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"__________? It's me. Can I come in?"
As much as I would have loved to rush to the door to let him in, Kongou would have to wait for me to shuffle my way to the door. It didn't help that my pace was slowed by the heavy comforter I had wrapped around me for warmth.
When I finally made it to the door, it was to see my boyfriend standing there, taking up most of my doorway. I took in how good he looked in his green shirt and headband with black sweatpants and jacket, fresh from training with his team at Starless. As my gaze moved further down, I noticed he had come with bags from a local convenience store laden with fresh fruits, vegetables, and a miscellany of other items. I looked back up at him. "What's all this for?" I felt slightly embarrassed at the croak that had come out in the shape of words, but could do nothing about it.
"Qu told me that you had told him about staying home sick. Why didn't you tell me?"
I growled internally. I had asked Qu not to say anything when he'd texted me that morning when I didn't show up at my usual time. But it seems like he thought that Kongou at least needed to know.
I extricated a hand from the depths of my heavy cloak of a blanket and waved Kongou inside, then followed him into the kitchen. "I wasn't trying to keep a secret from you, Kongou. It's just a little fever. I'll be right as rain in the morning."
Kongou set his bags down on the counter and placed the back of his large hand on my forehead. He tsked and frowned down at me. "It's no wonder you stayed home. Go lay down, __________. I'll take care of things."
"But shouldn't you be at Starless practicing for your upcoming performances?" I asked as he ushered me towards my bedroom with a gentle hand on the small of my back.
"Don't you worry about that. The team is worried about you when you didn't come in. So now I'm here to make sure you get well again."
When we reached my bed, he helped me lay down and fixed my comforter so I was comfortable, positioning the different pillows and cushions on my bed around me. It felt like I was sleeping on a cloud and I could feel my eyes drooping. The last thing I felt before falling asleep was the gentle caress of his calloused fingers on my forehead.
What felt like moments later, I was being roused by small movements against my shoulder. I opened my eyes a crack to see Kongou sitting on the side of my bed, looking down at me with his hand on my shoulder. He was giving me such a tender smile I thought I might cry. I did give him an attempt of a smile in return that was likely more smirk-like than an actual smile.
"How long have I been out?"
"Just a couple hours. Come on, you need to sit up a bit so that we can get some food in you." I grunted in disagreement and started to turn over to go back to sleep, but Kongou was much stronger than I was and placed both of his hands on my shoulders to stop me. "Oh no you don't. You won't get better if you don't keep drinking water or tea and eating something."
I knew it was childish, but I stuck out my tongue at him and buried deeper into my bed while facing him, wanting to keep warm.
"Cute," Kongou chuckled then reached over to the night stand to pick up a tray of food. I watched him from my cocoon of blankets as he picked up a soup spoon and the bowl of soup, bringing it closer to me. Then, he pooled some broth in the utensil and brought it to my mouth.
I started to refuse it, but the pleading look on his face was irresistible, so I dutifully opened my mouth for him to pass the liquid over to me.
An explosion of flavors greeted me when I sipped at the broth and it warmed me from the inside out as it went into my stomach. "Delicious!"
Kongou's lips curved into a bright smile. "Do you think you might be able to eat the whole bowl?"
I nodded but paused when he asked if I might be able to sit up further after feeding me a couple more spoonful's. I felt a little puckish as I looked at him, waiting for my response.
"Could you keep, um, feeding it to me? I don't know if I can sit up yet."
Kongou seemed surprised at first, but his smile never faltered. "If that's what you want."
Even after finishing the broth he told me he had made from scratch, he fed me a small serving of rice and some lightly seasoned sautéed' vegetables. He did so slowly, allowing time for it to settle softly in my belly so my body wouldn't be tempted to bring it back up later.
When everything was gone, I watched him get up and go back to the kitchen with the tray of bowls. Then he was back and settling in on the bed behind me, over the blankets, wrapping one strong arm around me and the other under my head to act as a pillow. The bed was surely comfortable, but having him there with me made it all the more so.
"Are you comfortable?"
I nodded and snuggled back against his chest and felt him tighten his arm around me. I pressed a kiss against the bicep I was using as a pillow. "I've never been more so. Thank you, Kongou."
"Anytime."