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“I’m not sick.”
Colin sighs as he takes in the sight of his partner.
As gorgeous as he is, Ryan now looks half-dead, maybe more than half given his large form, which just seems to exaggerate everything.
Everything.
“Your nose tells me otherwise.”
Ryan wipes his nose with his hand as if on instinct.
“There’s no need to bring my nose into this.”
“Honey,” Colin starts gently, stepping closer to the gentle and very much sick giant. “You know I love your cute button nose more than anyone, but it really does nothing to hide the symptoms.”
Ryan sniffs and he seems a little more unsure after that but still doesn’t give up trying.
“It might be… Allergies.”
A small smile finds its way onto Colin’s face.
“You don’t have allergies.” He pauses for a bit, taking one more step closer. “Ryan, it’s okay. You caught a cold. You’re gonna rest for a bit, and it’s gonna be fine.”
Ryan just stares at him for a little bit, his eyes a bit watery and redder than usual.
His shoulders sag visibly as the realization dawns on him.
“I don’t want to be sick.”
Colin chuckles as he takes his lover’s hand. “I know. But the sooner you start resting, the sooner you’ll feel better.”
He runs his thumb across Ryan’s fingers, stopping at the band of his wedding ring, coaxing the taller man to look back at him.
“How about you start with a nap? I’ll make you some soup in the meantime.”
“Alright,” Ryan eventually says, yet Colin has to basically drag him to bed. He reaches under the pillows to retrieve Ryan’s pajamas and hands them to the man.
Ryan attempts to take them from him, but Colin immediately clocks the tiredness of his limbs.
“Let me help,” he says and waits for Ryan to look at him, knowing how stubborn the man can be. “Please.”
Ryan sighs as his arms go pliant, ready for Colin to move them as needed. He feels Ryan’s gaze on him as he undresses him and helps him into the comfortable attire. He pats his lover’s chest at the end, finally looking up at him.
“There,” he says, giving Ryan one more smile before lowering him down until his back touches the sheets. He keeps tossing as Colin attempts to tuck in him.
“Just hold still,” he says, and Ryan grumbles.
“It’s the Christmas season. We’re supposed to be doing all the festive things, and now I’ll just sleep through it all?”
“You don’t even like doing the festive things.”
“I like doing them with you.”
Colin brings the duvet up to Ryan’s chin. “I’ll tell you what. You get better, and then we’ll do all the festive things.”
Ryan looks up at him with those great dane puppy eyes.
“Promise?”
“Promise,” Colin assures the younger man as he leans down to plant a kiss on his forehead. Ryan lifts his head up to align their lips but then backs off, an unsatisfied expression on his face.
“I hate being sick. I can’t even kiss you.”
Colin kneels carefully on the side of Ryan’s body. “I mean, we live together, so I’ll probably catch it anyway.”
Ryan’s eyebrows furrow. “Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.”
“Who says I can’t?”
With that, Colin leans down, connecting their lips. The kiss doesn’t last too long, but Ryan seems satisfied with it as he actually rolls around afterwards, trying to find a comfortable position.
“You know, that seems to be an act worth continuing.”
Colin shakes his head playfully. “Just go to sleep, hun.”
Ryan grunts again. “Will you at least read to me?”
“Whatever will actually get you to sleep.”
“Read to me,” Ryan requests, voice already laced with sleep and much tamer than before, as if finally accepting his circumstance.
Colin gets up from the bed and approaches his bookshelf. Ryan’s not a big reader, so he just picks a random one, knowing it’s mainly his voice that gets Ryan all calm and sleepy.
He then walks around the bed to get to his side, sitting next to his partner.
He opens the book and starts reading. Ryan observes him for a little bit, but his head falls to the side soon enough. As he drifts to sleep, he reaches for Colin’s hand.
Colin chuckles quietly and sets the book aside before making his way into a lying position.
As he already told Ryan, he’s probably gonna catch the cold anyway, given the shared household, and the soup can be made on a whim.
Right now, he just wants to be close to his love.