TURNED OUT LONGER THAN EXPECTED, DONT EXPECT THIS FOR EVERY REQUEST
this also — i think — doubles with a request i got before about venti staying up all night to take care of xiao!! also it’s 2 am and i JUST finished this so i’ll come back to this tomorrow to correct mistakes. djxjxxjx
Curled up under two blankets and still freezing, Xiao whimpered into his pillow. He was still sweating, no matter how cold he felt.
He sniffed and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight the tears that were threatening to escape.
Xiao felt embarrassed, humiliated to be in this position, struck down by a mortal sickness.
This wasn’t how he had planned his trip to Mondstadt. He had been hesitant to leave, but with Morax kind of pushing him on a ‘vacation’.
And now, what good did it do? Nothing. He was bedridden with what felt like the plague, relying on the one person he came to visit. Barbatos, Venti.
He groaned as his stomach cramped painfully, sending fear into his chest, reminding him of the worst symptom he was fighting right now, nausea.
Xiao felt a warm tear run down his cheek as he swallowed thickly, his head spinning. He hated human food and the thought of… an even worse, disgusting version of it.. being forced up through his small body….
“Alatus, hey..”, Venti mumbled, his hand softly cupping Xiaos cheek.
The fear the adeptus was feeling, even if unreasonable to Venti, made him worry, seeing Xiao reduced to a feverish, anxious mess, holding back sobs as he cried into Ventis hand.
“Can I do anything?”, he asked softly, his thumb brushing over Xiaos cheek, trying to give him some comfort.
Xiao hesitated to speak before opening his mouth, only a small belch leaving his lips.
Venti sighed as he felt his friends’ cheeks heat up even more with shame.
“Excuse.. excuse me.”, Xiao whispered, his voice shaking.
“Is your stomach still upset?”, Venti asked and Xiao nodded miserably, swallowing back saliva that seemed to flood his mouth.
His expression was a dead giveaway, with the tears still falling and his lips trembling.
“Do you need to be sick?”, Venti asked, his hand already reaching behind him, grabbing the little bowl on the nightstand.
“I don’t want to..”, Xiao whispered, his stomach gurgling loudly at him.
“It’s alright, I got you.”, Venti said, “Sit up, so you don’t get anything on the sheets.”
It took Xiao a few seconds to sit somewhat upright, a string of saliva dripping from his lower lip.
“Here.” Venti placed the bowl in Xiaos lap, “I got you, just take a few deep breaths.”
Immediately Xiao felt his chest tighten, breathing becoming more than a chore, heat burning in his ears.
“Sshh, ssh, you’re alright. Deep breaths.”, Venti instructed, carefully rubbing circles over the fabric of Xiaos shirt. He made a mental note to get him a new one after this, as this one was soaked in sweat.
Xiaos shoulders jerked with a loud burp, tears continuing to fall from his eyes, onto the sheets, leaving tiny damp spots.
His breath hitched and he burped again, his stomach gurgling angrily at him.
His mouth was open, drool freely dripping from his lips as breathy burps bubbled out of him, tongue slightly curled.
“Oh.. oh, Alatus.”, Venti whispered, “Just get it up.”
He felt sorry for the young adeptus, Xiao was clearly scared and embarrassed, after all Venti wasn’t just some guy he just met.
Another burp escaped Xiao, paired with a gross, wet gurgling sound coming from his stomach. His breath hitched again before another loud, wet burp forced itself out, bringing a small wave of brown, liquidy vomit with it.
The taste was horrendous, bitter and rancid, burning in his throat and tongue.
Xiao coughed harshly and burped again, a rush of vomit spilling from his lips and splashing into the bowl.
“There you go, that’s it.”, Venti said, continuing to rub Xiaos back, feeling him tremble and heave under his touch.
More came up, vomit gurgling up his throat and practically shooting out of him, his stomach visibly contracting.
Xiao gave a loud retch before throwing up again, one hand quickly moving away from the bowl and up to his chest.
He couldn’t breathe, it just kept coming, pouring out of him. Puke was coming out his nose too, mixed with snot, tears and everything else on his face.
Another burp brought a big stream of vomit with it, now more slimy than watery, some chunks of carrots, potatoes and whatever he had forced into him, mixed in. It splattered into the bowl, now quickly overfilling it, but he just couldn’t stop.
Xiao heaved again and again, tears still streaming down his face as he vomited on his blanket, the waves of puke overflowing the small bowl in his lap.
“Oh my.. oh, Alatus..”, Venti sighed, sympathy and disgust mixed with his voice, as he stared at the mess.
He didn’t think Xiao ate this much, otherwise he would’ve helped him to the bathroom instead of just having him sit up in bed.
But it was too late now, the splatters of puke on the blankets were too big to ignore, there was no saving those.
Slowly Xiaos retching and heaving turned into nauseous but empty burps and miserable sobbing.
What a mess he made, what a mess he was..
Some vomit had found its way into the longer streaks of his hair, some stuck to his chin and lips.
He didn’t dare to speak, he didn’t even know what to say, he just felt awful.
“Hey..Alatus, Alatus, look at me.”, Venti soothed, cupping Xiaos face with his hands, a tiny bit disgusted at the sensation of puke on his fingers, but his friends’ well-being was more important than that.
Xiao just silently sobbed as another small burp shook his feverish body.
“It’s okay, you’re okay.”, Venti said.
“I m… I made such a.. such a mess..”, Xiao rasped out.
“Doesn’t matter, Alatus.”, Venti assured him, “Did you get it all out?”
Judging by the burps that were still coming from Xiao, he didn’t seem to be completely done. But looking at the amount he had brought up….
“I don’t.. know. I feel aw— awful.”, Xiao answered, a small burp interrupting him once again.
“I’m sorry, Alatus..”, Venti sighed, “I’ll get you another blanket and I’ll.. get rid of.. this.”
Xiao shook his head, “No, you shouldn’t have.. have to clean my mess, I—I’ll-“
“You’re sick, I don’t mind.”
Venti gave Xiao a warm smile as he carefully got up and took the bowl from his lap, bringing it into the bathroom to empty it.
He returned with a wet washcloth and a small towel.
“I’m cleaning you up. Sleeping with puke in your hair is very uncomfortable. Trust me, I know.”
He carefully cleaned Xiaos hair, making sure he didn’t miss anything, before continuing to wipe his chin and mouth.
While it felt natural to him, Xiao didn’t know what to do. He didn’t like this, being treated like a child but he was so exhausted and Venti did seem to know what he was doing.
“Anything you need? I got water here, a bucket, tissues..”, Venti asked, having finished cleaning up Xiaos mess and getting a new blanket.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he felt pretty tired.
“No, I… Thank you.”, Xiao whispered, “I’m sorry for troubling you.. Please rest.”
“You’re not troubling me.”, Venti said as he crawled back into bed. “Are you still cold?”
A soft nod from Xiao, even though he was wrapped in his blanket.
“Look, I’m pretty warm, let me just…”
Venti shifted a little until he found the right position, pulling Xiao closer so he could rest his head on his chest.
“Are you comfortable like this?”, he asked, one hand softly stroking Xiaos forehead.
