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The last thing Aira needed that morning was a certain someone on top of him.
“Aira! Are you okay?!”
To be specific, that someone was Aira’s redheaded, way-too-energetic unit leader and boyfriend Hiiro Amagi, who was currently practically sitting on him and yelling way too close to his face. He winced as his voice pierced through his skull, amplifying the killer ache mulling inside his head.
Talk about top ten ways to wake up your partner. For Christ’s sake…
“Aira!”
He groaned. Hiiro’s strong hands were firmly gripping his shoulders as he incessantly shook him back and forth, as if he hadn’t yet realized that he was very much awake, and definitely didn’t know that he was actively making Aira’s headache worse. He weakly reached up to push his hands against Hiiro’s chest as hard as his limp arms would let him; as expected, he didn't move an inch.
Curse everything… I’m even weaker to Hiro-kun-syndrome than normal!
“Hiro-kunnnnnnn,” Aira grumbled, finally mustering up enough energy to speak, voice groggy and slurred. “Get off me…”
“Ah!”
At last, the shaking stopped.
“You’re awake!”
Well, duh.
Aira rubbed his eyes, finally given the chance to make sense of his surroundings. There a mere few inches in front of him was Hiiro’s face, eyebrows tightly knit and bright blue eyes staring intently into Aira’s own, darting back and forth as if searching for a hint of what was wrong.
He drew in a deep breath. Dealing with him first thing in the morning was never the ideal, but, well… He supposed he could make an exception this time.
“Hiro-kun,” He drawled, staggering to push himself up to prop up his upper body with his forearms and look at Hiiro properly, “What in the world are you doing here?”
“Tenshouin-senpai sent me a message on Hold-Hands, so I came as quickly as I could.” Hiiro followed his movements, slowly sitting up while keeping his hands firmly planted on Aira’s shoulders. “He told me that you’re excused from idol activities until further notice, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Ah…”
He winced at a sudden throb in his head.
Right… Tenshouin-senpai.
The previous night had been a blur, but Aira was pretty sure he remembered him and Sakuma-senpai scrambling to his side as soon as they had heard him wake up in a coughing fit in the middle of the night.
He glanced to his bedside table to his right. There lay a small basket of cough drops, tissues, and various convenience store sweets and drinks. Placed on top of the pile was a small note, written in two eloquent-looking types of handwriting:
“Feel better soon, Shiratori-kun”
“Take care”
Seeing the carefully arranged basket had memories flowing back into his brain: Sakuma-senpai’s hand on his forehead, a warm cup of Tenshouin-senpai’s tea in his hands… How embarrassing. He’d have to thank them properly another time for making them go through the trouble of coddling him like a helpless child.
Aira sighed, flopping back into his pillows. He reached up to peel Hiiro’s wrists off of his shoulders, the older boy silently complying. He couldn’t remember the last time he was sick, but it definitely wasn’t this much of a hassle.
Even just the fact that he had managed to get sick was embarrassing in itself. Out of all the times his body decided to give up on him, of course it had to be when preparations for winter lives were at an all-time high… He had always thought his immune system was pretty much invincible, but maybe those late nights of cram studying and live-watching marathons were finally catching up to him. Just thinking about the number of make-up exams and extra practice sessions he’d have to do made his head throb even harder.
“This sucks…”
“Aira…”
Hiiro’s voice floated down to him, much more gentle than before. Aira weakly opened his eyes halfway, just enough to see Hiiro hovering over him once again, this time with his arms pinned to the mattress at both of his sides.
“What happened…?”
Aira reached up to cover his eyes with the back of his hands, drawing in a deep breath.
“It’s… nothing. I think I’ve just been overworking myself recently and caught a cold. It’s not too bad…”
As if on cue, a sudden itch rose in the back of Aira’s throat. He quickly turned away from Hiiro, covering his mouth with the crook of his arm as he succumbed to a coughing fit. Behind him, he heard Hiiro let out a surprised noise before he felt his hand on his shoulder again; Aira swatted at him with his free arm.
Geez, how pushy can Hiro-kun get?!
“Ughhh…”
“Aira?!”
Slowly rolling back over and hoisting himself into a sitting position, Aira sheepishly grinned as he met Hiiro’s eyes again, whose face was twisted into an even more frantic expression than before. Only now does he realize that Hiiro was still clad in his pajamas, his hair messy and feet bare.
“Are you sure this isn’t serious?” Hiiro started, leaning his face closer to Aira’s with every word. “That sounded bad. A severe cough like that could mean a lung disease, you know. I could take you to the hospital-”
“Hiro-kun, I said it’s fi-”
“-and I’m sure ES will find a way to cover the expenses, so don’t worry about that part. It could be beneficial to get a quick check-up, just to be certain that it isn’t a severe illness. Oh, wait, I completely forgot to check your temperature! Here-”
“Hiro-kun!”
Hiiro froze with his mouth half open, palm on Aira’s forehead.
“Quiet down a little, will you? I have neighbors…!”
Aira grabbed his hand, lowering it to his lap. Hiiro closed his mouth, giving him a curt nod before silently shuffling his legs back over the side of the bed and looking at him expectantly from a much more reluctant but respectful distance.
“Geez, Hiro-kun. You’re acting like I’m gonna die or something…” He muffled another small cough with the back of his free hand, brushing his other thumb over the back of Hiiro’s hand. “Freaking out isn’t gonna help at all. Plus, you can’t get so close to me. You’ll get sick too, y’know?”
“But-”
Aira held up a finger to his lips and shot Hiiro a look.
“...Sorry.”
Sinking back into his pillows, Aira heaved a sigh.
“You also came over without even wearing a mask or anything… seriously, you’ve gotta take better care of yourself.” He pulled Hiiro’s hand closer, laying it on top of the blanket over his chest.
“Umu.”
“Hm?”
“I think you’re the one who needs taking care of, Aira…”
“S-shut it! You get what I mean!”
Aira grumbled, pulling his blanket up to cover his face, leaving only his eyes sticking out. For the first time that morning, Hiiro stifled a giggle.
“You act the same even when you’re sick, huh?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!”
“I mean when you get all red and cover your face, and tell me to be quiet… Fufu. Aira’s as cute as he always is~”
Aira flushed.
He reached to his side to pick up a spare pillow and swung it at Hiiro’s head. It hit with a satisfying pomf.
“And you’re the same as always! Ugh, quit teasing me…!”
Hiiro laughed, wrapping his arms around the pillow before Aira could snatch it back.
“Sorry, sorry. I’m just glad you’re your usual self.”
He leaned in, pillow still tightly clutched against his chest.
“Though, your face is extra red today. You almost look like a tomato, Aira.”
“I have a fever…!”
“I said it’s cute!”
“Shut uppp…”
Aira pulled the blanket all the way up over his head. The nerve Hiiro had, making fun of him even when he was sick! And the nerve his heart had, to get embarrassed all the same!
He seethed under the covers, trying to calm his stupid racing heart, when suddenly he felt a familiar weight on top of him.
Tentatively, he peeled the blanket away from his eyes.
Just as he expected, there again was Hiiro’s face, a mere few inches away from him like before.
But, this time, the pillow Aira had thrown earlier was now sandwiched between them, Hiiro’s head barely peeking out over the top to meet Aira’s eyes. Aira’s breath caught in his throat.
Did he already forget what I told him earlier?! What is he-
Before he could open his mouth to speak, Hiiro leaned in even closer, sweeping Aira’s sweaty bangs to the side before pressing a kiss to his burning forehead.
And just like that, tomato Aira was back.
Hiiro broke after a few seconds, pulling away with a warm grin blooming across his face and a faint twinkle in his eye. He tucked a few stray strands of Aira’s hair behind his ears, running his fingers gently along his scalp.
“Feel better soon, Aira.”
He had thought he’d gotten used to this kind of thing from Hiiro by now, but Aira found that all he could manage to do was stare, mouth half-open, back at Hiiro’s cute, cute face that was now flushed with a subtle red dusted over his cheeks.
Hiiro moved his hands down to cup Aira’s face, brushing his thumbs gently over his cheeks without saying a word. Aira took a deep breath, attempting to settle into the subtle rhythm Hiiro had set.
His hands are so warm...
He closed his eyes, ready to lean into his touch, when-
“Ah-!”
Hiiro suddenly started, pulling himself and the pillow away from Aira’s body. Aira’s eyes shot open.
“Let me get you some water! You’re burning up…”
“Wai-”
Before Aira could say anything more, he had already gotten up and scrambled to the kitchen.
Listening to the sink run in the distance, Aira pushed the blanket completely off of his upper body and let his arms fall onto the mattress, sprawled out to both sides. He heaved a deep sigh. He was already sweaty before, but all of that just now had made him lightheaded, too. He let his eyelids fall shut, allowing the darkness and long-awaited personal space to wash over him like a cool breeze.
That Hiro-kun…
Hasty but muffled footsteps broke Aira’s moment of peace as Hiiro returned to his side with a clear bowl of water in his hands and one of Aira’s small towels slung over his forearm.
Just what am I going to do with him?
“Wait just a second, Aira.”
Aira nodded weakly as Hiiro placed the bowl down on his bedside table, watching as he carefully dipped the towel into the water before taking it out and wringing it out tightly. He then knelt down on the floor next to Aira’s head, folding the towel in half and lifting his free hand to Aira’s forehead once more.
“I’ll put it right here, okay?”
He closed his eyes obediently as Hiiro gently brushed his bangs backwards before placing the cool towel over his exposed skin. He drew in a deep breath. It felt nice, refreshing. Just what he needed.
“Is that better?”
He opened his eyes. Hiiro was leaning with one of his elbows on the bed, head propped up in earnest. He took Aira’s right hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. Aira squeezed back in response, expression relaxing into a weak grin.
“Yeah, much better. Thank you, Hiro-kun.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
Hiiro met his gaze, smiling that sweet, sweet smile of his for a few moments longer before letting go of his hand to reach down for something on the floor next to him.
“Also… I had nearly forgotten earlier, but I brought you a bento and some snacks since you won’t be able to go out to eat by yourself.” He placed a box wrapped in cutely-patterned fabric on his bedside table, pushing aside the basket and bowl of water aside to make room. “Please don’t forget to eat. I know it’s difficult to have an appetite when you’re sick, but it’s important to do so in order to get better.”
Aira’s chest swelled.
“There’s a bottle of water and some sweet tea in here, too. Staying hydrated is important as well.”
“Hiro-kun, how did you put all of this together so quickly?”
“Hm? Oh,” Hiiro chuckled. “Well, as soon as Tenshouin-senpai texted me this morning, I told Shiina-san and Hinata-kun and they immediately began helping me out. They looked as panicked as I was. It was Shiina-san’s idea for the bento, actually, and Hinata-kun gave me a lot of his sweets that he keeps in our room. ”
“Hiro-kun…”
“It was impressive how quickly Shiina-san managed to put together the bento. He even remembered that strawberries are your favorite fruit. Honestly, I really didn’t do that much…”
“No, it’s… it’s more than enough, really.”
He reached a hand up to cup Hiiro’s face, stopping him amidst his shuffling and turning him to look him in the eye.
“Thank you so much, Hiro-kun. It means a lot to me.”
Hiiro blinked, as if only then realizing what he was saying, before his gaze softened once again.
“Like I said, Aira. It’s my pleasure.”
Moving to stand up, he took Aira’s hand off of his face and, after a brief hesitation, pressed his lips to the back of it in one last chaste kiss. Aira giggled as he felt him smile against his skin.
“Mayoi-senpai might get worried if I don’t meet him for breakfast soon, so I’ll see you later, alright?” Hiiro squeezed Aira’s hand one last time. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll miss you, Aira.”
“I’m only gonna be gone for, like, a day!”
“That’s a long time…”
Aira giggled. “Gosh, just go already! Like you said, Mayo-san’s gonna start freaking out soon. Don’t worry about me anymore.” He shooed Hiiro away with one hand, muffling a small cough into his blanket.
Hiiro smiled at him one last time before slinging his practice bag over his shoulder and slipping out the door, closing it slowly with a small click.
Aira stared at the closed door for a few moments longer before sighing, turning on his side with his back facing the door. Finally, finally he could enjoy some peace and quiet. He’d have to nag at Hiiro some other time for tackling him like that first thing in the morning, and definitely for getting all up in his face when he was sick… gosh, he wouldn’t be surprised if Hiiro woke up as the sick one tomorrow.
Even going so far as kissing him… Aira thanked his lucky stars that it wasn’t on the lips. At least this time.
Well… despite everything, he couldn’t exactly bring himself to be angry. He turned over his shoulder and glanced back at his bedside table, piled high with tissues, cough drops, and of course Hiiro’s many ministrations.
With one last sigh and a smile ghosting his lips, he turned back on his side and closed his eyes, hoping that the next time he woke up wouldn’t be because of a certain someone.