Work Text:
Hizashi had it all planned out.
The radio station had agreed to give him the day off from any events and he didn't have his show on Saturday nights. He'd gotten that in writing nearly three months before. He talked with his hero agency and they agreed to only call him if there was absolutely no one else available to help out during a villain attack or disaster. His favorite restaurant – a little hole in the wall mom and pop place with really, really good noodles – accepted the reservation he made to close out their back room for the dinner portion of his party, in which he'd invited all of his friends and their friends and even sent out an invite to his parents in Osaka (though they couldn't make the travel, they sent him their best).
The cake bakery a few blocks from his apartment had the order for the massive chocolate and strawberry cake he wanted, he'd already rented a room at his favorite karaoke bar, and lo and behold, he'd even managed to wrangle Shouta into taking that day off from Hero work. His outfit had been picked out, he'd made a reservation at his favorite spa for a special treatment (hell yeah mani-pedis and facials!), and he'd even made himself a playlist to keep him pumped throughout the day.
Everything was planned out. Every single detail. He'd even left room for potential set-backs, like things not being ready in time. It was fine, because Hizashi had planned it all out.
What he had not counted on, however, was to wake up on his perfectly planned birthday feeling feverish and like death warmed over.
Hizashi stared at his reflection with very bleary, bleary eyes, trying to make sense of the figure staring back at him. Ruddy cheeks and hazy eyes met his own in the mirror, and he could feel his chest disagreeing with every small breath he took. Hell, he could see each wince he took when he breathed too deeply. With a groan he reached for the small medicine cabinet. Anti-congestants, a fever reducer, a nice hot shower to loosen everything up, and then he'd be on his way.
“I don't have time to be sick today,” he said to himself firmly, disregarding the fact that the words came out half slurred. “And it's my birthday so...so I'm doing what I want anyways. This stupid chest cold can stuff it.”
Pun intended.
He swallowed the pills (with some difficulty) and carefully brushed his teeth before stumbling into his shower. It was already part of the game plan for the day, so it wasn't like he was losing time anywhere, right? Right. Hizashi hazily forced himself to focus on washing, leaving the water on while he shaved his legs to pound on his back (and oooh that felt so good), and by the time he exited the shower some time later he felt marginally better.
He was fine. Totally. The medicine would work its magic and he'd be good to go!
With that Hizashi got dressed, pulling on his outfit of choice (Loose graphic tank over solid tank, shorts, three belts, a ridiculous number of wristbands and braclets, and some open-toed ankle boots with a tiny bit of heel. Nemuri called them “Naruto Shoes” but they looked good on him so she could suck it.) and stepping back into the bathroom to get his contacts in. Well, he'd planned on wearing contacts, at least, but it seemed his eyes had other plans. He'd pop one in and be working on the other when suddenly the contact would pop right back out. It took several attempts before he gave up, rubbing at his sore and watery eyes as he picked out a pair of glasses to wear instead.
Whatever, he could rock this look today. It'd be less like a summer-time punk than he was going for and more like alternative hipster, but whatever! He was Present Mic – he could pull it off. He could pull anything off – watery eyes and stupid chest colds be damned.
It was while Hizashi was waiting in line at the coffee shop around the corner that he bothered to check his phone for the first time since waking up. He'd had several messages already, all of them wishing him a happy birthday and most of them saying they were excited for the party later. It made him smile.
Shouta had even sent him a gif – a gif, who even knew the man used social media enough to know what a gif was – of a cat eating a birthday cake. It was cute, and a little silly. Hizashi had to laugh at it a little, trying to stiffle a giggle behind a hand –
And then that stiffled laugh turned into a stiffled cough.
It caught him off guard, enough so that when Hizashi took in his next breath he choked on it instead of breathing. In no time he was doubling over as the coughs escaped, loud and wet and so, so painful. When they finally stopped, he gasped in air, eyes leaking water and chest tight with pain. “...Ow,” he whispered to himself, wiping a hand over his mouth.
“Are you okay, sir?” someone asked. He looked up toward the voice, blinking to clear his blurry vision, to find near half the cafe looking at him in concern.
Great. Hizashi wanted people to be smiling at him, not - “Fine!” he called out, wincing at how rough he sounded. “Just fine, thanks for your concern!”
The cashier, when he stepped up, looked at him with worried eyes. “May I interest you in a hot tea today? It'll help with your cough,” they offered.
“Er. No, I'm good,” Hizashi said, wincing. It wasn't that bad, was it? He ordered his usual coffee drink – lots of sugar, lots of flavor, and lots of cream – and was on his way in minutes. Jeez, he was fine. Really. He'd taken his medicine and would be better in no time. Tea? He didn't need tea. Coffee would serve him well enough.
At least, that was what he was thinking until he took a sip of it a few minutes later at the train station. Hot, which was exactly how he liked it. The weird flavor? Not so much.
Hizashi nearly spit the drink out. Oh god what the hell was that? With great difficulty he swallowed his mouthful, cringing at taste. Once he had a moment away from the moving lines of people trying to get somewhere, he took the lid off his cup to look the drink over. He stared at it in puzzlment, the normal tones of his usual drink all there. There wasn't any weird film on top, wasn't a weird color, and when he checked the side to see if all the correct boxes were ticked off he was just. So confused.
“What the hell?” he muttered to himself, shoulders slumping as he tried to stare his coffee into giving him the answer to his question. When nothing was forthcoming, he tentatively gave it another go.
Nope. Still awful.
He frowned at the cup, puzzled, until the urge to cough took him off guard again. Hizashi barely got the lid back on before he was doubling over again. It seemed to go on forever, and when it finally subsided he leaned back against the wall behind him, trying to catch his breath.
Fuck. This chest cold would not leave him alone.
Hizashi rubbed at his chest in irritation, giving his still full cup a baleful look before tossing it into a nearby trash can. “Whatever,” he rasped to himself. “It's not like I really need it anyway.”
He didn't. But it would have been nice to start his birthday off with his favorite coffee drink.
Hizashi did his best not to pout as he made his way down to the subway. It was fine. He'd take the train to the district where he'd reserved his spa treatment, feel magically better after being treated like the prince he was, and it'd all be okay. It wasn't like the coffee was really part of his plans, anyway. He could live without. He nodded to himself decisively as he clambered onto the train, finding a seat next to a window and sitting with a sigh.
It would be several minutes until his stop, so Hizashi was alright with resting his eyes...for...just a minute...
* ~ _ ~ * ~ _ ~ *
He woke up with a jolt, startled by the hand on his shoulder. “Sir, I'm sorry but you can't sleep here,” the owner of the hand said. Hizashi blinked blearily upwards, confused.
“...Huh?”
“You can't sleep on the train, sir,” the man said, and with another blink the blurry figure turned into a security officer. “It's not safe.”
“I don't...” Hizashi mumbled, sitting up a bit and rubbing at his eyes. His head throbbed with every small movement, but that didn't mean much when his throat constricted and he curled up on yet another wave of coughing. Ugh, it just wouldn't let up!
The hand on his shoulder left hurriedly as he hacked away loudly, whole body rocking with each cough, and then the hand came back. This time on his back. Despite how weird it was for a total stranger to be offering a semblance of comfort, oh goodness that hand was warm and nice through his shirt. By the time Hizashi had come to a stop, breathing harshly and resting his forehead on his knees, the security officer was kneeling on the floor beside him.
“Do you need assistance getting to a doctor, sir? I don't feel comfortable just letting you off like this,” he said, voice – dare he say it – concerned. “You seem really, really sick.”
“I'm fine,” Hizashi reasured, ignoring how slurred and stopped-up he sounded. He sat up and rubbed at his aching head. “I'm. Good. All's well, promise, and I didn't. Didn't mean to fall asleep.”
“...If you're sure, sir.” The officer stood again. “I hope you haven't missed your stop though, you've been sitting here for a while now.”
“Wait. What?” For a while? How long was a while –
And then the automated voice announcing what station they were at started talking and. No. No no no no no. Hizashi bolted up, scrambling for the doors in panic. Shit, how long had he been asleep!? He had to be at least twelve stations away from where he'd been planning on getting off!
“Fuck, crap, no no no,” he whispered to himself, patting for his phone and checking the time. “Shit!” He was late. So, so very late for his reservation at the spa. The reservation that he'd been looking forward to since he booked it, that would relax him for the day, get him feeling refreshed, and would magically help with his chest cold. “God. Damnit.”
There were also several missed messages on his phone, some from more people wishing him a happy birthday and a few from Shouta asking him how he was enjoying his birthday so far. If only he was enjoying his birthday so far. Hizashi stumbled off the train when the doors finally opened, thanking the gods he'd bought an all day ticket.
As Hizashi dashed onto a train heading back towards where he lived, he did his best to control his breathing. It was fine. So what if he couldn't get the spa treatment he'd been looking forward to? He'd be fine! He – he got in a nap on the subway, right? Refreshed. Relaxed. It all worked.
Calling the spa to apologize for missing his appointment still hurt though.
He forced himself to stay awake on the train ride back. He had to. One nap for the day was enough. People kept giving him concerned looks when he coughed, which he did his best to ignore, and he focused instead on answering some of the messages he'd gotten over the day.
To Shouta: It's not the perfect day I was planning, but the party later will more than make up for it!
A few minutes later, as he was carefully typing out a response to a coworker at the radio station, Shouta messaged him back.
From Shouta: Really? What happened
From Shouta: I thought you had it all figured out
Hizashi smothered a laugh at that. Mostly because he knew if he laughed he'd start coughing again. He exited out of his other messages to focus on replying to his best friend and crush.
To Shouta: Eh, my coffee was bad and I missed my stop on the train, which made me miss my spa appointment
To Shouta: But no biggie! I'm still on track for everything else! Heading home for a bit and then I'm gonna pick up the cake!
He followed that up with several emoticons for cake and smiley faces. No need to get Shouta worried about him. So what if things weren't going right so far? Coffee. Mani-pedi. Whatever. Hizashi was still ready to have fun that night. “Everything will be fine,” he assured himself, rubbing at his chest again to try and stop the urge to cough. Luckily, it seemed to work. Awesome. He'd just stop by home, take some more meds, and then head out to grab the cake. Bam. Plan in place.
From Shouta: Want some help with the cake? You told me how big it was. Don't need you dropping it on the way to the restaurant
To Shouta: !!!! BEST FRIEEEEEND WHY THANK YOU THAT'S THE NICEST THING TO HAPPEN ALL DAAAAAY
To Shouta: BEST BIRTHDAY EVEEEEEER~
From Shouta: Dork
From Shouta: I'll meet you there
Hizashi smiled at his phone, cheeks red for a different reason now. He'd honestly thought Shouta would have been sleeping in until just before the party started, but knowing Shouta wanted to check in with him and help him get things set up was just – he didn't have a good enough word for it. Awesome? Amazing? Astonishing? Whatever it was, it made him happy. It made the tightness of his chest relax a bit and the throbbing of his head ease, which was more than enough for him.
He practically skipped out of the station when he finally made it back to his area he was so happy. Who needed coffee and spa treatments when your best friend and crush offered to help with something? Not Hizashi! He laughed to himself, singing a happy tune as he walked home. Everything would be perfect for the party. He just knew it.
The good mood lasted while he made his way up the stairs to his apartment, though the climb did tire him out a little. Okay, a lot. But it was nothing! He gulped down a small glass of water along with his medicine, still feeling like a hundred percent (okay, maybe like...sixty, but that didn't matter) as he checked his phone again waiting for some of it to kick in. He waited about fifteen minutes before deciding to leave early. Better to be early than several hours late.
The walk to the bakery, however, was not as kind as the walk home from the station had been. Maybe it was the calm when he'd been waiting for a bit, maybe it was the temperature, maybe it was global warming. Hizashi wasn't sure. But the three blocks to the bakery felt like three miles and definitely made him feel like his lungs were collapsing.
Which they weren't. He'd had a lung collapse before. It just felt similar.
Hizashi paused for a moment just outside the bakery to catch his breath again, every limb protesting the walk over, and decided then and there he was calling a cab to help get his cake to the restaurant. Screw the fact that the restaurant was just around the corner, he was definitely. Not. Walking.
The bakery owners greeted him cheerily when he entered, waving him over to the counter. “Oh, we are so happy you're hear! We'd just set it in the fridge an hour ago,” the taller lady said happily. “Would you like to take a look at it before you take it with you?”
“Oh, yeah, that'd be – “ he cleared his throat when he felt a coughing fit come up “ – that'd be great!” Still really raspy, but it was fine. He'd do more rock tonight at Karaoke if the rasp didn't go away by the end of dinner.
“Just a moment,” the shorter lady said, disappearing into the back for a second. She reemerged moments later with a huge box, grinning widely.
Hizashi's breath was stolen when the box was opened. And not just because the stupid chest cold was making it hard for him to breathe. Oh, it was perfect. It was everything he'd wanted and more – bright colors and confetti absolutely everywhere on the cake, chocolate-covered strawberries decorating the edges and birds drawn in icing holding a bright banner that read “Happy Birthday Hizashi!”
He snapped a picture of it to preserve its perfection for eternity. “Oh my god, thank you so much! It's amazing!” he gushed, completely moved by how awesome his birthday cake was. “So much better than what I had planned!”
The ladies both preened under his praise. “Oh, it's nothing. Just a birthday cake for our favorite Hero!”
Hizashi wriggled happily. “Man, I am never, ever, ever coming anywhere else for cakes ever!” he promised them. “Hey, I can talk about this place on my show. Do you want me to do a shout out for you guys?”
“Oh,” the taller lady gasped. “Oh, you don't have to do that!”
“But if you did – “ The shorter lady was cut off when the other smacked her on the back of the head.
Hizashi had to laugh, ignoring the growing need to cough in his chest. He reached for his phone while the two bakers started bickering and scheduled a cab to come get him asap, shooting off a short message to Shouta that he'd decided to just move the cake via car. He'd wait for him so he could help keep the cake steady and get it inside the restaurant. “Ladies, it would be my pleasure to rant about how awesome this cake is to the world!” he said, interrupting the argument that had somehow dissolved into childish name-calling. “Cool cakes like this definitely need to be shared!”
The two bakers were a bright red mess as he picked up his box of cake. Hizashi prepared himself for the weight, knowing the epic monstrosity would be heavy, but when he lifted it away from the counter it seemed so much heavier than he was expecting. The box fell back to the counter-top with a dull thud, startling the ladies.
“Um, Present Mic?” one of them asked. He wasn't sure which. Suddenly there were six of them in the room.
Hizashi shook his head, clearing his vision, and cleared his throat. He did not need to cough all over this beautiful bakery. No way. “Er, fine! Just.” He cleared his throat again. “Just heavier than I thought.”
“Do you need help getting it out the door?”
“No! No, I'm fine, I got it!” he said, breathing for a moment before bracing himself again. It was cool. He could do this. He lifted the box again, and thankfully it wasn't quite as heavy as the last time and his vision righted itself back to normal. “Thanks, though. You guys have a good night!”
Hizashi made his way to the door as the ladies behind the counter bid him fair well. And what excellent timing, it looked like the cab had just arrived. Getting outside was a bit of a struggle, mostly because for a moment he forgot how door handles worked, but he did it! And the cab was right there. He just had to walk over to it and...and...
Why was the world going sideways?
“Hizashi!”
Hands grabbed his shoulders suddenly as his vision went dark, and Hizashi felt his chest constrict painfully – more painfully than it had all day. Coughs wracked out of him as he curled in on himself, his hand reaching for his own throat, and the hands on his shoulder held on tight as the fit took over him completely.
Everything hurt. His head hurt, his throat hurt, his chest hurt, his arms and legs – hell, even his face. Everything. Hurt. His coughs were long and wet and painful, jolting his whole body as he curled against the figure helping him to the ground. He didn't want to be coughing anymore. Gods, he didn't want to be awake anymore. He should just let darkness that had crawled over his eyes settle in. As the fit subsided, leaving him gasping for air wetly and shivering on hot pavement, Hizashi decided that was a good idea. The best idea.
“Hizashi, are you with me? Hizashi!”
* ~ _ ~ * ~ _ ~ *
Hizashi stared bleary-eyed up at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. Where the hell was he? And why the hell was everything so fuzzy?
He groaned, raising an uncooperative hand up to his head, only to meet a minor bit of resistance. “Huh?” He blinked, confused as he'd ever been ever, and stared at what was pulling on his arm. His glasses seemed to be missing (which made sense, he hated wearing them to bed), but what was pulling on his arm looked to be...an IV?
“What the. Hell?” Hizashi rasped, and the simple words were enough to make his chest spasm uncomfortably. He coughed, long and wet, curling up on his side against them – though he jolted a bit when a hand met his back and started rubbing soothingly.
“Hey, take it easy,” came a familiar voice.
Shouta? What the hell was he doing here? Hizashi kept on coughing, though, unable to get the question out. Finally the hacking stopped, and with it a fair amount of the small pile of energy Hizashi had. He went limp on the bed, panting heavily and closing his eyes. The hand on his back kept rubbing, which was really, really nice, but it did nothing to help settle the confusion Hizashi felt.
“What're you...?” was all that Hizashi managed to force out without feeling like he was going to end up coughing up a lung.
Shouta sighed and moved around the bed so that they could be face to face (unfortunately taking his hand away from his back). The dark blur thankfully slipped glasses onto Hizashi's nose, letting the room come into focus – as well as the unimpressed scowl on Shouta's face.
“You fainted outside of that bakery,” Shouta said without preamble, crossing his arms and leveling Hizashi with a look. It made Hizashi feel like he'd done something wrong, like not listening to common sense.
“I did?” The memories were a little fuzzy, but now that Hizashi thought about it... He startled. “Cake!?”
Luckily Shouta knew what he meant. The dishevelled Hero rolled his eyes. “It's fine, you dork. A little lopsided, but fine.” The man glared at him. “How can you be so worried about the cake when you're in the fucking hospital?”
Hizashi pouted, pressing into the pillows. “Ex-expensive,” he forced out petulantly. Shouta's glare just got meaner.
“How long have you been feeling sick, Hizashi?” Shouta asked, sounding like he was talking to a small child. “Because one doesn't just suddenly collapse from the flu like that.”
Flu? Oh, damn. Not a chest cold then. Hizashi avoided Shouta's eyes and picked at his blankets. “Thought. Chest cold.” He swallowed around his sore throat. “Was fine.”
Shouta sighed heavily, and out of the corner of his eyes Hizashi could see him pinching the bridge of his nose. “Damnit, 'Zashi,” the other muttered. There was a small shuffle and then the bed dipped, Shouta leaning his elbow against it to get right up in Hizashi's face. “If you knew you weren't feeling well, you could have said something. This is why you missed your spa booking today, right?” he asked, and when Hizashi's pout deepened he sighed again. “I know you give me shit for pushing myself, but it's just a party, 'Zashi.”
Ouch. Hizashi looked up a Shouta, a little wounded. Just a party? Was that all Shouta thought of it? “But. It's my – my birthday,” he rasped, unable to keep the hurt out of his voice.
Shouta nodded, scowl still in place. “Yeah, you're birthday. And aren't you supposed to put yourself first on your birthday?” he asked, a hand coming up to knock gently on the side of his head.
Hizashi stared. “But. All those.” He cleared his throat. “All the people. For the party – “
“Who cares about a stupid party when you're sick, you idiot?” Shouta snapped. “I think everyone would understand if you got sick and couldn't make it.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “Would you like it if I hosted a birthday party while I was sick?”
Well, despite the fact that Shouta wouldn't be caught dead hosting a party ever, regardless of what type of party it was... “No,” Hizashi admitted. He would probably flip out and force Shouta to go home and go to bed.
“Then you should know that it's the same the other way around,” Shouta said decisively. He gestured to the room Hizashi was in. “I'd much rather you take your birthday off to take care of yourself than host a birthday while you're trying not to die from the flu. You can always reschedule. And you could have avoided a trip to the hospital if you'd just stayed home and rested.”
Hizashi pouted harder, but didn't say anything to that. He supposed Shouta had a point, even if it would take a bit of work to reschedule a party that big to another date. But, well, he wasn't a Pro Hero for nothing. He wasn't Present Mic for nothing. He could make it work.
It was a few moments before he spoke up. “Shouta?”
Shouta grunted from where he sat, still leaning against the bed.
“...Thanks,” he rasped, smothering a cough with a hand rubbing over his chest.
“Happy Birthday, dork.”
Maybe it wasn't exactly like he'd planned, but hey. Hizashi got to spend the last few hours of his birthday with his best friend and crush. And a few days later, when his taste buds finally returned to normal (so that's why his coffee had tasted so weird), he shared a slice of cake with Shouta in his apartment, reclined on his couch and laughing at the shocked look of delight on the other man's face.
It was a pretty awesome cake, if Shouta's reaction was anything to go by.