Work Text:
Louis woke up feeling like absolute shit. It was only 6am and he didn’t have to be up for a few more hours yet as he was on a slightly later shift than usual. His head pounds, his throat feels like it’s on fire, he has an unbearable pressure in his sinuses and his limbs just feel really heavy. He was certain he was coming down with a cold. He looks to his left and see’s Harry still fast asleep next to him, smiling as he sees just how cute Harry looks.
Not wanting to wake Harry up, he gets as close as he can to him without actually touching him. Unknown to Louis, Harry is already awake. He puts an arm around Louis and pulls him in to his chest, frowning when he felt the heat coming from Louis. Harry put his lips to Louis temple and then his forehead, just to make sure he wasn’t imagining the radiating heat coming from his poor boy. Louis whimpering a little as he does this.
“Lou?”
“I don’t feel good, Haz”
“Yeah, seems like you’re not baby. How about I get you some paracetamol and we go back to sleep for a couple hours, yeah?”
“Can’t, Haz. I have work later. I won’t get up if I go back to sleep now, you know I always feel worse when I wake up after a nap when I’m sick”
“Don’t worry about that, Lou. I’ll make sure you’re up for work, let’s just get meds in you and sleep a little more and the meds should make you feel well enough” Harry lied. Louis agreed, he would be lying if he said more sleep didn’t sound amazing right now.
There was no way Harry was letting Louis go to work today, not while he isn't feeling well. Harry got out of bed and went to get the paracetamol and a bottle of water each, returning to his sick boy and giving him the medication. Once Louis took his medication, Harry had a quick drink of water and lay down next to Louis. Louis got himself comfortable, snuggled next to Harry and Harry pulled the blankets over them. Harry then took to massaging Louis scalp and playing with his hair, a trick he knows will put him back to sleep in seconds.
Once Louis was asleep, Harry grabbed Louis’ phone from the nightstand and messaged his manager at the coffee shop he worked at to let him know Louis wasn’t feeling very well, had a temperature and wouldn’t be in today. He lay the phone down next to his own and fell back to sleep with Louis on his chest for a little longer.
Harry woke up to the ding of Louis phone 2 hours later. He looked at the message to see it was Louis boss, telling Harry to wish Louis well and to only come back when he is 100% as he has plenty of paid sick days he can use. Harry thanked Louis boss and setting the phone down, cuddled Louis close again and fell back to sleep.
When he next woke up, Harry realised he was alone in bed. He was about to get up and go searching for Louis when he heard sad little sniffles coming from the bathroom, followed by a rather harsh cough. Harry through the covers off, almost throwing them off the bed and got out quickly. He made his way towards the En-suite and the sight he seen left him heartbroken for Louis. Louis was on his knees in front of the toilet and retching for all he was worth, shaking, pale and silently crying.
“Oh, Lou” Harry said sadly.
“So sorry, H. didn’t mean to wake you”
“Don’t worry about that, yeah? Let's just get you sorted”
“I can’t work like this, Haz.”
“You weren’t anyway, Lou. I texted your boss earlier and she said to take as much time as you need, and you won’t lose out on pay because you have a load of paid sick days left”
“I really do have the best husband” Louis got out just before he retched and was sick again.
Harry sat down beside him and started rubbing his back in small comforting circles and whispering reassurances as Louis continuously emptied his stomach in the toilet. Each time Louis seemed to be done, Harry wiped his mouth and flushed the toilet, but they didn’t move as Louis said he felt like he was going to be sick again. Like he said, Louis was sick 5 minutes later each time.
When Louis seemed completely done, they’d been in the bathroom an hour. Half of it was taken up by spaced out unproductive heaves. Harry went to get Louis some water and the thermometer to take his temperature. When he came back, he gave Louis the water and he took small sips and then he held the thermometer to Louis’ forehead and took his temperature. Seeing it at 38.7 degrees he had to get some fever reducers in Louis as soon as his stomach could keep anything down.
He turned to the bath Harry rinsed it and then plugging it he began to run a bath for Louis to try help bring his temperature down and help him feel a little better. He then turned back to Louis and started stripping him off and putting the dirty clothes in the basket. When the bath was almost run, he added some bubbles and then lowered Louis into the water and turning off the tap. He then gently washed his hair and went to make a start on his body.
“H, the st-steam to the bath is m-making me so nauseous... I don’t feel good... and don’t think... this was a good... idea. I think... I need to get out” Louis said, trying to keep his stomach down.
Louis knew he was fighting a losing battle and before he knew it, he was throwing his weak body over the side of the bath to empty his stomach again. Louis hates himself, knowing what is coming before he is even sick and thinks Harry has more mess to clean now and worse of all on the floor. Louis is surprised when he hears the vomit hit metal and realised the bathroom bin was there. He doesn’t recall when or how it got there but he’s grateful that Harry managed to get it there.
“Oh, baby. You’re really not feeling well, are you?” Louis shakes his head ever so slightly.
Once Louis is certain he isn’t going to be sick anymore, he sits himself back up and leans again the back of the bathtub and allowing his head to fall against the tiles while he closed his eyes. Harry takes the bin and empties the contents in the toilet before he washes and disinfects the bin, he then takes the bin into the bedroom and comes back in with some comfy and warm lounge wear for Louis.
Harry grabbed the fluffiest towel they owned and gently helped Louis out the bath and wrapped him in the towel. Louis, with Harry’s help began to make his way to the bedroom before he was overtaken by a sudden bout of dizziness and almost lost his footing. He honestly felt like the room was spinning and it was doing nothing for his nausea. Thankfully Harry was there to hold up his wobbly husband and without hesitation he picked Louis up bridal style and carried him into the bedroom.
“Daddy, I really don’t feel good” Louis replied, silent tears running down his cheeks as Harry sat him down.
And oh. Okay, that was completely unexpected. Louis has been known to enter his headspace out if the blue, sometimes when he is sick, but usually it is planned and sometimes Louis uses the phrase “Daddy” when he just needs some extra comfort. Harry didn’t care if Louis was big or little, if he was in his headspace then he needed it, but he needed to know so he could meet Louis’ needs.
“Do I have my big Louis or my little Louis with me right now?”
“I is little daddy and I not feel well”
This changed things and Harry had to change what he had out. He swapped the lounge wear for a onesie and the boxers for a nappy and then grabbed the rash cream and powder as well as a dummy and returned to Louis, who was almost asleep. He creamed and powered Louis and then put the nappy and the onesie one and helping his boy into their bed. The thing he had to do now was get Louis to take some medication. Luckily, he had liquid medication for if Louis ever got sick in his headspace or went down while sick.
Harry headed down to the kitchen and grabbed the medication as well as a syringe and making Louis a warm bottle and grabbing himself a glass of water, he headed back to his sick baby. He measured the right dose in the syringe and Louis opened his mouth, taking the medication with no complaint. Harry then took a drink of his water before he settled down nest to Louis and positioned Louis so he could feed him his bottle. Louis accepted it gratefully, the warm fluid soothing his sore throat.
Louis fell asleep soon after and Harry took the bottle out of his mouth, wiping the access milk from his mouth and replaced it with a dummy. The dummy bobbed up and down in Louis’ mouth a few times before it stilled and Harry heard the soft snores coming from Louis’ lips, the tell-tale sign of Louis being asleep. Harry then removed himself from Louis and went to the spare room.
Harry grabbed the baby monitor and put the camera facing to the bed on Louis’ nightstand so he could see and hear him and then got Louis his favourite stuffy and blanket before he returned to Louis and placed the items on the bed with him. Harry then put up the railings on their bed and headed downstairs with the dirty bottle, old glass of water and the baby monitor and went to the kitchen. He headed to the kitchen and put the glass and the bottle in the dishwasher.
He then took two bananas and mashed them in a bowl and set them in the fridge covered up for when his sick boy woke, and he then made himself some toast and a cup of tea. He then went to the living room and sat on the couch watching telly while he ate his toast and drank his tea. When he was done, he decided to clean while he had the chance and then made a tomato pasta for lunch and stored it in the fridge. Harry then also adding them dishes to the dishwasher and turning it on.
Harry then sat down and listened out for Louis while he watched telly. He really did feel sorry for his poor baby. He thinks that Louis must have caught either a really bad cold or a stomach bug but with the amount of vomiting, he would like to bet it’s a stomach bug. Unable to resist any longer, he got up and made his way to the bedroom to check on Louis. His poor boy was fidgeting and whimpering when he got up to the room.
When Harry crossed over to see Louis’ face, he seen how pale he was and knew what was coming. He quickly lowered the railing down and sat down on the end of the bed, grabbing the bucket and making his way to sit Louis up and sit behind him. The second Harry had Louis and himself in position and the bucket in front of Louis he threw up, hard. Little Louis was always a lot more scared being sick and always cried so Harry made sure to hold him close and whisper sweet nothings and reassurances to him until he was finished and had calmed down.
When Harry was calming Louis down, Louis fell back asleep. Harry didn’t want to leave him alone though, just in case he was sick again. Harry sorted the bucket and then took Louis downstairs with him and settled him on the couch, putting the bucket next to him. He went to the room to get the dummy, stuffy and blanket of Louis’ and the duvet and a pillow and turn off the baby monitor he no longer needed. He then rested Louis’ head on a pillow and put the duvet over him and then he put the dummy back in his mouth and set the stuffy in one hand and the blanket in the other. Louis woke two hours later and was feeling a little better.
“Hey, how’s my baby feeling?” Harry asked the second Louis’ eyes opened.
“I still no feel well, Daddy. I feel wittle better, fough”
“Well that’s good, baby. That you’re feeling a little better I mean. Are you hungry?”
“No daddy, I no hungy. I twy a wittle for daddy fough” Louis replied.
Harry’s heart all but exploded in love and admiration for his boy. Even when he didn’t feel at all well, he still thinks of Harry and how he would be feeling. Harry knows Louis is only willing to eat because Louis is worried, he’ll worry Harry if he doesn’t eat. So, after checking with Louis, Harry gets the mashed bananas and Louis managed a quarter of the bowl before he feels too sick to eat anymore.
Harry empties the dish washer and put away the clean dishes and loaded the dirty dishes, then filled a bottle with water for Louis. He made his way back to Louis and seen the poorly boy was asleep and decided to leave him. He covered him up with the duvet and Harry set about warming his own lunch up, downing a glass of water and making himself a cup of tea. He then ate his meal and drank his tea going through his phone and put them in the dish washer. He then took Louis’ temperature again and seen it was now at 36.5 degrees and was back to normal, which Harry was happy about that.
Louis woke up again around dinnertime, it wasn’t unusual for Louis to sleep so much when he was sick or just gone down into his headspace but the fact he went down when he was feeling unwell, was a given that he was going to sleep for most of the day. But Harry left him, his poorly baby needed the sleep. Once Harry noticed Louis was waking, he looked at him and smiled. Harry went to say something, but Louis beat him too it.
“Daddy” Louis says sleepily “I wittle hungy now”
“Great, baby. What do you want? We have tomato pasta I made earlier, or I could make you something else?”
“Pasta okay, daddy. Only wittle bit”
“Sure, bubs”
Harry got up and went to the kitchen and got Louis some pasta and warmed it up, he then returned to Louis and seen him slowly drinking his water from earlier and smiled to himself. Louis then put the bottle down when he had drunk enough, and Harry fed him half the bowl of pasta and then put the dishes in the dishwasher when Louis was done. Louis felt sick after eating but managed to keep it down and an hour later Harry was relaxing in a hot bath with a very tired Louis on his chest for an hour and adding hot water when the water for cold.
Once done, Harry got them out and put Louis in his nappy having creamed and powdered him and then put him in his onesie. Harry slipping into some boxers and getting Louis in bed. Harry then went and made a bottle for Louis and returned to bed where he fed his sleepy baby his bottle and when he fell asleep, Harry reached into the nightstand to get the spare dummy and slipped it in Louis mouth.
When Harry knew Louis was asleep, he decided to go grab a glass of water for him and a bottle filled with water for Louis and make a cup of tea and took the thermometer and medicine to bed too just in case Louis needed them in the night. He them made his way up to bed and settled down next to his baby when he had put everything in place. He drank his tea while he was flicking through his phone and put them both down when he was done.
Harry then took Louis phone and text his boss to tell her he won’t be in again tomorrow as he was still really sick as Harry knew Louis would still be in headspace. Louis boss sent well wishes and Harry sent back a thank you text and told her that he’d keep her in the loop, and he then set the phone down next to his on his nightstand and drank a little water.
It was only about 9pm now but Harry was tired after looking after a sick little Louis and decided an early night wouldn’t hurt. He settled down next to his boy and pulled him closer, smiling when he heard Louis sigh heavily but contentedly. He then took his hand to Louis hair, playing with it and massaging it and the other rubbing up and down Louis’ arm until he fell asleep not long after. He really hoped Louis felt better tomorrow.
Harry’s hopes were met, Louis was feeling 100% the following day. He was eating like he hadn't eaten for a year and was still in little space, but he was his usual happy and energetic self. Harry woke up feeling slightly under the weather, but he put it down to tiredness. He was fine later that day when he had woken up from an accidental nap with Louis.
Louis remained in his headspace for the rest of the week and Harry cared for him. Harry didn’t mind, he loved Louis when he was big, but the boy was too bloody adorable when he was little, and he adored and loved looking after little Louis. Harry text Louis boss this night and told her he had the flu and he’d message when he was feeling better and able to work again as he couldn’t go to work little and Harry didn’t want to rush to bring him back up and stress him out. Harry got a well wishes and completely understanding text back in return.
Louis felt completely refreshed after being little and was so grateful for Harry. After the week he texted his boss and apologised for Harry messaging and said he was really ill with the flu, but he is feeling a lot better now and is ready to work again. The following week, things returned to normal, and Louis was back at work. On his next day off he took Harry out for dinner to thank him, making Harry well up a little but they had a lovely night.