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Summary: It's a cold, rainy autumn day, and Chidi is worried about Vincent's health. But Vincent won't admit that he's sick.
CW: cold/flu, crying
Autumn was the start of flu season.
This fact was not on Vincentâs mind, nor was it a part of his plans. He was the most powerful member of the High Table â the proper health concerns for a man of his station were assassination attempts and gunfights. But it was on Chidiâs mind.
He was watching Vincent carefully across the long, walnut conference table surrounded by diplomats from the Ruska Roma. This was dragging on, and Vincentâs initial playfulness had worn away to exhaustion despite the fact that it was only 10 oâclock in the morning. He was still offering a cold, impassable smile, but Chidi could see that it didnât touch his eyes and that he had to keep straightening up to maintain his usually perfect posture. What worried him most was Vincentâs voice, which sounded unnaturally rough. Chidi had asked about it in the morning. âEst-ce que vous allez bien, Marquis? Vous sentez-vous Ă la hauteur de vos reunions? [Are you quite well, Marquis? Do you feel up to your meetings?]â
âOui,â had been the only reply. And then, a little later, âIl fait froid ici, c'est tout. [Itâs cold in here, thatâs all.]â And he barked at a servant to start the fireplace.
He was sick, almost definitely, and it was starting to drive Chidi mad with the desire to support him. He could move closer to him inconspicuously enough, standing behind the Marquis, but then he wouldnât be able to see his face. And he was trying to catch his eye. Should they wrap things up early?
Finally, a glance. Not accompanied by a smile, or any movement, just a long, sad stare answering Chidiâs concern. So Vincent was in distress, but didnât want anything done about it. An inhale inflated Chidiâs chest with wild emotion and he turned his eyes to the leaves dancing outside the window. Heâs fine. Heâs fine. Stay calm.
It was a grey, blustery day, with the clouds overhead threatening an October storm. When the interminable meeting finally ended and the Marquis took the guests on a tour of the grounds, Chidi made sure he was wearing his black overcoat. The brief moment of contact when Chidi held it out and Vincent slid his arms into it was a consolation to both of them. And the sight of him wearing it afterwards was quite a consolation to Chidi - watching him move, graceful and confident as a dancer. But he was slower than usual, it was undeniable. Worry followed Chidi all the way from the pavilions to the hedge maze.
It was a good thing he had a coat on. Heavy, icy raindrops started to fall halfway through their walk and they were forced to end the visit early â but not before Vincent had been soaked.
He was shivering terribly when they went back inside, just the two of them huddled together in the coatroom. âCette pluie terriblement sombre... Pourquoi aujourd'hui, de tous les jours? [This dreadfully gloomy rain⊠Why today, of all days?]â he demanded, through chattering teeth. Chidi pulled off the wet overcoat but the rush of warm air didnât seem to be enough to help.
Chidi rubbed along his arms, trying to warm him, and felt heat already breathing off his skin. In alarm, he put a hand to Vincentâs forehead and felt heat there too. âMonsieur, je pense que vous devriez aller vous coucher. Vous ĂȘtes malade. [Sir, I think you should go to bed. Youâre ill.]â
âEt tu es incroyablement difficile aujourdâhui ! Quâest-ce qui tâa pris ? Je me suis rĂ©veillĂ© un peu mal en point, mais je vais bien, je â [And youâre unbearably fussy today! Whatâs gotten into you? I woke up a little out of sorts, but Iâm fine, I â ]â He tried to stifle as sneeze and failed.
Chidi nodded and handed him a handkerchief. âComme vous le dites, Marquis. Sortons au moins de ces vĂȘtements mouillĂ©s. [As you say, Marquis. Letâs get you out of those wet clothes, at least.]â
He was too chilled to protest that, and they made their way up to his chambers. Chidi waited outside his boudoir only to see him emerge in pajamas and throw himself onto the bed. It seemed he had surrendered. He lay face down for a full minute without saying anything. There was only the rain drumming against the windows.
His muffled voice finally came from the pillow. âC'est tellement pathĂ©tique. [This is so pathetic.]â
Chidi took a seat on the edge of the bed beside him. âJe ne pense pas. Et de toute façon, personne nâa besoin de savoir que vous ĂȘtes malade, sauf vous et moi. La table haute permet Ă un homme comme vous de travailler selon ses propres conditions sans se poser de questions. [I donât think so. And anyway, no one needs to know youâre sick except you and I. The High Table allows a man like yourself to work on his own terms without asking questions.]â No answer. âJe suis tellement contente que tu prennes soin de toi. J'ai Ă©tĂ© inquiet pour toi toute la matinĂ©e, tu sais. Tu es de loin la chose la plus prĂ©cieuse dans ce palais, et â [Iâm just so glad youâre taking care of yourself. I was worried about you all morning, you know. You are by far the most precious thing in this palace, and - ]â
Still with his face buried, he interrupted. âArrĂȘt. S'il te plaĂźt, je suis trop Ă©motif en ce moment, et tu es tellement⊠tu es tellement putain⊠[Stop. Please, Iâm too emotional right now, and youâre soâŠyouâre so damnâŠ]â Chidi could almost see him blushing.
He smiled and lay a hand on Vincentâs back, silently. He could feel his muscles still shivering. Gently, Chidi lifted the blankets over him and gave him a slight nudge. âAllez-vous lever la tĂȘte, monsieur ? Vous⊠avez besoin de respirer de l'air. [Are you going to lift your head up, sir? YouâŠdo need to breathe air.]â
Vincent huffed and rolled over onto his back, exposing watery eyes that glared at the ceiling, away from Chidi. âBien. Es-tu heureux maintenant? [Fine. Are you happy now?]â
Chidi had no thoughts for himself at the moment. âEtes-vous Ă l'aise? [Are you comfortable?]â
âBien sĂ»r, je ne suis pas Ă l'aise. J'ai froid. J'ai mal Ă la gorge. Jâai la tĂȘte qui bat. Tout me fait tellement mal. [Of course Iâm not comfortable. Iâm cold. My throat is sore. My head is pounding. Everything aches so much.]â He sniffed and Chidi wasnât so sure it was from congestion.
He kissed Vincentâs forehead, stroked his hair, and went briefly into the hallway to ask for soup and cough drops.
When he came back, Vincentâs glare into the ceiling had turned absolutely hollow and started leaking tears. He seemed startled when the door opened and wiped hurriedly at his face.
âPourquoi es-tu de retour? Je pensais que tu partais. Vous tomberez malade aussi. [Why are you back? I thought you were leaving. Youâll get sick too.]â
âQuoi? Non, je m'en fiche. Je ne vous laisserai pas seul quand vous ne vous sentirez pas bien, monsieur. Je suis dĂ©solĂ©, j'aurais dĂ» te dire oĂč j'allais. [What? No, I donât care about that. I wonât leave you alone when youâre not well, sir. Iâm sorry, I should have told you where I was going.]â He took up his post at Vincentâs side again, holding his hand this time. âJe viens de commander quelque chose pour ta gorge. [I just ordered something for your throat.]â
ââŠOh.â He stared at their entwined hands, looking very much at risk of crying again.
âBouger un peu ? J'aimerais vous tenir compagnie, si vous me le permettez. [Move over a little? Iâd like to keep you company, if I may.]â
Without speaking, he slid sideways and Chidi climbed under the covers next to him, hugging him from behind. Vincent rested his arm over Chidiâs to clasp his hand and snuggled into the embrace, sighing. âBien. Ce n'est pas si mal. [Well. This isnât so bad.]â
âBien, monsieur. TrĂšs bien. [Good, sir. Very good.]â Chidiâs heart felt like it was going to melt from the relief of finally holding him.
By the time the soup arrived, Vincent was already fast asleep.















