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Zhongli frowned, placing his hand on Tartaglia’s forehead. His skin was hot to the touch, though his body was wracked by shivers.
“How long were you transformed?” Zhongli asked.
“A while,” Tartaglia mumbled. “Longer than I probably should have been.”
Zhongli sighed, reaching for a bottle of fever medication. He gave one of the herbal remedies to Tartaglia, before lifting a glass of water to Tartaglia’s mouth. He held Tartaglia’s head as he drank, before laying him back down in the bed.
“Are you still in pain? I can give you more pain medication if you need it.”
“No, I’m alright. Just really sore. You know, you didn’t need to take care of me.”
Zhongli sighed. “Of course I do. You are dear to me. If you are injured, I will see to it that you recover quickly.”
“I really don’t deserve you,” Tartaglia chuckled.
“My dear, please don’t say such things. You are deserving of my love. Now, how about you take a nap? You need to rest quite a bit after one of your transformations.”
Tartaglia nodded, though a small frown crept across his face. “One condition: you also need to rest.”
Zhongli opened his mouth to protest, but Tartaglia was quick to continue.
“You’ve been taking care of me ever since I got back this morning. I’ll only go to sleep if I know that you’re also taking care of yourself.” Tartaglia tapped the empty space in the bet beside him. “Besides, I sleep better when you’re here.”
Zhongli let out a long sigh, which eventually became a soft laugh. “Fine.”
Finally relenting, Zhongli removed his coat, resting it on one of the bedposts. He walked around the bed, crawling in beside Tartaglia. Tartaglia smiled, placing his head on Zhongli’s chest.
“My dear, I wish you would be more careful with your Foul Legacy,” Zhongli said as he brushed his hand over Tartaglia’s hair. “Powers of the Abyss were not meant for mortals.”
“I know,” Tartaglia mumbled. “But…I don’t think I can keep the power contained forever. I need to use it from time to time, otherwise it would destroy me.”
Zhongli placed a light kiss on Tartaglia’s head. “I would never let that happen. And I’m sure that there are better ways to use that power than transforming for extended periods of time.”
“Maybe, but I haven’t found them yet.”
“And that’s alright, my dear,” Zhongli said. “Now, I think it would be best if you got some sleep.”
Tartaglia nodded, letting his eyes flutter closed. He leaned deeper into Zhongli’s embrace, letting out a contented sigh.
Once Tartaglia’s breathing had evened out, and Zhongli knew that Tartaglia was asleep, he tried to quietly leave the bed. He still had things to do, even if it was late in the evening.
When he tried to move, however, he found that Tartaglia had wrapped his arms around Zhongli’s chest, effectively keeping him in place until Tartaglia woke up.
Zhongli chuckled softly. He settled back down into the bed. If Tartaglia wanted him to stay so badly, Zhongli supposed that he was in no position to deny him his wish.