A/N: Hey so this is my first fic, so reviews are appreciated!
Cecil awoke to the sound of violent coughing and hacking. He rubbed his eyes , slightly annoyed at being awakened from his peaceful slumber. About to dismiss the episode as just another tormented soul that roamed aimlessly about in the darkness, he noticed a figure hunched over on the corner of the bed. Immediately, he recognised the source of the coughing.
"C-Carlos?" Cecil said in a hushed and worried tone. While coughing, growling, and hissing fits were quite common for the residents of Night Vale, he couldn't help but feel anxiety for his boyfriend's condition.
"Cec..il.." Carlos managed to choke out. "Sorry for -hack- ...waking you up so early."
Cecil pulled the covers off and rushed over to the man's side. "Carlos? Carlos, are you alright?" Cecil grew more frantic. "Do you want me to get help?"
He didn't want to give Cecil a reason to worry. The radio host tended to overreact, and Carlos couldn't stand to see his boyfriend so distressed. Forcing a smile, he answered, "I'll be fine. -wheeze- Scientists are always-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by sporadic coughs followed by gasps for air.
"-Shit. Guess not."
"Carlos? I'm going to get you some cough syrup and water, alright? Just hold on. Don't go anywhere." Cecil rushed out of the room towards the bathroom, and flung the cabinet door open. Already in a panic, he began knocking down several bottles of pills whilst searching for the medicine he needed. He finally came across a strange bottle that seemed to change shape upon blinking. Sighing in relief, Cecil grabbed it, along with a small paper cup he had filled with tap water as well.
"Carlos! I'm back, and I brought the medicine!" Cecil said excitedly, soon feeling guilty as Carlos was still coughing. He hesitantly walked over to Carlos's side. "I hope I didn't make you wait too long…"
Carlos did his best to reassure him with a wave of a hand. "Don't worry about it." Cecil frowned at this.
"But I am worried. I always am." Cecil whispered only loud enough for Carlos to hear. "Anything could happen to you and I might never know. You're probably aware of that by now."
Carlos's eyes softened, and he leaned over to place a kiss on Cecil's forehead. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise. I just caught a cold is all."
"Well, if you say so." Cecil giggled at his boyfriend's sudden display of affection. He pulled away slightly, opening his mouth to speak. "Oh, I almost forgot! Silly me!"
Carlos watched as Cecil strode over to the nightstand and picked up a small, misshapen bottle. The radio host then bounced back over to Carlos and beamed up at him. Upon further inspection of the bottle, it seemed to change shape again. Literally, in the blink of an eye. 'Typical Night Vale.' Carlos thought. He was far too sick to question it, however. And far too sick to care, for that matter.
Confusion washed over him yet again as Cecil opened the bottle, pouring an iridescent, bubbly purple goo onto a spoon.
"Open up, dear!" Cecil chimed. After noticing the uncertainty on the scientist's face, Cecil cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong? Haven't you ever seen cough syrup before?"
"Y-Yeah… It's just," Carlos hesitated. "From where I came from, cough syrup doesn't quite look like that."
Cecil let out an exasperated sigh. "Now, Carlos. We all know that all poisonous substances are maroon, not purple. Here, I'll let you read the label."
Cecil handed the strange bottle to Carlos. He glanced over the bottle, turning it from left to right, then glanced back at Cecil questioningly. "Cecil, -ahem- these are just a bunch of pictures of bears."
"Hm? Oh, right! I forgot you couldn't speak french. Sorry 'bout that." Cecil waved his hand dismissively in response.
"Cecil, I-" He was about to question just what his boyfriend was talking about, before remembering what town he lived in. He shook his head. "Never mind, -wheeze- I believe you. I'll take it."
Cecil nodded, and brought the spoon to Carlos's lips. "Alright then, say aaah!" Carlos closed his eyes tightly and gagged, trying to force down the bitter medicine without throwing up. The only thing worse than plain medicine was flavored medicine. Grape flavored medicine, to be exact. Not only did it taste nothing like grape, but it made Carlos never want to eat grapes ever again. Yuck. Cecil smiled apologetically as he walked over to the nightstand again, and came back with a tiny cup of water. He handed it to Carlos, and held his free hand with his own.
"Here, drink this. It'll make the taste go away." Cecil smiled softly, drawing tiny circles in the back of Carlos's hand with his thumb. "Is there anything you'd be able to eat? I can make you breakfast in bed if you'd like."
Carlos nodded. "Yeah, that'd be nice. If that's okay with you, I mean."
Cecil grinned at this. "Anything for you, my perfect Carlos! You stay here and rest, and I'll fix you some breakfast!" Cecil quickly turned to peck the scientist on the cheek, then hurried out the door, waving on the way out.
Carlos chuckled to himself. The scratchy feeling in his throat had started to subside. He decided being sick wasn't so bad. Especially when your boyfriend was Cecil Palmer.
Maybe I should get sick more often.
A/N: First chapter done! c: Tell me if you guys want me to continue!
These dorks are slowly killing me.
