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Yusei was sick, and like always, you were there for him every step of the way. His body was hot on yours as you stroked the dark hair flowing from his head onto your soft lap. His body was nestled under silky blankets and was spanning the length of the bed. Rain tattered on the widow to your right, the curtains barely open to let the outside light in. The sun’s beautiful rays were hidden behind multiple layers of thick clouds and they rolled for miles like a painting in the sky.
Small beads of sweat formed at Yusei’s brow as he snored softly in your arms. It had been so rainy in New Domino city for the past few weeks and you were growing excessively tired of the downpour. Yusei was always outside dueling or riding on his motorcycle, completely unfazed by the weather; well, until he was. You wanted to stop him from going when the weather was treacherous outside for fear of the inevitable, and ever since he started feeling ill, you blamed yourself for not stopping him from venturing outside. On foot, the rain alone is bad enough, but coupled with the fact that he drives 88 plus miles an hour on his precious duel runner; the cold in addition to the rain was a recipe for disaster.
Grabbing a clean rag from the bedside table, you saturate it with the lukewarm water from the bucket you had prepared not too long before you sat with him. You squeeze out the excess, letting it fall into the bucket at your feet. You lightly tap his forehead, patting up all of the beads that gathered there. You sigh as you let the rag slip back into the bucket, leaving it there for the next time you needed it.
“Oh Yusei”, you lovingly whisper, moving a wisp of his hair behind his ear. Checking the time, [1:00PM], it had been about 5 hours since he last had medicine and you declared that it was time for his next dose. You softly move his head to a pillow where you give him a soft kiss on the temple. The smell of his hair greets you softly and you can’t help but smile as a rush of dopamine injects you with some much needed happiness. You cover him with another soft blanket and he responds by turning over to the opposite side and grabbing the duvet with his hands and cuddling underneath it.
Stepping downstairs, you enjoy the soft sounds of rain on the roof with which otherwise the garage would have been completely silent, mind your footsteps. Yusei’s kitchen was plain and simple with hints of light color splayed here and there. You knew next to the refrigerator was the medicine drawer, and you made a pitstop to the cabinet above it to grab a glass and fill it with water on the refrigerator door. Opening the medicine drawer, you pull out the Tylenol and plop two pills sadly in your hand. A small frown pulls at your lips and your brow furrows. You hated that you had to give him medicine; he has already been through so much. Stress causes immunodeficiencies, and those are bad when it's constantly raining in this city.
Wanting to let him sleep for as long as possible, you stand by the kitchen sink, looking longingly out the window. The clouds enveloped the sky as they cried over the concrete land. The glass on the highrise buildings reflected the swirling puffs of water molecules from afar and a distant roar of thunder could be heard through the thick concrete walls of the garage. As much as you liked rainy days, you didn’t like what it had caused for Yusei.
Tea!
‘Tea might make him feel better’, you thought, so you grab a mug from the top cabinet next to the fridge again and fill it with clean water. Leaving the pills on the counter, you place the mug in the microwave, (it's faster than boiling it on the stove), set the timer, and go to the pantry where you store some lemon and chamomile tea. Taking one tea bag out, you place the box back onto the pantry shelf and shut the door. The sugar is on the kitchen counter in a jar next to the door of the pantry. The jar that contains the sugar has a cute bunny carved into the side and was colored light pink. You could tell that the jar was yours; a gift from a long time friend. Honey accompanied the sugar on the counter.
The microwave beeped proudly and you winced at how loud it was, racing to open the door so the alarm would stop. You grab an oven mitt and lift the glass from the microwave. Placing it on the counter, you drop the tea bag into the hot water. The microwave clock said 1:17PM, so at 1:22PM you would take the tea bag out and put in the condiments. You take the few minutes you had to check out Yusei’s duel runner that was parked in the center of the makeshift living room. He had put so much time and effort into it. Your background of going to college for engineering had helped you to understand and appreciate the brilliance of such a vessel and was also what had inevitably brought you and Yusei together. The knowledge that you had learned had even helped to put a few pieces of the duel runner back together after it had been damaged in the Fortune Cup. You even threw in an upgraded chip for its motherboard. After finally meeting Yusei and helping him rebuild the duel runner and learning more about each other, it wasn’t long before you both agreed to go on a date together. You smiled at the memory. New Domino was for sure the place to be after growing up in the slums.
It was time to take out the tea bag and put in the honey and sugar. One tablespoon of sugar and one big squeeze of honey and it was sure to warm up his tummy and make his throat feel a bit better. It wasn’t a cure, but it made you feel better knowing he would have a warm drink to hold onto.
Suddenly, the sound of a door being opened and shut echoed throughout the garage. Coughing could be heard from up the stairs. Your expressions turns sour, and worry fills in the pit of your stomach. Your brow crunches and you rush up the stairs calling out your love’s name.
“Yusei, are you okay”? You call from outside of the bathroom.
“I’ll be okay”, he groaned back, and he erupted in a fit of coughing once more.
“I'm worried so I’m coming in” you creak open the door to find him in front of the toilet, grabbing the sides of the bowl. He lurches forward and throws up his breakfast before you. You gasp and hurry to his side, grabbing hold of his hair to move it from in front of his face to the sides of his head. He gags once again, coughing, and spitting into the bowl another large amount of sickness and your heart breaks for him. He falls back onto you and you catch him in your soft embrace.
“I… I’m so sorry you don’t feel good. But I’m here with you now”, tears welled in your eyes threatening to fall onto your thighs as you grab some bathroom paper to wipe his mouth with. You carefully dab around his chin and his nose as you flush the toilet keeping his head nested on your bosom.
He only nodded and a weak smile caressed his face. He grabbed onto your arm and held you tight. You run your fingers through his hair once again, and smooth any disgruntled pieces that were misplaced. He always looked perfect regardless, but you knew how he liked his hair, so you fixed it for him how he enjoyed it. It made him happy, so it made you happy.
“Do you need to stay here, Yuus? Or do you think we can make it back to bed?” you made sure to speak softly so as to not disturb his head as much as possible.
“I think I’ll be okay for now”, he kept his eyes closed as you guided him to his feet. You shuffled him out of the bathroom back into the bed. He was still a bit warm to the touch, but not as warm as earlier, strangely, but that was an improvement. You helped him into his boxers this time and tucked him back in, pulling the covers up to his red kissed nose. You pet his hair and placed 3 kisses on his forehead.
“I made you something that might make your tummy feel better and I have some medicine for you, too. I’ll be back in just a moment. Do you need me to bring you anything else”? You gave a small sweet smile to your sick companion and he turned to you.
“If you don’t mind, may I also have some milk?”
“Of course, love. Whatever you need, I can get it for you”.
Moving back into the kitchen you reheat the tea in the microwave. A glass of milk is poured as well. You grab a small plate and balance the tea, pills, and milk onto it and head back to the room where Yusei rested. The rain was still pouring down, still making the same tatter on the windowsill. Moving the picture of you, Jack and Yuusei further back, you place the tray on the bedside table. You gently stir him by lightly tapping his shoulder. His eyes open up and he gives you a small but promising smile.
“I feel a little bit better already”, he greets you and you assist him to sit up in bed.
“I brought you your milk as well as some warm tea and medicine”, you smile proudly as you look at your work. You take the milk and pills into your hands. “You need to take your medicine first though”. Handing him the milk and tylenol, you watch him take the pills into his mouth and use the milk to swallow it. His thighs peak through the blanket as he lifts himself to swallow the pills. You quickly cover them up so he doesn't get a chill. He finishes the last of the white milk and hands you the glass to put back onto the tray.
“And since you were good and took your medicine”, you lightly nudge him and he gives a small smile and nudges you back playfully, “now you can have some tea”.
He grabs the warm mug and puts it to his lips and takes a sip.
“This is really good. My throat needed something to soothe it after what happened earlier”. He looked down into the brown sweet liquid. His eyes were so soft; it looked like he could fall asleep again at any moment.
“You should lie down and rest again, love. You look really sleepy.”
“Yeah, thank you so much for this. Thank you for looking after me”. He handed the mug to you to put it onto the bedside table. He would have to finish it later.
“It's nothing… I don’t like that you feel sick. It’s only fair that I take care of you. You taught me best to take care of the people I love. So truly I should be thanking you, Yusei. Please, just rest. I’ll clean up and make some lunch.”
“You should lay with me for a little while”, he reaches for your hand and takes it in his.
You know that you have things to do for him, but also you wouldn’t mind being warm in bed with him. Setting an alarm on your phone for an hour and a half, you set it on the other night stand on the other side of the bed next to the lamp. You take off your clothes, throw them in the dirty clothes hamper, and climb into bed with him, letting him wrap you up in his arms. The scent of your hair makes him smile and nuzzle his face closer into you. You rest your head on his chest and your legs find comfort in entwining with his.
The subtle beat of his heart echoes into your ears and like a soft lullaby, hastening the encroachment of sleep unto you.
“No, (y/n). Thank you for truly being here for me”. You feel his hand stroke your hair, and in no time, with a smile on your face, you both drift into a soft peaceful sleep.