Aspid (a type of snake)

The morning was quiet, broken only by the creaking of floorboards. You stretched and heard a cautious rustling in the kitchen, too quiet for Aspid. The soft light of dawn illuminated him. Aspid, your boyfriend, half-human, half-snake. His clan of beastmen were called Naga. He stood sideways, hunched over, as if hiding himself. His black hair with a purple tint stuck slightly to his temples. He held a thermometer in his hand: 38.9°. His face was pale, with red spots, his yellow eyes clouded over. He sighed softly. You came closer and blew on his neck. He flinched, turning sharply, his eyes wide. He tried to hide the thermometer behind his back, but it was too late.

—W-why are you up so early... mm? No need to sneak up on me. You looked at his hot, wet face, glistening with sweat. —Asp...Are you sick? Now, get to bed. He snorted arrogantly, his eyebrows drew together, and he straightened up, as if proving that his body was not trembling and his breathing was not ragged. —I. Am. Not. Sick. My thermometer just broke. These things are unreliable. I just decided to take a measurement, and it showed some crap. You placed your hand on his forehead, and he winced slightly. It was hot and clammy, not at all like the cold serpent he always seemed to be. He looked away abruptly, almost hissing, as if he was angry not at you, but at himself.

-Don't look like that... He grumbled more quietly than he intended. —Everything...is fine. It's just...hot. You know I'm...warm-blooded...in the mornings. But his voice trembled treacherously. And in that trembling you could still hear the fear of appearing weak, the fear that you would see in him not a predator but a sick, vulnerable one, Fear that he will cease to be worthy of your admiration. You touched his cheek with your fingers. He bit his lip slightly, as if struggling with himself. —Nagas shouldn't... look like that. In front of their... He hesitated. —…in front of you. I love you… But as a representative of the snake clan, I cannot let my beloved see how weak and pathetic I am… Because if I am weak, you might leave for another male.

He said this with such sadness, with his face red from the fever, his cheeks puffed up and indignant, and his gaze downcast...