Work Text:
Byakuya sits in the library, reading lamp on the desk beside him as he reads a book. Touko stares at him from behind a pillar, eyes focused on her Master. But something seems wrong about Master Byakuya, and it takes a fair bit of staring to work it out: Master’s face is flushed. Is he blushing? No… he has a fever!
“Master!” she cries, jumping out from behind the pillar. Byakuya doesn’t jump, suggesting he knew she was there. “M-Master, are you sick?”
“Of course not.”
“No, you are, Master!”
“No, I am not,” Byakuya says, glaring. “Go away, Touko.”
In the kitchen, Byakuya stands beside the kettle, his back resting against the counter, and waits for it to finish boiling. As he stands there, his muscles threaten to tremble, but he will not let them do that. He seriously needs a cup of tea.
But as he waits for the kettle to boil, his nose tickles. Byakuya grimaces and places a finger under his nose, but he can’t stop the sneeze. It bursts out of him, echoing around the kitchen, and Byakuya groans.
“Master, what was that?!” Touko cries, bursting into the room.
“You heard nothing,” he mutters, grimacing.
Touko sits on the end of the bed in Master Byakuya’s bedroom, sitting totally amazed he lets her into his room. To be honest, she is amazed she and Master are dating at all. She always thought he hated her, but actually… he likes her in his own way. And it is amazing.
Right now, she just studies Master as he gets undressed, staring at his chest before he puts on his pyjama shirt. But as Master straightens up, he sniffs. A proper, mucus-heavy sniff.
“Master?”
Does he have a cold?
“No,” he says simply.
Can he read her mind?
Master makes Touko have a wash (she can’t bear to shower, so he supervises whilst she freshens up with a flannel), but once she is clean, he lets her get into his bed. She grins and hurries to get under the blankets, and snuggles up to Byakuya. He rolls his eyes, but doesn’t move away.
They both take off their glasses and Byakuya switches off his lamp, and Touko snuggles closer in the dark. And then, just as she’s about to drift off to sleep…
Byakuya coughs, making her jump.
“Apologies,” he says, coughing again.
“Are you o-okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Master is sick; she can no longer avoid this fact. He won’t admit it and he certainly won’t stay in bed to get better, but she sees the flush on his cheeks and hears the nasal tone to his voice and the phlegm in his chest when he coughs, and… she wants him to get better.
So she knows he won’t admit it, but maybe she can help without bringing up his illness. Perhaps… just by being a caring girlfriend.
“Hello, Master,” she says when he wakes up. “Can I get you a coffee?”
Byakuya smiles slightly. “Thank you, Touko.”