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"Your friends are vultures, you know that?"
It was supposed to be simple. Temporary. Sara Chidouin needed a 'boyfriend' to dissuade a persistent stalker. Sou had far too much free time on his hands and the promise of generous payment from his underclassmen.
He was the stupid one, for thinking that it would mean money. Instead, the relentless Joe and Ryoko insisted on dragging him along on group dates. They paid for his meals, even when he ordered too much on purpose.
It's like they knew he was working with a tighter budget than usual. Sara had privately given him permission to quit the charade after an agonizing two months in his company, but he was forced to decline. She was stuck with him until he picked up a second part-time job.
Boo hoo for her. He had to admit the group had decent taste in restaurants, at least.
"'Sara's got the flu, her boyfriend should be the one by her side!'" He muttered, leaning an elbow against a bedside table. It was his first time seeing her room. Even with its owner out of commission, it was pretty tidy. "...Why am I even complaining? There's no point if you can't hear me."
She was already asleep when he arrived. Vulnerability looked strange on her. Skin flushed and dewy, hair splayed out over her pillow like a fancy firework at the apex of its explosion. A washcloth on her forehead that he was instructed to swap out every hour, at minimum.
...What kind of person looked nice even when they were sick? Her seemingly effortless ability to succeed was, as always, absolutely infuriating.
"What's so stressful about your life that you get to rest all day?"
He couldn't stop feeling sorry for himself, even without an audience. It was surprisingly easy to air your grievances to someone who couldn't hear you or argue back.
"I doubt you would be at my bedside if I was sick. In fact, I would bet every cent I have that you wouldn't bother."
Trying to even imagine Sara Chidouin inside his pathetic little apartment was hilarious. If more than one person went inside, they'd be on top of each other the whole time. She'd have to move his table to sit by his futon. There was nowhere comfortable to lounge around, either.
He could see it now. Even if she wasn't good at it, the proximity would practically force her to dote on him at all times. No TV to watch, only bad sci-fi manga on the shelf. She would be too polite to ask for access to his laptop. He never once saw her on her phone during any of their 'group dates', either. She was probably attentive, if nothing else.
If she stayed long enough, they would probably end up laying side by side under the sheets. He'd tell her that she was stupid, and would get sick by staying so close to him. She'd smile and say it's fine, because she owes him for putting up with playing her boyfriend.
Sara would brush locks of hair away from his hot forehead. For a moment, it wouldn't feel like they were pretending. Wondering if he would be too feverish to remember it later, she'd slide closer and press a gentle kiss on his lips. An impulse she'd apologize for.
An apology he would refute by pulling her close against his chest. They would be warm and secure. If she caught his flu, he'd stay by her side in return and do the whole thing over again. It would be worth it.
"...What the hell..?"
Snapping back to reality, Sou sat up straight in his chair as though it had electrified him. His face was hot with embarrassment. He had to scan the room, almost worried that someone might have witnessed his fantasizing. Maybe he was catching a fever of his own? There was no other explanation for the unhinged direction his thoughts had gone in.
"Sou..? Jeez, I told Joe that no one had to go out of their way for me..."
He looked down, meeting Sara's puzzled gaze and trying to hide his alarm. She picked a fine time to wake up. Clearing his throat, he leaned over and readjusted the damp cloth to better sit on her flushed skin.
"Don't worry about it," he replied, pausing to make one last attempt at parsing out his feelings. As expected, it yielded nothing.
"This is what a boyfriend is supposed to do."