Work Text:
Opening a shop on your own is hard enough.
Opening a shop in the middle of a foreign country was even harder though.
But Tendou really loved pushing himself to his limit.
And it wasn't like he minded at all because of how accomplished and satisfied he felt when the shop was finally open and running, being able to watch as people walk into his chocolaterie and admire the chocolates he put so much effort into. It made him happy and feel accomplished, pushing him to work harder and harder while waiting for his fiance to visit him since the other had a difficult schedule.
It even caused him to miss the grand opening of the redhead's shop, and while Ushijima had apologized thoroughly on the call, later on, Tendou always waved him off, saying that it was perfectly fine and that he'd be fine too.
Well, as fine as he could be.
Current situations were tough though, Tendou noticed as the chocolates sold out faster than he could make them, especially since it was a new, bright shop filled with fun, eye-catching chocolates. People seemed to storm in to look at the beautiful sweets that came in different shapes and sizes, buying boxes of them to take home and enjoy.
Tendou loved it, he really did.
It was just... hard to keep up while simultaneously having a regular sleep schedule and general self-care. He didn't mind, never having had the best sleeping schedule anyway but it was obvious that his body was lagging and suffering the consequences of him not leaving the kitchen until five in the morning, falling asleep against the counter just to wake up at six-thirty to wash his face and head back to the shop to make even more.
And when he got the news that Ushijima could visit him in about a week because his volleyball season was over, his body kicked into overdrive, making him work way more than it was healthy, just so he could be free during the week that the other visited.
It brought him back to the current day, Tendou groggily closing up his shop and heading back home to finish cleaning up, as well as making lunch so Ushijima wasn't hungry. The only reason he was still moving just fine was the fact that he was finally gonna be able to hug and kiss his fiance after being apart for so long. He smiled lopsidedly and his brain felt like mush while also being lit on fire with excitement.
He moved slowly, preparing the Hayashi rice dish and humming softly to himself. In just about twenty minutes, Ushijima would walk through the front door and wrap his arms around him, and he'd finally feel warm and safe and they would kiss to their heart's content and-
Tendou sighed, head hazy as he stirred the pot before placing a cover on it, looking at the clock to let it simmer. As he walked about his kitchen, grabbing the plates and setting up the spoons and glasses at the dining table, his mind wandered again and his head throbbed slightly in what would most definitely end up being a migraine. But instead of relaxing until the Hayashi rice was ready to be served, he walked through the apartment again to make sure everything was perfect. Tendou didn't want Ushijima to feel like he had to clean up while he visited.
He spent his time setting up the table and wiping off even the tiniest amount of dust on any surface, fingers trembling just slightly before jumping when he heard his timer go off. He headed back into the kitchen, turning the stove off and plating the meal, his ears buzzing but face tinted pink with a smile.
As he brought the plates to their dining room, he heard the door click open, eyes widening as he jumped up to greet what could only have been Ushijima at the door.
"Toshi!" He exclaimed with glee, walking up to the other to help him with his luggage and his jacket as Ushijima shut the door and placed his shoes on a shoe rack.
"Satori," Ushijima replied, watching as Tendou put the luggage into the living room after hanging up his jacket.
But then he couldn't stop himself from taking his face in his hands, head already tilted to kiss him deeply after not having been able to for so long.
Ushijima only pulled away once he felt Tendou lightly pushing against his shoulders, sight hazy with emotion as he stared at the other, rubbing his thumb over the other's protruding cheekbone with a frown. Only then did he notice how the other's skin felt warm to the touch, eyes widening slightly.
"Satori, have you been taking care of yourself?" He asked, looking at the purplish, dark eyebags that only seemed to accentuate how pale the other was.
"Hmm?" Was all the response he got, Tendou leaning into his touch with a sigh. Ushijima noticed how out of it he seemed, concern only growing.
"Satori. Please answer my question." He said, more stern this time before watching Tendou jump back, eyes suddenly wide.
"Huh? Yeah, of course, Wakatoshi! Sleeping fine, eating fine, all that stuff!" He lied through his teeth easily, his lips pulled just a tad bit too much for the smile to seem genuine as he grabbed the other's elbow to tug him to their dining room. "Sit down, I already prepared everything! You have to be hungry after that long flight and the airplane food surely couldn't have satisfied you at all! So I made your favorite!" Tendou blabbered on while pushing Ushijima into his seat, smiling though he still seemed so exhausted. The olive-green eyes could tell when his fiance was straining himself after so many years of being together.
But even then, he sighed and complied, trusting the redhead's words even though they seemed to be false. He didn't want the food Tendou had prepared to go cold either, so instead, they fell into a relaxed conversation. Tendou lead while Ushijima responded with shorter sentences. It went fairly well and yet Ushijima couldn't help but notice how Tendou's eyes were glazed over, or the way his head hung more than usual while they ate, eyes almost completely closed. He was also sweating a little, face flushed a pale red although it was rather cool in their apartment.
However, he supposed as long as Tendou was still operating fine, that it'd be acceptable. Yet it didn't stop him from worrying about him, eyeing Tendou with cautious eyes every time the other moved in a sluggish demeanor.
"How about I clean up the dishes and then we can have a lazy day?" Ushijima asked once their food had been eaten, reaching over the table to take hold of Tendou's hand, only to grab at the air as he watched the other jump up.
"Huh? No! I still have to show you around my shop and everything! Oh, and I was playing around with a new recipe lately and I want you to be the first to try it. Wakatoshi-kun, please?" Tendou retorted with a pout that made Ushijima's heartache, especially since his answer was a curt "No."
It only caused Tendou's pout to become more prominent, walking up to him and whining. "Come on... Don't be a party pooper, Toshi."
"How about I taste the chocolate you made but afterward, we go and relax? We can watch the movie tomorrow, in bed, all right? Or later tonight?" Ushijima sighed out, wanting the other to go to bed already, his eyebags were standing out far too much against his paler than usual complexion.
The suggestion seemed to have calmed Tendou, him nodding happily in return as he smiled at the other lazily.
It made Ushijima's hand twitch with worry, forcing himself to push it down so Tendou could have his fun.
Alas, he watched as Tendou bolted into the kitchen, hearing the fridge door slam shut a few seconds later.
Tendou felt giddy as he moved to bring the sweets to the dining room but he couldn't jump around like he usually would, legs feeling like cement and his head still hurting. His face felt like it was burning as well, but he tried to ignore it as much as he could. His vision was hazy again.
It was a new type of chocolate; he had added some chili powder to make hot chocolate bark. He was testing around with it, wanting to make something that even someone who doesn't usually like sweets would enjoy.
Or more specifically, something that Ushijima would enjoy.
He came up with a bar of dark chocolate, bitter and not too sweet, with just a hint of spice that would hit you right at the end of it. In his opinion, it was too bitter and he would have loved to have added more sugar but he supposed that this would be perfect for Ushijima.
Tendou hummed, leaned against the counter as he tried to blink away the dark spots in his vision. This wasn't good, he realized before pushing himself back into an upright position.
Okay, just bring the chocolate to Ushijima and sit down.
It wasn't that hard, he told himself. No, not hard at all...
He focused on not dropping the plate of chocolate bark as he stumbled his way out of the kitchen. The dark spots were multiplying and Ushijima's form was blurry as he lost the grip on the plate.
"Toshi, I have the chocola...-"
And Ushijima could only watch as the plate clattered to the floor, part of it chipping off as the chocolate scattered across the floor. His eyes were following it before realizing that Tendou's knees were buckling, body moving faster than he could take the situation in.
He was quick to make sure that Tendou wasn't in danger, checking his pulse with trembling fingers before letting out a sigh of relief when he seemed fine.
Tendou must have passed out in sheer exhaustion.
It was only when he held the other in his arms that he cracked, grip suddenly tightening around him as he picked him up in one swift motion.
Ushijima could feel how much thinner he had gotten, and he felt anger washing over him. The almost bruising look of Tendou's eyebags made him feel awful. He told himself that had he been there, that Tendou would most likely be taking care of himself better. He knew it wasn't his fault though, he just felt the need to have done more to make sure Tendou was doing better. Perhaps he should have called more often or checked in on Tendou's status by messaging him daily.
Ushijima felt Tendou heating up rapidly, quickly placing him on their bed and covering him with the duvet before opening the window to let the room air. His feet stomped a little more than usual as he made his way around the apartment, grabbing a bowl and a towel and wetting it with warm water before he rushed back to their bedroom. He sat down beside Tendou, hands careful and light as he wiped his face down, frowning at the other's facial expression.
He gently let the backs of his fingers brush up against the redhead's cheek, eyes half-lidded.
"So you weren't taking care of yourself properly."
--
When Tendou woke up, his head was pounding and there was an uncomfortable pressure against his eyes, but it was dark.
He moved to sit up, only to get pressed back down by firm hands.
"You need to rest."
His eyes opened at the sharp tone, looking up at his fiance's dimly lit face who stared right back at him with a frown.
"You lied to me Satori. You told me you were taking care of yourself." Ushijima continued, the anger he was feeling on the inside muted as he took off the towel that was resting on Tendou's forehead, shifting to let it soak inside the bowl before squeezing out some of the water and placing it back on.
Tendou glanced away at that, squinting at the hallway light that was suddenly far too bright before letting out a nervous chuckle. "... Toshi, you know I had a lot of work-"
"Yes, I do, but that doesn't mean you get to neglect yourself, Satori. You need a proper amount of sleep and you need to eat healthy and enough every day. You need to take care of yourself when I am not here to do it myself." Ushijima interrupted, voice growing only a little louder but it was enough for Tendou to shrink back, head still buzzing loudly.
Ushijima shook his head, standing up swiftly. "I'll go get some water. Stay lying down and don't move. Your body is exhausted."
And with that, the door closed behind him with a quiet click.
Tendou stared at the dark ceiling, allowed his mind to wander a bit as he yawned. His face still felt hot to the touch and his entire body ached in pain, making him realize that he really was sick.
It made him want to groan and shove his face into a pillow because it meant he wouldn't be able to go near the kitchen anytime soon, but his body wouldn't cooperate when he felt so very sluggish.
It seemed as though only a few seconds passed (Tendou couldn't exactly tell how much time did) before Ushijima came back into the room, holding a tray instead of a glass of water.
He couldn't remember too much, only the touch of Ushijima's hand lifting his head slowly as he helped him drink his water before feeding him some soup.
Ushijima also occasionally let his hand run over his shaved head, eyes concentrated on not spilling anything and making sure Tendou was comfortable.
Tendou could still remember the way Ushijima left the room again, forehead burning up now that the cool towel wasn't pressed against it. He remembered when the other came back, picking him up slowly and bringing him to the bathroom so he could brush his teeth. He remembered undressing to take a bath and get washed, grinning lazily at Ushijima in what he had thought to be teasing and inviting, only to pout slightly when Ushijima shook his head and turned the water on, the temperature a tad bit too warm to be comfortable as he was placed into the bathtub.
Ushijima held him up and was careful when he poured water over the other's hair, sighing at the way Tendou was squinting at the lights, moaning about how painful they felt in his head. He even made the comment about how it felt like that one time he got hit in the face by one of Ushijima's spikes way back in high school.
As Tendou leaned up against him, Ushijima took the liberty of washing what little hair Tendou had on his shaved head. It was getting fluffier, the short strands of hair softer than the stubble that was there when he first shaved it all off.
Ushijima sighed as he did so, making sure to be gentle when he did so, not wanting to press too hard to cause Tendou's headache to resurface on a greater level.
He tilted the other's head back to wash out the soap soon after, Tendou pliant under his touch as he let out a soft hum of satisfaction at the way Ushijima washed the small amount of hair.
Once completely done, the only sound that was heard in the bathroom was the quiet splashing of the water as Ushijima examined the other, who was sitting nearly silently inside the bathtub, eyes closed and breathing a bit shallow with worried eyes.
He didn't like it when Tendou was so... quiet. Of course, he was sick and Ushijima knew that but Tendou was usually so energetic and giddy that seeing him doze off, pale skin tinted pink from the fever, troubled him immensely. Even when he was sick in high school, Tendou was usually still just as bubbly, so this was something he wasn't completely used to.
He let Tendou soak inside the bathtub, keeping a careful eye on him so he wouldn't accidentally slip in too far before taking him out approximately half an hour, noticing how the other was already falling asleep again.
Tendou leaned up against him again as Ushijima dried him and helped him into some comfortable pajamas. He still didn't feel good, eyes hurting when they were open for too long and his head was still hurting, his eyesight still blurred and blotchy. He swallowed, noticing just how dry his throat was as he was laid into bed, the duvet wrapping around him. It was silent for a while, maybe a beat too long because it caused him to crack an eye open, only to close it after seeing what he had to see. After all, the hallway light was blinding him again, letting out a quiet groan at the way it pierced his eyes.
There Ushijima was, coming back into the bedroom with yet another tray of something.
"I brought more water and another towel," Ushijima said, closing the door quietly after setting the tray down, sitting down beside Tendou once more, and helping him sit up slightly, placing the glass to Tendou's lips and helping him drink.
"You really should have taken care of yourself better." He said, voice gruff and rather harsh which was a stark contrast to how gentle his hands were holding him up, the way he cradled Tendou to himself with such care.
And Tendou felt guilt washing over him, feeling how the concern was rolling off of his fiance in large waves. He breathed deeply when Ushijima pulled the glass away from his lips, eyes following the other as he soaked the towel in water, drained it, and then folding it up before it was put to rest on his forehead. He immediately felt the cooling effects, unable to stop the sigh slipping past his lips.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know it would stress you out this much, Toshi. I just-" He cut himself off, looking away before his eyes widened slightly at the feeling of lips pressing against his knuckles.
"I just wanted to make sure I got enough work done before you came. I didn't want to have to work when you were visiting me, yknow?" He continued, voice meek as he turned his head to face the other again. "And I just... kinda forgot about myself because everyone seemed so interested in my chocolates and they were always happy with my new designs and stuff. I wanted to keep my customers happy as well!"
Ushijima listened quietly before shaking his head, cupping Tendou's cheek and ignoring the heat radiating off of it.
"Satori, you know I wouldn't have minded if you had to work while I visited you." He started, cutting the red-haired off before he could retort something.
"Your health comes before anything, you should take care of yourself first before tending to your customers. Or to me, for a matter of fact." He continued, berating Tendou for what he did wrong.
After he was done, he couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh, tightening his grip on Tendou's hand just slightly while the other watched with tired eyes.
His own eyes showed a mixture of affection and extreme worry, leaning down to kiss his fingertips lightly.
"If you can't take care of yourself normally, then allow me to do this for you."
And Tendou stared into Ushijima's eyes, squeezed his hand lightly with a chuckle.
"Oh, Toshi... Your heart truly is of diamonds and gold."
Ushijima couldn't help the small smile as he pressed a gentle kiss to the side of Tendou's head before bidding him goodnight, stepping back to bring everything into the kitchen.
When he came back after getting ready for bed himself, he stopped to look at Tendou's sleeping figure for a moment and walked over to him, taking the towel from his head and dipping it back in the cool water. He kissed his forehead before placing it back on, getting into bed beside the redhead, and stretching slightly.
It didn't take long for him to fall asleep, tired from the long flight and then taking care of Tendou all day. But honestly, Ushijima didn't mind it all too much.
--
"Wakatoshi, you really don't have to do this. You're not my maid, yknow." Tendou muttered from his pillow fort on the couch, eyeing Ushijima with a pout as the other was walking into the kitchen, the soft sounds of pots and pans clattering filling the rooms.
It was the next day, and while by all means, Tendou wasn't feeling amazing yet, he felt better after all the extra care he got from Ushijima the night before.
His head still hurt and his eyes felt sore but he could sit comfortably in sunlight.
"While that may be true, you are incredibly sick right now and therefore, you shouldn't be working, let alone work inside of a kitchen." Was all the response he got, making the other huff.
"But Toshi! I just wanna cuddle you and relax then."
"Cuddling is not a valid healing method. What you need is a lot of liquid and fresh air." Ushijima replied as he walked back into the living room, hands carrying another tray of what could only be water and soup.
"Toshi, eating miso soup every day can't be healthy either." Tendou retorted with an amused grin but it didn't stop him from being fed said soup, humming lowly in his throat.
"Actually, miso soup has vitamin B and vitamin E in it, which helps our immune system fight viruses and bacteria. And on the plus side, it's a warm liquid that will make you sweat out your fever. It's healthy." Ushijima said matter-of-factly.
When all he got in return was a pout, he chuckled and paused his feeding.
"But if you insist, I'll make you some chicken noodle soup once your throat isn't that sore anymore." He continued.
"A sore throat never stopped me from eating though." Tendou replied, a sly grin on his face as he looked at Ushijima.
"It most certainly did. I remember in high school, you once insisted on buying that extra hot ramen at that ramen place and your throat was so sore that you couldn't eat solids for a week." Ushijima deadpanned, watching Tendou flush up again with a whine.
"That's not what I-! You promised you wouldn't mention that ever again! My lowest point in life." Tendou sighed out dramatically while Ushijima tilted Tendou's head up slightly and looked at him, a small frown making another appearance on his face as he looked over the still dark eyebags under Tendou's eyes and prominent cheekbones.
The atmosphere seemed to have changed around them as he sighed, leaning down to press a cautious kiss to his cheek.
"Don't let this happen to you again Satori, I don't like seeing you all sick, as much as I love taking care of you."
Tendou looked away at that, frowning. "I know, I promise I will. Now can we move on from that? I'm only sick, it's nothing special. Everyone gets sick, even you did once!"
"That doesn't matter. I was sick because I happened to go out on a run when it was raining outside. You, on the other hand, pushed yourself too much and collapsed right in front of my eyes. Satori, who knows what would have happened if I didn't visit you now? How long would you have pushed yourself over your limits? What if you had blacked out and hit your head with no one near you to help? I'm worried, I'm angry that you neglected yourself for so long. So please, do it for me. I want to be able to enjoy my visit with you without having to worry whether you're healthy and okay here in France." Ushijima said, hand gripping the bowl of soup in his hands tightly as he stared into Tendou's eyes.
Tendou was the first to break eye contact, glancing away with a huff. "All right fine. And you have no clue how badly I'd like to kiss you right now but I'm sick and I can't have you getting sick too." He muttered, the mood lightening again as Ushijima continued feeding him miso soup.
"How'd you get miso here anyway? I looked everywhere." Tendou murmured once the bowl was done, watching as Ushijima brought the dishes away.
"I brought it from Japan. I have more stuff in my suitcase." That was all the response he got, Ushijima grabbing it from the bedroom and rolling it into the living room, pulling out the plethora of snacks and food that Tendou could have only dreamed of having again because the Asian food stores in Paris just weren't so good.
"Toshi you genius. I love you so much."
"Actually, I'm far from being a genius. A genius has an average IQ of 140 or more-"
"Toshi, that was a joke. Just say you love me too."
"I love you too."
And Tendou felt himself feel much better when Ushijima wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, turning the TV on to watch a documentary he had saved to watch with the other.
--
(Extra:
"You know I wouldn't have minded getting kissed right?"
Tendou only sniffled as he stared at the other.
"Yeah, but you might get si-"
He was successfully cut off as Ushijima leaned in to kiss him on the lips, a small smile making its way into it.
Maybe he should get sick more often, even though Ushijima definitely wouldn't agree with that.)