Work Text:
Shouta Aizawa was not the world’s best cook. In fact, he considered himself to be a downright terrible chef. However, over years of living with his husband, there was one food he had become somewhat decent at making: fried chicken. Being Hizashi’s favorite food, it was a staple dinner food at their house. Shouta decided today was as good a day as any to put his limited cooking skills to use and make something he knew his husband would enjoy; Hizashi was working even later than usual and was sure to be exhausted by the time he got home. But knowing him, fried chicken would be more than enough to lift his spirits.
As if on cue, Hizashi came stumbling through the door just as Shouta was finishing the last of the meal. Hizashi set his things down and immediately flopped onto the couch, not even acknowledging the unmistakable smell of freshly fried chicken.
“How was work?” Shouta asked, slightly concerned by his husband’s lack of enthusiasm.
“Exhausting” was all Hizashi could muster the energy to respond with. He had been feeling nauseous all day and, to his dismay, the feeling did not seem to be dissipating. He had been hoping getting to lie down would help ease the feeling.
“I made your favorite for dinner. I thought it might cheer you up a bit.” At this, Hizashi seemed to perk up a bit. He sat up, finally registering the strong scent wafting through the house.
“Thank you, Shou, I really appreciate it. Today has been a lot.” He said, relaxing a bit.
“How about you tell me all about it over dinner. I’ve just finished.” Shouta said, motioning towards the dining table where two plates and some napkins were neatly arranged. He had even lit a candle. At this, Hizashi seemed to tense a bit, but Shouta shrugged it off as his husband joined him at the table.
Hizashi spent the majority of the next twenty minutes just prodding at his food, not eating much.
“Are you gonna eat anything?” His husband’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.
“Uh.. yeah.. sorry, just a little distracted.” Grimacing, he ate one of the remaining three chicken fingers from his plate. “It’s very good, Shou, thank you for this.” He said, trying his best to sound genuine.
“Are you sure? You’ve hardly touched it. It tastes the same as usual to me though. Is there something wrong with it?”
“No, it’s really good, babe, I promise. I’m just so tired.” He tried his best to convince, not just Shouta, but himself as well. Finally finishing the last few bites of his chicken, he thanked his husband before retiring to their room for the night. He still needed to shower but he was so tired, and the grease of his dinner was not helping the churning in his stomach. After a moment of deliberation, he grabbed his pajamas and changed into them. A shower could wait until the morning, he would just have to get up a bit earlier.
Once changed, Hizashi flopped back onto the bed, but the sudden change in direction made his stomach do cartwheels. Groaning, Hizashi sat up and made his way to the connected bathroom, making sure to close the door fully behind him. Besides, he would feel better once he got out whatever was making him feel sick, right? He was needed at work tomorrow anyway; he couldn’t just stay home over a little tummy ache the night before.
Hizashi lowered himself to his knees in front of the toilet, opening the lid as saliva filled his mouth. He hung his head over the bowl and let the saliva drip down into the water below. Just as he felt his stomach clenching, ready to send a wave of his dinner back up his throat, he heard the faint creak of the bedroom door opening.
“Hizashi? Are you in there?” Shouta called into the darkened room.
Shit. He couldn’t let Shouta hear him throwing up, he would try to make him stay home from work and there’s no way he could miss work tomorrow; it was too important.
“Hizashi?” Shouta called again, now outside the bathroom door, “Are you in the bathroom?”
Fighting back the urge to be sick, Hizashi swallowed hard before responding, his voice thick and strained “Yeah, I’ll be out in a sec. Do you mind throwing my clothes in the wash?” He was barely able to get the sentence out before he could feel his stomach threatening to send up more of his dinner. He clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to be as quiet as possible until his husband left the room.
“Yeah, I can… are you sure you’re alright in there?” Shouta responded, his voice laced with concern.
Swallowing again, his stomach churning, Hizashi started to reply “Yes, I’m fi-“but was cut off his stomach sent a wave of sick up and into the toilet. He faintly heard the bathroom door clicking open, guilt and anxiety washing over him; The feeling quickly subsided, however, and was immediately replaced by another intense wave of nausea. As he threw up another barely digested mouthful of his dinner, he felt a cool hand find his back, rubbing it gently.
“It’s alright, love, just get it up, you’ll be okay. Everything’s fine, I’m right here.” The soothing words of his husband slowly replaced the anxiety, and he gave in to his body’s needs. Gripping onto the rim of the toilet until his knuckles were white, he allowed himself to expel most of his dinner into the water below. Once he was done, he sat back, leaning into the comforting frame of his husband, who wrapped an arm around his side, rubbing his stomach gingerly.
“Are you feeling any better?” His husband’s soft voice brought him back to reality.
“A little.” He sighed.
“Let’s get you to bed then,” Shouta said, moving to hoist him to his feet.
“Wait.” Hizashi paused “I’m not done.” As if on cue, he pitched forward, spilling the last few mouthfuls of his dinner into the toilet. Feeling the slightest bit of relief, he moved to stand up, swaying and nearly toppling over, had he not been caught and steady by Shouta.
“Easy, let me help you.” Shouta slung Hizashi’s arm around his shoulders, half carrying him to their bed, and gently helping him lay down onto the plush mattress. Hizashi sunk into the comfort of the bed, relaxing instantly. “I’ll be right back.”
It was a few minutes before Shouta returned, carrying a trashcan lined with an empty plastic sac, a bottle of cold water, some medicine, and a thermometer. “Can you sit up for me, ‘Zashi?” He said quietly, rubbing his husband’s shoulder. Hizashi slowly sat up, his nausea quickly returning with the movement. He put a hand to his stomach trying to settle it.
“Here, just a take a sip, okay?” Shouta said, offering the water out to his husband who just shook his head in response. “Please? You need to stay hydrated.”
“No. Feel too sick.” Was all Hizashi could get out.
“Just one sip and some medicine and I’ll leave you alone.” Shouta said, opening a packet of medicine and holding it out to Hizashi. “It’ll help settle your stomach.”
Hizashi grimaced but took the pink tablets and popped them in his mouth, chewing and swallowing them.
“Good. And just a little sip of water.” Shouta said, once again holding the glass out.
Hizashi took it, taking a quick sip and feeling his stomach turn. He put a hand to his mouth, waiting for his nausea to either reach a peak or fade away. Thankfully, it did the latter, and he sank comfortably back down against the pillows. Shouta gently pressed the infrared thermometer to Hizashi’s forehead, frowning as the digital display read 39.8°.
“Feeling okay enough to get some rest?” He asked. Hizashi nodded softly, letting his eyes slip shut. Standing, Shouta moved to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth with cool water, and placing it on his husband’s burning forehead. He turned off the lights and laid in bed next to Hizashi, gently rubbing his stomach. He felt Hizashi relax under his hand, and it wasn’t long before he could hear faint snoring coming from him. Eventually, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep as well.
After a night full of restless sleep and terrible dreams, Hizashi awoke, covered in sweat. His alarm read 5:23 am. It was a little earlier than he usually got up, but the extra half an hour of sleep would just make him more tired he decided. Pulling himself out of bed, he realized just how bad he felt. His head was pounding, and he still felt sick to his stomach. He put his hand out on the bedside table to steady himself and waited for the dizziness to wear off. He stood up, wobbling a bit, and got dressed, and began brushing his teeth. From the other room, he could hear his husband stumbling out of bed as well, eventually coming to meet him in the bathroom.
“What are you dressed for? Get back in bed.” His husband grumbled at him.
Spitting out his toothpaste and rinsing his mouth, he responded, grimacing at how scratchy his voice still was from being sick the night before. “It’s a Friday, I’ve got a class to teach, I’m meant to patrol afterward, and I have my radio show tonight.” He made a move to exit the bathroom, wobbling a bit from a wave of dizziness but was stopped as Shouta put an arm out blocking the doorway.
“You look like crap; I know you’re not feeling better and there’s no way I’m letting you go to work like this.” His husband stated.
“Good thing you’re not my mom then. I’m feeling fine. I can’t stay home just because I had a little stomachache the night before.” He retorted.
“You and I both know it was more than just a stomachache. You couldn’t even walk back to the bedroom without falling over. But since I know you’re not going to listen to me that easily, how about we have some breakfast and go from there.” Shouta said, feeling slightly annoyed with his stubborn husband.
Internally Hizashi began to panic. He definitely wasn’t feeling well enough to keep down any breakfast and Shouta knew that. But he convinced himself it would be fine; He just had to make it through one meal and Shouta would stop pestering him. “Fine.” He grumbled, making his way to the kitchen.
He popped four pieces of toast in the toaster, waited for them to bounce back out, added some jam, and set them on plates. He poured himself a glass of water to go with it, and poured a glass of juice for Shouta, setting everything down on the kitchen table. He sat down in one of the chairs, his husband sitting across from him.
“Are you sure you don’t just want to go back to bed, 'Zashi? We both know this is all an act, why make yourself suffer more than you already are?” Shouta taunted, though his voice was heavy with concern.
He shook his head, slowly taking a bite of toast, his hands shaking. He chewed it for what felt like forever, and swallowed, taking a sip from his water. He felt terrible but he had to finish. After an embarrassingly long time, Hizashi finished his breakfast. Hands still shaking, he got up from the table to finish getting ready for work.
“Guess I was wrong then,” Shouta called from the living room where he was putting on his shoes and capture weapon, preparing to leave for the day.
“I told you I’m fine, Shou. And even if I weren’t I can’t miss work, it’s too important.” He shot back. In all honesty, he was feeling horrible. Almost worse than he’d felt the night before. But he couldn’t let that stop him from getting his work done.
Hizashi stumbled to the bedroom, putting on a pair of socks and going to grab his shoes.
The ride to school did not help with Hizashi’s condition. With every twist and turn, he could feel his stomach churning, and his headache worsening.
‘Maybe I should’ve just listened to Shouta.’ He thought to himself, as a particularly sharp turn caused him to almost lose his breakfast. Swallowing hard, he tried his best to focus on the passing scenery outside to distract himself.
After what felt like an eternity, he made it to the teachers’ lounge where he sunk down into his desk chair, exhausted. He didn’t have a class until second hour, so he got out his papers from his bag and began grading. He had been hoping that being able to sit in a stationary environment would help ease his symptoms but as time went on, he realized he was sorely mistaken.
With each minute that passed, Hizashi felt more and more nauseous. His head was pounding at this point, almost feeling as if it would split in two, and he was freezing despite being overwhelmingly hot a second ago.
‘This is going to be a long day.’ He thought to himself, abandoning his grading in favor of wrapping his arms around his aching middle.
He pulled on his jacket and checked his phone. Only five more minutes were left before it was time for him to head to his classroom. He felt a wave of dread wash over him but began packing up to leave anyway. But as soon as he stood up, he knew it was a mistake.
He ran to the attached bathroom and fell to his knees in front of the toilet, thankful he was the only one present in the teacher’s lounge as he was unable to shut the door behind him. But he was quickly pulled away from his thoughts as his stomach clenched and a mouthful of his breakfast landed in the toilet in front of him. He squeezed his eyes shut as the throbbing in his head intensified, only serving to make him feel more nauseous.
‘It’ll be okay,’ He thought to himself, ‘I just needed to be sick, and I’ll feel better after.’ It was a lie, and he knew it but regardless, he had to make it through the day. His thoughts, however, were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. ‘Shit.’ He thought to himself, trying to keep himself from being sick again. He could hear the footsteps growing closer and tried to turn around and shut the door, but his body had other ideas. He only succeeded in making a mess of the bathroom.
“’Zashi?”
‘Shit.’ He felt his husband’s cool hand press against the center of his back, rubbing comforting circles. He jumped at the sudden touch.
“Shh, it’s alright, it’s just me.” His husband whispered, making sure to keep his voice low as to not upset the migraine he knew Hizashi most likely had. “You’re okay,” he assured him, “Just get it all up, it’ll be alright. I’ll get you home and you can rest.”
Hizashi relaxed a little, finally giving in to the idea of resting. He probably wouldn’t be very helpful with how sick he was anyway, and there’s no way he could do his radio show with his voice as scratchy as it was from being sick.
He felt one of Shouta’s arms wrap around his middle, rubbing soft circles into his stomach. When he finally felt well enough to move away from the toilet, Shouta carried him to the couch in the center of the staff room, bringing him a glass of water and a trashcan as well.
“Drink.” He said, placing the glass into Hizashi’s shaking hands.
He took a sip, the cool liquid feeling nice against his raw throat. But he could feel it beginning to churn in his stomach as soon as he swallowed. He shook his head, shoving the glass onto a nearby table. Realizing what was about to happen, Shouta grabbed the small trashcan, holding it up for Hizashi. Bringing up his other hand, he rubbed his husband’s shoulder, whispering sweet nothings to help calm him until it was over.
After a few waves of sick, Hizashi’s stomach calmed down. He grabbed the glass again and rinsed out his mouth, laying back onto the couch.
“I’m just gonna go clean up in the bathroom and then we can leave, okay? You made a bit of a mess.” Shouta said quietly.
Sitting up, Hizashi responded, “Shou’, let me get it, it’s my mess.” He started to stand up but was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness and collapsed back onto the couch.
“Hizashi, you can’t even stand up without falling down, just let me get it. That way we can get you home quicker.” Shouta retorted. Hizashi wanted to argue but he was so tired and couldn’t find the words to say. He let himself sink back into the couch, eyes slipping shut. Before he knew it, he was asleep.
“It’s time to go ‘Zashi, come on, let’s get up.” He was awoken by his husband’s soft voice. “I’ve already spoken with everyone and let them know you wouldn’t be able to work today.”
He rubbed his eyes, moving to stand up, and feeling Shouta’s strong arms bracing him as he did, practically carrying him out of the building.
Arriving home, Shouta helped Hizashi to bed, all the necessary supplies still laid out from the night before. He turned off the lights and climbed into bed next to his husband.
“How’re you feeling?” He asked quietly.
Hizashi only responded with a groan and snuggled closer. Shouta wrapped his arms around his husband, a gentle hand resting on his stomach, rubbing comforting circles into his smooth skin. He felt Hizashi’s breathing slow as he fell asleep.
“Sleep well, ‘Zashi.” He whispered, drifting off to sleep beside him.