amine_eyes | "Tissues and Touches"

Title: "Tissues and Touches"
Fandom: Horrible Histories
Pairing: Charles II/Sotherby
Rating: G
Beta: None
Summary: Sotherby is suffering from a cold, and Charles tries to make it better :)

A/N: This was written for this prompt at

hhanon: Charles uses his royal touch on Sothers. :) this is possibly one of the fluffiest things I have ever written :)

Disclaimer: Don't own, never will own :)

It was official, he was dying.

Dying horribly - not even going in a dignified manner, grown old, with his family and friends around him - no, he wasn't as lucky as that.

A sneeze ripped out his nose and Sotherby whimpered, trying to suffocate himself with a blanket, and so end his life before he sneezed again.

No, he had to be burrowed under as many blankets as possible, surrounded by used tissues flung as far as his weak limbs would let him, eyes watering, nose streaming snot, and shivering.

Another sneeze ripped its way out his body, accompanied by a hacking cough.

As he tried to recover, he felt a hand rub soothing circles on his back, and he clawed his eyes open, allowing himself to relax into the touch.

"Sire?"

Even through his bleary vision, he could see Charles smother a giggle at his thoroughly miserable and snotty sounding voice, but as he didn't actually laugh, Sotherby let it go.

"Still got the cold then?"

Sotherby glared at him. As usual, Charles ignored him, still rubbing circles on his back. Sotheby gathered his strength to say something really biting in response, and opened his mouth to do so.

A sneeze escaped instead.

He groaned, and Charles passed him a tissue, Sotherby taking it with a mumbled thanks as he blew his nose.

"Honestly Sothers, one would think you'd never had a cold before," remarked Charles, but with a warm tone as he flopped on the bed and hauled Sotherby a bit closer.

Sotherby most certainly did not snuggle into Charles' side as he replied.

"I didn't spend my childhood running round the country gaining lots of diseases," Sotherby muttered as he moved a little closer to get comfortable. Charles laughed but thankfully just kept rubbing circles on Sotherby's back, so he let him off.

"You know, I do have the Royal Touch - we could see if that actually works," remarked Charles in a nonchalent manner.

Sotherby looked up at him, rubbing his eyes as he tried to focus.

"If I end up giving you the cold, the palace staff will kill me."

Charles shrugged.

"No they won't. Besides, if I get the cold, then I get to lie in bed for three days."

Sotherby tried rolling his eyes, but it made him feel worse.

"What harm can it do?" said Charles, and Sotherby looked at him.

"I hate it when you sound logical," said Sotherby, and the part of his brain not currently moaning about how horrible he felt shrunk with embarassment at how much of a small child he sounded.

Charles grinned.

"Of course you do - come on," he said, shifting Sotherby into a vaguely sitting position, "it can't be worse than your cold."

"I'm all snotty."

"I've had to touch people with large blue lumps on their necks. You're a picnic in comparison," replied Charles, eyebrow raised.

Sotherby sneezed again, and gave in.

"Anything's better than this," he said, mumbling into Charles' shoulder. He felt rather than heard Charles' laugh as he clasped his arm round Sotherby's shoulders, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Sotherby lifted his head, a bemused look on his face.

"That's it?"

Charles raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his face as he answered.

"Were you expecting fireworks?"

Sotherby muttered under his breath, and Charles laughed even as he pulled Sotherby closer and kissed his lips - long, lingering, and gentle.

They parted and Sotherby blinked.

"I hope you don't do that for all the touches, very unhygienic" he said and Charles full on laughed at that, hugging Sotherby with one arm and passing him a tissue with the other.

"Oh Sothers, what am I to do with you?" he said, kissing him again on the forehead and gently lowering him and himself down onto the bed.

Sotherby curled into Charles' embrace, blowing his nose and pulling the blankets closer round them.

"Anything you like once I've got better," he mumbled, eyes starting to shut again.

"I'll hold you to that," said Charles in a warm tone, hand rubbing small circles on Sotherby's temples and making Sotherby sigh with relief as the headache started to ease.

"As you wish, Sire," he mumbled sleepily, drifting off to the sound of Charles' breathing and feel of his hands.

Maybe there's something to be said for this Royal Touch thing was the last thought that drifted through Sotherby's head as he finally got to sleep.