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Since he had turned five Shouto spent a worrying amount of time sick. Maybe it was because their father’s intense training, Fuyumi didn’t know, but more often than not, she found him in bed with a high fever when she arrived home from middle school.
That was the case on that Tuesday as well, when her mother had to leave for a meeting while her little brother was asleep. Fuyumi found the message about it on the kitchen counter and immediately went to Shouto’s room to check on him.
She creaked the door open and poked her head in. She saw the small form of her baby brother sleeping with his chest rising and falling from his uneven breathing. Fuyumi walked up to the bed and lifted the heated up compress off of the younger’s forehead.
”Mommy?” Shouto mumbled, looking up at Fuyumi with glassed eyes.
”It’s just me, sweetie,” Fuyumi said while cooling the compress down once again. She brushed the sticky hair out of the little boy’s forehead, then put the compress back to its place.
”Where is mommy, sissy?” Shouto asked, reaching out for the others’ hand.
”She had to leave for a little while, but she said she will be back shortly,” Fuyumi answered, squeezing Shouto’s hand lightly. She pulled him into a sitting position, then gave the glass of water in his hand that she found on the bedside table.
Shouto gulped the water down obediently and then let his sister push him back to his back. Fuyumi pulled the sheets back up and was turned towards the door when she heard the small sniffle.
Without a second thought, she turned back and climbed in the bed next to her little brother. Shouto cuddled up to her, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. The compress slid down and Fuyumi titled his chin up, then put her palm on his forehead. The small boy let out a sigh as he felt the soothing coolness coming from his sister’s hand.
”I’m sorry, sissy,” he said, averting his eyes.
”Sorry for what, baby?” Fuyumi asked, frowning.
”For being sick. Father said great heroes can’t let sickness take them down,” Shouto said and Fuyumi felt anger bubbling up in her chest.
Shouto had to bare things which were not normal for a five years old and she hated that she couldn’t do anything to stop it. With her free hand she pulled the boy closer and started petting his two-toned hair.
”You don’t need to believe everything father says. He can say some really shitty lies.”
”Sissy, you can’t talk like this!” Shouto gasped with widening eyes. ”Young ladies shouldn’t use such unattractive words!” He repeated the words their mother always said whenever Fuyumi expressed herself not so lady-like.
”Rogered!” Fuyumi said, chuckling lightly. She took her hand away from Shouto’s forehead and leaned hers against it. ”Thanks god your fever went down a bit! How are you feeling?”
”Hmmmsleepy,” Shouto mumbled, already half asleep. He curled up to his sister’s chest and grabbed two fistfuls of her T-shirt. ”G’night, sissy!”
Fuyumi’s lips curved into a smile as she bent down and kissed the top of the five year old’s head.
”Good night, Shou-chan!”