Work Text:
Sitting down on the edge of their bed, Rin leaned over, holding his head in his hands. His world was swimming, spinning around in nauseating little circles that left him unsteady and uneasy. Even when seated, he felt as if he was tilting over to the side, the world slipping out from under him as he tried to remain upright.
His face felt hot in his hands, and he knew he had come down with some sort of fever. He hadn’t been feeling quite right since last night, but he figured it was just a migraine that was brought on by a bit of dehydration after a long week of practice. How he felt now let him know that it was something much more sinister, and now he would probably be down for the count for a couple days at least.
Bracing his hands on the mattress, Rin tried to push himself off the bed. Failing to stand, Rin let out a pained sigh as the nausea doubled, and he very much felt like he needed to puke.
Goddamnit. He would have to ask for help… and that was even more humiliating than falling ill.
Opening his mouth, Rin tried to call out to his partner, not knowing where he was in their apartment, or if his body would even allow him to speak.
“Ryusei…” His voice came out in a cracked whisper, barely audible to his own ears, so he knew Rysusei would never be able to hear him. With a groan, Rin hoisted himself back up the bed, slapping around the covers for where his phone had fallen the night before. Finding it, he squinted his eyes. The backlight of his phone was so bright it hurt his eyes, hindering him greatly as he tried to type out a message.
Come here.
And as an afterthought…
Please.
Closing his eyes, Rin laid on his back, waiting. He felt his phone buzz once, twice, and then a third time before he heard Ryusei cursing and stomping down the hallway to their room. Just like an obedient little puppy, though Rin was sure the text messages Ryusei had sent him were something crude or something rude, questioning what he could possibly want from him so early in the morning.
The door to their bedroom cracked open, revealing Ryusei, still dressed in the clothes he had worn to bed the night before.
“You rang? What does his majesty want today?” Ryusei mocked, not immediately noticing Rin’s incapacitated state. That only took a few seconds, and Ryusei’s tone changed to one of concern as he slid up to Rin’s side, hovering over him to look down at his prone form. “Rin? Are you okay?”
Rin groaned in response, shaking his head as Ryusei used the back of his hand to check the temperature of his forehead. Cursing under his breath, Ryusei brushed the hair off his sweaty face, his normal playful, teasingly cruel demeanor shifting to one of immense care.
“Rinrin, you are on fire, and I mean that in a bad way this time.” Grabbing one of his hands, Ryusei clasped his fingers tightly despite how clammy they surely felt. “You look like you’re about to puke.”
“Yeah…” Rin whispered, the spiraling feeling coming back to his head at the mention of vomit, and he really hoped Ryusei would be able to tell before it was much too late.
“Oh shit, up you go then.” Sliding an arm around Rin’s shoulders, Ryusei hoisted him up into a standing position and practically dragged him into the bathroom. Dropping Rin by the toilet, Ryusei dashed back out of the bathroom to avoid the main show. He returned a few moments later with a glass of ice cold water and a wet cloth from the kitchen to assist his boyfriend.
Sitting down on the bathroom floor beside him, Ryusei used the cloth to dab at Rin’s mouth, removing any evidence of his illness from his skin. He then held out the water to him, helping Rin to get the water into his mouth. Ryusei watched carefully as Rin swished the water around in his puffy cheeks before spitting it out, removing as much of the awful taste from his mouth as he could.
“Feelin’ better, babe?” Ryusei asked as he set down the glass, rubbing Rin’s back as he hovered over the toilet bowl.
“Sort of…not really,” Rin stated, shaking his head slightly. Huge fucking mistake, honestly, as the motion made him heave once again even though there was nothing else left in his stomach to come out.
“Wanna take a shower? Bath? Let me know what you want and I’ll do it.”
Rin huffed, exhaling heavily as he tried to decide. Nothing sounded good right now, except maybe dying, but that wasn’t an option so it was very hard to decide. Eventually, he mumbled the word “bed”, and was once again hoisted to his feet to be dragged back to their bedroom.
“You know, if you weren’t so fucking tall I could carry you, Rin-chan.”
“Shut it.”
“Now I know you’re only being so cruel because you feel bad, so I will let that one slide this time.”
Ryusei set him down on his side of the bed, pulling back the covers so Rin could crawl under them. Rin fussed as Ryusei tucked him in, pushing the blankets so firmly around his body that he could barely move. Rin tried to kick his legs, feeling absolutely pathetic that Ryusei could best him with nothing more than a blanket, but eventually gave up when he felt the urge to begin coughing.
“Now now, Rin-chan, all you need to do right now is rest,” Ryusei stated as he patted his chest, calming both the coughing fit and the frustration Rin felt at the whole situation. “I know you hate being sick, so just let me take care of you and you’ll be better in no time!”
Rin huffed once more, the only way he knew to voice his disdain at being waited on by his partner. But he had no choice but to accept unless he wanted to run the risk of Ryusei not coming to his aid the next time he needed him.
Because Ryusei could be spiteful, and would not hesitate to hang him out to dry even if he was feeling absolutely awful. With a curt nod of his chin, Rin agreed to be nursed back to health by his partner, knowing he would probably regret it later.
With a satisfied grin on his face, Shidou clapped his hands together before leaning down to press his lips against Rin’s overheated forehead.
“Fantastic! Well you just stay right there, Rin-chan. Not like you have much of a choice.” For good measure, Ryusei tucked the blankets tightly around him again, trapping in the heat of Rin’s fever with him. “I’ll run out, get you some medicine and some soup, and come back and feed it to you.”
“Not necessary,” Rin choked out, even more rough and gravely than it was when he first called out to his boyfriend.
“Well, then I could also come back with a sexy nurse outfit too, if that will make it better. Could even give you a proper sponge bath too, Rin-chan!”
“Feeding me the soup is fine,” Rin quickly corrected himself, feeling too terrible to indulge any of the shenanigans that Ryusei seemed intent on forcing on him at the moment.
“Fiiiine, no nurse costume, yes soup.” Tapping his finger on his chin as if he was considering what other mischief he could inflict upon him. “Maybe, sponge bath?”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Got it. Maybe.” Leaning over him once more, Ryusei pinched his flushed cheeks before kissing him on the forehead again, seemingly unconcerned with catching whatever illness befell Rin. “I’ll be back soon! Don’t die on me!”
Rin sighed, closing his eyes as Ryusei left the room. As if. He couldn’t do that, even if he wanted to.
He had soup to look forward to.