chiluc drabbles

3

Diluc catches a cold, Childe comes home early to take care of them
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them
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Chapter 3
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Autumn leaves plastered the sidewalk, a slick blanket of damp yellow and auburn.
The gentle hum of the engine harmonized with the roar of rain on the roof, as the windshield wipers squealed against them glass.
On either side of the road, nearly bare trees swayed in the wind, fall had begun making space for their winter blanket of snow.

Rain fell outside, heavy droplets hitting the roof and windows of the small Honda Civic that pulled slowly into the driveway.
Ajax pulled his keys out of the ignition.
Ajax opened his car door, hurriedly grabbing his belongings and slamming it shut, so the rain wouldn't soak his seats. He approached the front door, turning his key in the lock and stepping into the entryway.

Water fell from his hair and clothes, dripping onto the tile with every movement.
Ajax made a mental note to clean it up; he didn't want Diluc to slip on it when they'd leave for work later.

He removed his coat, still dripping from the rain, hanging it in the entryway closet.

Ajax attempted to be silent, he didn't want to wake up his sleeping housemate.

Yet as always, when he attempted to be quiet, his hand slipped and he dropped the hanger.
It clattered to the floor, echoing through the nearly silent apartment.
He winced, waiting for sounds of movement from the other room.
Sure enough, a faint grumble echoed from the aforementioned space.

Sighing, Ajax crept towards the doorway of their room, whispering to Diluc from the doorway.

"Hey, you sleeping?"
He asked, knowing his question would either invoke a response or a tired sigh.
There was rustling, before a pillow sailed out of the darkness, falling at his feet.

He glanced in the direction of where the projectile had come from, and Diluc stared at him from the bed, their expression unamused.
"I want my pillow back."
Diluc's voice was nasally, sounding stuffy as he spoke.

Ajax picked the pillow up, before lobbing it back into the room, hopefully in the direction of where Diluc sat.

To his satisfaction, there was the sound of fabric making impact, and a surprised gasp.

He felt laughter bubble up into his chest, giggling to himself as he headed towards their bed.

When he entered the room, he immediately noticed how warm it was.
His brows creased in concern, and he turned on a lamp to illuminate the room.

"It's so warm in here... Did the AC break?"
He asked, bending down to check the air conditioning unit beside the bed.

Diluc yawned, and their nose sniffled when they inhaled.
"I'm not that warm, I didn't even notice."

Ajax reached out to cup their face, lightly pressing the back of his hand against their forehead.
"Oh man, you're burning up. Did you catch something from work again?"

They frowned, staring at their hands, trying to recall the events of their shift last night.
"I don't think so... Besides, it could just be sinuses acting up again.. It happens a lot.

They sat up, before Ajax put his arm in front of them, halting their movement.
"You're sick, Luc. You need rest, you've been sleeping awful the past few days."

Sighing, they gently removed his arm, before intertwining their fingers with his.
"Ajax, I promise I'm alright. Besides, you should probably give me a little space, since it could be contagious."
Their skin was far too warm. Diluc's palms were sweaty, calluses and raised bumps of scars littering the backs of their hands; a combination that Ajax often ran his fingers along, in comforting circles and spirals.

Ajax's expression was still one of concern, as he appeared to be battling himself, between wanting to honor Diluc's wishes, and wanting to let them recover.
He sighed, before resting his head on their shoulder. Ajax took their hand in his, before kissing the back of it softly.
"I'd rather be sick with you. This way, I don't have to go to work tomorrow."

Diluc sighed, shifting closer to Ajax, as the other adjusted the covers on their bed, pulling them over their waist. His hand rested on their knee, as he idly drummed his fingers on them.
"Do you want me to make you anything? Dinner, Tea? I can make a pot of coffee if you want some."

They smiled at him, before wrapping their arms around his waist.
"I just want to cuddle for a bit...You don't always have to be working, you know."

Ajax's face lit up, as he lifted the covers back, climbing into bed next to them.
He rolled over to face them, and the covers rustled as he shifted.

He grinned, placing his arm under his head.
"Hi."

Diluc scoffed in mock exasperation.
"Now you're just making it awkward."

Ajax laughed, before reaching out to pinch Diluc's cheek.
"You're even less patient than normal today... noo..."

Diluc whacked his hand off, before responding in the same whiny tone.
"Oh man, I may just end up getting up and driving off. In seven months I'll have a house and a mortgage..."

Continuing the joke, Ajax responded, but reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Diluc's ear.
"Where would you go? This is your house..."

Pausing for a moment, they seemed to ponder the question.
"I'm going to move 3 continents over and have 4 cats."
They replied matter-of-factly.

"Wow, you really thought about that one huh?"
Ajax retorted.

"Well, yeah. But I probably won't do it. You're a lot more fun to talk to than cats, anyway."
They exhaled softly, before shifting closer to him.

Ajax adjusted to make room for them, pulling the covers from the other side of the bed with a soft sigh.
"Luc, save me some blanket, I wake up freezing in the morning because you've migrated 3 miles east and taken the blanket with you."

Diluc was the resident cover thief, and more nights than not, Ajax would wake up with the smallest possible section of their blanket.

Diluc laughed, a chuckle that ended in a slight wheeze.
"I told you I'd be moving, I just need my cats now."

"Oh Archons, now I have to share a bed with you and 4 cats..."
He trailed off, before leaning in to kiss Diluc's forehead, brushing their bangs out of the way.

"Thank you for coming home early.."
Diluc whispered, reaching under the blanket to hold Ajax's hand.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world. Besides, your message was really worrying."
He whispered back, tracing slow circles along Diluc's palm with his thumb.

He yawned, before closing their eyes and resting their head on the pillow that Ajax had his arm underneath.
"Good night... I'll see you.."
They barely finished their sentence before they fell asleep, facial muscles relaxing.

Ajax pulled their hair out from under their neck, fanning it out onto the pillow beneath them, before closing his own eyes.
"Good night..."
He whispered.
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i hope this chapter wasn't too confusing it's a little older i just wanted to post something