description Vivian wakes up to find Coco missing from their bed. She discovers him sick with a fever on the couch.
shay mitchell as VIVIAN ROSARIO
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richard cabral as JOHNNY "COCO" CRUZ
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Vivian was dragged out of the depths of peaceful sleep by the sound of coughing. She blinked a few times in the dark, disoriented. There wasn't even a hint of light in the room which told her it was still the dead of night. She was confused. Why was she awake? She turned over on her side, reaching a hand out for her boyfriend, but Coco's side was empty and cold. He'd been gone for a while then, but he'd been right here beside her when she fell asleep.
Vivian sat up slowly, trying to get her bearings, swinging her legs over the side of the bed to stand. The sound that woke her filtered through the bedroom door again from the living room. She frowned, the fog in her head clearing. It was the kind of dry cough that couldn't be held back, where you could hear the strained muscles in the chest.
After grabbing her robe and slipping her arms inside, wrapping the material tight around her body, Vivian made her way out of the bedroom and down the hall. There was a light on, the lamp beside the couch, but other than that, all seemed quiet and calm.
"Babe?" she whispered, coming around the corner.
Her heart melted at the sight in front of her. Coco was laying on the couch with one of her big, fluffy throw blankets wrapped around him, the only part visible being his face. She looked him over as he tried to sleep, fitfully, she had to guess.
As if sensing she'd come in the room, Coco stirred and coughed again, his body heaving with the force. She knelt down beside the couch and pressed a flat palm to his forehead. He was burning up, and Vivian frowned.
Coco's eyes started to open. They were glassy with moisture with deep creases beneath them and she wondered if he'd really slept at all. He was exhausted. He didn't say anything right away, just glanced up at her before closing his eyes again. She took the opportunity to brush his long hair out of his face, running her fingers through the strands in just the way she knew he liked.
He was fine when they went to sleep together last night, but clearly something had caught up with him. The left side of her chest squeezed with concern for her boyfriend.
She leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead, but Coco turned his head away. "I don't want you to get it," he said, voice cracking.
Without saying a word, she stood and made her way to the adjoining kitchen and pulled out a dish towel, running the cold tap to soak the material. She made her way back over and brushed his hair out of his face, laying the towel on his forehead.
Coco's eyes closed as he took a breath. "Feel like fuckin' death."
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Nothing you can do."
"You've got a fever, babe," she said, brushing her fingertips over his cheek. He kept his eyes closed, but leaned into her touch.
"I'll be fine."
Vivian rolled her eyes at his typical stubborn behavior, and headed back into the kitchen to dig through the cabinet that held the medicine. She found a bottle of Tylenol and poured a few into her palm before getting some water in a glass. Coco let out a long sigh when she came back over and handed him the pills.
Her looked up at her and shook his head. "I don't need that."
"Don't be proud. Take them, please."
He hesitated for a second, but when he realized she wasn't going to let it go, he popped them into his mouth and washed them down with the water.
"I don't want to hear it when you catch this," he said, turning onto his side facing the couch.
"Shush, now sit up."
He looked back at her with irritation on his face, but did as she asked. She took the opportunity to slip onto the couch before motioning for him to lay back down. Instead of putting up a fight, Coco laid his head in her lap, turning on his side so his arms could wind around her waist, his face buried in the material of her robe. She repositioned the cold towel to the back of his neck, and he shivered against her when it made contact with his hot skin.
Her fingers traced circles on his naked back, and she could feel him let out a heavy sigh. Vivian leaned her head back against the cushions and closed her eyes, knowing this was as comfortable as she was going to get tonight, but knowing he might feel better made it worth the inconvenience.
"You tell anyone about this and it's over," he mumbled against her stomach, and she laughed.
"Where you going to go, huh? Who's going to take care of you, mi amor, if I'm not around?"
Coco pulled back just enough so he could look up at her, and she could see the teasing smile forming on his tired face.
"You're too fuckin' good to me." Vivian brushed her hand over his cheek, her thumb running over his bottom lip. "I didn't know where you kept the Tylenol," he admitted after a few moments of silence once he'd rested his head back down. "I didn't want to wake you up digging through the cabinets."
Vivian's chest clenched at the thought of him suffering for her sake. "You should've woken me up," she said softly, running her fingers through his soft, raven locks.
Coco's arms squeezed her tight as he settled in, getting comfortable. He didn't respond and the moment passed. It didn't take long for Coco's breaths to even and his grip to slacken as he fell asleep.
She waited a little bit longer, using her palm to check his temperature every so often to see when the fever broke, and as his body started to cool, she felt her own nerves calm. With her head resting against the back of the couch and her arms holding Coco's curled up form, she followed him under the blanket of sleep.
