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For someone who loved the sun so much, his flower was not a morning person.
He loved to sleep, and nature have mercy on the poor spirit who had to force him from his slumber. Viktor had learned the difficult way that it was a horrendous idea to try and wake his sleeping beauty so suddenly.
(It had not ended well.)
But that was a story for another time. He was just making it clear that he was aware that his flower did not enjoy getting up in the morning. And yet he always rose with the sun saying that his plants called out to him. His reasoning was that they needed to be watered and fed, just like Makkachin (his adorable ice wolf that he had adopted because 'look at his face, Yuuri, he's too cute to leave out there alone; it's dangerous!'). If he wanted them to be kind to him, he must be kind to them in return. He, therefore, would yawn and stretch and sometimes grumble (adorably), but still climb out of bed to greet his precious plants every morning without fail.
So for him to still be in bed as it neared afternoon worried Viktor. He had left him be when he rose this morning, since he complained the night before of a sore throat. The weather had been shifting into the colder season, but his flower had brushed off his worry, saying that some warm tea and herbs would heal him right up. But his worry had returned and then grew more when Yuuri's flora hanging in the throne room had grabbed at him in a clear question.
'Where is our other king?'
He had attempted to soothe the worried plants, but he was not sure how successful he was, since he was worried himself. He knocked on their chamber doors, before opening one slowly. He poked his head in.
"Yuuri? My flower? It is almost noontime; are you alright?"
The ball under the blankets shifted, and Yuuri sat up. His face was red, and his eyes were unfocused.
"Noontime? Oh spirits, I overslept by hours; I have to tend to my flora, they're all probably worried sick and dehydrated-"
Viktor quickly lowered his husband back into a reclining position.
"You will do no such thing. I am calling a Healer for you, and you are staying in bed until this passes. The cold is setting in outside, and I told you that you needed to wear a proper cloak."
"I don't own one."
"Why not?"
"I've lived in the Earthen Realm for the entirety of my life. I don't have furs like you or Yuri-"
A coughing fit cut off his rebuttal, and Viktor hurried to the door calling (yelling, according to Yuuri) for a Healer.
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Minako stepped back, frowning. The water spirit then put her supplies back into her bag, and snapped it shut with an air of finality. Hiroko had warned her of His Majesty's tendency to fall ill, but she hadn't thought it would happen so soon. Thank nature she'd been warned about it.
"The good news is that is not an ailment of the spirit, but a physical one. It's centered aorund his chest, from what I can tell; most likely from the decrease in temperature. The bad news is that because it is a physical ailment, there is no instantaneous cure. You must rest, eat well, and ingest the herbs I've written down."
With a small bow and a hope for a quick recovery, she took her leave. Viktor snatched up the paper she had left on the table before Yuuri could even attempt to reach for it. He recognized some of these, and his flora book would help him with the rest. His flower looked up at him confusedly.
"Vitya...what are you doing?"
He gave him heart-shaped smile and proclaimed in his happiest and most determined voice:
"I'm going to heal you, of course! And fulfill your duties for the day, so you can rest!"
An ill person should not have been able to give that unimpressed of a look.
"Vitya. I'm grateful that you want to take care of me, but..."
"Please, Yuuri! I promise I can do a good job!"
"...Do you remember the honeysuckle (bonds of love) incident?"
"You promised not to talk about the honeysuckle incident."
"Vitya."
"I promise to ask someone if I have any questions or need help! Please, Yuuri?"
Yuuri had always been weak to his puppy eyes.
"Fine. I'll write down what needs to be done. You are to follow mine and Minako's instructons exactly, Vitya. Understood?"
"Understood! Just watch, Yuuri! You'll be so proud!"
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Step One: Cook a Delicious Meal
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...How did he do this again?
He had hurried to the kitchen, excited to show his flower just how amazing of a husband he was. Minako had said that he needed to eat well, aftr all. And all the herbs he'd need to feed Yuuri would be there as well. So before he started on his other husbandly duties, he was going to cook his flower a meal with so much love that he'd be able to taste it in every bite!
Instructions from Minako and itinerary from Yuuri clutched in his hands, he had burst through the kitchen doors in a fashion similar to Makkachin. The kitchen staff was very suprised to see him, mostly because they thought His Majesty had banned His Highness from stepping foot in the kitchen with the itent to cook something. And yet there he was, chattering like an excited child, and shooing them all out. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that, as royalty, he had never had to learn just how to cook his own meals before.
So he really did not know how to do so.
But it could not be that hard, could it?
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It turns out that it was that hard. Firstly, because with him being an ice spirit and his flower an earthen one, he was sure that the proper foods you fed an ill person were not the same. He had looked over recipe after recipe, but nothing screamed 'feed me to your ailing husband!', which would have been quite helpful. The kitchen staff had sent Minami to check in on His Highness, since they had not heard any explosions yet. He cautiously peered into the kitchen to find it upturned; books everywhere, and His Highness looking as rumpled and annoyed as he'd ever seen him. He looked up at the intrusion, and brightened when he saw who it was.
"Minami! You're an earthen spirit, correct?"
"Y-yes, Your Highness!"
"What were you fed when you were ill?"
Minami blinked. He supposed this was why there were no explosions. His Highness hadn't even figured out what to make yet.
"I'm fairly certain that I am not supposed to feed my flower common ice spirit remedies, since most would probably freeze him from the inside out-"
Minami worried for His Majesty.
"-But I am not sure just what I am supposed to feed him. Minako's instructions were not quite clear. Just that his stomach would probably be upset so nothing too heavy, which means no katsudon. He is also supposed to ingest these common herbs, be it in food or tea: aloe (healing), basil (good wishes), chives (usefulness), mint (virtue), and thyme (strength)."
Minami nodded. Most of those would be simple enough to cook into a meal, and the mint could be boiled into a tea.
"Well, you're right about earthen remedies and ice remedies being extremely different. Most earthen remedies are warm, for a start. When I fell ill, my mother would make me a soup with most of those herbs in it, with noodles and chicken for substance. The mint would be better in a tea, though."
Viktor thanked him sincerely, and Minami took his leave. Viktor scrambled to find a recipe. He was sure he'd seen it in one of these damn books...
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Yuuri was suprised when he was presnted with soup and mint tea.
He'd been feeling a little hungry, but just the thought of the foods he ingested on a regular basis made him feel nauseous. Almost as if summoned by thought, Viktor had burst through the door carrying a tray with the food and drink. He was a little ashamed to admit that he'd assumed his Vitya would present him uknowingly with somethng meant for an ice spirit. But he'd thought of him, and made an Earthen Realm dish and beverage instead. The chicken was a little chunky, the soup was overall extremely salty (but his Vitya liked salty foods, so that was probably out of habit), and he had gone a little overboard with the mint in the tea, but it was all edible and just what he needed. He smiled.
"Thank you, Vitya."
"You are welcome, my flower. Anything to help you feel better!"
"Well, actually-"
He stopped short when he noticed something odd.
"Vitya, why are you wearing your gloves inside?"
His husband scratched behind his head; a common gesture he performed when he was hiding something. Yuuri frowned.
"Vitya. Remove them."
Viktor sighed but did as he was told, and Yuuri gasped in horror. Bandages were spread across his hands and wrapped around a few of his fingers as well. Viktor hurried to calm his husband, who looked ready to cry.
"Vitya. Your poor hands-"
"I swear I feel fine, Yuuri! I went to Minako and had them treated! Please don't cry."
Between boiling the water, cutting the herbs, and baking (and then by cutting again) the chicken, he'd messed up his hands fairly badly. And to be honest, they had stung like a bitch until Minako had put something on them to stop it. He had begged her not to tell Yuuri until he was feeling better. She had scoffed at the very idea that he would not notice the second he next saw him, but gave her word anyway.
"I'm going to prove to you that I am the best husband you could ever ask for!"
"Vitya-"
But before he could finish his sentence, he was off to his next task.
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Step Two: Take Good Care of Yuuri's Plants
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"Come on, everyone. Please?"
The plants had realized that it was not Yuuri who was taking care of them that day, but Viktor, and had all immediately (although arguably justifiably so) retreated into their respective pots, stems, and branches. He pouted. He knew he wasn't as good at gardening as Yuuri, but this was unnecessary.
(They remembered the honeysuckle incident.)
"It's just for a few days at most, everyone. Please; I want to show Yuuri that I'm a good spouse. It's my fault he is not feeling well. If I didn't bring the cold with me, he would be healthy right now. I just want to apologize, and show that I am still a loving, devoted husband."
A single myrtle plant came slowly out of hiding, but Viktor had to check his book for the plant sprouting around it. Fern. Marriage and sincerity. Viktor nodded enthusiastically.
"That's right! So please, just let me take care of you. Yuuri left me detailed instructions, anyway..."
The plants didn't respond for a second. But then a vine of ivy wound its way around his wrist. He understood the significance. According to Yuuri, they did not trust nor reach out to many. They preferred calm, peaceful silence. Apparently, the other plants also understood the significance, because they unfurled themselves also. Yuuri had chuckled when Vitya had returned to their chambers to check up on him absolutely covered in dirt, but looking almost exactly like a child who was proud they had done something on their own for the first time.
"I did it, Yuuri! Your plants are all watered and fed-"
"Did you use cold water?"
"Yep! I did exactly as your instructions said! And you must really care for your plants, my flower, because they were incredibly detailed instructions."
"It's just to ensure that they remain healthy. Speaking of healthy, why don't you take a bath and-"
"I should clean myself up. I still have more work to do, and I can't go around the castle like this!"
Yuuri tried to stop him, but his Vitya had disappeared into the bathroom already. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
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Step Three: Do Your Paperwork Like A Responsible Adult/King
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Viktor let his head fall onto the table.
This one was most likely the hardest by far. While may have been better at entertaining diplomats and throwing parties, Yuuri was better at the serious side of ruling a country, by far. It was not as though the work was difficult, per say. Most documents just required a signature or a quick response saying 'yes' or 'no'. But it was repitive, mind-numbing, dull, and a whole manner of other negative adjectives. He'd rather conduct business with JJ than this. He'd truly rather be skating/snuggling with Yuuri or playing with Makkachin. But Yuuri always made certain that he finished what had to be done first. His flower was ill, though, so he wouldn't make him strain himself just because he was so, so, so bored...
The door was calling his name at this point. 'Viktor...Viktor...you know how much you hate this. Just leave it...'
No. He'd finish this damn paperwork if it killed him. Which, judging by the headache blossoming behing his eyes, it actually might.
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Yuuri's eyebrows rose when Viktor had proudly presented him with an entire stack of finished paperwork. From the looks of it, he'd actually done Yuuri's share as well. He knew how hard it was for Viktor to complete this sort of things, and he was so, so proud of him for doing so. He smiled at his Vitya, and set the folder down on the nightstand.
"You've done so much for me today, Vitya. I'm so grateful."
Viktor shuffled in place, and smiled gently in response.
"You always do so much, my flower. I just wanted to show you that I am worthy of being your husband."
"Oh, Vitya. You have no reason to ever doubt that. I have never been happier than I am now. I do have one more request, though."
Viktor nodded eagerly.
"What is it?"
He patted the space next to him.
"I've been trying to ask you all day. The bed is too large, and I have not had a chance to snuggle with my husband all day. I'd be delighted if you would stay and warm me up."
Viktor was more than happy to comply.
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Step Four: Snuggle With Your Husband
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This one was self-explanatory.
And from the way Viktor was cuddled against Yuuri's chest, soothed and reassured by his constant, steady heartbeat, it was the easiest task to complete. They wound up staying in bed for the next two days. And the illness Viktor caught was totally worth it, in his eyes, because his flower was just as adamant that he was going to take care of him.
(Although he could not convince him to do it in the suit he'd worn to the last celebration, which really was quite a shame.)
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