#genshin sickfic

[rukkiya]

what have you done

(baizhu x reader)

tw: mentions of sickness, reader struggles with breathing

More than a week has passed and now Baizhu was starting to second guess his suspicion. He found it strange how lately he’s been feeling little to no symptoms from his underlying condition.

He’s come to realize for the past few weeks he’s been in top shape, better than before.

There have been weeks maybe sometimes months where his condition seems to have no effects on him, not causing him to be in the excruciating pain he’s constantly in, but it always comes back after a while. It never leaves him for more than two months tops so he’s growing skeptical as to what could’ve helped erase his pain for this long.

You take note of his symptoms when you walk into the pharmacy for your shift.

“Good morning Dr. Baizhu, any new prescriptions for me to work on today?” You ask as you remove your coat, making your way to your office.

“No need for the formalities dear y/n, you’ve been my assistant for two years already.” He chuckles, a genuine smile gracing his features. “Only one new prescription for one of our regulars who’ll be down to pick it up later today, I’ll help you make it shortly.” You take note of his voice, how it doesn’t sound as strained and how his shoulders don’t seem as tense.

“I’ll get started, take your time.” You send him a smile back, a sigh of relief escaping your lips seeing him look at peace, knowing he’s no longer feeling pain.

Though your moment of relief was short lived. Once you turned the corner of the hall and made your way into your office you got sent into a coughing fit. One that made it hard to breathe.

The pain that’s been building up slowly since the symptoms you received was finally taking full effect now. A few months ago you had made the decision yourself to take away baizhus illness and give it to yourself. You made sure to do it as subtle as possible, taking it piece by piece for the past few months.

You knew the repercussions and what would eventually happen to you if you did so but you did it anyway. Though it was hitting you harder than you’d imagined it would you don’t regret what you’ve done, nor will you ever tell anyone or Baizhu what you’ve done.

You had a knack for wanting to see others get better, that is why you joined the medical field at such a young age. You weren’t blessed by the archons, bestowed a vision like many great people you know, Baizhu and Qiqi included. But you did have a particular gift you were born with. No one but your family and you know of it of course.

You had the ability to take away any injury, cut, gash, wound, flu, or illness away from one person and help them recover or fully heal but the only thing was it would be placed onto you and you’d have to take over what it was that you would heal someone from. A power that your parents referred to as a double edged sword.

They discovered your power when you were only seven years old. Your younger brother had fallen and scraped his knees and was crying nonstop. You felt bad and decided to help patch him up and you put your hand over his wound to stop the small bleeding only to wince in pain as you did so.

Your mother pulled your hand away and inspected your little brother's wound to find it completely gone, no trace of it being there in the first place. Not even a scar left behind. But when she looked at you she saw a small gash upon your knee, just where you little brother had it mere seconds ago. Since then she and your father had forbidden you from using your powers for anything more serious than so. They know what lengths you’d go to just to help others so they were reluctant on letting you go into the medical field but couldn’t stopped you in the end, it’s what made you the happiest after all.

You shakily push yourself off from the door, legs slowly making their way to your desk as you feel too lightheaded to stand upright.

“How has Baizhu been dealing with this all along?” You question yourself as you squeeze your eyes shut.

“Y/n, are you sick too?” Qiqi’s small voice comes from behind you, making you jump in surprise.

“Qiqi!” You look at the small child with wide eyes, your heartbeat loud from suddenly hearing her voice when you didn’t even spot her coming in. “Ah, no sweetie. It’s not that, I’m not sick.” you laugh it off, hoping she didn’t catch you wince when you turn to her feeling your lungs squeeze.

“I’m just uhh sleepy yeah! I’m sleepy!” You smile at her, feeling bad for lying to her but you don’t want her to worry or even worse inform Baizhu of your condition.

“But you were dizzy, like you were in pain.” Qiqis eyebrows furrow making you feel worse, she’s just a kid but she notices the slightest difference in someone’s demeanor . “Y/n Is something the matter? I think I should get Mr Baizhu.” She nods her head content with her decision before you even reply to her and turns on her heels.

“Qiqi wait!” You push yourself off your desk and quietly run around her kneeling down and offering her your best convincing smile before she can open the door. “Sweetie it’s no big deal I promise. Look you can see for yourself I’m doing just fin-“

“But your hands are shaking, you’re also perspiring.” Her small hand makes contact with your forehead and the corners of her mouth turn down making your stomach sink.

Why am I lying to a child? What’s wrong with me? You feel horrible, she’s just concerned and you're lying to her face when she’s just worried about your well being.

“Qiqi listen ok, I’m sorry. I am a bit under the weather today but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ll make sure to take things slow ok?” You slowly stand back up giving her small hand a squeeze. Taking a deep breath in to help regulate your breathing.

Her head tilts a bit, eyes narrowing as she tries to see through your lie. Something she's definitely picked up from Baizhu. Her small hand reaches for yours and she gives it a small squeeze.

“Don't overwork yourself, if your symptoms get worse i'll have no choice but to inform Mr Baizhu.” a small frown makes its way onto her mouth and you feel even more bad now.

“Sweetie don't feel like it’s your fault, I know how far I can push myself and when to stop. I really do appreciate your concern. If I feel any worse I will take my leave for the day, ok?” You give her small hand a reassuring squeeze hoping she won't say anything soon, hoping you can mask the pain that shoots through your body with every passing second.

“I have to prepare some antibiotics for a customer in a bit but tell you what, afterwards Baizhu you and I will head out for lunch! I'll buy you coconut milk and we can walk around for a bit afterwards! You can also check up on me then ok.” you see Qiqi’s eyes light up a bit and you feel relief wash over your body. A nice day spent out with them both sounded lovely , hopefully the pain wasn't as excruciating as it usually is later on.

“What’s this? Are you both making plans without me?” Baizhu’s voice comes from behind you, making you jump from where you stood.

“Baizhu! Were you standing there the whole time?!” you ask, feeling your heart drop a bit worried that he heard everything.

“My my, do I seem like someone who'd do such a thing?” he laughs making your frown deepen only making him laugh a bit harder.

“What little trust you have in me dear, we've known each other for far too long, have some faith in me.” he chuckles, stepping in smiling at the sight of you holding qiqi’s hand. His heart squeeze’s in a way he hasn't felt in so long, not one due to pain. Seeing you two puts him at ease makes his worry fade.

“I was just telling Qiqi how I wanted to treat you both to lunch later, after our customer pick’s up their prescription of course!” you clear your throat, hoping he didn't see the look of worry you wore thinking he heard you're sick.

“That sounds lovely y/n, only thing is it'll be my treat. You both deserve it. You both have been working very hard as of late and I need to show my deep appreciation to my two dear helpers now don't I?.”

“Wait that's not fair though I-”

“Ahahah,” he tuts taking slow steps to where Qiqi and you stood. “No need to argue ok.” he smiles down at you both, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I just want to treat you both, I'm just glad you are both still here with me, that we're all here together.” his eyes soften and you feel your heart rate pick up. He looks at peace.

“Baizhu has been feeling better as of late.” Changsheng hisses and Baizhu clears his throat making you and Qiqi laugh.

You knew exactly what Changsheng was talking about but didn't press further. You know exactly why he is and you're happy that he's not in pain, that's how you always want to see him.

“Now Qiqi, please do me a favor and run the front desk for me. Y/n and I have to work on a prescription, we’ll be done in a bit ok?” Baizhu kneels down, hand gently laying upon the small girl's head to which she gives a small nod and wastes no time walking out.

Baizhu sigh’s and stands back up to close the door behind her.

“Now shall we get started?” He chirps turning back to you with a closed eyed smile.

You only nod, walking to your desk to get the herbs and vial’s to mix for the antibiotics you need to finish.

“What’s the patient's diagnosis again?” You ask, bending down my the medicine cabinet in the corner of your room.

“Acute bronchitis.” He hums, leaning on the side of your desk watching your every move.

“Ah ok, so the medication calls for-“

Baizhu pushes himself off as he sees you kneel down, legs slightly shaking as you do so.

“Y/n stand back up for me.” Baizhus voice sounds much closer now making you almost drop the herbs you held in your hands.

“Baizhu-“

You turn to face him and the pain in your chest spikes up from moving too fast. The burn in your lungs and the tightness on your esophagus made your eyes burn in no time.

Your hold on the herbs slips from your hands as you clutch your chest, gasping for air now.

The vials never hit the floor. Before they did Baizhu quickly caught hold of them quickly reaching for you seconds after before your legs could give out.

“Y/n? What’s wrong?” Baizhu asks, concern evident in his tone.

“They’re sick.” Changsheng hisses as he slowly kneels to the floor with you.

“N-no im-“ a coughing fit came up seconds after making you clutch your already sore throat. You nod your head frantically at Changshengs accusation.

“Arms up dear, if you can't breathe don't freak out it’ll only make matters worse you know that!” Baizhu gently grabs hold of your arms and lifts them above your head making your eyes widen.

It felt as if it made things worse, you were getting scared. It was getting too hard to breathe let alone concentrate.

“Y/n! No don’t- ah look! Look at me-“ Baizhu’s hands were on both sides of your face getting you to look him in the eyes.

His golden like eyes stare at you with concern as he nods his head in assurance. “I’m here, you’re ok, just breath ok breath with me come on.” He inhales and you try only to feel your throat close up again but Baizhu urges you. His hand rubbing soothing circles on your back while his other one keeps one of your hands over your head.

Again, he inhales and you did so along with him, then a slow and steady exhale and you shakily do the same.

“Good, good, calm down with me, you're ok.” He offers a small smile though he still looks worried.

“I told you, when they walked in today I sensed it.” Changsheng peeks down from Baizhus shoulder, eyes narrowing at you.

“This sickness seems awfully familiar.” The snake comes closer and you feel as if they’re both too close, seeing into you.

“Y/n are you sick? How long has this been going on for?!” Baizhu grabs your wrist, placing two fingers on your wrist to check your racing pulse.

“Not too long.” You inhale sharply, feeling a stabbing sensation on your right lung making you hunch.

“Nono, dear stay up you know you have to.” Baizhus hand rubs your back, straightening your spine as you close your eyes and nod your head.

“Sorry, sorry I know I’ll be fine in a minute.” You exhale, a small laugh coming out hoping to ease the worry that was evident in his eyes.

“Y/n, I’m serious. When did you-“

Another coughing fit comes up making your hands cover your mouth and Baizhu feels his thoughts come to a halt when he sees a dark red substance seep through the cracks between your fingers.

“Baizhu this seems…..awfully familiar.” Changsheng whispers to the already worried man, making him come to a realization that he never thought was possible.

Did they get my sickness? But it isn’t contagious, how would this be? Baizhu thinks to himself, moving your hand from your mouth and placing his handkerchief over your lips wiping excess blood.

“This can't be…” Baizhu whispers and Changsheng slithers up closer to you.

“They’re hiding something Baizhu.” The snake slithers off of Baizhu’s shoulders and onto your lap.

You look at the snake then at baizhu whose eyes are boring into yours, trying to figure out how exactly your conditions seem awfully familiar to the one he has, to the one he had.

“Baizhu it’s nothing.” You give him a small smile, breathing somewhat evening out as you reach your hand to his gently grabbing the handkerchief.

“I just caught a cold, but now your handkerchief is ruined you didn't need to-“

“Did you know?” He whispers, connecting the dots in his head and he fears something he never thought would happen. He truly thought he hid it well, that no one knew except for Changsheng, but how did you get it?

“Know what? Baizhu I don’t understand-“

“This sickness isn’t just a cold or flu, it’s a rare disease that affects very little of the population. This isn’t something that could be contracted.” He reaches for his stethoscope and holds his breath.

“Y/n who have you been around recntl-“

His voice fell upon deaf ears, all you could hear was your heartbeat ringing in your ears.

“Y/n….y/n?” His eyes look back up to meet yours and he drops the stethoscope from his hold.

You look scared, afraid, guilty. Like a deer caught in headlights, like a child caught doing something they weren’t supposed to.

“Did you know about what I had?” His voice comes out small, almost sounding like he was on the brink of tears.

“I-I just…” your vision gets blurred at the look of horror written on his features.

“I couldn’t bare seeing you smile when you were in so much pain, I just wanted to help…. l-let you live freely without hiding something that was tearing you apart, I want to help you like you have helped so many others.” You stutter, voice cracking as you see his eyes brim with unsead tears. His hands reaching for your shaking ones.

He feels time slow down, sees your lips moving but his ears go deaf just as yours had earlier. He never thought you knew. He thought he had his it so well but he was wrong.

He’s always fooled people. Made them belive he was ok, nothing was wrong with him, he was never sick. When deep down he was the one sufferening pain far worse than any of his patients and he never got rest from it. Instead he held his head up high, masked his pain with a smile and people bought it, he thought you had too.

A long life wasn’t something Baizhu had ever seen for himself but when he had greedy thoughts he though of living the rest of his life with none other than Qiqi and you in perfectly harmony, but he knew that wasn’t how the real world was.

But when he had started feeling better a few months back he had hope, a small sliver but some nonetheless. Maybe someday his wish would come true and he could tell you what he’s really felt for so long.

So why are you sick now? Why are you suffering with the same mind numbing, painful sickness he once had? Why you? Not You. This can't be. He thought he hid it so well from you. But the real question that has been running over and over in his head is one he has a hard time saying but he just wants to know, if you knew about his sickness, what lengths have you gone to do this to yourself? How did you do this?

He feels his own hands shake. Even though his sickness is no longer affecting him he feels pain in his heart far worse than any pains he's felt from his illness.

Now it was his breathing that had become uneven. Shaky hands reach for your face to get you to look him in the eye as he tries his best to not let his voice waver.

This can't be real, his thumbs trace the curve of your cheekbones, your skin feels hot to the touch but the sweat on your forehead shows signs of chills. Why has this happened to you of all people? “Y/n.” He calls your name, barely above whisper, his breath hitching when your glossy eyes meet his. He thinks he knows what’s happened, but he just wants to hear you say it. “What have you done?”

_________________

authors note: hello lovelies!\( * ́꒳`*)/ FINALLY WROTE FOR BAIZHU DUUDAISU this has been in my mind FOR AO LONG! This was one i was very excited to write bc pretty dendro healer deserves more attention!! he’s also coming out soon so kind of an early celebration for that hehe! I hope you all enjoy this one left it off on a cliffhanger kind of idk but I had to for the affect heshhshsh SORRY- but! reminder to drink water, eat yummy foods and most importantly stay safe! ^~^<3 (also this isn’t proofread so sorry for any errors!)

[mrowlai]

sick day

character(s): wanderer/scaramouche, wriothesley, childe/tartaglia

summary: you’re sick and they take care of you (can be read as platonic or romantic, possibly ooc wriothesley)

Wanderer/Scaramouche “I really cannot be sick right now, I have things to do the next few days and my entire body hurts,” you groaned.

“Stop complaining.” Wanderer rested a warm towel on your forehead. “Or it’ll just get worse.”

You had fallen ill after a bad rainstorm caught you defenseless while running errands in the forests of Sumeru. Chilled to the bone, you had returned home and fell asleep, forgetting all about how Wanderer was set to come over that afternoon.

Thankfully, his tsundere act didn’t prevent him from helping you out with your cold.

You let out a violent sneeze that tossed the compress back towards him. “Sorry,” you grumbled, turning towards him.

“Use a tissue next time, ew,” were the kind words that came out of his mouth. “Or at least warn me.”

“It’s not like I can predict some of these things, and you don’t have to be an ass about it.”

“I also don’t have to help you, but here I am,” he huffed, moving to place the towel on your head again. “I’ll go grab a bucket soon, just in case you throw up.”

“I doubt I’m that sick,” you said.

“Good, because that’s the last thing I want to clean up.”

“Just shut it and let me rest.” You closed your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest. Surprisingly, he followed your request and let you doze off, staying by your side the whole time.

Wriothesley You made your way up to his office in the fortress, sniffling and coughing the whole time.

“Wrio, I think I’m sick.”

“I’d say that’s accurate. So why are you here and not resting?”

“I wanted to see you. Plus it’s a just a cold, I’ll live.”

Wriothesley chuckled. “You really should be in bed at the infirmary if you’re sick. At least while you’re here, have some tea with honey for me.” He pulled a chair over opposite his desk and motioned for you to sit down while he prepared the tea. He, of course, made himself a cup as well.

“Thank you,” you said hoarsely before you blew on the steaming liquid. Once you felt it was cool enough to drink you took a small sip. Instantly you felt your throat soothed as the sweet honey made its way down.

“Has anyone checked your temperature? Sigewinne?” Wriothesley took a sip of his own tea.

“No, not yet. I felt like complaining to you first.” You smiled.

He let out another laugh. “That’s very kind of you, but we really should get you to the infirmary to make sure it’s nothing major.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s just a head cold, though,” you said. “It’ll probably be gone in a couple of days.”

“How about we finish this tea and head down. If you’re right I’ll let it go, but if you’re wrong you have to rest on the doctors orders.”

“Deal.” You smiled behind your cup.

Childe/Tartaglia "You're sick."

"No I'm not."

Childe slowly put a hand to your forehead and hummed. "You have a fever. Did you dress warmly like I told you to?"

You looked to the ground as your cheeks grew hot with shame. "N-no."

He had taken you on a trip from Liyue to Snezhnaya after you expressed interest in experiencing the culture there. Despite given his clear warnings of the cold, you had only packed a thick jacket and crocheted scarf to keep you warm.

Upon seeing you, Childe let you borrow his fluffy hooded coat and handed you a spare pair of mittens he kept on him. They were a little small since he carried them around to help out his siblings, but you were grateful nonetheless.

Soon enough, he had you in his spare bedroom surrounded by blankets. A bowl of chicken broth with noodles sat on the nightstand next to you. You assumed he had a lot of experience taking care of sick people due to how big his family was. That many kids in one household was bound to spread the flu like wildfire if one caught it.

"After you eat, I need you to get some rest, okay?" Childe said it as more of a light demand than a suggestion. "Tourism can wait, and in the meantime I'll see if I can find some warmer clothes for you to wear in the meantime. What was your favorite color again?"

a/n: this turned out a bit longer than i had planned but i hope you enjoyed it! if you’re sick while reading this i hope you feel better soon.

© mrowlai

[contentloadingandstuff]

Lisa, Kujou Sara and Ningguang caring for a sick S/O

A/N: Just some short and silly headcanons since I'm a little ill. The characters were picked by The Wheel. Don't ask why ALF is on the cover.

Lisa

"Don't worry, sweetie. Mommy Lisa will take very good care of you~" 

Enough said, Lisa is an expert at potion crafting. As soon as she notices you're sick, you'll have one of her most effective tinctures delivered to you in no time. It's bitter, but it will help - you'll be frolicking again in just a few days. If it helps, she'll be more than happy to spoon feed it to you! 

Nothing helps the body quite like a rich broth. Add some chicken, boil with carrots and top it off with some fresh marjoram straight from the windowsill, and viola - just like that you have yourself a tasty revitalizing soup. Lisa doesn't like eating meat, but she knows how important proteins are for recovery. 

Tending to you is a great opportunity to pamper the absolute life out of you. Tissues and medicine? Right on the spot. Feeling peckish? Here, let her feed you. Thirsty? The best tea will be brought directly to you. Sleepy? Lisa will tuck you in, or let you rest your head on her thighs if you want to. You will have everything you need and even more without having to move an inch. 

Lying in bed is important - it lets your body sleep and regain strength. Still, boredom strikes sometimes. Lisa will provide you with a few books from her personal collection. If you're too tired to read yourself, she will do it out loud. Her narration skills are really something special, and will keep you entertained for hours on end, or until you doze off in her caring arms. 

Kujou Sara

“The medic will be here shortly. Do you need tea or a cold compress?”

Although Sara isn’t well-known for her caring nature, she really does worry about you. Inazuma’s climate tends to be quite harsh, with all the frigid sea winds blowing through the islands day by day. Even a minor ailment can quickly turn into a long-term illness in these conditions, so she will convince you to stay home when the first symptoms appear.

If you work in the military, your leave will be signed by her without further issues. If you’re working in the civilian market, however, she won’t restrain from using her position to ensure your leave is approved by your boss. Because who in their right mind would argue with the Tengu General herself?

It has been some time since the conclusion of the Inazuman civil war, so most work regarding that period is far behind her. Sara’s general duties revolve mainly around paperwork - reading through inventory reports, approving funding requests and purchases as well as some officer training meetings every now and then. Thanks to that fact, she can work from home and keep an eye on you.

Sara isn’t the best of cooks, so most meals will be handled by your maids. This doesn’t mean she won’t contribute to your recovery. She will check up on you frequently, whether to see if you’re taking your medicine correctly, or just to keep you company.

Of course she will call a physician to examine you, and buy all the necessary medicine - she has an immense pile of money saved up due to her fairly modest lifestyle. 

One thing though - she’s sleeping on the couch. Sara can’t afford to get ill herself, even if it means forcing you to recover in a cold bed. Don’t you worry, she will give you more than enough affection to make up for that shortage once you’re back in full health. 

Ningguang

“Don’t worry, my dear. You will get better soon. Meanwhile, why don’t you try another cup of tea? I am sure it will help.”

Ningguang is a busy woman who has no time for sickness. But you? She’ll make sure you get the proper rest, else your weakened body will fall to another illness. There will be no work for you until you are fully recovered - just like Sara, Ningguang will not hesitate to pull a few strings to make sure you can rest without worry.

Baizhu will deliver only his best products, as money is hardly a concern for Ningguang. Every Mora used to help you get better is a Mora well-spent in her eyes. 

Although not a doctor by any means, Ningguang will use some homemade remedies as well - especially white tea with two spoonfuls of honey. The warm sugary drink will surely bring back your strength in no time… or at least lift your spirits. 

She will check up on you from time to time, yes, but will not take a day off. Liyue needs her, and there’s always money to be made. 

Ningguang will make sure to keep her distance - even if it is just a cold, it could affect her as well and make her work that much more annoying. That means no cuddles until you’re healthy - but, with the best medicine money can buy, you’ll be in her arms in no time.

Thanks for reading!

[caspersickfanfics]

Sharing a Receptacle

For @monthofsick day 1

Prompt List | AO3 | Ask | Rules

Warnings: Vomiting (graphic), fever

Anon asked:

I see you've got a lot of Cyno and Tighnari lined up already, so I sincerely apologise for adding to that, haha! If this is something you'd like to write, I'd love to see the prompt "sharing a receptacle" for Cyno and Tighnari! Maybe it starts off with one of them being sick and the other coming to care for them, only soon enough they also catch whatever has been making the other sick. (I love fics with multiple sick characters at once!)

Tighnari wakes to his stomach cramping for what feels like the hundredth time in a handful of days. He’s coughing before his eyes are even open but fortunately, he’s taken to sleeping with his arms latched onto a trashcan. He curls around it, hacking. He needs to sit. With the storm that has taken residence in his abdomen refusing to ease, it’s impossible to tell when his stomach contents will make a reappearance. Tighnari feels hands on his back guiding him upright and his body relaxes minutely. He knows who that is.

“Nari,” Cyno says simply, unnecessarily but sweetly confirming his identity. If Tighnari were any bit more aware of his surroundings, he might notice a weight to his partner’s voice that isn’t normally there, pulling it into a slow drawl. But he doesn’t, because his coughs have turned into retches. His stomach clenches and his back arches, entirely out of his control. 

He mentally chastises himself for trying to fight what’s about to happen. Tighnari has seen this process enough times to know that it’s easier to simply accept it - he’s lived through it countless times within the past week. And yet, when bile inevitably rises in his throat, his breath still stutters with a series of shallow, panicked gasps. One last instinctive act of resistance before sick spills over his lips, splattering to the bottom of the trashcan.

It used to be lined with a plastic bag, and Tighnari realizes with dismay that this is no longer true. Cyno must have forgotten to put a new one in after the previous bout of puking. Now, Tighnari stares vacantly downwards, trying not to think about how much scrubbing it will take to clean this. He feels more ill all the same, and the sight of vomit congealing against the plastic… He pitches forward again and blearily watches as the contained mess rapidly grows.

“Guh,” Tighnari shudders, his head hanging low in the trashcan. His body is wracked with queasy shivers and chills. Tears of exertion drip from his lashes. He realizes that Cyno, who is normally quiet, has gone completely silent, and wonders if he’s walked away. Tighnari is hit with a pang of hurt, and then confusion, because that doesn’t seem likely, but his foggy mind can’t seem to come up with a different explanation.

For better or worse, he can’t ponder it further. His stomach spasms and Tighnari finds himself spewing another stream of vomit into the trashcan.

Finally, the nausea alleviates moderately. Though the thought of food still makes him woozy, he believes he can move without hurling. Tighnari’s head feels heavy, but he lifts it anyway. His whole body relaxes upon finding that Cyno is still sitting on the bed beside him. Relief, for a moment, and then he freezes.

Cyno looks almost worse than Tighnari feels. He’s wearing a miserable expression, and his hands repeatedly grip his thighs - squeeze and release, squeeze and release - needing something solid to cling to. There’s no point in asking if he’s alright. 

“Oh, Cyno,” Tighnari murmurs. He’s exhausted, but attentive ears still catch a hitching breath. Several gurgling burps follow, rolling steadily out of the other man, and white hair drapes forward to curtain his face as Cyno curls in on himself. Tighnari’s hand finds the matra’s shoulder, drawing him close with a sigh. “Come here.”

Cyno settles against Tighnari’s side heavily, as if unable to hold himself up.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, voice slurring under the weight of nausea. His back ripples with consecutive aborted heaves and Tighnari winces and shakes his head.

“None of that. Just let it happen.”

Cyno is panting now, mouth gasping for air beneath a shaking hand. Tighnari gently pushes it out of the way. Cyno’s eyes flicker to him briefly and then squeeze shut. A pained moan escapes him. A shudder runs through the matra and it sparks something tender and protective under Tighnari's skin. He runs fingers through sweaty hair.

“Relax,” Tighnari instructs, voice firm despite his own growing queasiness. Cyno’s body immediately softens, easing towards the offered and already used trash bin. The next time his back arches, a stream of pale yellow puke spills over his lips. Tighnari catches just a glimpse, but it’s enough to bring his own nausea back in full force. He tries to ignore it. Cyno is still being ill and Tighnari wants to be there for him. While Cyno chokes on a waterfall of thick, chunky vomit, Tighnari ignores the way his skin sparks with hot and cold flashes. Shaky hands rub circles into Cyno’s heaving back and, not for the first time, Tighnari curses his sensitive ears.

They have been helpful to him in many ways throughout the years; lifesaving, even. He wouldn’t trade them, but there are moments when Tighnari wishes he could put his heightened sense of hearing on pause. He doesn’t need to hear with crystal clarity the muffled splatter of liquid against plastic. And then, louder, a wet belch and splashing noises. He tries to take a calming breath, but it only fills his nostrils with a sour, rotting scent of sickness.

“Cyno - urp - are you almost done?” Tighnari’s strength has all but left him. The only response he receives is a whimper. Then Cyno is heaving again, soupy orange stomach contents spraying from his lips.

Tighnari is not normally squeamish. Still, even he has a breaking point on a sick day.

A gut-wrenching belch rumbles through him. Tighnari tries not to jostle the man next to him, but he has little control over his body as he lurches forward to once again be violently sick. Thanks to careful positioning, most of it makes it into the bin. Having to share such a small space has taken its toll, though, because some of the sticky substance splatters onto Cyno’s hands around the trash bin. Tighnari can't even manage an apology. His head pounds and he is wracked with dry heaves, unable to contain his nausea even now that he’s empty while Cyno continues to cough up streams of bile. When at last Cyno is able to get his stomach under control, Tighnari finally pulls back, bringing his arm up to his face to cover his nose from the vile scent filling the room.

“Are you okay?” He asks, voice all but torn to shreds. Cyno looks like a wet dog, hair drenched in sweat, eyes round and watery. He nods, but speaks waveringly.

“I– I think I should move to the bathroom.” His arms are trembling around the now nearly-full and quite heavy trash bin. Tighnari eyes it with distaste and resolves to worry about it later with a firm nod. 

He is painfully aware that he’s been sick for three days now with no real sign of improvement. If, as the case seems to be, Cyno has caught his illness, they should indeed go ahead and make themselves as comfortable as possible on the cold stone floors of the cramped hotel bathroom (regardless of how absolutely repulsive the thought of moving is at the moment).

–––

Send asks here!

[dutifullyshamelessearthquake]

Ta da!!

My goodness I love these two. it’s so much fun for me to make art from these stories I love it so much! I did keep things slightly more simple this time around but that’s mostly just for my own sanity. I get a little too excited occasionally and realize if I don’t reel it in I’ll never finish things 😅. These are bits mainly from chapter five and a little bit from four. I wasn’t sure how we feel about like…actually drawings of vomit? I don’t want to push it (and frankly idk if I’d be comfy with it lol I’ll have to think about that) but I still want to include like…the energy ?🤣

I can’t wait to draw more stuff as fics continue!! I hope to expand too and draw other pairings and moments as well!! But I think sick Cyno and caretaker tighnari will always be my number one hehe 😊

(Ps…personally… I hate the clothes I put them in??? Like I had to stop eventually cuz I was waaay over thinking it and it’s really not the point at all, but at the same time I was like..wait how many outfits did they pack? How many times do they change clothing? Would Tighnari even look good in that color?? It doesn’t matter and kinda made me laugh but I was this close to doing online window shopping to get better inspiration 🤣)

OMG IT'S HERE!

I don't know how you do this but you always manage to blow me away with your art JUST LOOK AT THEM!! LOOK AT OUR BOYS!! THEY'RE SO- AH! You have no idea how happy these make me 😭

They're my favourite pairing to write right now too, so you can bet I'll be spoiling you with a lot more content of them! Especially sick Cyno, he melts my heart.

AAHH I don't know what to say without rambling! I'm so giddy, I can't stop looking at these!! (I love that drawing of Cyno sitting on the edge of the bed and throwing up- you somehow captured just how miserable he is, even with only his back showing!)

And I think the clothes are cute!! I love that you drew different outfits in both pages of sketches! Tighnari is 100% the type to over-pack, he definitely had an absurd amount of spare clothes. Which, good thing, I think Cyno sweated through several pairs between chapter 4 and 5 😭

AGAIN! Thank you so so much for all the beautiful fanart you've shared!! It means so insanely much to me to see fanart created of my works, and your art is so good too!! I am one very happy writer right now!

(on the topic of drawings of vomit! Absolutely only draw what you feel comfortable drawing. I think you portrayed nausea really well in your drawings, and I really like how you drew the sketch of Cyno throwing up! I am not at all phased by vomit in drawings, so whether you choose to draw it or not, I don't mind at all. As long as you're comfortable with what you're creating! Also if you were to submit drawings that included actual vomit, I would probably just put the art below a cut with a warning, for any of my followers who'd rather not see it.)

[fallingdownhell]

i love your writing so much i can't resist from requesting -

im an AS student and man these exams are not easy I've been pulling all nighters and its obviously effecting on me a lot and i don't have a thoma in my life T^T

can i request thoma x reader (modern AU) where she is pulling all nighters, skipping meals, etc while thoma is away on a buisness trip or something (with the Kamisato siblings) and when he gets back to home he sees her almost passed out with a fever and he takes care of her and helps her get back on her feet again ^^

feel free to ignore this <3

have a nice day/night and take care :D

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that<3

Ugh yeah, studying and exams are hard, but please do take care of yourself! That's still the most important thing to do.

But honestly, you're so right. Everyone should have a Thoma in their life. So, allow me to prepare something. Hope that it helps to relax you a bit as well<3

Pairing: Thoma x reader

Content: gender neutral reader; Modern AU; burnout; stress; exams suck; comfort; being taken care of when sick

Word count: 1,8k words

Enjoy the ride!

Studying was hard.

In fact, it was one of the worst things on this planet to ever exist. Why do people have to go through this for multiple years in their life?

It was already hard enough to stay focused and not get distracted by literally anything else. Even the most minute thing could normally easily steal your attention away.

Yet right now, you had to endure. A hard week was coming your way, two very important exams were approaching, with a third one being scheduled the week after.

You have been studying non stop for a few days now, but somehow, nothing seemed to stay in your head, every word you read seemed to be thrown out your head again at the next second.

So, instead of taking a break and just giving yourself even a few minutes of rest, you just studied even harder. Days became longer and longer and before you knew it, you were studying well into the night, but you couldn't help it.

Those exams were very important, it could possibly ruin your entire future if you were to fail even one of them. At least, that's what you're telling yourself.

To your (mis)fortune - however you wanna look at it now - your boyfriend Thoma, who usually would be pestering you by now to finally take a break, wasn't around for a few weeks, since he went on a trip with a few of his friends.

At first, he wanted to bail out of it, so he could stay with you and support you through these tough weeks. But you insisted that he went on the trip, said it would be good for him to get out and spend some quality time with his friends.

In the end, he reluctantly agreed to it, but he still made sure to text you every day, reminding you to take care of yourself and to not overwork yourself.

Each time you got a text like that from him, you felt guilt well up inside you, from how you so easily ignored his worries about you and your health. Yet, every time again, you pushed those feelings down again, telling you that you had no time for them right now.

...

You were currently deep into yet another study session again, your head already pounding from the constant stress and influx of information, when your phone gave off a text notification next to you.

The screen lit up once you looked at it, showing you a new message from Thoma and also told you that it was already almost midnight again.

'You still up?', was the message displayed on your screen. You hesitated on wether or not you should respond to him, knowing that he would most likely scold you for staying up so late again. But in the end, you decided on just answering him.

'Yeah, I am. What's up?', you replied back to him.

You waited a few seconds for his answer, but instead of a new message came the notification of an incoming video call. Confused but also pleasantly surprised, you accepted the call and were soon greeted with the handsome face of your boyfriend Thoma, which you haven't seen in quite some time. God, how did you only now realise how much you missed him?

"Hey", he said, his voice sounding a bit off thanks to the quality of the phone, but that's okay. At least you got to hear his voice again.

"Hey", you answered back with a soft smile, taking in his surroundings. He was laying on his stomach, holding his phone in front of him with one hand, while the other rested under his chin on a pillow. In the background, you could hear soft snoring.

"Is that Ayato snoring in the background?", you laughed, but Thoma seemed to be used to it at this point.

"Yeah. I'm actually not surprised you hear that, but trust me, it's so much louder when your in the same room as him. He sleeps like a stone and his snoring has kept me up so many times. Like today."

You nodded in understanding. While Thoma may not snore, your previous partner sure did, and it robbed you of your sleep more times than you could count.

"How are you, (name)? Taking enough breaks?", he asked, even managing to give you a pointed look through the camera of the phone. You briefly debated on just telling him yes so he would feel better, but you couldn't bring yourself to lie to Thoma. Not when he was so earnestly concerned about you.

"More or less..", you opted to respond, thinking it would not sound too bad. Yet, knowing you for this long, Thoma knew exactly what that meant.

"(Name)...", he sighed, pinching his nose with his free hands. But before he could go on a full blown rant, you tried changing the subject.

"Let's not talk about that, okay. I'll manage and I don't want to ruin the good mood of your trip. I hope you're having fun by the way."

Thoma looked at you for a few seconds, deciding on wether or not to just go with it. "I know what you're trying to do here. Just... promise me you won't take it too far, okay. Don't neglect yourself, take breaks and remember to eat something."

"Thoma.. I can't really promise you, but I'll try, okay?"

He sighed again, but agreed to that with a reluctant "Alright.", since he knew that this would probably be the best he would get out of you. He really hated how you had this habit to just not take care of yourself when you were stressed, which is why he didn't want to go on this trip in the first place.

But, you were right after all. He really needed this trip to get out for a bit and breath some fresh air, and he had a lot of fun with both Ayato and Ayaka. You were initially invited to join them as well, but sadly had to decline because it would overlap with your exams.

The two of you talked for quite a bit about all kinds of things. The stuff the three of them had been up to during their trip, where they went to (since it was a road trip) and stuff like that. Hearing about it, you were really sad you couldn't join them, but that's just how things are now.

Before ending the call, Thoma informed you that they probably would be back by the end of next week, which was also when you would finally be done with all your exams. Then, you could finally rest again and enjoy some much needed quality time with your boyfriend again.

"Good night, (name). I love you."

"I love you too, Thoma. Good night."

And after that, your screen went black again, and you were suddenly all alone again in your quiet room, with nothing to occupy your mind but the constant need to study and get better.

So, with a deep sigh, you got back to work.

...

It was finally done. The last test has been dealt with, it was over.

You arrived at your apartment, utterly exhausted. You had been ignoring the warning signs of your body for far too long, and yet you still insisted of pushing your own limits.

You started to develop a constant headache a few days ago, with the fever joining in two days ago. Yet you still pushed through, telling yourself that you were fine, that you were able to do this.

And you did do it, but now that you were falling onto your couch, finally able to relax for the first time in two weeks, you realized what you had done to yourself.

You had no strength left in you, no will to do anything at all. You were utterly exhausted and done, not being able to do anything but welcome the darkness that overcame you as you simply passed out on the spot.

...

"(Name)? I'm home!", Thoma yelled as he entered your apartment, using the spare key that you gave him. When no reply came back to him, worry began to rise even more. He had been texting you for the last three hours, telling you that he got back safely. But when you still didn't reply, his concern got the best of him, and he made his way over to your apartment.

"(Name)?", he tried again, while moving through the living space. Once he passed the living room, he saw you, laying on the couch, passed out. At first, thinking nothing of it, he smiled a little and made his way over to your side, crouching down next to you.

But when he saw the pained expression on your face and how sweaty you were, he instantly knew something was up. Without thinking, he gently picked you up into his arms to carry you to your bedroom, before he went to check on your temperature.

As he suspected, you had a fever.

"Damn it, (name).", he sighed. Seemed like he had to take care of you until you wake up again.

...

When you woke up again, you had no idea what time it was, but judging by the the lack of bright light coming form outside, it had to be either evening or night already.

Your head was still spinning a bit and when you went to touch your forehead, you noticed something cold and wet.

That's also when you realized that you weren't in the living room anymore, but actually your bedroom.

Still confused and trying to piece the missing information together, the door to your room swung open, revealing the form of your boyfriend Thoma to you.

"Thoma! You're back!", you exclaimed, trying to get out of the bed, but were quickly pushed back down again.

"Don't even think about getting up. Your fever is still way too high for you to be jumping around like that.", he scolded, which caused you to follow his instruction. Only now did you also notice that you were wearing your pyjama and not the things you collapsed in on the couch. He really took care of everything for you...

"I'm sorry..", you quietly mumbled, and you meant it. You felt bad and guilty for causing him to worry so much about you. Even worse that he had every right to do so, since you did work yourself sick.

Thoma sighed, sitting down on the bed, slowly extending a hand to stroke your hair a bit.

"Don't scare me like that again. You were passed out for hours. All I want is for you to be okay. I can only achieve that if you also start taking care of yourself."

"Okay.. I promise I'll take better care."

And he believed you. It was the only thing he could do, besides nursing you back to health right now. And you appreciated and loved him even more for putting up with you and still caring for you, despite all.

[justifiedthoughts]

Preventive Measures? What Preventive Measures? | Sicktember 2023

Ao3 Link

I am very late to this, but in my defense, I got a block halfway through writing it and couldn't work on anything else until I did finish.

Prompt(s): [1] Hopelessly Bad at Self-Care [5] Preventive Measures (Not Taken) [25] Confused/Disoriented

Fandom: Genshin Impact Character(s): Il Dottore, Pantalone, Capitano Relationship: Capitano/Il Dottore/Pantalone (not specifically mentioned) Warnings: None.

"Where in a certain banker stayed out in the cold snow for a bit to long, and didn't take any measures of keeping himself warm enough during or after that point in time."

Pantalone is only mildly irritated, yet not surprised, when he wakes up shivering heavily, instinctively tugging the comforter further up to tightly wrap around himself. He spends but a minute drowsily trying to blink away the sleep from his eyes before he reaches out from his little cocoon, fumbling around his bedside table for a short moment in search of his glasses.

When he does eventually find them, he pushes himself to leave his bed, rushing to pull on his usual clothes to hopefully stave off the cold a bit. Even when dressed with his usual fur coat, his shivering doesn’t lessen even slightly. However, he doesn’t spare much time to be confused over that - he has a lot of work to catch up on today, considering he had spent far longer than he meant to out in the field the day before.

Instead, he simply reaches into his medicine cabinet to take some basic cold medicine - just in case if he’s actually coming down with something - before moving to migrate to his office. Which is, unfortunately, relatively the same temperature as the rest of Zapolyarny Palace, but there’s not much he can do for that besides make sure the windows are shuttered and the fireplace lit.

Those two, of course, are the things he does first upon reaching said office of his. He struggles longer than usual with lighting the fire though, his hands trembling from shivers as he tries to light a match, but soon enough there’s a steady fire going to hopefully warm the room up at least a bit.

Looking over at his desk, Pantalone quietly sighs to himself and organizes a few things throughout the room before finally sitting down, pulling over one of the papers from yesterday that he missed due to his outing.

“Regrator, I have a proposition!”

Il Dottore - the Prime, this time around - slams the door open, grinning widely from a combination of his new, phenomenal idea - of which he’s going to need funding for, of course; why else would he be here? - and having completely terrified the guard standing outside the room prior to bursting in as he has just done.

When he actually catches sight of the other Harbinger, he frowns at the absolute lack of any sort of cutting retort, as the other usually tends to do. Instead, the Ninth seems to be staring down blankly at a sheet of paper - probably some nonsensical monetary report, maybe the Eleventh spent ten million mora on a meal in Liyue again!

The Doctor strides towards Pantalone, curiously leaning down to catch his eye once he’s close. They’re glassy, which is certainly an odd deviation from how the banker usually presents himself. Always so fastidious about himself, from his appearance to his evident attention - most of the Harbingers know to simply come to him if they missed something in a recent meeting; even Tartaglia, the youngest and easily the most naive of them all, has learned how to be roundabout in netting any required information during one of the Ninth’s heretic rants.

Disregarding that matter for the moment though, Dottore’s frown only deepens when Pantalone snaps out of his little haze, the man barely moving beyond the shivers he’s been under this entire time, as well as slightly rotating his head to look at Dottore.

“You were… quick today, Dottore..” He fully scowls when the man struggles to pick up his pen - it’s just a pen, and an easy one to hold, at that! - reaching out to stop the Regrator from moving any further. He recoils slightly when he feels how cold Pantalone is - just slightly, for his lab is also rather freezing, though he certainly didn’t expect to feel that same relative temperature on the skin of his dear banker - but doesn’t stop holding his wrist. Cold, very cold; shivering; clearly disoriented and tired; an inability to easily grab onto things..

“Ignorant imbecile,” Dottore sighs, tugging Pantalone’s chair away from his desk. The Doctor ignores the other’s belated protests as he hoists him up into his arms - for all the Ninth tries to struggle, it’s a rather pathetic attempt, as he doesn’t even cause Dottore any issue as he carries him out of his office - once again scaring the guard stationed outside it half to death.

Rather than bring him to his lab - which certainly won’t be any help at all, not with how cold it is in there - Dottore takes Pantalone over to one of the warmest rooms in the palace, second only to the gardens and installed by the very banker within his arms. Who, it seems, has given up on trying to get down and has instead resorted to occasionally - yet weakly - attempting to punch him. Which, of course, does nothing in regards to freeing him. 

When they’re almost there, Pantalone sighs quietly and completely gives up in any escape attempts. Dottore grins and immediately deposits him onto the couch, pulling a blanket over him with all the flourish that is expected of one of his younger segments - a bit too energetic for anyone else to deal with; not that he cares, of course.

“Stay right here, Regrator, and I shall be back!” 

He cackles as he strides off towards the kitchen, leaving the freezing banker to uncomfortably doze, shivers wracking his body as he absentmindedly fumbles with pulling the blanket closer to himself. It takes a long time for him to even think of responding, and even with no one else around to hear he sounds pathetic.

“As if I can even move..”

It hasn’t been long enough for the Doctor to finish whatever-it-is he’s doing in the kitchen before somebody else disturbs Pantalone, as he feels something heavy, yet warm, drop onto him - nigh on knocking the breath out of his body - and someone sits next to him.

Blearily opening his eyes, he glances to his right and only gets slightly startled at the hulking form of Capitano, who is supposedly staring right at him - not that he can really tell, considering the Captain’s helm and its solid darkness. But, it is pointed in his direction, and it’s generally the thought that counts anyway.

“Regrator.”

“C-Captain.” Mentally, Pantalone curses his shivering, as his teeth chatter lightly. 

“You’re cold.” “Maybe so, yes.”

The silence that comes after their very brief conversation is a comfortable one, rather unlike most silences that Pantalone has with his other fellow Harbingers - those silences tend to be rather awkward, full of words that none of them will say. Mostly because they’re either spiteful ones that need not be stated within their positions, or terms that need not be said for already being known and understood.

Of course, that’s not to say that there aren’t outliers, but Pantalone prefers to put Dottore and Tartaglia into their own little group, rather than factor them into his internal comparisons.

He’s startled out of his thoughts when Capitano places a surprisingly warm hand on his head, effectively mussing up his hair. Hesitating, he eventually just sighs and burrows deeper into his blanket - and apparently Capitano’s coat, too - cocoon. If today’s the day that everyone decides to be all touchy-feely with him, then what power does he have to stop them; especially considering he can’t even hold a pen, for Tsaritsa’s sake!

While Pantalone begins to lightly doze again, the Captain keeps a hand on his head, and they remain like that even when Dottore returns. With more blankets. And a steaming cup.

Pantalone grunts when Dottore haphazardly drops all of the blankets onto him, leaving either him or Capitano to figure out placements - more likely Capitano, since the doctor then shoves the steaming cup - of tea, apparently. He didn’t realize that Dottore could make tea without burning the water - into the Ninth’s hands; when he protests due to the heat, said doctor merely replies, in false cheer, “Good to hear that you’re more aware, dear Regrator! Now, drink up!”

“I-” “Drink.”

Pantalone sighs, but does as ordered with obvious reluctance, only to immediately let a grimace cross his face the moment the liquid touches his tongue.

“It’s scalding,” he complains, holding the cup away from himself with all the delicacy of the rich, picky banker that he is.

“And you’re freezing.” Dottore shoves it back at him, nearly causing it to spill over him. At this point, Capitano finally reaches over to put a hand between them, plucking the cup from Pantalone’s hands to spend a brief burst of cryo energy - courtesy of his vision - in order to cool the cup slightly. Only slightly, so that it’ll still be hot, but not so much that Pantalone would have to burn his tongue.

“Drink the tea,” he commands, handing the cup back to the banker - who carefully takes it in his hands and does as asked, only to be pleasantly surprised at how the tea is, in fact, no longer burn-his-tongue hot.

“Oh, so you’ll willingly obey the Captain, but not me, the literal Doctor. I see how it is.” Dottore openly sulks, laying it on thick as he sits on the coffee table without a care for how dirtied he’s making it. However, he squawks in a completely undignified - when did he ever have proper dignity, though? - manner when he’s abruptly plucked up off of said table and set on one of the many plush armchairs spread throughout the room. He cranes his head up at the first chance to glare at Capitano, for who else would have done that?

Of course, his glare isn’t as effective as it could’ve been, considering his mask, but it’s thought that counts - or, at least, that’s what Pantalone always says. 

Once they’re a bit apart, though, both the Regrator and the Doctor finally stop sniping at each other. As Pantalone quietly sips at his drink, buried under at least half a dozen blankets, Dottore pulls out a small chaos core and begins to fiddle around with it - pulling it apart and rearranging it - and Capitano silently heaves a sigh of relief from having nipped that small argument in the bud.

[aeryssickfics]

Day Four: Messy

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Warnings: Vomiting, Emeto, nightmare mention. Intersibling tension.

Summary:

One would think that Kaeya would have been expecting to come down with whatever bug he’d taken it upon himself to help Diluc through a few days ago. It had, after all, been a frequent event in their teen years. And yet … Kaeya hadn’t expected it. Wasn’t prepared for it in the least. That was probably how it snuck up on him at work, really. He had been fine when he left home. Training had left him a little more winded than usual, and he was feeling a little off by then. It wasn’t more than he was used to after a night of drinking. Kaeya ignored it. [He would regret that]

[pokemonispain]

waking up on the wrong side of the bed-Alhaitham/Kaveh

Summary:  In which the moment Kaveh wakes up he can tell that today is not his day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's the aching in his joints and the sharp pain dancing along his skin, the jittery buzzing burn that sits just below his skin that lets Kaveh know that today just isn’t his day when he opens his eyes that morning.

He groans softly, grimacing at the dull ache that streaks across his eyes when the sunlight filtering in from between the curtains feels far too bright.

As Kaveh lies there hoping to drift back off to sleep he slowly becomes more and more aware of a few more things.

For one his head hurts, a slight dull ache settled at the base of his skull as well as his right temple. It’s not horrific but it definitely is slightly noticeable and annoying.

The next thing he notices is that his body feels heavy, especially in his limbs as if a small weight were tied to each.

There’s a slight ache in his stomach as well, not exactly painful but definitely uncomfortable, and he scowled as he shakily placed a hand on his stomach. His scowl only deepens when he finds that his stomach is bloated ever so slightly.

The final thing is the burning sting dancing across his skin, that make even the blankets laying across him feel uncomfortable.

It’s all these things alongside the jittery, almost feverish feeling settled in his body that lets Kaveh know that he’s having a flare-up.

Kaveh was someone who’d been chronically ill since he was a child although he did his best to hide it as he got older, especially when he was studying at the Akademiya.

This often meant him pushing through the pain, the horrible fevers, and nausea, no matter what whenever he was in class or around others, only to return to his dorm room and collapse in bed barely able to move.

Once in bed, he would reach out taking the sketchbook and pencil he kept on his nightstand, and simply sketch. Random doodles, impossible yet wondrous architecture that no human could reliably replicate.

Sketching random doodles like that was one of the few things that let him ignore the world around him.

More often than not he would fall asleep soon afterwards, his quill still clutched in his hand.

The illness wasn’t life-threatening truthfully but that didn’t stop Kaveh from feeling as if it were whenever the flare-ups were at their worst.

Not only that but alongside the regular symptoms Kaveh also often found himself susceptible to getting sick frequently which was rather annoying.

Honestly, he’d felt the oncoming signs of a flare-up all week, the slight nagging queasiness in his stomach that made quite a lot of food seem unappetizing.

The heaviness that lingered in his body each morning which he’d just chalked up to the work he’d been doing the night before.

The dull ache that had settled in his skull which he’d chalked up to eye strain.

Remembering the signs that he’d ignored and brushed off, Kaveh groans loudly his hands covering his face, “Idiot!”

A second later he scowls, pausing for a moment to try and listen intently in the hopes that Alhaitham hadn’t heard his near scream of frustration.

He’d been living with Alhaitham for a little while now, with the younger man extending the offer for Kaveh to live with him a while ago.

Although they’d been rather close during their time studying at the Akademiya together, despite the fact that they attended under different years and different

Darshans.

Kaveh was Alhaitham’s senior however the two had grown rather close forming something of an odd friendship, this friendship had drifted apart due to their differences, but eventually when they’d met once more later into their adulthood, and began living together.

They bickered and argued rather frequently, pushing each other’s buttons and responding in kind to the point where Kaveh wouldn’t have been surprised if all of Sumeru city were aware of it.

Alhaitham could often read Kaveh like an open book, something that the younger man used to his advantage to irritate Kaveh.

That is also why Kaveh often did his best to hide his illness thoroughly. The medications he often took to ease and calm the flare-ups were hidden in a lockbox in the lowest cabinet of the nightstand.

Admittedly Kaveh did occasionally overwork himself but it had been a while since he had a flare up thankfully. The last thing he wanted was for Alhaitham to find out about his illness for multiple reasons, the main one being Kaveh’s pride more than anything else.

Kaveh was someone who deeply valued his self-image, the way people saw him especially. He hated people pitying him like he was just some poor fool who didn’t know any better.

Having grown up the way he had, he had heard many comments such as this. Although it was in the Akaidemyia was where the hushed whispers were the worst, it wasn’t as if he didn’t have friends but even when the ‘eccentric weirdo’ became the genius and light of the Kshahrewar those hushed whispers never stopped.

Kaveh hated people pitying him, and although he knew when to swallow his pride when backed into a corner that didn’t make the feeling any less bitter. Hell, when Alhaitham had offered to allow him to move in with him it had taken a bit of contemplation.

It had been his only option at the time when he’d gotten into debt. The hushed whispers of people gossiping had seemed overbearing at that time.

Kaveh bites his lip lightly as his eyes glance over to his bedroom door nervously. The flare-up was annoying at the moment and slightly painful but the pain hadn’t reached crippling levels this time. Hopefully, he could keep Alhaitham from finding out until it passed.

Taking a deep breath Kaveh slowly sits up so that he can get ready for the day. Almost instantly a wave of dizziness washes over him at the movement, as the dull ache that had been throbbing in his skull seems to dart along the side of it.

Kaveh brings a hand to his head with a soft groan as he closes his eyes, his ears are filled with a loud ringing noise drowning out every other sound.

His other hand goes to his stomach when nausea stirs in the pit of it, still groaning and feeling as if the room is spinning around him he lightly rubs at his stomach noting the low growl that came from it.

Kaveh takes a few deep breaths through gritted teeth. Careful, all he had to do was be careful and maybe just maybe Alhaitham wouldn’t find out. It takes Kaveh a few deep breaths before he could open his eyes without feeling as if he were going to pass out.

It takes him another moment to shakily get to his feet, the normally soft sensation of shifting blankets feeling as if they were scraping against his too-sensitive skin.

His body feels far too slow and heavy as if filled with lead, each brush of clothing against his skin sending a sharp burning sting spiderwebbing across his body. When he’s finally finished getting dressed Kaveh feels worse than when he woke up.

Exhaustion covers him like a large blanket, tugging a yawn free from his lips. His head is pounding in time with his heartbeat, the sunlight filtering in through the curtains feeling as if it’s trying to stab him through the eye.

Kaveh feels uncomfortably warm as well as though he’d gotten a full workout from simply getting dressed. Each ragged breath he takes makes his chest and backache, that burn darting and dancing across the expanse of the skin there.

He feels a bit dizzy, the queasiness settled in his stomach becoming a bit more noticeable as if on cue he could hear the soft clang of pots and pans in the kitchen letting him know that Alhaitham was awake and fixing himself breakfast.

Tonight would be Kaveh’s turn to cook dinner, although they often switched this one specific chore due to Kaveh complaining that it was unfair that he should be stuck cooking each day for the two of them. Especially considering how messy Alhaitham already left the house.

Kaveh looked over towards his bed for a moment, he knows he should just climb back in bed and rest until this passed especially considering how exhausted he felt at the moment as if his energy had been drained.

And yet he doesn’t, his gaze going to the unfinished designs sitting on his worktable still on the planning stage, then going to the door where he could hear Alhaitham still moving around the kitchen.

“It’ll be fine. I just need to hold it together for a bit,” Kaveh tried to convince himself before he stands up straight, takes a deep breath, and stretched ignoring the ache that darts across his skin.

Once he believes that he looks presentable Kaveh leaves his bedroom and ventures into the kitchen.

~~~

Alhaitham senses Kaveh’s familiar presence in the kitchen rather than heads him at first, although soon enough he can just faintly hear Kaveh’s usual grumbling through the noise cancellation function of his headphones.

After cooking breakfast Alhaitham had chosen to read as he ate considering he had free time before work as usual.

Kaveh huffed looking at Alhaitham with narrow eyes when the younger man doesn’t answer his question in regards to the banging of pots and pans Kaveh had heard this morning.

“Of course, you’re ignoring me again, you and your books,” Kaveh grumbled as he walked over to where the freshly made pot of coffee sat.

The rich scent of coffee and heavy scent of spice drifted through the house almost lazily, filling it with a familiar cozy warmth.

Normally Kaveh didn’t mind the scent and even found it comforting after living with Alhaitham for a while, but at the moment it felt far far too harsh.

The queasiness in his stomach seems to stir a bit more, as pain darts across his skull. His nerves feel as if they’re completely fried, sitting on a razor’s edge, he can only hope that Alhaitham thinks that the heaviness in his steps is due to him just waking up.

Kaveh is so focused on grumbling under his breath as he’s fixing his plate of food that he doesn’t notice Alhaitham reach up and turn off the noise-canceling function of his headphones.

“Honestly making so much noise so early in the morning I swear,” Kaveh huffed as he sat down across from Alhaitham with his plate of food.

Kaveh is just picking up his fork when Alhaitham finally speaks, making him freeze.

A soft snort leaves Alhaitham’s mouth, “Racket? I don’t want to hear that from the person who spends all night usually hammering away at nonsense. Besides, this is my house in the first place.”

As Kaveh looked at him with narrowed eyes, irritation clearly appearing on his face, Alhaitham couldn’t help noticing that Kaveh looked slightly pale.

Kaveh was truthfully always a bit pale, which Alhaitham chalked up to many things for one Kaveh’s erratic work schedule and sleepless nights.

Even last night Kaveh had been working away in an effort to meet a deadline, obviously sacrificing his sleep as usual in an effort to get it done.

Alhaitham looked at Kaveh briefly, turquoise meeting carmine. Kaveh as usual doesn’t have a hair seemingly out of place, although Alhaitham does note the faint circles beneath his eyes which pointed to Kaveh clearly not getting enough sleep lately.

And yet despite him finding nothing particularly out of place, Alhaitham can’t help but feel as if something is off for some reason.

“I was not hammering away on nonsense! I was working on my project not to mention fixing up your horrible excuse of decor,” Kaveh snapped, an all too familiar scowl tugging at his lips. “Honestly I thought I told you not to go furniture shopping without me.”

Kaveh quickly takes a sip of his coffee once he stops speaking, feeling that familiar irritating tickle flaring to life in the back of his throat alongside that familiar soreness.

It helps just a tiny bit although it does nothing but make the nausea lurking in the pit of his stomach intensify for a moment, and Kaveh swallows thickly from behind his mug still raised to his lips.

He tries to ignore the way his clothes feel far too rough on his skin. Abnormally scratchy, each movement no matter how small had a sharp sting dancing along his skin.

Kaveh glances down at his food, unsurprisingly it looks unappetizing to him at the moment. Even though he had only tentatively sipped on his coffee this morning his stomach feels far too full.

Kaveh hadn’t realized he’d zoned out, his mind wandering as he stared at the food trying his best to prepare himself but when he eventually does look up he finds Alhaitham looking at him as if waiting for Kaveh’s response.

“What is it Haitham,” Kaveh asked with a slight scowl. He resisted the urge to fidget beneath Alhaitham’s gaze, although that doesn’t stop the fear and nervousness from writhing in his chest.

Did Alhaitham notice something that Kaveh missed when getting ready today? Did he know Kaveh was sick?

So many of these questions circled Kaveh’s exhausted mind at such a speed it almost feels as if they were making the dizziness worse.

Eventually, Alhaitham speaks, dragging Kaveh out of his swirling thoughts. “If you plan on going out, be sure to lock the door,” Alhaitham told him.

Kaveh gave a soft huff. “You better not take my key,” the words are grumbled under his breath as he picked up his fork.

While Alhaitham was used to Kaveh zoning out from time to time, it is the fact that Kaveh is strangely quiet only occasionally speaking up rather than aimlessly chatting and complaining to fill the silence that has Alhaitham taking a bit more notice.

Kaveh was someone who wasn’t a quiet person, whether it be working on his projects, complaining, or merely talking about whatever random thought that popped into his head, Kaveh was never quiet.

He was always talking, his eyes bright with excitement. For Kaveh to be quiet…well Alhaitham found it rather odd.

When Kaveh picks up his fork and begins eating is when Alhaitham notices that Kaveh’s usually steady hand had the slightest tremble to it. Kaveh didn’t seem to even be aware of it himself either.

For a few moments, it’s quiet, allowing Kaveh to focus on doing his best to force down the food, each bite sitting heavily like a weight in his already sore stomach. He has to repeatedly bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grimacing as cramps twist at his stomach.

This was fine, not good but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t experienced before.

Suddenly Alhaitham speaks, causing Kaveh to look up at the other man.

“You should try and see if you can get an extension for-“

Alhaitham is cut off suddenly when a rather loud growl comes from Kaveh’s stomach, causing both of them to jump slightly.

Kaveh freezes his eyes wide as his face flushed red, and he catches sight of the slightest hint of surprise on Alhaitham’s face if only for a second.

“Stop staring at me,” Kaveh huffed as he glanced away feeling almost pinned under Alhaitham’s gaze at the moment.

It felt a bit oppressive honestly, Alhaitham had very piercing eyes which always seemed to scrutinize whatever subject he laid them on. So it was no surprise that whenever he directed that gaze towards Kaveh, that Kaveh couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

The familiarity they had with each other rarely made it any better either, if anything Kaveh felt as if Alhaitham could see every chink in his metaphorical armor.

Did Alhaitham know something was wrong? After all, before Kaveh’s stomach had interrupted Alhaitham he’d seemingly been about to say something about Kaveh getting an extension.

“How can I not stare when you’re clearly making a spectacle of yourself,” Alhaitham said drawing Kaveh out of his swirling thoughts.

Between the fog blanketing his mind and the pounding headache, it takes him a moment or two to process Alhaitham’s words, but when he does as usual irritation wells up within him.

His eyes narrowed once more as he glared at Alhaitham eventually Kaveh looked away though, clicking his tongue and he mumbled soft curses under his breath.

Alhaitham finishes eating first, getting to his feet as he glanced at the nearby clock. He can hear Kaveh muttering something under his breath, although Alhaitham can’t understand the language due to it not being in the Sumerian tongue he does recognize the usual tone Kaveh usually has when he’s throwing a fit.

The language Kaveh was using was the language of the desert dwellers, with the other man having told Alhaitham that he grew up there for a bit as a child.

Alhaitham had heard Kaveh speak it many times, sometimes purposely during an argument or when drunk, or discreetly when he didn’t realize Alhaitham was present.

“Make sure you lock the door if you leave the house,” Alhaitham said as he grabbed his key off of the hook beside the door.

“Just don’t take my key,” Kaveh called out.

It is only when Kaveh hears the front door close shut, letting him know that Alhaitham had left for work that he slumped forward in his chair. Resting his head down for a moment as his hand went to his stomach, cringing when he feels it gurgling and shifting with each cramp that twisted at it.

Now that he’s allowed himself to relax, the nausea and dizziness slams into him with such ferocity that it leaves him breathless and panting.

A grimace tugs at his lips as pain blossoms along his entire body, a horrible weight settling in his arms, back, and chest.

A sharp stinging burn dancing across the surface of his skin leaving a buzzing jitteriness in its wake, as if he were being subjected to a constant electro attack.

His clothes feel far too rough on his skin, almost as if they were made of sandpaper.

For a few moments all Kaveh can do is sit there, his arms wrapped around his stomach cursing every archon he can think of as well as Celestia itself as he does his best to ride out the waves of pain and nausea.

It takes him a good few minutes of taking shuddering breaths in through his mouth, his eyes squeezed shut as they sting with tears.

Slowly but surely the pain and nausea slowly begins to dull bit by bit till it’s settled as something of a background annoyance.

Sniffling and lifting his head Kaveh wipes at his eyes with trembling hands, he truly really does hate this. “Fuck…”

Kaveh glances at his plate of half-finished food but glances away when his stomach makes a loud gurgling noise as if warning him to not even entertain the idea of trying to eat any more of it.

Kaveh really hated wasting food, something that he'd learned and had been practically drilled into him as a child. Food in the desert could be hard to come by although many desert dwellers did their damnedest to scrape by to survive not everyone was so lucky.

Which often made times like this when the flare-ups made it difficult for him to eat that irritated Kaveh more than anything.

“Pisses me off,” he huffed under his breath as he got to his feet and quickly put the leftovers inside the mist flower box.

It would keep the food cool and somewhat preserved for a day or so at least.

With that taken care of, and a small apology whispered to Lesser Lord Kusanali, Kaveh returned to his room, his hand lingering on his stomach which was practically throwing a tantrum at the moment. The dull cramps leave him feeling as if someone was pinching his insides.

His steps are heavy with exhaustion and yet he doesn’t lay down to take a nap and stay in bed like he should truthfully.

He had some work to do and designs to go over, he was just thankful that he wouldn’t need to leave the house today because just the thought of doing so has his head spinning.

It wasn’t Kaveh’s first time working through a flare-up, and as he goes over the all too familiar tools on his workstation he’s reminded of his time in the Akademiya.

And despite the pain tugging at every inch of his body Kaveh can’t help the small smile that crawls across his face as he picks up one of the nearby pencils.

His hands are still trembling ever so slightly as they had been when he’d been eating earlier, however, it doesn’t bother him after all Kaveh is used to it.

As Kaveh works, he can’t help but find his mind turning to his time as a student. The many long sleepless nights he’d spend studying, gathering references for his classes, going to the tavern with friends occasionally, simply sitting somewhere and sketching.

Kaveh also finds his mind wandering to when he and Alhaitham had been closer when younger. The times Kaveh would find himself sick due to lack of sleep and Alhaitham would come by to see him after class, carrying a book or three in hand as usual.

He’d chastise Kaveh openly all while keeping him company, although even back then Alhaitham had been blunt, his words had lacked the almost vicious bite they’d gained in later years after he and Kaveh’s falling out.

Surprisingly while he’d had flare-ups more frequently back then he was always able to keep Alhaitham from finding out, just as he did now.

Making sure his medicine was hidden out of sight of Alhaitham’s critical eye. Never speaking a word about the doctors appointments to anyone.

He was nearly living a double life at this point. Which again wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to.

Time seems to pass in a blur as Kaveh worked and for a little while he was able to ignore everything, the pain, the nausea, the fever, all of it.

As frustrating and infuriating as it could be sometimes Kaveh would be dead in the ground before he admitted that he truly hated art.

Placing his quill and ink aside for a moment Kaveh scrutinized his progress with a careful eye.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that he was no longer focused, that his concentration had been broken to some extent that suddenly everything seemed to hit him all at once.

Kaveh slumped forward slightly with a groan, bringing a hand to his face. It felt as if someone was trying to crack his skull open, his vision wavering as pain sparked and lashed across his skin.

“Need…to lay down…” Kaveh murmured to himself his words slurring slightly whether it was the exhaustion or the dizziness he wasn’t sure.

He shakily gets to his feet, honestly though trying to walk at all in his current state is a mistake. The moment he stands up the room seems to rapidly sway and tilt before his eyes, wave after wave of dizzying nausea churning in his stomach and pulling a sickly-sounding hiccup from his lips.

Kaveh attempts to take a step, in what he thinks is the direction of the bed but he doesn’t make it, the ground feels as if it disappears from beneath his feet and Kaveh is unconscious before he hits the ground.

~~~

Alhaitham arrives home early having taken the first opportunity offered to him to head home. Surprisingly the house is quiet as he opens the door and at first he believes Kaveh has left the house and gone out considering it wasn’t unusual.

However, he quickly disregards that thought when he notices Kaveh’s key on the hook by the front door.

It wouldn’t have been the first time Kaveh had forgotten his key and gone out though,  which was a habit Alhaitham found annoying.

At the moment though he only finds himself comfortable embracing the silence and temporary calm in the house.

Alhaitham makes his way through the house, stretching ever so slightly when he noticed that his shoulders felt a bit stiff from sitting down at his desk most of the day going over paperwork, just as usual.

He almost reaches his room, passing by the door to Kaveh’s room when he hears a loud crash from inside, as if someone had tripped over something and fallen.

At the noise Alhaitham pauses, sighing. And just like that, his chance to embrace the peaceful silence in the house had disappeared.

It wasn’t uncommon for Kaveh to trip over things, after all his room was a mess of scarcely organized chaos something Alhaitham never failed to bring up whenever Kaveh threw a fit over him leaving his books out.

For a moment Alhaitham finds himself waiting, listening to see if he would hear the usual sounds of Kaveh scrambling to get up or even soft cursing in the Sumerian tongue or the desert dweller's language.

And yet, there’s nothing. Just more silence…

Sighing softly, Alhaitham turns to Kaveh’s door and knocks.

“Kaveh?”

He listens again for a moment, adjusting his headphones slightly so that he could keep an open ear.

Alhaitham had rather sensitive hearing, and wearing the headphones helped ease that alongside the fact that they were soundproof and had a noise-canceling function.

For a moment the house is almost eerily silent as if it were holding its breath in anticipation. Then Alhaitham hears something, a weak groan followed by a whimper of pain.

“Kaveh,” he called out again as he placed his hand on the doorknob, it turned slightly beneath his hand and he scowled, noting that it was unlocked.

Alhaitham opens the door and in the next moment freezes when he sees Kaveh collapsed on the floor, curled into a ball.

It wasn’t the first time Alhaitham had found Kaveh collapsed seemingly due to lack of sleep from overworking himself, he should be well acquainted with it considering it was a sight he’d even seen in the Akademiya, it was logical really.

And yet that familiarity does not stop him from rushing to Kaveh’s side, his eyes wide, nor does that stop the uncomfortable, almost painful twisting sensation in his chest.

He drops down to his knees beside Kaveh, now that he was closer he could see that Kaveh was writhing weakly in pain soft almost inaudible whimpers leaving his lips. His skin was worryingly pale, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.

There was blood trickling from beneath his nose, another thing Alhaitham had seen before when Kaveh had collapsed due to overworking himself while sick.

And yet it makes the current situation no less frightening and… infuriating .

Alhaitham quickly reaches out but pauses when Kaveh groans loudly, his body jolting with a soft yet wet-sounding hiccup.

“Kaveh,” Alhaitham said when he saw Kaveh’s eyes flutter open slightly.

Kaveh groans again, murmuring something that Alhaitham struggles to understand as his words slur between a mix of broken Sumerian and desert dweller's tongue.

Another hiccup jolts Kaveh’s body, sounding absolutely nauseating, in the very next moment his body shudders as a rumbling gurgling noise pries itself free of his throat right alongside a surge of pale greenish slightly watery vomit.

The slimy sludge-like mixture poured from his mouth almost lazily with a consistency of oil paint.

Kaveh coughed and spluttered harshly, his eyes going wide as more awareness crept into them. He whimpers loudly, a pathetic noise of misery right before another surge of pale vomit gurgles up his throat, the food that had been sitting so heavily in his stomach earlier coming up only semi-digested.

It has an almost slimy paste-like consistency as it congeals and cools on the hardwood floor.

“Easy, now. Just let it out," Alhaitham whispered quietly, as he brushed Kaveh’s hair back from his face, noting that Kaveh’s skin felt more than a little warm.

As Kaveh chokes up another wave of lumpy semi-digested vomit onto the floor, Alhaitham glances up towards Kaveh’s workstation from the looks of things Kaveh had been working on before he collapsed.

It takes a moment for Kaveh’s retching to taper off, threads of bile and drool dripping from his lips into the mess almost lazily, as he lays there panting soft hiccups and weak empty gags leaving his lips.

Kaveh whimpered as he blinked slowly in an effort to clear the tears from his eyes. Everything hurts, every inch of his skin feels as if it’s stinging and burning, his head is throbbing viscously to the point that he wouldn’t be surprised if he’d cracked it open when he’d fallen to the floor.

Cramps continue to twist at his stomach despite the fact that he’s sure he’s brought up every single bit of his breakfast.

Tears continue to well in his eyes despite his best efforts to blink them away, each ragged breath he takes makes his chest ache.

“Are you finished,” Alhaitham asked as he tried to ignore the way his heart seemed to twist uncomfortably at Kaveh’s current state.

Kaveh’s nose had stopped bleeding soon after he’d stopped retching, leaving a trail of red to stand out on his far too-pale skin.

Although he seemed awake and aware his eyes were glazed over and glistening with tears.

Instead of responding to Alhaitham he simply lays there trembling which is even more worrying if Alhaitham was honest.

Kaveh typically acted one of two ways when he was sick, either he would whine and complain as Alhaitham tended to him sometimes being rather dramatic about it or he would be strangely quiet and docile, often simply wanting to sleep and wordlessly cling to Alhaitham.

The latter was more worrying because from what Alhaitham knew about Kaveh alongside the times he tended to him when sick, Kaveh only became quiet and docile when his fever was incredibly high.

But strangely enough, while Kaveh definitely had a fever, it wasn’t enough where his behavior would be altered like it was at the moment.

“Let’s get you up, and then I’ll contact Tighnari,” Alhaitham said as he laid a hand on Kaveh’s back.

However, the moment he does Kaveh screeches in pain causing Alhaitham to jump back slightly startled.

For a moment he can only sit there with his eyes wide, perhaps if Kaveh wasn’t feeling like his body was trying to destroy him, he may have chuckled or laughed telling Alhaitham that he looked like a startled cat.

After a moment or two Alhaitham eventually speaks glancing towards the door then the bed, and makes a decision.

“Okay, alright I’ll take you to the Bimarstan,” he said quickly.

That has Kaveh jolting into awareness and he grits his teeth when he feels Alhaitham’s hands hesitantly touch him once more clearly worried about hurting him, and yet that does nothing to stop Kaveh from flinching at the sting that dances along his skin where Alhaitham lays his hands.

Kaveh’s thoughts seem as if they’re swirling in a panic. He couldn’t go to the Bimarstan, this wasn’t good.

“No,” Kaveh all but manages to shout, as he flinches away from Alhaitham’s touch.

“No,” Alhaitham echoed as he froze for a moment, and even through his pain and nausea-fueled haze, Kaveh can hear the incredulous tone coating his voice.

Kaveh cracks one eye open slightly, his breath shuddering as he swallowed thickly. “N-No hospital, d-don’t need one,” he told him, his voice a trembling, rasp.

“You’re delirious,” Alhaitham said almost immediately as he moved to grab Kaveh.

Kaveh speaks again and it’s the weak, pleading tone that his voice has that makes Alhaitham pause. “T-there’s medicine…in the nightstand. A lock box…please Haitham.”

For a few seconds, Alhaitham is silent, his teeth clenched as Kaveh’s words dawned on him.

Kaveh can just about make out the realization, in Alhaitham’s gaze and so he closes his own eyes to spare himself the sight of all his hard work and careful preparation he’d done over the years going down the drain in an instant.

If Kaveh wasn’t already crying from the pain he’d be wailing in frustration truthfully.

He feels Alhaitham’s hands on him after a few moments, they’re soft, containing very few callouses, but most importantly they’re cold and feel amazing on his too-hot skin and he doesn’t even realize he’s leaned into his touch until he whimpers softly.

“Bare with me.” He hears Alhaitham murmur although Kaveh still says nothing even as he feels himself being lifted up into Alhaitham’s arms.

He bites his lip doing his best to keep from crying out, he’d already made such a fool of himself. It was just his luck truthfully that Alhaitham of all people would see him like this, he didn’t know if it was the flare-up making his face feel as if it were burning or the sheer shame and embarrassment.

He feels Alhaitham carrying him across the room, before eventually feeling the familiar sensation of the bed beneath him.

Kaveh shakily places his arm over his eyes, doing his best to keep his breath under control. The last thing he needed was a panic attack on top of everything thing else going wrong at the moment.

In.

Out.

In.

Out.

He can hear the sound of Alhaitham retrieving the medicine in the lockbox, the soft familiar clip of the lock being opened.

The soft rattle of the pill bottles being removed and the soft thump as they’re placed down on the nightstand. Kaveh hears it all until suddenly there’s silence.

Kaveh can feel Alhaitham staring at him, and hear those gears turning in his head.

“How long has this been going on Kaveh?”

Alhaitham’s voice sounded nearly as monotone as usual, however, Kaveh does catch the familiar edge to Alhaitham’s voice. A mingling mix of frustration, worry, and surprise.

The faintest hint of a tired smile tugs at Kaveh’s lips, he truly was at the end of his rope if he thought Alhaitham was worried about him. Or perhaps Kaveh just truly looked that horrible enough that Alhaitham pitied him.

Both options left a sour taste in his mouth. A blow to his pride that he despised.

The nervousness and fear is doing nothing for his still churning stomach, and he can’t help but give a soft hiccup, swallowing thickly before he answers. “Since…a little while before I entered the Akademiya,” he murmured hesitantly, glancing at Alhaitham.

He quickly glanced away, however, his face burning with shame beneath Alhaitham’s critical gaze.

For once Alhaitham’s expression isn’t blank, a deep scowl on his face as he crossed his arms staring at Kaveh. A multitude of questions springing to the forefront of his mind as he remembered the many times Kaveh had been sick during their Akademiya years.

It was something that Alhaitham always chalked up to Kaveh overworking himself, in combination with not getting enough sleep and skipping meals. It was a habit that Kaveh had even now.

Alhaitham had never thought to question it truthfully, especially as it would get dismissed by Kaveh as just a cold or the flu.

Now though he realizes he should’ve been more thorough in regards to this matter.

Alhaitham paused, pursing his lips as he closed his eyes as though he were steeling himself and Kaveh has a good idea of what Alhaitham may be about to ask.

Alhaitham took a few deep breaths, and finally, he asked, as he slowly opened his eyes, “Is it eleazar?”

While eleazar was technically eliminated by Lesser Lord Kusanali alongside the Traveler rather recently that didn’t mean that the toll it took on a person simply disappeared.

Kaveh gives him a look of confusion but shakes his head. His flinches in the next moment, curling into a ball as a whimper slips from between his lips.

“N-not eleazar…just a bad flare up…” Kaveh forced out his words slurring between the desert dweller’s tongue and Sumerian.

Kaveh squeezes his eyes shut, his nails practically digging into the skin of his upper arm as he tries to ride out the unrelenting waves of pain.

The room feels as if it’s spinning around him, despite the fact that he knows that he’s pretty much laying completely still and Kaveh can’t help but cringe when his stomach makes a low gurgling noise.

A harsh cramp twisting at his stomach has him cringing as a wave of nausea rolls over him. Despite the fact that he was pretty sure he’d brought up the entirety of the breakfast he’d forced down earlier, his stomach still felt too tight and heavy.

Exhaustion sits heavily in his body like a weight, and he doesn’t even realize that he was beginning to drift off to sleep until he felt Alhaitham’s hand on his shoulder.

It’s a strange feeling truthfully, Alhaitham’s touches being so featherlight and hesitant. Clearly worried about hurting Kaveh and making him feel worse.

It was always like this between the two of them, despite the fact that they argued and bickered frequently, the actions they performed for each other always spoke the loudest.

“Here, wake up and take the medication or I’ll have to take you to the Bimarstan,” Alhaitham told Kaveh as the other man looked at him with slightly glazed-over eyes.

That brings more awareness to Kaveh’s eyes, and he huffed softly as Alhaitham handed him the medicine. “Fine, fine,” Kaveh mumbled, knowing by Alhaitham’s tone that the word ‘no’ wasn’t an option. Kaveh had pleaded with him after all.

It takes Kaveh a moment to actually take the medicine, but that’s simply because of the nausea licking at the back of his throat making the thought of putting anything in his stomach an unpleasant one.

Once Alhaitham is sure that Kaveh has taken the medicine he turns his attention to the mess on the floor. He’s making a mental checklist of the cleaning supplies he needs to grab as well as anything Kaveh may need when Kaveh suddenly speaks.

“S…sorry bout the floor…Haitham,” he said his words slurring heavily with exhaustion.

“It’s fine. The cleanup will be simple really,” Alhaitham reassured him. He turned to Kaveh, noting that the other man was staring at him with half-lidded eyes, clearly trying to stay awake for a few moments more. “Get some rest for now. You’re exhausted and sick.”

Kaveh gives a soft hum scowling. "Sorry..for making you...do all this... take care of me and stuff..." Kaveh mumbled his words slurring as his mind drifts in and out of

consciousness. It’s a struggle to make sure he’s still talking in the Sumerian language.

Kaveh feels Alhaitham’s hand on his forehead for a moment, likely checking to see if Kaveh’s fever had risen at all.

He hears Alhaitham speak just before he falls asleep.

“If you have time to feel guilty, then use it to focus on getting better and taking better care of yourself.”

As Alhaitham gently strokes Kaveh’s hair until the man drifted off to sleep he can’t help but notice the fact that his hand is trembling slightly. A testament to just how worried he’d been and still was.

Whenever Alhaitham and Kaveh interacted, many things seemed to fly out the window. Each invisible rule they had for themselves being torn down by the other with an often irritating ease.

Whenever they were around one another Alhaitham made new discoveries about himself. The one he has now though as he stares at Kaveh’s face as he sleeps is well…

“What an annoying discovery,” Alhaitham murmured.

Love truly was a strange thing.

~~~

Alhaitham can’t help but stare at Kaveh as he sleeps instead of reading his book like he’d intended to, finding that it was rather hard to focus.

Kaveh has been asleep for a few hours truthfully, his exhausted body doing its best to catch up on the rest it’d missed and desperately needed.

Kaveh surprisingly doesn’t snore in his sleep, although he does occasionally sleep-talk soft murmurs in the desert dweller language that Alhaitham can’t understand. But he can recognize the tone Kaveh is using, pleading.

Despite being from Haravatat, learning the desert dweller language was a difficult task, with many different dialects to the point where even someone native to the desert could become confused.

Kaveh often reminded Alhaitham of the very sandstorms that swirled through the desert honestly. Loud and chaotic, never giving Alhaitham a moment's peace even when they weren’t in the same place, either occupying his mind in some facet or coming to bother him.

And yet Alhaitham had at some point once more gotten used to the way Kaveh intruded into his life again. Just as he had when they’d grown close during their time at the Akademiya.

He’d never know peace when in Kaveh’s vicinity.

Alhaitham gets to his feet when Kaveh begins to stir in his sleep, his eyes flutter open and he flinches, squeezing them tight for a moment with a soft hiss, letting Alhaitham know that his head was still hurting.

Kaveh’s eyes open a bit more hesitantly this time, and he slowly looks around, tired red eyes roving around the room confused.

As Alhaitham calmly waits for him he pours a glass of water from the pitcher he placed on the nightstand earlier.

Eventually, Kaveh gives a soft humorless chuckle. “It would seem like what happened wasn’t just a horrifying nightmare.”

Kaveh runs a hand over his face ignoring the aches and pains dancing along his skin.

“Here. Can you drink this,” Alhaitham asked as he held out the glass of water for Kaveh to take.

Kaveh glances at him and then at the water, the sight of it has a slight queasiness stirring in his still aching stomach. However the fact that his throat feels as dry as the desert wins out.

“Hmmm,” Kaveh murmured as he sipped on the water. It is only when he’d moved and sat up ever so slightly that he realized that he was wearing different clothes.

“Did you…did you change my clothes Haitham,” Kaveh spluttered only to wince when pain rippled across his chest.

Alhaitham sighed, crossing his arms, “Who else would have done it Kaveh? Besides, you were a mess.”

“I think I can be forgiven for not looking my best when I’m sick,” he snapped with a soft huff and as he glanced away he missed the slightest hint of a smile on Alhaitham’s face.

If Kaveh was arguing back and putting up his usual fight this was good, it meant he was probably feeling a bit better.

“You need to eat something,” Alhaitham said as took the cup when Kaveh had finished with it.

Kaveh scowled at Alhaitham’s words, the thought of eating anything made his stomach churn as cramps continued to twist at it relentlessly.

A low growl coming from it as the water sloshed slightly in his gut. As a wave of nausea rolled over him Kaveh laid back down with a sigh. “I don’t think I can,” he told Alhaitham, glancing away his cheeks flushing a slight pink with embarrassment when his stomach gave another growl.

Kaveh closes his eyes for a few moments taking slow careful breaths in an attempt to calm it.

A moment or two later Kaveh feels the bed dip ever so slightly as Alhaitham sits down on the edge of it.

Kaveh can’t help but jump slightly, the motion sending his stomach sloshing and sending an acidic hiccup bubbling up his throat when Alhaitham places a careful hand on his stomach.

Alhaitham frowns as his hand moves carefully along the expanse of Kaveh’s stomach, and truthfully he isn’t surprised that Kaveh feels as hesitant to eat as he was.

Alhaitham can feel Kaveh’s stomach cramping and twisting beneath his hand, the upset organ writhing like a ball of snakes beneath Alhaitham’s fingers as low gurgling noises came from it.

Kaveh flinched, whimpering and burying his face in his arms slightly when a low, almost liquidy-sounding growl comes from his stomach, and Alhaitham feels the faint rumbling beneath his fingertips.

Another hiccup jolts Kaveh’s body slightly, followed by a soft groan. Kaveh mumbles something that Alhaitham can’t make out due to Kaveh’s words slurring together.

“What is it,” Alhaitham asked as he tilted his head a bit in an attempt to see Kaveh’s face. “Did you want something to drink?”

Kaveh took a deep shuddering breath, shaking his head slightly although he doesn’t look up, his face still buried in his arm. “N-no…it’s the water…” Kaveh said, swallowing thickly in between his shuddering breathing. “It-it’s…not sitting well. It hurts.”

Alhaitham couldn’t help but cringe slightly when he felt a particular bad cramp ripple through Kaveh’s stomach eliciting a low whine from the blonde.

“Do you think you can keep it down,” Alhaitham asked quickly as he looked over to where the trashcan was, in the area where he left it when he’d finished cleaning.

Kaveh curled further into a ball as he gave a trembling shake of his head, practically panting at this point. Kaveh gives an audible swallow before speaking his voice barely above a trembling whisper, “No.”

A wet, sickly gurgling belch rumbles up Kaveh’s throat in the very next second sending a surge of bile-tinged water splattering onto the blankets sounding like rainfall on a tarp.

Kaveh shakily raises his head, his eyes burning with tears as a violent retch rakes its way across his already sore throat.

As the gush of water tapers off, Kaveh is left coughing and sniffling, doing his best to force back his retching and gagging.

He absolutely despised this, these flare-ups, getting sick like this, he absolutely hated it and as he feels Alhaitham’s hand on his back carefully rubbing it he can’t help the sob that leaves his mouth.

Kaveh was so used to suffering through these flare-ups alone so just Alhaitham’s presence is something that Kaveh is thankful for.

“Let it out Kaveh, holding it in like that’ll hurt worse,” Alhaitham told him as his hand ran carefully along Kaveh’s back.

Kaveh whines loudly but does open his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut and panting, tears welling up on his eyelashes as a thread of drool drips almost lazily from his lips.

Thankfully Kaveh doesn’t need to wait long a wet, hiccup has a small trickle of water tinged cloudy with bile splattering onto the mess already soaking into the sheets.

As his gagging tapers off, Kaveh is left sobbing from the exhaustion, frustration, and pain.

Alhaitham continues to rub his back, gently shushing the man. “It’s fine, the blankets are easy to wash after all. You can sleep in my bed for now.”

Under any other circumstances, Kaveh may have protested, may have turned Alhaitham down. But after today Kaveh wants nothing more than to climb into bed and sleep, hopefully through the duration of this flare-up.

[vollereix]

Hi!

This is my request! I had to rewrite it because it got lost :/ but I hope this is good enough!

If it’s alright, I’d like to request a Heizou x gn! reader where reader has the stomach flu and is staying home from work, frequently throwing up with a light fever, pounding headache and their body feeling extremely sore. Heizou decides to come over, absence at work was a rare occurrence for them so he took it as his duty to check up on them. He allowed himself inside after no one answered the door and found them heavily breathing in their bed, wide awake again after trying so hard to fall asleep for hours. They greeted him from their bed but as soon as they tried to get up they felt the urge to vomit, emptying their stomach into the bowl on their bedside they had set aside for those moments. They were coughing and tearing up, apologizing immediately that he had to witness something so disgusting. They were embarrassed too. He on the other hand was more concerned than disgusted, taking care of them for the rest of the day. After feeding them, giving them medicine and emptying their bowl multiple times into the toiled he let them straddle his lap and cry against his shoulder in pain, as he gently held them and rubbed comforting circles on their back until they finally fell asleep in his arms.

I had the stomach flu when I originally sent this one in and was craving some comfort so if this makes you uncomfortable and/or you don’t want to write it, it’s absolutely alright! thank you anyways <3

Hihi no worries, i’m perfectly fine with writing sickfics, as long as it’s not fetishes/kinks! Hope you’re doing better, i’m so sorry i couldn’t write this for you when you needed it 😞

THROUGH SICKNESS AND HEALTH

Heizou X gn!reader

Warnings: throwing up, induced vomiting, fever, headaches, body pain, being sick in general

You weren’t quite sure why you still set an alarm for this morning. The past two days had been awful, and today? Not any better.

Turning off your alarm, you forced yourself to get some water. You felt sick, but you knew that your body was dehydrated. Filling the cup to the brim, you took a small sip, letting the water soothe your dry throat.

Despite your multiple attempts to fall asleep, the constant pain and soreness was an unfriendly visitor. You would think about how much work you left undone, the piles of paper stacking up on your desk.

Taking slow breaths, you lay on your side, curling in on yourself and hoping that sleep will come easily.

—

Heizou once again poked his head into your office. He always did, but you weren’t there.

He found it rather weird, you weren’t one to slack off or miss work… and yet it’s been three consecutive days since he last saw you.

Could something have happened?

An unfavourable frown was etched onto Heizou’s face. He debated wether he should check on you.

Better safe than sorry…

It was a good thing you had given him a set of spare keys in case of emergency. Frankly he wasn’t sure if it was an emergency… if it wasn’t, he would not want to invade your house. But if it was…

Silence greeted him. Not even the sound of you trampling down the stairs to open the door.

Maybe you weren’t at home… or maybe you were sleeping, taking a shower… out of the house… The more Heizou thought about it the more worried he got. Taking out his phone he quickly called you.

You reached out a hand to silence the buzzing, not bothering to see who it was. The incessant ringing bringing a pain to your head. If you weren’t so miserable right now, you would have sworn you heard the sound of your door opening.

On the other side Heizou had unlocked the door, cautiously looking around. It certainly didn’t look like you were inside but he knew better than that.

Rushing up the stairs, he felt a sense of relief when he saw your bedroom door open. He was about to knock and call out your name when he realised the way you were breathing heavily. The blanket covering you moving up and down particularly fast.

“…y/n? what’s wrong?” Now Heizou was really worried.

He immediately went over to your side, kneeling down so that he was eye level with you.

“!!” Your eyes widened by just a fraction seeing him in front of you. “H-heizou… hi what are you—” Your apparent shock from his visit suddenly turned into a sense of urgency and discomfort.

Bringing the trash can up to your face, a few empty gags later and a thin stream of watery vomit was being emptied into the the bin.

The water which you had tried so hard to keep down failing you as you vomited your stomach out while coughing and crying miserably. You hadn’t intended for Heizou to see you in this state. Especially not when you were hunched over a trash can with disgusting bile spewing out of your mouth.

You muttered apology after apology, the tears falling in a never ending stream of embarrassment. Heizou was quick to hold you hand and reassure you that he didn’t mind.

Really, he didn’t. Seeing you in so much pain was already heartbreaking for him, his hand rubbed circles on your back as you cried into your hands.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to see me like this… I’m sor- Im so sorry!” You hiccuped, still crying out an apology.

All you wanted to do now was sink into a hole so deep that no one would be able to find you.

Maybe it was the delirium but you were half expecting Heizou to leave you alone and get disgusted at you.

“shh, don’t apologise. Calm down, i’m not upset i just want to help you.” He brought your head towards his shoulder, hugging you in his warm embrace.

His hands rubbed your shoulders, whispering reassuring words in your ear. Once your cries had turned into small sniffling, Heizou pulled away, his warm eyes looking into yours with so much care and gentleness.

“I’m going to empty the trash can and see if there’s any food you can eat okay?” His words came out as a soft whisper.

You nodded your head, hiccuping again.

After helping you lie down, Heizou did as he said and emptied the trash can, heading to your kitchen. There was practically nothing except for some cup noodles that was definitely not an option.

Letting out a defeated sigh, he only had one other choice which was to call someone to help.

—

Going back up to your room, Heizou closed the door behind him, setting down the bowl of porridge on your bedside table.

Helping you into a sitting position, he spoon fed you the porridge, making sure that i wasn’t too hot before giving it to you.

“don’t worry, i’m just going to throw the rubbish and get you some water.” He gave you a smile, letting you know he wasn’t leaving you.

After passing you a painkiller, he sat next to you on the bed, brushing the hair out of your face. You were still hugging the trash can, a bad feeling settling in your stomach.

Your fruitless attempts to keep the food down was over when your mouth started to fill with excess saliva. Heizou pulled your hair aside with one hand, the other rubbing your back.

Even after a few minutes all that came out was your saliva, leaving you gagging into the bucket. Tears stained your cheeks as another harsh retch fired its way out of your throat.

You didn’t understand why there was nothing coming up, the discomfort in your body was already making you restless.

Before you knew it, you had started crying again, Heizou only kissed your forehead trying to comfort you.

“H-heizou i feel miserable…” Your soft voice came out like a squeak.

“I know, I know. If you’d like I could try to help you…” Hearing this you hastily agreed.

Sitting upright now, Heizou stuck two fingers into your mouth, pressing down on the back of your tongue earning a strangled cry from you. You coughed a few times but that was it.

Using a bit more force this time, Heizou pressed down again, this time successfully triggering your gag reflex. Pulling out his hand just in time, you started throwing up your food into the trash can.

The murky yellowish liquid filled the can, your back hunched over in defeat. A while later your vomit tapered off and left you breathing heavily.

“Do you think you’re done?” Heizou who had never left your side the entire time finally spoke up.

“mhm” you answered meekly.

Passing you the cup of water, you rinsed your mouth, letting the disgusting taste get washed out.

You slowly leaned your body against the headboard of your bed as Heizou went to clean up the bin. Breathing still erratic, you placed a hand on your chest trying to calm down.

—

It was already quite late in the night, after a few more incidents, you were completely drained. The fatigue of not getting a good sleep catching up to you.

Heizou had let you straddle his lap, your head hidden in his neck, muffling your cries. His arms wrapped around you protectively, giving you the comfort you needed.

It didn’t matter how long it took for you to fall asleep because Heizou stayed with you the entire night, rubbing circles into your back and making sure you were alright.

[myfriendscallmeasimp]

Cynonari sick day

Just a wholesome comic heavily inspired by something I saw a while back

This is a modern au btw (hence why Tighnari has ‘normal’ ears)

the inspo:

[enigmatictypos]

Hi, I see that you take sick fic requests for Alhaitham, mind if I share an idea?

so you see, I feel like Kaveh gets sick wayyy more than alhaitham seeing his thinner and more likely to overwork self, so alhaitham always has to take care of him and act reluctant about it. But what if one day, instead of Kaveh being sick, it’s suddenly alhaitham? At first alhaitham tries to keep it a secret and sleep it off because he doesn’t feel like going to the birmistan(which is exceptionally stupid because he has an insanely high fever, migraine and fatigue), but Kaveh notices the signs of illness, from the lack of response to the dizzy stumbling to the fact that Alhaitham is locking himself in his room instead of reading some book in the living room and shitting on kavehs decisions. Wouldn’t it be fun to see Kaveh awkwardly try to care for Alhaitham, especially when Alhaitham is stubborn as fuck, secretly worries that Kaveh might catch his illness and it’s normally the other way round?

feelings will be realised and Alhaitham will melt into his bed idfk

Hiiiiiii! OMG I LOVE THIS SO MUCH

Now I'm imagining this entire scenario like maybe Kaveh is recovering from something and Al Haitham picks it up from him and then Haitham's just like "no i'm fine you do me a favor and handle yourself"

And boy yes, Kaveh's not good at looking after people but for Haitham boy, is he gonna try. He hates seeing his grumpy husband suffering even if he won't admit it T-T

I'll definitely add this idea to my list, thank you!!

[strawberrynsugar]

freminet after swallowing the primordial seawater by accident, still unconscious as he’s pulled out of the water.

passed out completely as his body rejects the strange liquid. clorinde can only hold him upright while he vomits out everything in his digestive system, seawater and food coming up in watery chunks.

even after he wakes up, he’s still shaky and barely cognizant. the salty seawater feels like lava being forced out of his mouth and nose. lyney or sigewinne helps him get it up as he gags.

lyney lets freminet lay down with his head on his lap, giving him as much time and attention as he needs to recover.

[caspersickfanfics]

Written for @monthofsick Day 13: Professionalism Failure

Prompt List | AO3 | Ask | Rules

Warnings: Vomiting, fever, implied scat/diarrhea off screen

Anon asked:

Hey! I was wondering if I could request the professionalism failure for sick Cyno Tighnari caretaker? Maybe cyno has gotten food poisoning from a work event and has to somehow keep it together until tighnari can rescue him? Or maybe he can’t and has to deal with the embarrassment of it all. I just can imagine Tighnari being really protective over him if the other academy members give him a hard time~

A/N:

I don’t think this really makes sense in the canonical progression of things, but as I wrote this I imagined it taking place before Nahida had time to select actual good sages to replace the old ones. So the sages here are like the default ones who were next in line after Azar and that group. Essentially, they’re connected to Azar still but weren't directly convicted of any crimes and they have a lot less power. Idk, thinking about politics too much even in fiction makes me mad so I’m just gonna do a bit of a hand wave here.

This meeting has been a thorn in Tighnari’s side since the sages demanded to arrange it weeks ago. Despite his best efforts to wriggle his way out of it, the thorn had stuck. They’d backed him into a corner of sorts; the Akademiya demanded his presence specifically to even consider allocating funding to assist in the healing and maintenance of the Avidya Forest. Somehow, now that he’s in attendance, it’s even worse than he’d expected.

He scowls at the itinerary in front of him. It’s weighted so that anything anyone’s interested in will happen at the very end. No chance of leaving early. He probably shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up.

The one saving grace is that Cyno is here as well. While the matras’ financials are essentially secured as a matter of tradition, the specific way in which the money gets distributed is up in the air. Depending on the outcome, Cyno’s internal sense of justice may be placed in alignment with or in opposition to their mandates. This meeting may be even more important for him than for the forest rangers.

Which is why Tighnari is alarmed when, about 45 minutes into the 5 hour meeting, Cyno’s head is pillowed in his arms, resting upon the ridiculously long conference table. Although Tighnari is seated a distance away, he thinks he can see sweat matting the matra’s hair down. With any luck, he’s just being paranoid, though that seems unlikely. Even more so when Cyno raises his head and suddenly stands. His typically warm skin tone has paled to an ashy brown. He’s hunched over, too. His posture is altered so slightly that Tighnari doubts anyone else has noticed, despite all eyes turning his way at the scrape of his chair, but it’s glaringly obvious to him. Not to mention - this is Cyno’s second time interrupting the meeting. For the second time, too, he quietly excuses himself for the bathroom.

It’s fortunate that Alhaitham is still Acting Grand Sage. Tighnari had been somewhat grumpy towards his friend for the fact that he hadn’t been able to exempt him from the meeting, but the fiery grudge is doused when the ex-scribe’s glare silences annoyed complaints from the other sages about the General Mahamatra’s exit. If Alhaitham’s lingering frown is anything to go by, he’s noticed something off about Cyno as well.

The meeting continues on, and its participants are forced to split into breakout groups. They’re meant to be discussing the continued importance of knowledge to Sumeru, though no one seems to care enough to stay on topic. Instead, the people around Tighnari begin trash-talking Cyno.

“That’s enough gossip, I think,” Tighnari asserts dryly. He recognizes a handful of the nuisances around him as Bimarstan employees and smirks as they pale before him. “Sorry, who was it you were saying is unprofessional? I, for one, wonder about the ethical repercussions medical personnel might face if they were, say, reported for rudely speculating on a past patient’s personal life.” He resists the urge to make specific jabs at a particularly loud doctor whom he has quite damning intelligence on, but keeps the option available for future use as needed.

Fortunately, his colleagues are just barely smart enough to catch his threat. They carry their discussion to the topic at hand, and then onto some other irrelevant gossip that Tighnari doesn’t care enough to comment on. Instead, he’s distracted by tracking the time that Cyno’s been gone. Ten minutes, then 15. When the door finally creaks open, conversation lulls. Heads turn.

“I apologize for the disruption,” Cyno says upon entering. He looks… marginally better than he had when he’d left. The sages accept his apology with minor grumbling that is cut surprisingly short - again, likely thanks to the Acting Grand Sage. Tighnari will thank him, later. He tries to let his concern fade away, but is unable to resist clearing his throat.

“I’d like for the General to join our group, if that’s alright? I believe his insight would be rather beneficial to our current discussion.” A discussion to which Tighnari has been paying no attention. He is grateful once again for Alhaitham, who nods and silently leaves no room for disagreement.

Up close, Cyno looks exhausted. Tighnari was right to be worried. Cyno runs hot, but doesn’t tend to sweat; definitely not this profusely. He’s quiet by nature, but has never hesitated to voice his opinions. Now he says nothing even when their colleagues unapologetically speak with microaggressions and horribly biased misconceptions about the Eremites. His eyes are unfocused; Tighnari wonders if he’s hearing the conversation at all. As time passes, Cyno’s condition only worsens and he drifts closer to Tighnari’s side. Eventually, the matra’s stomach makes an angry noise and his cheeks flush. Tighnari pulls him aside.

“Do you need to leave?” He asks gently. Tighnari silently dares anyone else to comment with a quick glare at the rest of the group. They continue to chatter amongst themselves, shuffling out of earshot. Perhaps out of respect, an effort to grant some privacy; perhaps simply to gossip more. Tighnari simply does not care - not right now, at least. He’ll deal with it later if he needs to.

“I’m sorry,” Cyno says, voice weak. “I’m okay. My–” He sucks in a sharp breath and winces, his hand shaking as it drifts to his midsection. A moment passes; the pain intensifies and then relents. When he speaks again, Cyno’s voice is dulled. “My stomach is just disagreeing with something I ate.”

Clearly. If his partner were feeling better Tighnari would argue that this is a severe understatement. “You’ve been feeling bad this whole time?” Tighnari asks instead. The General shrugs.

“It’s manageable.”

Very deliberate phrasing, Tighnari notes. Outwardly, he nods. “Let me know if that changes, Cyno.”

The meeting carries on. It’s boring and obnoxious. The loud doctor continues to be vocal about his nonsense. Tighnari rebukes him occasionally for the sake of a bit of entertainment, but the other man is easily cowed. He defers quickly to Tighnari’s judgement each time. Uninteresting, but probably for the best; there’s no point in getting worked up over someone who will likely lose his position for malpractice in the next few months.

For his part, Cyno remains unspeaking in the presence of the rest of the group. He sits off to the side and fidgets, looking at the floor. His cheeks are flushed, which Tighnari suspects is due to both a fever and humiliation. When the side of his face comes to rest against the table, Tighnari resists the urge to remove his heavy headdress only because he knows that doing so would embarrass Cyno further.

Next on the itinerary is free discussion, meaning that everyone at the meeting is supposed to get up, walk around, talk to people… Tighnari does not care for this sort of connection making. He doesn’t bother moving, and responds politely but vaguely to anyone who approaches him. More importantly, he responds the same way when anyone tries to approach his partner - perhaps with a touch of extra heat. Of course, Cyno could fend for himself, even in his current state, but Tighnari has no doubt that at least some of their colleagues have picked up on the General's vulnerability and are deliberately targeting it. He’s just sent someone away perhaps a bit too forcefully to be called diplomatic, when a cool, clammy hand wraps around his arm. Cyno is looking up at him.

“Tighnari. I feel sick.” A queasy burp escapes him. Tighnari frowns.

“You’re nauseous? Cyno,” he chides. “You need to rest at home.”

Fortunately, Cyno nods in agreement. “I’ll let the sages know that I’m leaving. You should stay,” he says, waving away Tighnari's skepticism. “I can handle this and - hic! - there’s no need for the forest to suffer for my failings.”

Tighnari nearly rolls his eyes. He’s sure that neither the forest nor the matra need to face consequences as a result of an illness entirely out of Cyno’s control; though he can acknowledge there is some benefit in his presence here, if the other man is able to hold out on his own. If he stays, Tighnari could at least ensure nothing disastrous happens regarding either of their positions.

Still. He would easily sacrifice that for the sake of Cyno’s wellbeing.

He watches the sick man approach the sages, who sit in large, looming chairs, making Cyno look tiny. Alhaitham stands, as if to stretch his legs, and moves close. Frustratingly, with all of the chatter and the distance between then, Tighnari can’t hear a thing without imposing on the conversation directly. He can see Cyno speak, and then Alhaitham nods. The elder sages frown and one says something, before two more join in. Cyno's head bobs, then shakes, and then he muffles what looks to be another burp into his fist. He’s still for a moment, aside from his Adam’s apple bobbing frantically. 

Even without knowing the exact words exchanged, it’s more than evident that the sages are unwilling to respect Cyno’s needs. Tighnari is about to interfere when Alhaitham’s voice jumps up a notch - likely deliberately at a volume just loud enough for Tighnari to hear.

“So,” he’s saying to the other sages, “you’re saying that a doctor whose medical skills are acknowledged by the Akademiya must verify that he’s ill?”

Tighnari tenses. He immediately glances around the large room, eyes searching. Alhaitham is still speaking.

“For example,” he continues. “A Bimarstan doctor?”

There’s no use checking whether the sages agree - Alhaitham has them cornered. Now Tighnari just needs to— Ah. There.

He barely resists grabbing the doctor by the ear and latches onto his wrist instead. Under his breath, he speaks with venom, “Cyno is sick, clearly, don’t you agree?”

The man is silent, probably stunned, and Tighnari continues. “Or would denying the obvious truth be worth risking—”

“Oh no, yes, you are correct, Master Tighnari,” the doctor rambles nervously. Tighnari pushes him before the sages. They glance at one another. Cyno looks up, as well, but stays quiet, taking measured breaths.

“Well?” Tighnari asks. “He’s a Bimarstan doctor.”

With the glares of both Tighnari and Alhaitham pinned on him, the eldest sage slowly nods. Tighnari turns his gaze to the doctor and taps his foot. “Go on, then.”

“Oh! Um, yes, I believe that the General Mahamatra is experiencing some, uh, gastrointestinal distress. He should rest at home for the quickest recovery.”

“And,” Tighnari jumps in before he gets a chance to scurry away. “Would you recommend that someone assist in his care during this time, perhaps due to the strain of having been forced to stay on his feet for so long?”

“Ah, yes. Master Tighnari is correct, it would be wise for him to accompany the General. Should– should you all agree–” His backtracking cuts off with a wheeze as Tighnari stomps on his foot.

The eldest sage doesn’t look pleased, but he sighs, unsmiling as he spits out begrudging words. “I will allow it. But the forest watcher must agree to reapply for his funding and return to the city in a few weeks' time... Should he still be interested in the Akademiya’s support, that is.”

Tighnari grits his teeth. These geezers always need to get the last word in. “Fine,” he snaps, foregoing any pretense of politeness. He all but drags Cyno out of the conference room - gently of course, though he’s sure they’re equally eager to be elsewhere.

As soon as they’re through the door, Cyno stops.

“Tighnari. The bathroom— urp!” He lurches forward with an empty heave, then scrambles away. Tighnari is quick on his heels, and finds Cyno in an unlocked stall, trembling with his head hanging over the toilet. He hasn’t been sick yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

“Hey,” Tighnari speaks quietly. “Deep breaths, okay?”

Cyno glances at him briefly, then nods and squeezes his eyes shut. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles. Tighnari scoffs.

“For saving me from that meeting? Cyno, please.”

The matra shakes his head. “It was important. And now you’ll have to come back. Not to mention– ugh,” a queasy shudder runs through him before Cyno is able to speak again. “Not to mention having to do the paperwork a second time.”

It’s an annoyance, but the paperwork isn't a big issue. Tighnari tells Cyno as much. “Just focus on getting better.”

The sick man has lost a great deal of the color in his face, and sweat glistens on his temples. His whole body is tense. Tighnari brushes his hair back, hoping to protect it from any mess and provide some comfort at the same time. “Try to relax,” he says.

“Guh,” Cyno moans. “I feel so… gross.”

Tighnari aches in sympathy. For as ill as Cyno looks, he’s sure he feels even worse. Minutes pass slowly. Cyno’s stomach makes angry noises and he’s periodically wracked by hiccups and burps. Eventually, Tighnari coaxes him into leaning back against his chest. His hands card through Cyno’s hair as the sick man turns, pressing his face into Tighnari's neck.

“You’re okay,” Tighnari murmurs. There are warm little puffs of air against his neck and it tickles, but he remains still.

He’s just beginning to sweat from his partner’s body heat when Cyno lurches away from him, hunched forward over an empty but gut-wrenching belch. His entire body heaves three times until he’s burping up a flood of vomit. It pours out of him with alarming urgency. Tighnari keeps his hair out of the way, but he can do little else but watch as Cyno violently empties himself. Each time he thinks it may be over, Cyno’s stomach contracts again. He sways; Tighnari steadies him just in time for another jet of puke to splash into the toilet water.

Disgusted shudders run through Cyno while he tries desperately to catch his breath. When he gets close, he is overtaken by coughs that bring up more bile. He groans.

Fortunately, there’s only so much in his stomach. When Cyno’s retching fails to bring anything else up for a handful of minutes, Tighnari half-drags him out of the stall, away from the sour smell. It seems to help. Cyno wipes his face and swallows thickly.

“How are you feeling?” Tighnari asks.

Cyno shrugs. “Bit better. For now.”

Tighnari hums; it’s to be expected. He suspects a bout of food poisoning or the stomach bug, so the next 24 hours or so will likely be challenging.  It’s a humbling thing, being able to do so little in the way of comfort at such a time. Still, he does what he can, massaging the back of Cyno’s neck, feeling him relax in time with his ministrations. He only stops when the matra begins drifting off.

Tighnari pokes his cheek. Cyno cracks an annoyed eye open, and Tighnari raises a brow. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want to sleep here? In this bathroom? Where our colleagues will eventually find us?”

Cyno nods. Cheeky bastard. His words are slurred when he speaks, as if his mouth has relaxed along with his body. “As long ’s you keep doin’ that…”

With a snort, Tighnari pulls them both to their feet. “Let’s go, you big lummox. I’d much rather give you a massage on your couch than on these gross tile floors.”

“Mhm,” Cyno mumbles, leaning heavily against his partner as they walk. “Nari… thank you.”

Chest warm, Tighnari ruffles the other man’s hair lightly and presses a quick kiss to the top of his head. “Any time.”

———

Fanart for this fic!!!

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If you enjoyed the fic, feel free to let me know by replying directly to this post, by sending me an ask, or by sharing your thoughts with me privately and anonymously through this survey! I would super appreciate it <3 Thank you so much for reading!!

[dutifullyshamelessearthquake]

I’d love to see some Lyney motion sickness if possible, I feel like he’d be really cute in that state😵‍💫

Alt. 01. Motion Sick

@monthofsick

Warnings for; Vomiting

Finally some Lyney!! It's been a while since I wrote this silly boy, it was really fun to write him again. I love him so much.

Happy reading and I hope you enjoy!!

[yuniemaki]

series: genshin impact pairing: beidou x ningguang rating: T genre: sickfic, hurt/comfort part 1 of flowers of teyvat read on ao3

The cough is a persistent parasite, announcing its presence at the most inopportune moments like a certain boat captain. It greedily sucks out all the air from her lungs and rattles her ribs; it leaves her shaking and gasping for breath.

“It’ll pass,” is what she’d said when the coughing first began, waving a gloved hand dismissively. 

“It’s been a week,” her secretary frets, documents in hand. “Lady Ningguang, perhaps you’d like to consider—”

“Lantern Rite is almost upon us,” Ningguang interrupts, shakily reaching for her mint tea and taking a few sips. The warm liquid washes down the last of the sour taste in her mouth, soothing her scratchy throat. “Lady Keqing needs our full support.” She catches sight of the dejected look on the young lady’s face and sighs, setting her teacup aside. “But… you could cancel all my unimportant meetings for the day, dear Baiwen. I will take it easy.”

Baiwen nods, taking her leave. Ningguang returns her attention to the scroll unfurled across the length of her walnut desk. It is a proposal penned by Keqing’s hand on how they can bring the Lantern Rite celebrations to Qingce Village once again this year. At least, that's what she was told when the Yuheng brought it up to the Jade Chamber. She’d been too focused on keeping the cough suppressed while Keqing gave a speech on the specifics of her plan.

It’s odd how her head feels like it’s been stuffed with silk flowers today. The words seem to dance around the parchment, passing through her wooly brain but not quite sticking, like oil meeting water. Her brow furrows; she re-reads the scroll again, but she understands so little that it might as well be written in another language.

It’s a little too hot, Ningguang thinks, and her qipao is damp with perspiration. She wipes beads of sweat off her neck, rising from the table. The world abruptly lurches forward; Ningguang digs her clawed fingers into the wood, managing to stop herself from tipping forward. Her claws aren't so lucky — they break off with a snap. 

When the world rights itself again, she slowly releases her death grip on the desk, and walks over to the window. The Tianquan slides it open, instantly greeted by a gentle breeze.

It caresses her clammy skin; she shivers and slams the window shut instead.

That is not the only noise to echo in her ears. In the silence of her office, she becomes aware of foreign noises within — the careless, heavy footsteps of a certain buffoon descending the spiral stairs; the soft, high-pitched pleas of Baiwen as she haplessly follows. 

Ningguang pinches her nose with a sigh, looking up just as Beidou barges into her office, her fur cloak carelessly draped over her broad shoulders. Baiwen throws up her hands in surrender and leaves. The brunette stands in the middle of the office and grins, albeit a little too mischievously. 

Archons. Did she—

"Heard you're taking the afternoon off, Ningguang," the pirate booms. The Tianquan is becoming painfully aware of a dull throb beginning to build towards a crescendo at the base of her skull. "Care for a game, then?"

Ningguang bites back a sharp retort sitting at the tip of her tongue. She can never understand why Beidou's very presence both gratifies and irks her. Perhaps it's because she's flattered that the captain visits often these days, but her timing is the absolute worst. Always. 

Regardless, when Beidou leaves — well, Ningguang would liken it to the warm sun giving way to the lonely night.

"And here I thought you were coming to pay your fines without a summons, Captain," the Tianquan replies, stopping shy of pouting.

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