It was only a cough, and no one ever died from a cough. But even knowing this Zuko fought back a yawn as he stayed by his uncle's bedside, refusing to succumb to the temptation to just go to sleep already.
Just a cough. It wasn't as if Uncle would disappear if he closed his eyes for even a second, right? Of course not, he scolded himself, banishing all evidence that he'd even pondered that for a minute from his mind. His eyes felt heavy and his vision was blurring but he still willed himself to stay awake. Just until Uncle wakes up.
At the exact moment Zuko felt himself slipping, Iroh opened his eyes.
"Nephew..."
Zuko smiled, letting his head drop to the sleeping mat.
"Hey...just thought I'd see how you were doing," he mumbled before his exhaustion took over, and he began to snore softly.
*
Iroh smiled tenderly down at Zuko's prone form, easing a pillow under his head and draping a blanket over him.
"Thank you," he whispered.