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On most days Daniel was typically a heavy and sound sleeper, however, today was not one of those days as he woke up coughing and hacking. When he sat up in bad, attempting to alleviate the pain from coughing, Daniel noticed that Sergio was gone as his side of the bed was empty. From the bedroom Dan could hear Sergio’s soft singing to Ahora Te Puedes Marchar playing in the kitchen.
“Howdy,” Dan croaked before going into a fit of coughing and startling Checo.
“ Ay Dios mio ,” Sergio said as he turned away from the eggs he was cooking on the stove, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m,” Daniel was interrupted by coughing, “I’m fine.”
Sergio looked at Dan with an unimpressed look, “ Mentiras, güey ,” He muttered as he turned back to cooking, “Go sit down on the couch.”
Daniel had picked up enough Spanish from Checo to understand that his boyfriend was calling him a liar, and he knew enough not to fight back when he told Dan to do something so he shuffled to the couch and rested his head against the arm rest.
“Do you want me to take you to the doctor?” Sergio asked from the kitchen only to receive a quiet grunt causing him to shake his head as he plated up the huevos rancheros he made for the two of them. Checo set the plates on the table before making his way over to the couch. “C’mon food is ready.” He said softly as Daniel got up slowly.
The two walked to the table next to each other, the sound of Daniel’s sniffles and the music Sergio had playing were the only things that could really be heard.
“I don’t know where this came from,” Dan said quietly as he sat down at the table, “My throat feels like absolute shit and I can’t fucking breathe.” He rejoiced at the feeling of not coughing for a moment until it was broken by his hacking.
“Mmm no.” Sergio said as he got up to prepare some tea for Daniel, “You’re not allowed to talk anymore until your throat feels better.”
Daniel whined quietly as he cut into his food, “But-“ he began before being cut off by Sergio once more.
“No more talking! You need to rest and I know you, Daniel! You won’t let yourself rest and you won’t be able to get better.”
“Fine.”
Sergio cut up a lemon he had bought and squeezed the juice into a coffee mug before pouring hot water and drizzling a bunch of local honey. “Drink this,” he said as he handed the mug to Daniel who nodded gratefully.
Dan blew on the tea, attempting to cool it down so he didn’t burn the absolute fuck out of his tastebuds. Sergio had been watching him once he sat down, trying to make sure he did as he was told. Once he was satisfied with the temperature, Daniel took a tentative sip only to gag from the absolute bitterness of the lemon tea which caused Sergio to try and not laugh.
“You have to finish it, it’ll help your throat.”
Daniel could only nod as he took sips in between bites of huevos rancheros , hoping that they would help the taste go away. The two ended up eating in relative silence until Daniel got up to put his plate away in the sink and shuffle back to the couch.
“Danny,” Sergio called out after he put his dishes away, “You need to put on socks.”
With a huff, Daniel pulled himself off the couch and shuffled over to his room so he could grab some socks, despite hating wearing them indoors. He rummaged through his drawer filled to the brim with Stance socks and picked out a pair of Los Angeles Lakers themed socks before slipping them on and walking back to the couch.
Sergio smiled as he pulled out the tub of Vicks vaporub he usually kept with him, just in case a need for it came up. “Lift up your shirt,” he commanded quietly as Daniel lazily pulled it up so Checo could apply the menthol scented salve to his back.
“That smells spicy.”
“Oh hush! You’re not even supposed to be talking.” Sergio chided softly as he moved to apply some Vicks to Daniel’s throat, chest, and face. “Just lay down and get some more rest, okay?”
Daniel nodded with a quiet cough as he moved to lay down on the couch.
He didn’t quite recall when he had passed out, but he remembered being in and out of sleep due to his cough and having to blow his nose. When he finally woke up for good it was to the smell of something delicious cooking. He wrapped the blanket that was on him around his shoulders and shuffled back to the kitchen, earning a smile from Checo.
“Hey,” Sergio greeted softly as the soup he was making boiled, “I’m making albondiga soup to help you feel better. It should be ready soon.” He said as he kissed Daniel on his forehead.
Daniel nodded with a small smile and pulled away from Checo and walked off to the bathroom in order to steam up the shower so he could clear his sinuses. After sitting in the restroom for some time, inhaling the vapor Daniel got the brilliant idea to download a translator app so he could communicate with Sergio without speaking. When Dan came out of the bathroom a bowl of soup was waiting for him on the table with yet another mug of lemon tea and a loaf of pan frances as Sergio called it.
Once more the two ate their food in a comfortable silence until they both finished their meal. Sergio put away the soup as Daniel washed the dishes, a sort of domestic serenity falling upon them. After they finished they went to the bedroom to get some more rest, and so the two settled down in bed.
“Te amo.”
“I love you, thank you for taking care of me.” A robotic voice spoke, startling Sergio and earning Daniel a gentle slap on the arm.
“You’re a dweeb, babe.” Checo said softly as he cuddled Daniel, the nostalgic smell of Vicks lulling him to sleep.
“Te amo.” Daniel said softly once he was sure Sergio had fallen asleep.