Work Text:
The cool linoleum floor had felt good at first. That was why Gilbert decided to rest, to curl up against the kitchen cabinets, and let it seep through his clothes, his skin. But he stayed there too long and now it was making his limbs ache. As if the fluid in his body was settling down, drawn to the floor like a magnet. His legs felt brittle and far too thin. Gilbert would almost say he was shivering, but he wasn't. He knew he wasn't. But it felt like he should.
His head felt heavier than the rest of him, like it ballooned out of proportion before being filled with wet sand. He just wanted something to drink, something to cool down, to make coughing easier. The journey had taken too much out of him and on an ordinary day he would have laughed -- the few steps it took to get from the bed to the kitchen? But his throat hurt, his head didn't want to move, and he swore he felt every joint in his body. The cabinet door felt good against his face, exhaustion removing any feeling of discomfort for such a hard, flat surface.
Ice against his face had him opening his eyes -- when had he closed them? It wasn't ice, it was a hand. Roderich was crouched in front of him, blue-violet eyes furrowed with what might have been concern, maybe confusion. Probably both. Gilbert smiled, or at least tried to. Roddy wasn't wearing his glasses.
"You've got a temperature, Gilbert," Roderich said, his voice sounding way too loud. Even Gilbert's ears ached -- what was up with that?
"Well obviously," he replied, letting his eyelids close again.
He heard Roderich make a noise with his tongue and teeth and knew Roddy was making that face whenever he was being a smartass. "I think you've got a fever, stupid. Now come on, the floor is no place to sleep," Roderich said.
Gilbert opened his eyes when he felt Roddy tugging on his arm. Roderich looped an arm under Gilbert's knees while the other supported his back.
"I'm way too heavy," Gilbert mumbled. "Stop."
"You always underestimate me," Roderich replied, straightening out. There was a very dangerous moment where he swayed, but the crinkle in his brow smoothed out once he stopped. "There."
Gilbert snorted and a coughing fit followed. "I'm like a princess," he said once it cleared and rubbed his head into Roderich's shoulder, only half aware that it might disrupt the balance Roddy had just pulled off.
"Yes, yes," Roderich said as he put him on the bed. "You make a lovely princess. But you need rest." Roddy pulled the blankets up around his shoulders.
"Can't rule my kingdom like this."
"No, no you can't," Roderich said and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "So you should sleep. If you need something, wake me up instead of venturing out on your own, okay?"
Gilbert felt like he could sink through his pillows. It was better than the cabinet. Better than the floor. Roderich turned off the light and the mattress shifted with his weight beside him. Definitely better. Even though he failed to get water. He let his eyes slide shut once more, hoping the aches and heaviness would lessen when he opened them the next time.