zhongli was a light sleeper. was that a good thing? maybe. maybe not. but at least it came in handy now.
he awoke— not to a sound, but to a movement. diluc had shuddered next to him, retreating further into their shared comforter. zhongli watches as he does it again, this time, awake enough to notice the quiet, breathy sound of diluc choking back a sneeze. he responds by lazily shifting over, draping an arm around his partner.
three more sneezes later, (these ones sounding increasingly harder to stifle) zhongli leans over and grabs a handkerchief from their nightstand drawer.
“snf... sorry,” diluc mumbles, “i didnt mean to wake you up.”
his voice is congested, obviously so, and the littlest bit scratchy. “it’s alright, love.” zhongli leans in to rub his partners back, but is quickly pushed away.
diluc takes a soft, desperate breath, muffling a wet sneeze into his newly gifted handkerchief. “mmh...” the act is followed by a quiet sound of discomfort. “i think....” he starts quietly, but zhongli leans over and touches his own forehead to dilucs. it’s warm. fairly warm, actually— diluc always had a tendency to run hot.
“you’re coming down with something? it seems so, you’re a little warm...” he frowns, brow furrowing.
“i’ll be alright.” a quiet sniff into the handkerchief, warranting another, then an itchy-looking rub of his nose. “just a cold, i think.”
“it *will* be just a cold, as long as you give yourself time to rest and rebuild...” this will be an uphill battle. when is it not, with diluc? it’s not that his sense of self preservation is incredibly low, he just seems to get so lost in his work that it doesn’t even occur to him. so lost in himself, the thought doesn’t even cross his mind that maybe, just maybe, these things do affect him and that it’s okay to rest.
“i’ll be alrighhh...” a long inhale as his eyebrows draw up, softly but urgently. his thick red hair bobs forward with his head. “hhiiih’... iISSCHhuww!... huuh.... sdff-!” the sneeze is tired, almost seemingly in slow motion. his sniffles are getting wetter. both of them know it. “alridt.” diluc shoots zhongli a glare when he earns an eye roll in response to his body contradicting his words.
“alright. you’ll still be resting though, like it or not. i’ll be making you tea, and that’s not a question.” zhongli stands up, followed quickly by diluc. the other man stares into space for a minute while quickly steadying himself on his taller boyfriend’s shoulder.
“you okay?” zhongli knows he won’t get much of an answer, but tries anyway. diluc is silent, then gives an affirmative a grunt in response.
“...could you please go back to bed?” a head shake.
“no. i have... papers.” two coughs, neatly smothered into his elbow. “...due tomorrow, very urgent, i... do you know where the ibuprofen is?”
“yes, why? your head hurts?” zhongli rubs dilucs back. he’ll make sure that the paperwork isn’t worked on for long.
a small sigh. “i never said that. please grab it for me, if you don’t mind... thank you.” and with that, he pads into the living room. zhongli watches him pull out his laptop, sink down onto the couch, then drape a heavy blanket over himself. stubborn. he heads one room over to being preparing tea. chamomile, maybe? ginger would be good for his throat as well, maybe with honey.... no, it’ll have to be chamomile. hopefully it’ll be enough to put diluc to sleep, as it’s unlikely he’ll rest on his own.
he hears a sneeze echo off the walls from the other room. the kitchen and living room are basically connected, so it’s not like there’s much privacy.
“bless you!” zhongli calls over his shoulder, and diluc doesn’t respond. or rather, he tries to, but it just comes out as a crackled murmur; his voice is shot. he does, though, sneeze a second time. he tries to hold it back this time, likely to avoid any more attention. it’s incredibly evident, but he’s too stuffed up for it to work.
“hh... ITT’’sscheww!! ——-‘GTT—‘scchww!! ugh.....” a loud, wet, audible sniff. “thanks,” diluc answers back, before zhongli can bless him again.
his partner sighs, and just grabs a box of tissues from the cabinet. the tea isn’t ready yet, but it’ll have to wait.
“diluc?” he peers into the room. the subject in question has set his laptop to the side, tending to his nose. it’s started to get a little red, matching his cheeks that are flushed with fever.
“mhh.” another groan. it’s obviously he just wants zhongli to leave him be, but that’s not going to happen. tissues are placed onto the table in front of him, and he spaces out at them blankly.
“stop holding them back. it’s not good for you. twenty more minutes of work, then we’re going back to bed, alright?”
dilucs brow furrows, but it comes out more as a pout. “i don’t... listen, it’s not that big of a deal. i get sick every winter. i’m used to it. you don’t need to worry about it, okay?”
he stands as the teapot begins to whistle. “i know.” it’s doesn’t sound condescending, just gentle. “but let me take care of you for once, alright?”
diluc just looks away. zhongli knows it’s hard for him to be vulnerable. zhongli knows it’s probably been a while since he’s just been cared for in such a intimate way. but he will stop at nothing to let today be a relaxing one, even if it’s foreign.
diluc shivers and pulls the blanket further over himself. he feels hot, but at the same time, he can’t get warm. he debates forsaking the laptop so he can wrap his hands under the blanket too, but decides otherwise. three more documents, then a nap. his throat is starting really hurt. tea, and a nap.
he looks up, skin paler than usually and eyes glassy, as zhongli sets down two tea cups. one is obviously not herbal, while the one in front of diluc smells of warm honey and something else he can’t figure out through his congestion.
“drink up. i know you don’t like sweet things, but the honey will be good for your throat right now.” diluc gives a liquid sniffle, and zhongli quietly nudges the tissue box closer.
“.... thank you.” diluc softly, very softly blows his nose, clearing his throat afterwards.
“....” the steam from the cup hits his face and it feels so, so nice. the warm drink, the honey, it feels good. too good to be true. a little scary. but nice. “what kind of tea is this...?” he asks, voice quiet and grated.
“not telling.” zhongli rubs his back and puts the blanket over both of them. “just drink, it’ll help.”
diluc frowns and leans to the side a little. “stop it. i don’t want to get you sick.”
a sigh. “i know love, but i won’t. i have a very good immune system, you know.” he shifts, wrapping the two of them further in the blankets. dilucs hair (unbrushed, but fluffy) fans out over both their shoulders as zhongli pulls dilucs head to rest on his chest. “come here.”
diluc looks conflicted, but his brown continues to furrow and his nose scrunches. “no. i don’t want you get sick, that’s not—“ he jerks away suddenly, leaning to the side. “hh... hhAh’—IHT’sschUW!! euhh....” he doesn’t hold back a tired groan following. the sneeze has him bent forward at the waist, caught neatly (messily?) in a tissue. it sounds rough. grating. forceful. he looks up, sniffling.
“see? i’ll get you sick.”
“okay, then i’ll get sick.” zhongli brings dilucs head back to rest on his shoulders, and runs his hands through his bangs. diluc involuntarily leans to the touch.
he wants to fight, but he’s tired. too tired. and the blanket is warm, and zhongli is so, so warm. he needs to get up, he can’t get zhongli sick, but his eyes are so heavy. he doesn’t know if he can keep them open.
so maybe it’s alright, he thinks to himself, too out of it not to give into his inhibitions. before he can consider much else, he’s fallen into soft snores, clinging to his boyfriend without the shame he would’ve felt if he was any more conscious. hands carding through his thick red curls... maybe this was alright.
