Tags and Trigger warnings: emetophilia, vomiting, sickfic, hurt/comfort, minor violence, Aether needs a hug, whump.

Summary: When Aether wakes up sick one morning in Liyue he can't help but find himself missing his sister more than ever.

Posted to Ao3: September 12th 2021

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Being a Traveler of worlds beyond the stars meant that Aether had experienced many things, even if his current memory of his previous travels since coming to Teyvat was foggy at best.

Having experienced so many things, however, both good and bad, at this point Aether's body should've been pretty resilient against illness. This was not always the case though, and while rare he still found himself sick from time to time.

Aether realizes that this is sadly one of those times when he wakes up one early morning in his room at Wangshu inn. The first thing he registered is that he feels awful, like he'd been caught under a stampede of Mitachurls.

Despite not falling asleep in a position resembling a pretzel his body is stiff, the joints creaking and crackling as he stretches. Aether grimaces at the dull ache that's settled in his limbs as he shifts, kicking the blankets off of himself in a huff.

It's warm, completely, and utterly disgustingly warm, his skin is slick with sweat making his clothes cling to his skin leaving Aether feeling as if he's being smothered.

He closes his eyes taking deep breaths, exhaustion tugs heavily at the edge of his mind begging him to go back to sleep. Aether briefly considers giving in and going back to sleep considering how groggy he feels but he doesn't.

Not only does Aether have a full day ahead of him with quite a few requests and commission to do in Liyue, as well as this day of the week being the one he often sparred with Childe on, Aether also figures that with the dull ache settling at the based of his skull and the slight churning of his stomach, along with the queasiness beginning to form there he wouldn't be able to get any sleep no matter how much he tried.

Aether sits up, and although the motion is slow it doesn't stop the wave of dizziness that washes over him leaving him feeling almost breathless as his head swims, nor does it stop the soft burp that leaves his mouth when his stomach sloshes.

"Aether..." Paimon mumbled as she began to wake up from her spot on the sofa.

Ather merely sighs in response as he runs a hand through his hair, brushing the long strands out of his face.

"Is it morning," Paimon asked blearily as she sat up, rubbing her eyes, clearing the sleep from them.

Aether sighs again, nodding slowly although he stops when it sends an ache streaking across his skull. "Yeah," he muttered, running a hand through his hair, brushing the long strands away from his face.

With a soft huff, he begins the task of rebraiding it, typically it is a fairly quick task especially after all these years but at the moment his fingers are shaky and uncoordinated. Quite a few times the soft strands slip through his weakened fingers.

He can't help but feel frustrated and his frustration has his thoughts turning to his sister. Whenever he was sick she was usually the one who would braid his hair for him. The thought has Aether pausing for a moment a scowl on his face as he stares down at his lap, a heavy ache forming in his chest the more he thought about Lumine.

Aether missed her. He missed her so, so much especially at a time like this.

"...Aether! Aether!" Paimon called and Aether looked up at her, startled out of his thoughts.

She's floating in front of him, having flown over from her spot on the couch.

"Yes," he said, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"Are you still tired? Paimon was calling you for a little while now," she asked with a slight frown.

Aether smiles, his melancholy thoughts forgotten for a moment. "A little, but I'll be fine," he assures her.

It's a lie and probably the biggest understatement Aether's heard in a while but he has things to do today, so he can't afford to lay around in bed sick and tired or not.

Seemingly unaware of his current condition Paimon grins. "Then let's get breakfast, Paimon is hungry."

Aether opens his mouth hesitating for the briefest moment, just the thought of eating anything at all at the moment has his stomach churning violently as that queasiness he'd felt earlier begins turning into full-blown nausea. But he forces himself to ignore it, taking a deep breath as he finds the correct words that he's sure won't make Paimon suspicious.

"You're always hungry," he eventually chuckled.

~~~

Aether is forever thankful that teleporters exist and that he can somehow use them, because he has no doubt that he would not be able to walk all the way to Liyue Harbor in his condition.

Just getting up and outside of Wangshu inn, along with forcing down breakfast had taken nearly all of his energy.

"You're spending the day with Xiangling right?" He asked Paimon as he stopped for a minute to try and get his bearings.

His limbs felt so heavily weighed down that it was a struggle to simply take a step forward and when he stretches an ache shoots across his entire body.

It's bright and sunny today as well and while Aether normally thought it'd be great to stop and admire the scenery, at the moment all he could think about was he hoped it would rain so he could cool down a bit and stop feeling as though the sun was stabbing him in the eye.

Aether deeply regrets forcing himself to eat, his breakfast sitting heavily in his stomach like a rock weighing it down and causing his nausea to grow as his stomach continued to churn violently. A dull ache twisted his stomach, sending pain streaking across it with each breath he took.

"That's right, Xiangling promised to let Paimon try some new recipes," she told Aether cheerfully.

Aether chuckled softly. "Okay, I'm gonna do some requests and commissions before sparring with Childe. Then we'll meet up before we return to the inn. I think we should make the trip back to Mondstadt tomorrow considering we haven't been there in a few days," he told her, and just explaining everything he had to do had Aether feeling even more exhausted.

"Be careful Aether," Paimon told him with a grin, then she's gone. Practically shooting through the air as she makes her way to Wamin restaurant.

Aether waits until he's sure she's out of sight before he sighs loudly, closing his eyes as a wave of dizziness and nausea washes over him. He feels as if he's burning from the inside out, like the sun is trying to melt him where he stands.

Running a hand over his face Aether takes a deep shuddering breath, gritting his teeth against the deep ache that seems to press on his stomach. Then he opens his eyes and begins walking, making his way over to Liyue's Adventurers' Guild to speak to Katheryne.

"Hi, good morning Katheryne. Have any commissions for me?" Aether asked, giving Katheryne the best smile he can manage right now, he just hopes it doesn't look too forced.

Katheryne is quiet for a brief moment, a slight frown on her face as she stares at the young man before her, noting that he looked quite pale and had an almost glassy dazed look in his eyes. "Ad Astra abyssosque, and good morning to you as well Aether. Yes, quite a few urgent commissions that have come in although they're a bit..." she trailed off glancing over Lan for help.

Unsurprisingly Lan gives a soft huff. "He's not a greenhorn Katheryne, I'm sure he can handle it," she said, ignorant of Aether's current condition.

Katheryne bites her lip as she slowly looks back at Aether, eyeing him for a moment before she sighs. "Right...there are three urgent commissions that need to be taken care of," she said hesitantly.

Aether simply smiles and nods for her to continue.

Katheryne sighs again. "There's a camp of hilichurl that needs clearing out on the water, the second one is two lawachurls that have been wandering rather closely to one of the small villages, and finally there are two ruin guards and a ruin hunter that need taking care of," she explained hoping that the explanation would deter Aether.

She should've known better because Aether grins, "Alright, I'll take care of them and report in before the end of the day."

Knowing that there was no way to deter Aether from doing his commissions short of locking him away somewhere, sighing once more Kaytherne begins further explaining the commissions.

Aether says nothing, merely nodding along, but that's more because he's doing his best to breathe around the waves of nausea and dizziness washing over him. He feels lightheaded and a few times he has to blink to clear his vision when it seems to swim, he swallows thickly trying to clear away the large amount of saliva beginning to pool in his mouth.

"Okay, Katheryne...I'll take care of these and report in later," Aether said after a moment when he was sure he could open his mouth without the threat of drooling everywhere.

Aether says his goodbyes to both Katheryne and Lan. Feeling Katheryne's eyes on him as he begins to make his way out of Liyue Harbor.

~~~

Aether isn't wounded, but from how shitty he feels he might as well have been.

He sat on the ground panting, having finished the final commission. His head is throbbing viciously in time with his heartbeat, a loud buzzing noise filling his ears.

His stomach is in pure agony, loud, tense gurgling noises coming from it as it continues to churn violently. He groans, his arms wrapping around his stomach as he grits his teeth against the deep ache that practically punches him in the gut.

A loud burp leaves his mouth and now that he's alone he doesn't bother muffling it.

He feels absolutely disgusting and wants nothing more than to take a nice cool bath and go to sleep, his skin is soaked with sweat and he can feel dirt and sand clinging to him like a disgusting film as his fever continues to wreak havoc on his body.

Aether reaches out, his fingers fumbling as he grabs his flask of water and begins drinking almost greedily, desperate for some form of relief from the heat that's practically baking him from the inside out. He stops, coughing, as he nearly chokes in his rush. The water is warm at this point, and while his stomach definitely doesn't like it if the sloshing sensation inside of it is anything to go he doesn't care cause it feels nice on his dry throat.

Aether sighs glancing up towards the sky, the sun has started to go down, the once bright blue of the sky beginning to fade as it was colored with warm orange and yellow hues. Aether uses some of the remaining water he has to clean his face a bit, wiping away the grime and sweat, admittedly it does make him feel a bit better, more aware at least.

As he stares at the sky his thoughts turn to his sister, and he can't help but wonder if she was seeing and enjoying the same view he was. A slight ache formed in his chest at the thought. He was always so used to fighting with her right beside him that it'd taken him a little while to get used to fighting virtually alone while he traveled Teyvat. Even now he still found himself slipping up sometimes, the occasional grin he'd give as he looked beside him after a tough fight only to remember that she wasn't there.

The way he'd leave himself open to attacks sometimes because he'd forget that she wasn't there to cover him, just thinking about it hurt.

Getting to his feet Aether sways in place for a moment, blinking quickly as he swallows frantically feeling bile burning at the back of his throat hot and sour, black spots appearing in his vision as a wave of dizziness grips him tightly the world swimming sickeningly around him. A soft hiss leaves his mouth as his joints creak pain shooting across his limbs.

It takes him a moment or two to get his bearings, but once he's sure he's not going to either faint or throw up he halfway staggers and halfway walks to the nearest teleporter. It was almost time for him to go to the usual location to spar with Childe, and admittedly the thought of seeing the other man does bring a small smile to Aether's face, the thoughts of Lumine temporarily forgotten.

Honestly, he wasn't sure what he and Childe had at the moment especially after the Osial and golden house incident, but considering no one had died and that Zhongli had, had things planned and under control Aether let things slide. Plus seeing Childe interact with Tuecer recently may have definitely helped things.

Which was why he'd kept sparring with Childe as well as sharing dinner with him much to Paimon's shock. Aether can't help but smile when he remembered her near shriek of horror when she'd found out.

Taking a deep breath he reaches out with a trembling hand and touches the teleporter, closing his eyes as a familiar sense of weightlessness washed over him.

~~~

Childe sighed as he looked up towards the sky, his foot tapping the ground almost impatiently. But while he feels antsy he's not impatient nor irritated, he's excited. A grin on his face as the time for he and Aether's sparring match this week draws nearer and nearer.

It wasn't just the sparring match that had Childe excited but also the thought of seeing Aether again. With both of their schedules being busy and rather spontaneous, they rarely got to see one another outside of Liyue harbor except this one particular day where they met up to spar, have dinner, and often spend the night with each other.

Typically though when Childe woke up Aether would no longer be in bed next to him, often having left before morning or in the middle of the night.

Childe looks up when he catches sight of a familiar figure approaching him, walking away from the direction of a nearby teleporter a little ways away.

Childe rushes over to Aether, his grin still in place as he stares down at the Traveler. There's a familiar burst of excitement humming in his veins but also a slight sense of unease nagging him from the back of his mind.

Something seemed slightly off about Aether, but Childe can't really place what it is. His eyes rove over Aether for a moment looking for anything out of place, while Aether looks a bit pale Childe doesn't see anything that is a cause for alarm.

"Sorry, I'm a little late...just finished some commissions," Aether said, panting clearly out of breath, with the intense fever-fueled haze blanketing his mind he's surprised that he can even form a coherent thought.

He's exhausted in every sense of the word and he is just hoping he can hold out until the sparring match is over, because he knows without a doubt Childe was looking forward to it and Aether is too. He swallows thickly when he feels even more drool building up in his mouth, forcing back the hiccup that threatened to bubble out of him.

"You know, if you needed help with them I would've been more than happy to oblige right," Childe chuckled despite knowing that Aether could definitely handle himself.

Aether merely gives a soft snort as he gives Childe a smile. "Maybe some other time if I can find you the next time I do my commissions. Now should we start?"

Aether stretches as he and Childe take their places across from one another in the enormous field. He just barely manages to stop himself from grimacing when a deep ache punches him in the stomach and that, combined with the intense dizzying wave of nausea that washes over him leaves him breathless and lightheaded.

The heaviness in his stomach is only making the ache worse and he can feel the water he'd drank sloshing sickeningly inside of him as his stomach continues making loud, wet gurgling noises.

Gritting his teeth Aether summons his sword, at the moment he's using geo and admittedly he can't help but faintly wonder that if he were to focus would he be able to use geo as well as he had in the Golden house.

A wide, almost manic grin spreads across Childe's face as he summons his bow, his eyes locked on Aether all the while and despite the excitement he's currently feeling that strange sense of unease grows ever larger.

Silence falls over the field as they stare at one another, waiting to see which one of them would make the first move. Last time it'd been Childe who'd moved first, too eager and consumed with the need for a good fight. This time, with his judgment impaired and the world swimming before his eyes, it is Aether who moves first.

It is a struggle to force his body to cooperate, to move quickly enough to parry and dodge Childe's hydro-infused arrows. To focus deeply enough to gather his elemental energy to attack using his power of geo, despite the fact that the action should've been as easy as breathing for him at this point.

Aether stumbles just barely catching him to pull back as one of Childe's arrows grazes his cheek. He is not given the room to breathe, to get his bearings no matter how much his head throbs and his stomach churns as Childe is as relentless in his attacks as usual whenever they sparred.

It made Aether happy to see Childe practically come to life whenever they spared, that usual spark in his eyes that seemed to be missing, flaring to life and burning brightly.

They break apart in a flurry of cloudy mist, as hydro sprays through the air and geo crumbles to dust bursting from between them. Childe recovers much quicker than Aether and his hydro powers snake forward, with a startling speed as they lash out delivering a clean shot that knocks Aether back.

Aether tumbles over the grass before his body skids to a stop, he immediately tries to get up panting as he does his damnedest to drag in air black spots dotting his vision. He can't however, he can clearly feel himself breathing but it's as though any air evaporates before making it to his lungs.

Aether manages to get onto his hands and knees, his limbs trembling violently beneath him feeling as though they have weights tied down to them. The ground swims sickeningly before his eyes and it feels as if the world is tilting beneath him.

He swallows thickly, his stomach practically flipping inside of him as his head pounds in time with his heartbeat, the rapid thumping filling his ears. Aether feels a wave of intense heat roll over his body only to bleed away being replaced by an ice-cold chill as the world dissolves into a swirling smear of color and light, then nothing at all as he collapses to the ground unconscious.

Childe pauses, a scowl on his face as he lowers his bow when Aether doesn't manage to pull himself back to his feet, instead laying limply on the ground on his side, his sword nowhere in sight. It's rare but there are times when even Aether knows when to tap out, often calling to Childe from across the field covered in numerous nicks and scrapes that he gives up, his small form shaking with exhaustion and adrenaline.

This time though there is no tapping out, in fact, Aether isn't saying anything at all completely silent as he lays there.

"Hey Aether, don't tell me you're yielding already," Childe called out with a slight smile. That feeling of unease in his chest only grows when Aether still doesn't respond.

Frowning, Childe cautiously approaches him, his bow still in hand as the adrenaline from the battle begins to gradually fade, his sense of unease starting to overpower it as he comes to a stop beside Aether.

Aether's eyes are shut as if he's sleeping but from the manic shuddering breaths leaving his mouth and the slightly tense expression on his face, he seems to be in pain.

"Aether?" Childe called as he knelt beside him, now that he's this close he can see that Aether is trembling. "Hey, Aether," Childe called again as he placed a hand on Aether's shoulder.

He intends to roll him over onto his back but freezes his eyes going wide when he feels the heat rolling off of Aether's skin. A soft curse leaving his mouth Childe's eyes narrow as he realizes that Aether is sick, really, really sick.

"You idiot," Childe sighed, biting his lip. Worry sits heavily on his chest and with it comes anger as well, anger that Aether would be fighting in his condition there was no way he couldn't have known that he was sick.

Giving a soft huff Childe reaches out and carefully lifts Aether off of the ground, shifting him until he's slumped against Childe's back his arms dangling limply over Childe's shoulders.

Aether gives a low soft groan but doesn't wake up, his breath fanning across Childe's neck as Childe begins the walk back to Liyue Harbor.

~~~

Aether wakes up very slowly, there's a loud buzzing in his ears and he can feel someone touching him. He's laying against something warm and it's moving, it takes him a few moments to realize what's going on.

"Childe? Why...are you carrying me?" He asked slowly, his words slurring slightly. His head feels like it's stuffed with cotton and his thoughts are moving slower than a snail's pace, the vicious throbbing of his head making it even harder to form a coherent thought.

The motion of Childe carrying him isn't doing his aching stomach nor his nausea any favors either, his stomach sloshing sickeningly with each step Childe took, and Aether screws his eyes shut as he lowers his head so that his face was practically nuzzling Childe's neck. It's disgustingly hot, the contents of Aether's stomach practically boiling inside of him.

Childe gives a deep sigh. "You passed out while we were sparring," he reminded Aether, a scowl on his face and his tone measured.

Aether grimaces knowing the tone of Childe's voice far too well, considering the amount of times he'd been reprimanded by Lumine for doing something stupid. "R-right..." Aether mumbled his voice wavering slightly. He swallows audibly trying to clear the near river of saliva pooling in his mouth.

"Seriously, what were you thinking fighting while you're sick like this. Let alone sparring with me," Childe huffed his eyes narrow and Aether couldn't help but notice the actual concern in his voice. "It's not fun for either of us if you can't give it your all."

Aether is quiet as Childe continues speaking, but that's because he's focused on trying to force back the bile trying to climb up his throat. A soft, sicky-sounding hiccup leaves his mouth as an intense wave of nausea washes over him leaving him feeling dizzy and lightheaded which only compounded his symptoms.

Covering his mouth with one hand, Aether grabs Childe's scarf with his other and gives it a frantic almost urgent tug. "D-down, put...me down," he managed to choke out in between his hiccups.

Noting the panic in Aether's voice not to mention the progressively sickly sounding hiccups and the loud gurgling noises coming from his stomach, Childe quickly complies saying nothing as he stops walking and allows Aether to shakily climb off his back.

"Feel sick?" He asked concerned, as Aether staggered his way over to a large rock by the road and sat down. He didn't look good at the moment, not one bit.

Aether's face was pale as a sheet and his skin slick with sweat, his hand covering his mouth as his body jolted with a series of hiccups each one more nauseating than the last.

Aether nodded quickly at Childe's question, his eyes screwed shut and his breathing ragged. A few times a breath or two seemed to get stuck in Aether's chest and he would swallow thickly, almost audibly his stomach hitching slightly as if threatening to send up its contents.

"Y-yeah, re....really sick," Aether manages to mumble practically breathless.

He leans forward slightly, his hand shakily lowering from his mouth as he opens it and sticks his tongue out slightly allowing the near river of drool that'd been building up in his mouth to drip onto the ground. It tastes incredibly salty and sticky which is only making his nausea worse.

"Just try to get it up, it might help a bit," Childe encouraged softly, his tone sympathetic as he reached out, brushing the longer strands of Aether's hair out of his face and tucking them behind his ear.

Aether groans low in his throat as he stares at the ground, one of his hiccups seems to get caught in his throat becoming a wet gag that has a surge of watery vomit suddenly gurgling up his throat and splattering onto the ground in a puddle.

Coughing, Aether blinks, getting the briefest of moments to breath before a loud gurgling burp has another large wave of murky, watery, yellowish vomit spraying from his lips, and splashing into the already large puddle at their feet.

Aether groans again squeezing his eyes shut as a deep ache squeezes his head as though his head was caught in a vice grip. Everything hurts, it's too hot even Aether's clothes feel like they're scraping against his skin.

Childe can't help but grimace when Aether whimpers before retching violently, the noise sounding as if it's clawing its way up from the pit of his stomach, raking across his throat as it drags another surge of vomit with it.

The soup-like slurry sprays from Aether's mouth and nose with such force that Childe can't help but be worried he may choke on it.

"Careful, I have you. It's okay, just get everything up," he told Aether as his other hand went to his back rubbing small gentle circles on it. "When you finish, I'll take you to Bubu pharmacy to have Dr. Baizhu look at you."

Aether whimpers again as another violent gurgling retch tears from his lips, and an enormous wave of slightly thicker, lumpy, beige-colored vomit practically pours from his mouth giving him no chance to breathe.

Eventually, the stream gradually tapers off leaving Aether dry heaving, and gaging emptily over the mess threads of drool hanging from his lips as tears run down his face. His head feels as if it's on the verge of bursting open and he feels truly awful, so it's no surprise when he begins crying from not only the pain but also a mix of frustration and exhaustion. His nerves were well and truly shot by this point.

Childe opens his mouth to continue reprimanding him but what Aether whimpers next makes him freeze. "I-I miss her...." Aether whimpers almost to himself.

"Your sister?" Childe asked softly, his earlier anger vanishing in a near-instant.

Aether nodded. "I-I'm tired of being alone," he whispered, his voice breaking as he wiped at his eyes trying to get rid of the tears gathering there. "Please don't leave me alone."

Childe is quiet for a moment in two for once not knowing what to say. He closes his eyes for a moment running a hand down his face.

"Okay, I won't leave you alone. I'll take you back to my apartment to rest there. Sounds good?" Childe gently reassured him. He could use one of his subordinates to send for Baizhu while he watched over Aether.

Aether nods still sniffling and crying as he wipes at his eyes.

~~~

Aether is practically delirious by the time Childe gets him back to his apartment and cleaned up. dressing Aether in one of his shirts as he puts his clothes aside to be washed.

"I'm just going to the kitchen, I'll be right back," he told Aether gently when he grabbed the sleeve of Childe's shirt with a whimper as Childe was tucking him in bed.

Aether groans softly as he nodded slowly watching Childe through half-lidded, glassy eyes a heavily dazed look on his face. Aether's eyes close and his hand falls away from Childe's sleeve.

After grabbing the small trash can from the bathroom and placing it by the bed in case Aether needed it, Childe has one of his subordinates send for Baizhu or Qiqi before he goes into the kitchen to grab Aether a glass of water for whenever he woke up.

He places the glass on the nightstand before sitting down on the edge of the bed, in front of Aether. He can't help the sense of concern and pity that wells up inside of him when he notices that Aether is still whimpering.

"Lumine..." he whispers, tears rolling down his face.

Childe reaches out, gently brushing the tears away with his thumb before he carefully takes one of Aether's hands in his own. "It's okay, I'm right here," he told him softly as he gave Aether's hand a gentle squeeze.

A small warm smile crawls across Childe's face as Aether's expression gradually eases up, his tears slowing to a crawl until they'd eventually stopped completely.

"Rest well, okay Aether," Childe told him, his voice low yet warm as he gently brushed Aether's hair away from his face.