Chapter Text
Yuta had gone to bed not feeling well so it’s not surprising to him when he wakes the next morning feeling even worse. His head is pounding, his chest hurts, his throat is on fire, and he feels like he hasn’t slept in days even though he just woke up. He's expected in the basement for training with the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club but right now, he feels like he'd be lucky enough just to summon the willpower to roll out of his bed. He must though, he won’t allow himself to miss their training session. They’ve been on a losing streak and Lord Regal had insisted they all meet him in his basement gym at five in the morning for the most intense session yet. His mentor has not been happy, making Yuta feel like he'd let Regal down even more by losing his Pure title to Danny. Yuta had added to their losing streak. He'd tried so hard, he really did, but if he'd held out on tapping any longer he was worried Danny would have torn something in his leg. Was it worse to tap and lose, or to get injured? His mentors had different views on that so Yuta had chosen the view that meant he could fight another day immediately.
Slowly, he rolled himself toward the edge of the bed, using the height of the bed to get his feet under him, making sure he's steady before inching his way to the door. Shit, he thinks, too many stairs. When his Lordship had asked which bedroom Yuta had wanted when he'd first joined and moved into the Combat Clubhouse(and it is a clubhouse no matter how much Mox and Bryan protest it, Claudio agrees with him), Yuta had jumped at the chance to be on the third floor across from Regal's library. Mox had called him a nerd but Yuta owns it, he knows he's a huge bookworm. Now though, the idea of making his way down so many flights of stairs just to make it to training, not even the actual training itself, is exhausting.
There's a part of him that's tempted to channel his past child self and scoot down the stairs on his butt. It’s probably the safest way for him to make it downstairs, though the idea of one of his teammates finding him in that position is too embarrassing. So step by step, holding on to the railing for his dear life, Yuta begins to make his way down the first flight of stairs. Somehow he makes it to the second floor, where Bryan and Mox have bedrooms, and he knows he can’t go any farther. He slides down the wall, letting his head rest against Mox's door, and closes his eyes. He’ll just rest for a few minutes, he’ll be late for training but he'd rather that than not showing up. He doesn’t want to disappoint Sir Regal any more than he already has, even though being a disappointment seems to be high on his resume.
Just a few minutes rest. That's all he needs.
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Mox is pacing, feeling his energy prickling under his skin, making him itch for some action. Regal had taken one look at him this morning and ordered Bryan and Claudio to start sparing in the ring while Moxley was to wait for their youngest. Who still hadn't arrived. And it's making Moxley anxious every second Yuta doesn't come down those stairs. The kid had gone to bed early, way too early, last night. Yuta had claimed he was tired but Moxley had suspected it had more to do with not wanting to be around Bryan after the way the asshole had behaved in the ring with the Garcia kid. In front of Yuta! Mox is still pissed. Sure, the Garcia kid had won and he'd fought hard, but Bryan had gone out there to get under Jericho's skin, not to support his actual teammate.
"Master Moxley, would you care to venture upstairs to track down Master Yuta?" Regal finally asks, and Mox doesn't need to be told twice. He'd just been waiting on the order. He won't admit it, but he's worried about the kid. There's no way Yuta would miss training, no matter how much he might want to avoid Bryan, so Mox's internal alarm bells have been ringing all morning.
Mox takes the stairs by twos, reaching the first floor in seconds. He calls Yuta's name, checking the kitchen, first floor bathroom, and living room with no success. Maybe the kid had slept through his alarm. Mox heads up to the second floor, seeing a dark shape at the top of the stairs and rushing even faster, dropping to his knees next to Yuta's body.
"Kid," Mox brushes a hand through the younger man's hair, finding it damp from sweat. "Yoots, can you hear me?"
"Mmm," Mox isn't sure if the sounds Yuta makes is supposed to be his name but he'll take it. It's a sign of acknowledgement that the kid is at least almost conscious. The kid's skin feels warm, too warm, and when he places a hand on Yuta's chest he can feel his heart beating too fast. He's only ever seen the kid this way after a huge match. He's sure Regal won't hear him if he yells from this far away but he doesn't want to leave Yuta by himself, so he scoops the kid up in his arms and carries him downstairs to the basement.
"Oh dear me," Regal immediately turns his attention to the newcomers, quickly walking over to where Moxley is laying Yuta on the couch. "Sunshine, are you feeling ill?"
Mox watches as Regal fusses over the kid, feeling his forehead, brushing his damp hair out of his forehead, pulling the blanket from the back of the couch and tucking it around the young student. He feels like he can relax now that Regal's taken over. He's never been good at taking care of sick people on his own. He can step up if he has someone telling him how to handle it and he has Regal, so it will be fine. He barely notices that Claudio and Bryan have stopped their sparing match to see what the problem is and if they can help.
"One of you get me a wet, cold cloth," Regal demands, the clipped tone to his voice telling them all of his worry.
Bryan hurries off to obey the order and when he returns, Mox takes it from him, checking to make sure Bryan didn't get distracted thinking about Garcia and accidentally turn the hot water on instead of the cold. It's probably not fair but he thinks Bryan hasn't exactly earned the benefit of his doubt lately with how much he's been absent from their group activities. Mox jumps to react when Regal asks for help propping Yuta up a little, sliding on to the couch so he can lean the kid against his chest. He can't help but preen a little when he feels the kid relax in his hold, maybe getting a little petty satisfaction that even in this state, Yuta trusts him.
"Sunshine, can you answer me?" Regal tries again to get Yuta to respond to him. This time, the kid lets out a small groan followed by a soft cough. "Fetch some water, will one of you lads?" His voice is calm and it's helping Mox stay calm. It's Claudio who rushes to get the water this time, returning with one of the bottles from the basement fridge, and Regal unscrews the cap, holding it to Yuta's lips. "Try drinking a little, Sunshine. I promise it will feel good."
He gets Yuta to take a few small sips, enough to wet his throat, then places the wet cloth over the young man's forehead as the kid relaxes back against Moxley's chest again. Regal is sure nothing is wrong with the boy that won't run its course over the next few days, and probably run through each of them considering the close quarters they're crowded in at the moment, but with how miserable the kid looks, it's hard not to want to dote on him.
"S...s....y" Yuta manages to force out and is quickly hushed by Regal.
"Now, come, Sunshine, my dear, it's not your fault," Regal's assurance is immediate. "It was only a matter of time before one of us was struck down by an illness with how many meet and greets we have all been doing lately. It's unfortunate but in no way is it your fault."
"We got you kid," Mox whispers into the kid's ear. "Just do as Regal says and we'll be back to kicking your ass in training in no time."
Regal shakes his head at Moxley's words, but he's smiling. "We should move this upstairs. The basement is not ideal for healing. You boys get settled on the couch and watch some television if Master Yuta's head can handle the volume and I will see if we have the ingredients for a soup broth to try to get some nourishment into our young student."
Mox waits for Regal to help Yuta sit up a little so he can slide out from under the younger man, then Mox turns to pick up the kid to carry him back upstairs. Sure, Regal or Claudio could have done it but Mox is the one who found Yuta and he feels responsible for him. It's not a feeling he's used to but he's going with it. Plus, Bryan would probably starting thinking about Jericho and Garcia halfway up the stairs and drop the kid. He's as gentle as he can be as he cradles Yuta in his arms and heads up the stairs, getting them both settled on the living room couch in a similar position to how they'd been in the basement. He hears the others following him but keeps all his attention on the sick boy in his arms.
Claudio joins them on the couch, sitting on the opposite side and propping Yuta's feet into his lap. Mox can hear Regal opening cabinets in the kitchen in the room behind them and out of the corner of his eye he sees Bryan flop on to one of the chairs, remote in hand. Just to be a jerk, and feeling a little petty over the way Bryan has been ignoring Yuta in favour of Garcia lately, Mox vetoes all of Bryan's suggestions until the other man gets so frustrated he lets out a huff and tosses the remote to Claudio. He's distracted by Yuta shifting in his arms so he doesn't catch Bryan's eyeroll when Claudio changes the channel to one of the shows Bryan had originally picked, this time with no protest from Mox.
Regal comes into the room with a tray of steaming mugs, setting it down on the coffee table with stern instructions for each of them to drink the herbal tea. It might be most important for their young student to get the liquid into him but all of them could use the immunity boost. He takes a moment to switch the wet cloth on Yuta's forehead with a new one, then uses a thermometer to take the young man's temperature, lips tightening when he sees the results. He might need to suggest a lukewarm bath for Yuta later in the day. He's sure one of the lads won't mind helping him with that.
Confident his young Sunshine is in good hands with Mox standing guard, Regal heads back into the kitchen to see what he can round up to make some soup for his sick charge. Something light, easy to swallow, easy on the stomach, the most important thing will be that the soup is something Yuta can keep down. The kid's health is his main priority at the moment but once he's back to his usual boundless energy, Regal knows he must focus on the tension that's developed in his group. He'd been letting the boys work things out for themselves, after all he's not a babysitter, but it's become clear none of them are attempting to reconcile. He's going to have to step in. After he nurses his sick charge back to health.