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Emile hadn’t expected to get caught in a storm after returning from his visit to drop off some tarts to Queen Selias. The sky had been bright and clear only an hour before, and now was dark and gloomy as rain poured down all around him. His clothes were soaking wet, and he was drenched head to foot in the chilly rainwater.
Thunder echoed in the far away clouds as Emile shuddered, one hand up to keep the rain out of his eyes as it fell relentlessly on him. The walk to the bakery wasn’t too much further, but it was hard to navigate through the rain and gushing wind that kept almost blowing him away. The storm had rolled in very suddenly, and did not spare him enough time to make it home before the downpour.
Finally seeing the glow of the lights of the bakery, he quickened his pace and stopped at the door, leaning on it for a moment to catch his breath under the small overhang. The door burst open, and Damon looked down at him, worry etched in his expression as he grabbed onto Emile’s arms and pulled him into the warmth of the inside of the bakery. Damon shut the door behind him quickly as Emile sighed, arms crossed as his teeth clattered from the wet cold and he sniffed.
The familiar inside of the bakery made Emile instantly feel much better, but a chill enveloped him as his soggy clothes stuck against his skin.
“Emile,” Damon started, pulling Emile over to the couch and sitting him down, then brushing wet hair out of his eyes. “You’re freezing cold. I was so worried when I heard thunder outside and the storm started, and you weren’t back yet.” He pressed the back of his palm to Emile’s forehead and frowned. “And you’re already warm, I think you’re getting a cold.”
“I’m fine, I swear.” Emile said, still shivering, and took the hand on his head off with his own and cupped it to his cheek, leaning into the touch. “I wasn’t in the storm for too long anyways, I just need to change into something dry.”
“Here, I’ll get you something. Stay here, okay?” Damon said, and pressed a quick kiss to Emile’s head before quickly going upstairs to get some warm clothes for Emile. The human sniffed again, still shivering in place but he started unbuttoning his wet shirt and slipping it off. The warmth of the bakery felt good on his skin, and the aroma of familiar smells filled his nose and he felt calmer than before.
Emile slouched back into the couch, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath. At least the storm had started to rampage after he got all the tarts safely to their destination without getting all soggy. Now that the storm had come and he’d done all his deliveries, he’d have to close the bakery for the day and spend the rest of the day at home while the storm passed. He wasn’t against this, of course. Emile loved to spend all the time he could with Damon in any way, whether it be baking, helping him study, watching a movie, or just snuggling together in each other’s embrace.
Emile spotted Damon coming back down the stairs with some pajamas and a towel, and he stood up to come over to him, which proved to be a mistake as Emile suddenly felt very woozy, probably a byproduct of getting sick from the storm. He stumbled forward slightly and Damon caught him with one hand, wrapping it around his waist while the other still held onto the dry clothes and the towel.
“Love, I told you to stay there. You’re sick, and in no condition to be waltzing around the house. Sit back down, and let me dress you.” Damon said, walking him back over to the couch and only letting go when Emile had sat back down.
Emile wanted to protest, but sneezed instead. The towel was forcibly wrapped around him like a burrito, and Damon started to dry him off, moving from his torso up to his hair. Emile raised his arms up and Damon slid over a nightshirt and buttoned it up silently.
“I’m sorry, I know you wanted me to stay here, I just don’t want you to have to do so much work to take care of me.” Emile said, staring down at Damon’s hands as they buttoned up his shirt. “Usually when I get sick I’m all alone here, unless the fae come visit and force me to stop working and sleep.” He laughed, then started to cough into his sleeve.
“I’ll have to thank them next time I see them, then. Working while you’re sick is just going to make you feel worse.” Damon said, putting his hands on his hips. “Now, I’m not an expert in human illness, but I know that rest is an important step in feeling better.”
“You’re not wrong about that…” Emile grinned nervously, and Damon took his hands in his own and smiled, peppering Emile’s forehead with quick kisses, earning a giddy giggle from the latter.
“I don’t want you walking up the stairs while you’re so dizzy, so I’m going to teleport both of us up, okay? I know you’re more used to it now, but I don’t know how it’ll affect you now that you’re sick.” Damon said, and Emile pulled closer to him, feeling the prince’s warm breath on his face.
“Stop worrying so much,” Emile responded. “I assure you, if I start dying I’ll make sure to let you know.”
“Okay, okay I get it. Here we go,” Damon laughed, and the two disappeared and reappeared in a flash of green light in the bedroom. Emile hadn’t expected the teleportation to actually make him feel more woozy, but the second they reappeared, he suddenly felt very light headed. The world spun around him, and he leaned heavily on Damon, who quickly became very worried, saying something Emile couldn’t quite hear over the ringing in his ears. Emile slumped sideways, but was held in place by the dragon prince, who called out his name again but Emile had already passed out and couldn’t hear him.
-
When he awoke again, Emile was greeted with a dim overhead light and a headache. He had been fully changed into dry clothes and wrapped in a blanket in bed, with a damp towel against his forehead and a fan blowing on one side of the room. He blinked a few times before letting out a groan and pulling the blankets up to his shoulders.
“Damon?” Emile asked out loud, shivering in the bed despite the fluffy blankets piled on top of him.
As if on cue, the prince walked up the stairs and into the room with a cup of tea on a small platter. He sat the platter down on the bedside table beside Emile and sat down on the side of the bed, cupping Emile’s cheek.
“You’re awake. You scared me real bad when you passed out on me.” Damon said softly, moving in closer to Emile to lean their foreheads together. “I should’ve just carried you up the stairs, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, you didn’t know that teleportation would make me faint.” Emile wrapped his arms around Damon and pulled him down into the blankets. “You don’t have to apologize.”
Damon cuddled close to Emile, who nuzzled his face in the crook of the prince’s neck. Damon stroked a hand through his curly hair and hummed a quiet tune.
“The storm’s settled down a bit. It’s stopped thundering, but it's still raining. I made you some hot tea to help you feel better, you should try some before it cools off.” Damon said, and leaned back to pick up the cup of tea, while Emile sat up in the bed to take a sip. The damp cloth on his head fell off when he did this, earning a small laugh from the duo.
“I can go get that cloth cold again for you.” Damon said as Emile took a sip of the tea. His shaky hands did little to hold the cup steady, and he might’ve spilled some if Damon hadn’t put his hands on top of the human’s to help keep them in place. “Next time you get stuck in a storm, get under some shelter and I’ll come looking for you, alright? I don’t want you getting sick on me again like this.”
“No promises.” Emile mused, setting the cup down. “And if I never got sick again, you’d never be able to take care of me like this, and I know you love it.”
“I don’t love seeing you sick.” Damon frowned. “Sure, I love taking care of you, but seeing you cough and shiver and faint on me? You scared me real bad, Emile. I’ve never really experienced human sickness up close before, and now that I am, I’m…” He paused for a moment before sighing and taking one of Emile’s hands in his own to squeeze it. “I’m scared, Em.”
Emile looked up at Damon for a few moments before pulling him back towards himself and rolling over so Damon flopped down beside him in the bed. The two stared into each other’s eyes, and their hands interlocked in front of them.
“You don’t have to be scared. It's just a cold. Do fae get them often?” Emile asked.
“No, we don’t get them. Well, not in the same way you do. I can’t catch it from you though, so you can kiss me all you want without worry.” Damon replied, and Emile scooched closer to him and pulled some of the blankets over him.
“I want you to stay here with me.” Emile started, moving his head against Damon’s chest. “I think I’ll recover faster with you right here beside me.”
“I don’t think that’s how you recover from a human cold.” Damon said, brushing a gentle hand through Emile’s curly hair.
“Eh? You said yourself you don’t know that much about human illnesses, right? I think, as a human, I know the proper ways to recover from a cold.” Emile chuckled, then swallowed down a cough.
“Hmm… Sure, I’ll take your word for it just this once, my silly human.” Damon pulled back Emile’s hair and plopped a deep kiss onto his forehead. “I’ll be right back, let me just get you that cloth and turn off the lights.” Damon quickly excused himself from the bed, despite Emile’s protest, and came back in a few minutes with the now cold cloth. He placed it on Emile’s head, earning a soft sigh from them as he then went to pull the curtains in front of the window and turn off the lights. He then slipped into bed beside Emile, and they resumed their earlier position, now much more comfy and ready for bed. “You’re not working tomorrow, by the way. I won’t let you, especially if you’re still this sick then. So you better get ready for a lot of cuddles and kisses.”
“Noooo….” Emile groaned, though a smile formed on his face. It was hidden from view, but the dragon prince knew him well enough to know he was happy.
“Goodnight, Emile. Get well soon.” Damon said softly, closing his eyes as Emile adjusted once more in bed beside him.
“Goodnight, my dragon…” Emile said sleepily, and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly in the dragon prince’s loving embrace.