Tags and trigger warnings: Emetophilia, vomiting, whump, hurt/comfort.

Summary: In which Childe has a bad almost deadly run-in with an Adeptal parasite.

Posted to Ao3: August 24th 2021

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Zhongli had witnessed many different things during the eons he'd lived on Teyvat, he'd experienced many emotions as well, and yet at the moment, nothing seemed to compare to the ice-cold fear that was currently gripping him right now.

He drew his hand back scowling deeply as Childe lurched forward slightly, a strangled retch leaving his mouth bringing with it a thick wave of mostly watery, light brown vomit splashing onto the ground, the remnants of his dinner clearly visible in the soup like slurry.

Childe gasped for air, the noise rattling slightly in his chest as he sat slumped against the nearby stone wall. Threads of drool dripping from his mouth onto his clothes and the mess sitting on the ground between his legs.

Tears roll down Childe's pale, almost ashen face, as his nose runs. His skin was coated in sweat, drool rolling down his chin along with a small splattering of the vomit he'd just brought up.

Zhongli bites his lip as he glances down at the puddle of vomit, his eyes darting over it frantically. He didn't see anything that looked like poison, in what Childe had just brought up so what could have been causing Childe's current symptoms.

Childe whimpers and Zhongli quickly looks at him. Childe is still gagging and coughing but can't seem to bring anything up, at least not in his weakened state.

With poison ruled out Zhongli's mind begins racing as it runs through other possibilities, each more grim than the last. Childe wasn't sick, not in a traditional sense anyway, he didn't have a fever despite his currently weakened state. And it clearly wasn't poison, so what was it?

Childe whimpers again, the noise weak and desperate making Zhongli look at him. Childe is still conscious and breathing thankfully but he's oddly quiet. His eyes half-lidded and his breathing ragged as he stares down at the floor in a daze, his body trembling.

"You will be fine Childe, I promise you that," Zhongli told him gently, as he ignored the trembling of his own hands.

Zhongli has a clue of what may be the issue, an Adepti parasite or rather a curse, and while Zhongli does not know where or when Childe came into contact with it he does know that it had to have been awhile swallowed a while ago if Childe's current weakened state were anything to go by.

He does know one thing however, he needs to make Childe throw it up before it does any more damage and possibly kills him.

"Childe, please allow me to try once more. Open your mouth," Zhongli told him, trying to force away or at least calm the panic rising in his chest. Panicking would do no good, it wouldn't help Childe, if anything it would make things worse, and yet he can't help but hate himself for allowing this to happen.

If he had noticed something sooner, Childe had clearly looked pale and tired but Zhongli had ignored it, chalking it up to Childe possibly overexerting himself again or a lack of sleep.

"Childe? Ajax?" Zhongli said worry coating his voice, not sure if Childe had heard him.

Childe still has his head bowed his gaze on the ground as he takes ragged breaths, he's incredibly pale his skin almost as white as a sheet. But eventually, he shakily lifts his head his eyes narrowing slightly as he looks at Zhongli as if he's having trouble focusing on him, his pupils are as small as pinpricks. Childe slowly opens his mouth, sticking his tongue out slightly to allow Zhongli access, his entire body trembling from the strain of moving.

"I am sorry. Please endure it for a moment longer," Zhongli told him gently as he returns his hand to Childe's mouth.

Two of his fingers carefully crawl across Childe's tongue reaching towards the back of his throat. The area is warm and soft beneath Zhongli's fingers, slick with saliva.

Childe gags muffled gasping noises leaving his mouth as saliva coats Zhongli's hand, Childe's throat clenching around his fingers as if trying to push them out.

"Come on," Zhongli whispers biting his lip as he adjusted his fingers, stroking the back of Childe's throat.

Childe gasped his entire body tensing as his breath hitches and for a moment Zhongli worries that he isn't able to breathe. Childe struggles ever so slightly but Zhongli doesn't draw his hand back, watching Childe as he continues weakly struggling, tears in his eyes.

Childe retches suddenly, a painful strangled noise that sounds as if it's raking across his throat. Something almost searingly hot coats Zhongli's hand as Childe brings up a wave of vomit, the mess trickling out of his mouth around Zhongli's hand, rolling down his chin as it adds to the mess on his clothes and the floor.

Zhongli draws back his eyes on Childe as he retches again, another surge of soup-like vomit splattering onto the floor this time however something else comes with it. Zhongli's eyes widened a low growl leaving his lips when he spots the small, black insect-like blob thrashing around in the puddle of vomit.

Reaching down he grabs the creature as Childe continues coughing and retching bringing up another small surge of watery vomit. The creature thrashes between Zhongli's fingers as he crushes it with ease, tossing its remains aside as he turns his attention back to Childe.

Childe is gasping for air, drool dripping from his mouth but already he seems more aware, the color returning to his face.

Zhongli gives a loud sigh of relief, his hand going to Childe's back as he rubs it gently. Childe is still trembling beneath his fingers as he continues gagging emptily over the mess. "It is okay Ajax, you will be fine," Zhongli told him softly although it's more to reassure himself than Childe. "When you feel well enough I will call for Dr. Baizhu or Qiqi."

While humans do not know how to treat Adepti illnesses or ones cause by inhuman means Zhongli still wanted Childe to be examined to make sure there would be no lasting damage.

Childe nods taking a deep breath before he finally speaks, his voice is raspy and strained. "T-thank you," he whispered.

His throat feels raw and sore, each breath he takes feels as though it's scraping across it. He's incredibly dizzy and exhausted but not on the verge of falling asleep or passing out like he had been before. He feels more aware as well, Zhongli's words coming to him clearly instead of being muffled like they'd previously been.

But most of all he's alive and he's incredibly thankful for that most of all, a soft sigh leaving his mouth as he returns the hug Zhongli gives him.