won’t be a problem – in fact, Rumi will probably jump at the chance to dote on her.
Thankfully, Mira’s dorm isn’t far from the lecture hall, so they make it over in a just a few minutes. But Mira can feel Zoey shaking against her with tiny shivers that she’s clearly trying to suppress, and she wants to get her warmed up pronto.
“Zoey!” Rumi exclaims cheerfully once Mira unlocks the door and ushers Zoey inside. Rumi jumps up from her desk and comes over to greet them, but her smile drops off her face as soon as she gets a good look at Zoey.
“What’s wrong?” Rumi frowns, obviously noticing the way that Zoey has all but melted into Mira’s side, leaning against her pale and listless.
“She’s not feeling well and her roommates are assholes,” Mira says succinctly, gently pushing Zoey to sit down on her bed and immediately wrapping her up in her softest blanket.
“Oh, poor thing,” Rumi coos, without a hint of teasing. Her eyes go wide and she sits down next to Zoey, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. “Aw, Zo-zo. You’re really warm, I think you have a fever.”
“I’m okay,” Zoey mumbles, blushing slightly. Rumi just kisses her hair and tucks the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
“No you aren’t, but we’re going to take care of you,” Rumi murmurs, tucking a strand of dark hair behind Zoey’s ear. Mira feels a stab of something in her gut – not jealousy, exactly, but maybe something more like longing. Her feelings for both Zoey and Rumi are far from simple.
“Mira, can you order some chicken noodle soup for delivery?” Rumi asks, already getting up to rifle through her sizable medication stash. “She likes that one from the deli on second street, right Zo?”
Zoey nods, looking a little flustered by all the attention, then suddenly sneezes again.
“Aw, bless you baby,” Mira says, her voice going usually soft and the nickname slipping out before she can think better of it. She joins Zoey on the bed, handing her a box of tissues. She starts rubbing her back with one hand and scrolling through her phone on the other, looking for the right deli to order from.
“Sorry I’m being all…germy, in your room,” Zoey says, peering up at them over her tissues. “I really can go if you guys don’t want to get sick. In fact, I probably should go, honestly, I’ll be fine –”
She starts to rise, but Mira gently pulls her back down. “Nuh-uh. You’re staying here, Zo. It’s fine, I promise,” Mira says, squeezing her shoulder.
“Yeah, we want you here, sweetheart,” Rumi says, giving her a small smile. “Now do you want strawberry or grape for the medicine?”
Zoey makes a face. “Uhh…neither?”
“You have a fever,” Rumi says, in a tone that Mira immediately recognizes as the one that means she’s not changing her mind anytime soon. “Fever means meds. Grape or strawberry?”
Zoey pouts. “Grape, I guess.”
Rumi smiles at her, then pours out the medicine into a small cup. Zoey takes the cup reluctantly but swallows down the medication anyway. Mira kisses her temple, and Rumi squeezes her hand.
“You guys are too sweet to me,” Zoey says, looking between them both, her cheeks slightly pink.
“Nah. We’re just as sweet as you deserve,” Mira says, rubbing her back.
“Yep. Let us fuss a little, you’re sick,” Rumi grins. She fluffs up the pillow on Mira’s bed, then pats it invitingly. “Why don’t you lay down and rest a bit while we wait for the soup?”
Zoey glances at Mira. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”
“A hundred thousand percent sure,” Mira nods. “C’mon Zo, when do I ever sugar-coat things?”
Zoey snorts a little. “Never.”
“Exactly,” Mira smirks. She lays down, then holds out an arm. Zoey obligingly curls up against her side, nestling into her. Rumi somehow manages to squeeze onto the tiny bed as well, laying down on Zoey’s other side.
Mira closes her eyes. For her whole life, she’s never quite felt like she fit in anywhere. But somehow, with these two women, she’s suddenly found a home.
summary: zoey & rumi love showering their new girlfriend in flowers. mira wants to love it too, but might be keeping a tiny secret...
wc: 1k // tags: fluff, established relationship
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“Which do you think Mira would like more, the lilies or the peonies?” Zoey asks, tapping her lip thoughtfully as she considers the flowers in front of her.
Rumi, who’s putting finishing touches on a bouquet, glances over. “She loves all the flowers we bring her, Zo. But I’d go peonies. Lilies are depressing.”
“Ooh, or we still have some sunflowers left, right?” Zoey lights up, already peering around the small shop that’s practically bursting with flowers. “Those are definitely cheerful! Mira deserves cheerful. Ugh, isn’t she just the best, Ru?”
“She is,” Rumi agrees, chuckling under her breath. She arranges the last pieces of baby breath and then steps back to admire her work. “Perfect.”
“So perfect,” Zoey echoes dreamily. When Rumi looks at her, she’s gazing off into the distance with a lovestruck look on her face.
“You’ve got it bad, babe,” Rumi smiles, coming over to slip an arm around Zoey’s waist and kiss her temple. “Guess I’m old news, huh?”
“Never!” Zoey’s eyes go wide and she gives Rumi a firm kiss on the lips. “I love you both equally, you know that.”
“I know,” Rumi assures, cupping Zoey’s jaw and running her thumb over her cheek soothingly. “I’m just teasing, baby. I’m as happy as you are that we’re with Mira now.”
“I’m just so glad she wanted to be with us too,” Zoey smiles, and it isn’t hard to read the love in her eyes. “A dream come true.”
“Definitely,” Rumi agrees. “Now, are we doing sunflowers or peonies? Her lunch break is coming up.”
A few minutes later, the two of them traipse across the cobblestone street, leaving their cozy flower shop with a cheerful “be back soon!” sign on the door. The tattoo parlor Mira works at is just across the street from their shop, which is how they ended up meeting in the first place. One day Zoey had stopped by the tattoo parlor with a leftover bouquet and became instant friends with Mira, something she has a knack for. It didn’t take long for Rumi to become friends with her as well, and then even less time for them to decide that they all wanted to be a lot more than just friends.
It’s possible she and Zoey have been a little overexuberant in showing their affection for Mira though, Rumi thinks, as she follows Zoey into the tattoo shop and looks around at the bouquets that are decorating every available surface. They both express their love through florals, it’s why they opened a flower shop together. And so they’ve ended up dropping by Mira’s shop every day with a bouquet – or several. Which has led to the tattoo parlor now looking closer to a second floral shop instead of a place to get inked.
Zoey clutches the vase of sunflowers, looking around for a spot to put them. “Mira? It’s us!” she calls, finding a few square inches of space on a side table to nestle the vase. “We brought you something!”
“Let me guess, it’s flowers,” Mira says, appearing out of a back room. Her tone is dry but her gaze is fond, and she comes over to kiss both of them. “The shop has never looked so…bright.”
Zoey beams and Rumi’s heart grows warm. At least Mira seems to appreciate all the gifts.
The three of them sit down on one of the lobby couches. Rumi opens up the lunchbox that she packed, pulling out three perfectly filled bento boxes. They start to eat, Zoey chattering happily and Rumi and Mira listening in with smiles, and it feels like another perfectly lovely afternoon that has quickly become their routine.
That is, until Mira starts rubbing her face, repeatedly. The first few times, Rumi doesn’t really notice, but as the lunch goes on, Mira’s nose and eyes seem to be getting progressively more red, and itchy too, if the way she’s scrubbing at them is any indication.
Rumi gently interrupts one of Zoey’s tangents about the neighborhood cats. “You okay, Mira?” she asks softly, frowning at her. “You keep rubbing your face.”
Mira immediately drops her hand as if she’s been caught. Something guilty flickers across her expression. “Nah, I’m fine…just a random itch, y’know?”
Rumi might have believed her…if it hadn’t been that exact moment that Mira’s face scrunches up and she hastily turns away to sneeze, violently. Several more follow the first, and Zoey puts a comforting hand on her back, rubbing circles.
“Yeah that doesn’t sound okay,” Rumi says, hopping up to find a tissue box. She locates one, hands it over, and then gives Mira a steady look. “C’mon, spill. What’s up? You coming down with something?”
Mira fiddles with a tissue, not meeting their eyes. “Um…” she rubs her eyes, then sighs. “I might…have a teensy bit of an allergy? To, uh, pollen?”
Rumi and Zoey’s mouths drop open at the same time.
“Miraaa,” Zoey groans, looking around in horror at the flowers crammed in every inch of the shop. “Why didn’t you say anything?! We never would have brought all these if we knew you were allergic!”
Mira grimaces. “You guys were being so sweet! And you were so excited about it! I was okay when it was just a few, but then, well…you know.” She gestures at the shop, then sneezes again. “Ugh. I thought I could handle it.”
“You are ridiculous,” Rumi huffs, kissing the top of Mira’s pink hair, then the tip of her equally pink nose. “Or maybe we’re ridiculous, for bringing all these and not asking first. Which stops now. We’ll get these cleaned up and you should open the door to let in some fresh air. Do you have an antihistamine you can take? I might have some in my bag.”
Mira looks at her, frowning a little. “You’re not mad?”
“Of course not,” Rumi says gently, kissing her again. “I mean, you definitely should have told us, and I will certainly be asking about any other allergies you are neglecting to mention, but you were trying to be sweet.”
Zoey, who’s already collected several bouquets into her arms, calls out, “You can be honest with us, Mira! That’s what this is all about. We love you and want you to be happy!”
Mira blinks quickly, and Rumi has the sense that the sheen in her eyes isn’t from allergies right now.
“We’ve got you,” Rumi says, wrapping her arms around Mira and giving her a squeeze. “Now, go take an allergy pill and we’ll get this cleaned up.”
