Chapter Text
[...started from Taking The Lid Off...]
***
The night was cold and his blankets were still in the laundry. Laundry shop had been closed for few days because the owner had to go back to his hometown. That was definitely not the the right time to have a fever, but Rui did. Rui was one of the oldest trainees, he used to take care of others and couldn’t bear asking others to take care of him. When someone came to his room, Rui would put and act and smile, saying that it’s just a slight fever and that he just needed some rest. But that night, his body temperature went high to 39°C and he started murmuring in his sleep.
Then suddenly, he felt a hand placed his forehead.. and some fingertips touched the side of his neck. Since he was too dizzy to open his eyes, Rui stayed quiet. He could hear someone talking to him but he failed to catch any phrase, it sounded like someone mumbling things under water. Next thing he knew, someone took off his sweater off and wiped a piece of clothing over his forehead and around the nape of his neck.
Few minutes later, the touch had stopped and he began to notice the silence. Since headache made it painful for him to open his eyes, all he could see was darkness. It felt worse once there was no sound of clothing drown into water anymore, nor sound of water dripping from a squeezed clothing.
Rui hates feeling weak but this fever made him feel helpless, and being left alone in such condition would be the worst thing he’d wanted. Rui reached out to the person who’d been taking care of him. He managed to grab a hand, “Stay..”
For the time being, Rui refused to let go of his grip. His dizziness took over and he started murmuring again while placing his other hand pressed on the upper side of his head. The pain was killing him.
Rui could feel someone else’s fingers trailed on his head, stroking gently along his hair. He usually hated it when people touch his hair but it felt nice, either the headache made him feel so or that was indeed the softest touch he’d ever felt on his head.
His grip was loosening when Rui started falling asleep. It didn’t last long though, nightmare took control quickly whenever he had a high fever. Rui squealed a bit and opened his eyes, sweats all over his forehead.
Once he realized that he had loosened his grip, he looked around.. focusing his gaze to check if the other person had gone. That’s when he saw Xingjie sitting down on the floor, placing his head at the edge of the bed. He looked half-asleep.
Rui had known Xingjie for years, their fateful encounter in a survival show was nothing a special thing.. at first. They were bestfriends, who’d been mocking each other on a daily basis. It’s weird knowing that it was Xingjie who’d been taking care of him all night long. “Xingjie?”
“Feeling better?”
“Nightmare.”
“It’s only ten minutes since you fell asleep, yet you already had a nightmare. Should I call the doctor? Your fever hasn’t gone down at all.”
“No, I feel better already. I’ll be attending our practice tomorrow.” Rui forced a smile, “What are you doing here?”
Xingjie put his palm on his nape, “Yanchen asked me to check on you, then you told me to stay.”
Xingjie kept staring down to the floor, refused to look at Rui in the eyes.
“…”
“You’re getting better, right? This feels awkward once you’re awake, I’d better be back to my room. But I’ll probably be awake for the next few hours, writing lyrics for my new song. Just call me, if you need something.”
“What’s with this kindness? I’m shokt.”
“You’re sick, what do you think I’m supposed to say?”
“You’re not gonna make me pay for this, right?”
“Well, nothing’s free in this world.”
“…..”
“Nah, I was kidding.”
“Good, cause I’m gonna need you to do one more thing for me.”
Rui patted his palm on the bed.
“Oh god, this is too much. I’m leaving!”
“No, please don’t!” Rui grabbed Xingjie’s hand, “Please stay a bit longer, at least until I fall asleep.”
Xingjie sighed heavily, but then he nodded.
He moved closer and got onto Rui’s bed.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
“Sleeping? You want me to stay a bit longer, don’t you?”
“But, I thought you’re just gonna sit..”
“I’ve been sitting besides your bed for hours. How long should I keep this position? My back hurts, I’d rather sleep. Move aside, shorty!”
Rui moved aside to give space for Xingjie, who closed his eyes right away. He was just trying to tease the younger, didn’t expect that his stupid request would be fulfilled.
“I thought you’re gonna write some lyrics..”
“In my room, do you expect me to get inspired by a sick person here?”
It was rhetorical question. Rui sighed. He kept the distance, cornering himself at the furthest side. Never in his entire life he had a fever that caused him hard to breathe, but he really had to remind himself to breathe.
Xingjie raised his eyebrows, “You don’t expect Yanchen to come here, do you? He’s been sleeping like a baby since 7pm, so tired after today’s photoshoot. That’s why he asked me to check on you.”
“What makes you think that I’m waiting for him?”
“You’re putting yourself near the wall, I thought you want Yanchen to sleep in the middle. You know, like the old times when he used to miss his parents and asked us to sleep on both his side.”
“Nah, I didn’t expect you to remember those times.”
“Then, why?”
“It’s kind of weird and a bit.. scary.” Rui bit his lip, “I change my mind, you’d better be in your room. I would rather sleep by myself.”
Xingjie stretched his arm and pulled Rui closer, “It’s not like I am gonna bite you or something, shorty. Time to sleep, we need you to join the practice tomorrow!”
Taken aback by the younger's act, Rui held his breath for a second. His face was just few inches from Xingjie's, they could even felt each other's breath. Now that he saw Xingjie’s face up close, Rui felt something unfamiliar trembled inside his abdomen.. and somehow, his headache was gone yet he still couldn’t sleep.