#otitis externa | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

atheliasnotebook · 2 years ago

Text

honeydewed reaffirmations

character(s): tighnari, kaeya, diluc, childe, heizou, kazuha, albedo (bonus: thoma ft. the kamisato family)

⭐ note: reader is gender neutral unless specified otherwise! ⭐

tags: fluff, comfort, teyvat metro au, fun facts about common ailments (don't worry, they're just common things, they aren't described in horribly gross details),

warnings: mentions or minor display of blood (childe, kazuha), pet name: "baby" (childe), pet name: "lovey" (kazuha), story spoiler that's been alternated to fit the teyvat metropolis au (kazuha), pet name: "pumpkin" (albedo), pet name: "babe" (thoma)

author’s note: guys i've been suffering the past month with infections and colds, and in the month that I've descended several layers of pain as if they were the circles of hell, I've officially become a certified heizou simp. god, it's so clear who I clearly favorite more than the other in this post...

it's that time of year when everyone falls ill (despite the care that they give to their bodies). so, how does your boyfriend for you in such dark times?

🌳 tighnari [acute otitis externa] (infection in outer ear canal)

"and what did i say about using q-tips everyday?" the fox says reprimandingly in a soft tone and disappointedly sighs with drooping ears as he pats down on his bed, pointing to your head before pointing to the pillow.

you couldn't help it. for the past few days, it felt really good to scratch those itches at the very start of your earhole every so often. and sometimes you scratched it too hard, so you took another one of those cursed white cotton-tipped sticks and wet it with water—only to dive back in and "soothe" the pain. and eventually, you decided to scratch deeper into your ear, but not more than 3 centimeters in.

little did you know that not only would you heavily irritate your ear's canals by doing that, but allow any outside bacteria to say "hey, that part of (y/n)'s body is looking extra scrumptious today..." for the most part, 'nari noted that it's not good to use q-tips every day, and in general, never at all. all it really does is push your earwax further down your ear. sure, feels nice—but it's more harm than good.

your ear is on goddamn fire. your earlobe is comparable to the color of the packaging on a red bottle of painkillers resting atop the bedside table, and you swear that the pressure building in your ears will make your head explode. understanding the gestures of tighnari, a well-known pharmacist in the sumeru district of teyvat metropolis, you lay on your side and adjust your head on the memory foam pillow in his apartment. trying not to focus on the pain, and rather, on the fox-fellow's question, you answer with the acknowledgment that you, in fact, shouldn't have used so many or scratched at your ear with them.

the pharmacist pulls out a tiny bottle of eardrops, which he holds with only his pointer finger and his thumb as he quickly unscrews the cap.

"i made this prescription with the orders given by your doctor. it's not going to burn, but it may feel like your ear is going through a freezer. you will need to lay with it in your ear for quite a few minutes..." 'nari explains while scooting closer as he adjusts his grip and leans forth, with one hand on the bottle and the other resting near your face on the sheets.

"hold still for me. if it makes you feel any better, you can hold my hand."

crying from the headache, you close your eyes and sniffle as you embrace the cold droplets of medicine running down your ear canal and filling up the crevices of infection. for just a second, everything in your body feels just as cold as the droplets, and you're startled by how chilly it feels—you grip 'nari's hand for some support. although you can't see him through closed eyes, his fluffy ears droop slightly as he wrinkles his brows, just wishing for you to be in the least amount of pain possible.

"you're doing great," he nods, smiling and sighing with creased eyebrows as he wiped your tears away—while finally pressing a kiss to your forehead and caressing the top of your head with his thumb. "just make sure to heed my advice next time, and let me know if anything else begins to hurt, alright?"

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❄️ kaeya alberich [pyrexia] (fever (due to exhaustion))

he with sigh and chuckles. "you always complain how my hands are freezing whenever you want to hold them—but now you're begging for me to rest one on your head as if I'm some sort of deity?"

you groan out, weakly flailing a hand out in the direction of kaeya's voice to search for his hand in the darkness of your closed gaze. you're not in the mood for kaeya's ever-so-teasingly and slightly sly comments, and just want everything to be closer to the apex of human homeostasis. everything hurts. why is the world so mean? why is your work so mean? even kaeya is a little salty that they're giving you tasks with such harsh and quickly-upcoming deadlines while you're sick. everything feels too hot, even when you've got only one thin blanket draped over your body. mumbling out a few words, you can only express your desire for something cold.

"you can use my hand as a cooling pad..." he begins to explain with a chuckle, "... only if you can promise to stop staying up late working and drink water instead of drinking coffee or those energy drinks from the convenience store down the block."

while you groan in defeat, disappointment, and understanding, kaeya stands up to wash his hands in the bathroom sink of your master bedroom, quickly drying off his hands with a towel as he takes his seat once again on the same wooden stool that he just rose from.

"work can wait. that's why you have co-workers to help you when you're not there—" he reassures, cracking his hand before gently resting the back of his palm on your forehead to simply check your temperature, before, rotating it to cusp over the entire surface gently with his fingers. you melt in the freezing temperature of his body heat.

although you don't know what he looks like, you can feel the cloth of his loose lounge shirt tickle your wrist as he decides to readjust from the stool to sit on the bed right by you. you smile weakly at the touch and sound of the creaking frame, and he too reciprocates unknowingly to you. although he is cocky, he does it because he loves you. although it pains him slightly to see you in such a state, he puts the fact that you need to prioritize your health above anything else.

"make sure to let me know if my hand only ends up making you feel warmer. we don't want you to literally become a baked potato, now, do we?"

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🔥 diluc ragnvindr [myalgia] (muscle pain)

"come on, sit up. let's see... hmmm... did you injure yourself again carrying something, or did you fall asleep in an awkward position?"

whatever your answer is, if it is one of the two propositions from above—diluc would respond with:

"you know, if you keep doing that, you'll end up with worse posture than those wavy balloon men at the gas station," and then proceed to immediately come over and press his warm hands against the skin for 20 seconds to a minute before digging his thumbs and rubbing them in circles just the right amount into your skin to provide some sort of relief.

if it's not, whether it be stiffness in the neck from a hunch, soreness in the shoulders from awful posture, cramps from a period, diluc will always say:

"tell me where it hurts, then."

nope, not even a question of "where does it hurt," just a commandment and promise that he will do everything in his power to make you feel better. when your muscles ache that bad, he'll bring over a bucket of hot water and some small and smooth rags to drape over your affected area(s). diluc, although he's not a man for active conversation, can still analyze pain points from just a glance with you. there have many times when you just haven't complained about the problem, but he has taken note of the problem and mutters how much he doesn't want to keep seeing you in pain like this. being one of the richest men in the entire district (and is one of the most affluent in the city) has its perks, so he's thinking about finding one of the best people in the city to come and give you a diagnosis while hiring someone else to temporarily soothe the pain.

"i've yet to find a standby masseuse to treat you when I'm working. how about calling up...—what? you don't want a masseuse...?" he asks, tilting his head confusedly as he works his way into your muscles.

"... fine," he sighs, pulling you slightly closer to him and kissing your cheek. "but I can only massage you in the mornings and late evenings due to work. if your soreness becomes a problem during the high noon, so I can fetch an attendant to come and assist you."

"you have to let me know... can you do that for me?" he shudders, taking his arms and wrapping them around your waist while resting his head gently on your shoulder. "i trust you," he begins, his gaze fluttering to yours. "—but i cherish you too dearly to let you suffer with this hardship on your own."

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🐳 childe [minor abrasion] (accidental arm scrape)

"how did you manage your scrape your arm like this?" he asks, chuckling as he takes a gander at the underside of your arm—which trickles a stream or two of blood and bears some scraped skin that parts to the sides. "don't tell me you got into a battle with the table, now."

you shrug and shudder when he gently presses his thumb on the edges of your inflamed skin. again with the sly ass comments. in your defense, cleaning the dining room table shouldn't be that hard, but you tripped on accident and scraped your entire arm on the corner of the mahogany furniture piece. it stings a bit, but it isn't too deep in, thankfully. with care, he takes your other hand and replaces it with his—which is the one propping up your arm in midair.

"go take a seat on the couch while I go grab some bandages," he states before heading down to the hallway's bathroom. you oblige to his orders, adjusting your arm so your blood doesn't drip all over the floor as you approach the soft cushions in the living room.

ten seconds pass, and you hear the soft and nimble footsteps of childe's stride getting louder, looking at his white and gray-toed cloth socks contrast with the polished wooden floors of your cozy home. taking in the scent of his cologne, your eyes drag from the floor up to his hands carefully unwrapped a tiny alcohol towelette.

"it shouldn't get infected that easily, but it's better to be safe than sorry. grip my arm if it the pain is too much," he says, carefully dabbing at the edges to clean the dried red rivulets on opposite sides of your arm.

it doesn't hurt, and yes—you were cleaning to clear your mind before attempting to search for a newfound inspiration. after a few seconds of ajax occasionally pecking you on the wrist as he wipes, he inches slightly closer to the wound, focused on his handiwork rather than how your nails dig into his arm.

"i know it stings, baby. after i'm done bandaging you, I'll give you as many kisses as you want, sound like a deal?"

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🔎 shikanoin heizou [acute tussis] (coughing)

"oh my... that cough of yours is getting heavier by the day—you remembered to wear a jacket on our tour with the general at watatsumi, didn't you?"

nope. in fact, you did not bring a jacket. in fact, you're so used to the hot desert-like weather in the sumeru hiking area that you still feel like everything is always too warm in the fall—you just happened to forget to bring your coat on the one day you left from taking private investigation jobs near the city. curse the city weather for actually being on time. damn the water making everything cold. watatsumi park is so pretty, but you swear, getting sick like this is a hindrance to the agency, considering how being heizou's partner literally doubles and lessens the load for incoming cases. sure, maybe your co-workers are slightly happy that they'll actually get a chance to take a case before you and mister no. 1 detective do, but they still show an ounce of sympathy for your declining health.

although you are an investigator, most of your work is closer to a lawyer than an actual detective—a perfect match for the tenryou forces. it's a job that can doesn't require a lot of adventuring that may risk your health, and lets you help people in your own sort of way at the front.

your gaze drops to the floor with an awkward chuckle, following with a negative reply to heizou that you forgot to bring something warm. he sighs, clicking his tongue and creasing his eyebrows with a head shake.

"you may have done outstanding in your most recent court trial, however, you must not disregard your own body in spite of your achievements."

he sighs, pushing in a stray chair to the white marbled island counter while taking a small, plastic box out of the fridge with colored orange-beigesque paste inside—on the front, reading "miso paste."

"i'll get the water boiling so i can make some soup for the both of us. in the meantime, i will go grab a bunch of warm blankets so you can curl up on the couch and relax. if you want cough medicine, it's in the fridge. i recall how you didn't like the naku weed flavor from last time, so instead, i bought another bottle of a different flavor that i thought you might like at a shop in ritou."

the detective's ever-so-observant, as always. not even three days after you've returned, he's made sure to prepare some remedies so you feel like you can take on the world, like he knows you can do. he holds the stove dial for a second, listening to the ticking of the burner before rotating it just a smidge.

"when you feel as though your health is improving, we can go eat wherever you wish to celebrate of our accomplishments."

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🍃 kaedehara kazuha [orthocoronavirinae] (covid-19)

"please stay in bed," he mutters, approaching with a baby blue facemask covering half his face and a bowl—black on the outside, and red on the inside, all with an inversely-colored spoon to ladle your soup with.

he only says this since you tried to get up. your body feels heavy, and kazuha can tell just by the way you take off the blankets and walk like an old grandparent. it's like the world decided to take 250% of your body weight and split it between two invisible boxes, and then balance them on your shoulders. everything feels like a cold, but worse. but not worse than pneumonia kind of bad. sure, you're hacking up a congestion storm, sniffling as though you got out of the worst rain weather imaginable, and shaking like you've stepped off of dragonspine, but at least you're not whooping up any blood.

"you need not worry, lovey, please—lay down. i have called up your company and have already reported that you have covid. with the new work law in our district, they are granting you an extended paid sick leave," he explains, pulling up a tv tray and propping it up over your lap.

carefully, he blows on the soup through his mask (like a silly goose) and sets it down on a stone coaster. it smells slightly salty, but doesn't quite have that gentle scent like miso does. it's light, and has a couple of tiny seaweed squares soaked in the soup. chicken broth, perhaps? if you like eggs, the entire soup blankets ropes of the fluffily-stirred ingredient.

kazuha's love language is through his gestures. when he was homeless after escaping from the tenryou police for a crime he didn't commit, he developed a more profound sense for appreciating the small gestures for others. although he had no home, strangers in smaller towns or standalone homes were more than happy to house the wandering fellow for a night from the storming rain. he loved all things about nature; however, it's much more difficult to appreciate the natural world in drenched clothes. so, thanks to that, he chooses now to reciprocate even the smallest things for you. started off with you kissing him on the cheek, and eventually, he would give you one back. if you brought him food one day, he'd bring your favorite dessert the next day on his way home from work.

and lately, you've been worrying yourself sick over your co-workers and the most recent project results that you must have not paid any mind to your coughing teammate in the elevator, even after they reported their illness. and more importantly, how does kazuha even remember the cell # and extension to contact your supervisor? you complain sometimes about how much work your boss (yae miko) is giving you, whether it's about marketing and calculations, printing, writing, or even cover art.

you smile, nodding and whispering a "thank you" before sinking the spoon beneath the food's surface. you watch the edges flow in (and if you like it, the fluffy egg strands) with a seaweed square. kazuha smiles back, takes his two fingers and presses them over his lips—kissing them before gently touching your cheek with the same digits. you giggle at the caution of his action, but also at his magnanimous gestures.

"hm? was giving you an 'indirect' kiss like that too goofy for you? if that happens to be true, I shall depart for just a moment to go grab you a small bowl of rice and the little mini-projector so we can watch some anime together, is there anything else you want?"

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⚗️ albedo [hemicrania] (migraine)

"hello, uh, it's me, pumpkin—" he mutters, quietly creaking the door open.

you whimper loudly at the blinding light that meets you, even when your eyes are shut tightly trying to try and rid of this stupid migraine that pounds at your head. this is your first time getting one in years—so why does it come to bite you in the ass on your only free day?

"i had no knowledge of what would be better for you... so, logically, i brought a couple of medicinal pills, along with an ice pack—which one would you like?"

"both," you curtly reply, wanting to cry from the pain. but actively draining your body of any water—especially from your eyeholes—would merely obliterate whatever sanity and pain tolerance you currently have left.

you hear his boots quietly across the floor, knowing that he's getting closer just from hearing the rustling of his soles up against the rug beside your side of the bed. although you can tell that he's right next to you, he places the back of his palm on your head, lifting and setting something glass on your bedside cabinet.

he hums observantly. quietly, he mumbles: "how much does it hurt?"

where do you even start? you can't even think, but if you were able to put it into words—it's like having awful tv static assaulting your eyeballs while you're getting slapped across the face repeatedly. why does your brain have to be "asleep," and not... like... your leg, or something?

"too much to even give a response, huh?" he asks, sighing sadly as he gets on his knees to kiss you on the forehead, before gently retracting back. "that's quite alright, then."

desensitized to other sensory effects, he whispers gently in your ear.

"let me know when you wish to take your medicine," he remarks, removing his hand as he puts the soft and icy jello-consistency receptacle atop your head. "squeeze or tap my hand, and I will be more than happy to help you take it, if needed."

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🧹 thoma ft. the kamisatos [syncope] (passing out/fainting) {dedicated to @mako-yaki}

"hey, uh, babe? you look like you're drifting in and out of sleep every other few seconds... do you want to take a break real quick?"

being a port worker is hard.

seriously, like, it's fall coming onto winter—and everyone's dressed too warmly. how is everyone gone? seven team members, and you are the only one left for commission. thoma and you are the only ones around. but... good thing you're with your boyfriend. you wouldn't have minded being alone, but knowing yourself—you would simply just be complaining the entire time. although he's on official business to check the quality of the newest shipment for Inazuma's winter festival has been shipped, you still smile despite your fatigue. you feel like falling, but your head feels lighter than air. why does the sky look brighter, but your hands look darker... whatever, you just need to hold out for another hour, and then you can take your off-days to sleep.

"uhm... earth to (y/n), are you feeling okay?—" he'd ask, before watching you drop your clipboard and collapse in the middle of the dock.

-//-

opportunely and untimely at the same time, it seems as though ayato and ayaka were coming in together from their separate businesses from different locations. as they spotted thoma, ayato spotted your swaying figure and how you kept shaking your head vigorously over and over (it was mostly to wake yourself up, but it seemed to prove otherwise).

ayato cocks an eyebrow in confusion.

"what are (y/n) and thoma talking about? is it about our request for mister zhenyu and calx's presence at the upcoming festival?"

ayato shakes his head, crossing his arms as his pure-refrigerator white coattails flap in the gentle sea breeze. "no, i asked thoma to check on the newest shipment of butter crab for tomorrow's feast. from the last time i heard, i put him in such a tight 'pickle' that not only could he buy any crab anywhere, but he also went hunting for the crab himself."

ayaka laughs as she folds her fan in, her eyelids closing as her lashes flutter, and her complexion flushes a very light pink.

"oh, you know him brother—as he says..." ayaka says, raising her hand and pretending to gesture a strong arm. "'if there's a will, there's a way!'"

"yes, he is quite the... character..." ayato remarks, keeping his eyes on your body, which sways ever so slightly. "ayaka, why does (y/n) look like they're about to fall over—" he inquires just a second too late as ayaka.

"babe!" thoma ignores your clipboard, but catches you on your descent down to the splintery wooden bolsters of planks, cushioning your fall carefully as he quickly hoists you into his arms.

ayaka stops in her tracks, while ayato comes running over, swiftly picking up the clipboard. he scans over it in a flash—questioning why all your team members have called out for the past week. ayato, flashing thoma a swift glance, checks your vitals without taking a second to interrogate or ask any questions. your heartbeat seems normal, but taking your palm in his hand, he feels a bead of your sweat trickle down his pointer finger. waiting about ten seconds, ayato huffs a breath and sighs a bit of relief.

"get them to the international trade association's guest room immediately. I'll be off to have a word with the harbormaster right now," he orders, nodding in unison with thoma, who resupports your weight while picking up his pace. as they run, thoma looks to ayaka. "milady, could you run ahead and let kurisu know that we're coming? prepare a couple of towels and fetch some extra pillows too."

"right!" ayaka says, speeding off in the direction of the trade association, while ayato speedwalks towards the ritou goods warehouse.

thoma, heart racing, and adrenaline rushing through his veins like the incoming afternoon tide, mutters through hasty breaths: "you'll be okay soon, (y/n)..."

[ ... ]

"hey..." you hear in your quivering consciousness from what seems to be a worried lady. everything's black... you probably should have paid more attention to your condition.

"shhh, don't be so loud... don't... them to wake..." you also hear, a familiar deep timbre resonating in a mixed quiet reminding whisper.

you groan, letting your eyes flicker shut and open for a couple of seconds, absorbing the time to blink. everything's so bright... and everything feels so soft... dazed, you note the light blue blob darker blue-headed blob dressed in white... pink, and bluer splotches painted among a brown and tatami-green backdrop, alongside a red, black, and white blob with what looks like low-resolution blurry hayneedles for hair.

"hello, (y/n)? how are you feeling?" you hear a female's voice pipe up. she shudders in the tone of her voice as she carefully holds your left hand in a soft towel.

"... who is that?"

"that's ayaka, babe. i'm thoma, and her older brother—ayato—is also here."

"... sorry, yeah... i knew that. i'm just... dizzy..."

ayato props a hand behind your back, and you realize that your feet and head are slightly higher than your torso. helping you up with careful deliberation, he smiles as he holds out a glass of water. "drink a little bit of water if you're going to keep talking."

carefully tilting the glass, you part your lips to slowly take in at least half the glass. hot meeting cold feels like heaven settling within your body.

"don't be sorry about something like this, we all care a lot for you! we're going to stay here until you are in a better condition to return home."

"i got your supervisor to suspend your activities for the next two weeks. hehe, they too will be suspended from their duties for the next two weeks."

"(y/n), we all want the best for you, so just let us know if you need anything," ayaka remarks, smiling as she watches thoma caressing your cheek to her right.

"please don't overwork yourself like this until you break. if you don't tell me next time, you'll break my heart."

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