Work Text:
The first sign you noticed were feathers wilting, then the shivering. You watched from the side of the kitchen table as he held his head in one hand. He looked…well, dead. Gabriel tried to hold his attention to the book he was reading despite his eyes closing slightly.
He looked miserable.
You groaned and set down your phone. “Okay, that’s enough. Sit up for me.”
“Pardon?” His attention was drawn to you walking around the counter top.
You retrieved the thermometer from the drawer. “Open.”
He smirked. "How do you ask?"
Ass.
"Please, open." You held up the thermometer impatiently, tapping it on his lips.
Current score:
Fever: 1
Gabriel: 0
“I’m fine, my dear. I just overworked myself.”
“Your temperature says otherwise.” You narrowed your eyes, holding up the thermometer. “99.8. You have a fever, Gabriel.”
He was paler than usual, and the fact that his cold body was actually warm gave away his poor health.
“I can’t get sick. I’m not human.”
“I don’t care, love. Go rest and take meds.” You closed the book in front of him and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be there shortly.”
Gabriel was moodier than usual when he was sick, you found out unfortunately.
“Overworking yourself is probably what lead you to feeling this way.”
“And what is that?”
“Chicken broth. It’ll help you feel better.” You weren’t putting up with it. “Consider it an offering.”
He took a spoonful and shrugged. “It’s fine, I guess.”
You grinned victoriously and sat down next to him. “Then you can get back to ruling over Mandela and playing with your alternates like Barbie dolls.”
This got a growl from him. “Be glad that I love you.”
You snorted back a laugh. “Very scary. Eat it. It was one of the most expensive brands I could find.”
His fever broke after what seemed like forever. Ten minutes after doom-scrolling through Netflix, HBO, then Hulu, you finally picked something you both agreed on..
“I’m not leaving until you feel better. So, come here.”
You didn’t want to anyway.
“Oh, please,” he rolled his eyes, too tired to protest.
The huffing alternate seemed to settle down as he crawled into your arms. You curled your fingers through his blonde hair as the movie drawled on. He seemed to calm down from the gesture before passing out in your arms.
Cute.
It seemed as if you knew his weakness. You knew Gabriel secretly liked it. If he didn’t, he would’ve been clawing his way out like a cat in a bathtub. The thought almost made you laugh.
You checked the time to see that it was pretty late. Tossing a blanket over his sleeping form, you lowered the volume on the tv, seconding it as white noise. It didn’t seem to faze him.
Having no other choice, you chose the couch as your bed for the night. There was no way you were getting up. With one final kiss on his forehead, you drifted off into your own dream land.
Current Score:
Fever: 0
Gabriel: 1