coming home to a cold

[snottysnz]

you come home to find them in their pajamas and slippers, sitting over the kitchen table with a towel over their head. you can hear them sniffling and coughing underneath the towel. "what're you doing, babe?" you ask, a bit confused. they lift the towel off their head and look at you, their nose is a red, chapped, streaming mess. "i thigk i'b catchig a code" they croak, their voice is hoarse and congested. your heart lurches, they were still asleep when you headed off to work early this morning, so they must've been like this since they woke up. poor thing, feeling so poorly, and all alone. "sorry to tell you sweetheart but i think you've already caught a cold." you chuckle thoughtfully, brushing a few strands of hair behind their ear. "c'mon now, let's get you back to bed." you press a soft kiss to their damp, warm forehead, scoop them up and carry them to your bedroom. on the way, they muffle a few sneezes into your chest, and you can tell by the wet spots they've left on your shirt, and the snot dangling from their nostrils, that this cold, is a snotty one.