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A cold.
Yuji had a cold. A particularly bad one at that. So bad that he had to be put out of active duty for a week. Choso had been there all along. Of course he would never leave when his brother was in such a state.
It started out light, unnoticeable. Yuji sneezed here and there, a migraine from time to time. Choso brushed it off as a passing cold that he'd get over alone. But then-
But then Choso found him a couple of days ago feverish, barely able to stand on his feet and nose stuffy. He had walked in on his friends in the kitchen when Choso was watching him. Dizzy and swirling, he almost fell to the ground and had to be carried to his room.
That was when the jujutsu doctor diagnosed him with Flu. He was advised to stay in bed and food would be delivered to him along with medicine.
So here he was now, Choso watching tenderly as his little brother struggled to breathe in his sleep. He had made sure all the sorcerers were busy with missions so he wasn't too worried about getting caught, and Yuji was too much of a heavy sleeper to get awoken by the mere presence of Choso.
He ran his fingers through Yuji's soft hair, caressing his face in a comforting gesture. It was oddly warm. It felt like... Family. Not something that Choso was familiar with, at least not in the conventional manner. But being this close to Yuji, caring for him, it felt right. Like it was what he was supposed to do. That's what brothers do.
A small smile crept up his lips at the sight of Yuji's flushed cheeks. He wanted to squish them. They reminded him of soft clouds floating in a sunny June day. Everything about Yuji reminded Choso of the sun, his warm eyes and inviting smile. His genuine personality and kindness for others. Yuji was so open, ready to reach out to people and make connections, to help others. The sun really fit him as a description.
It might've been a silly thought, but perhaps Yuji's soft smile and welcoming eyes were brighter than the sun. For even the sun is far and untouchable, but Yuji is here, close and tangible. He would never burn, only warm others.
Yuji stirred, which awoke Choso from his wistful sentimentality. He sighed. This meant Yuji would awake soon from his fever dreams. It was always like this, a routine by now. Yuji would be asleep for most of the day, awake for only a few minutes at a time then asleep again. Repeat that three to four times. Choso wasn't going to complain though. His brother needed rest and he liked being physically close to him, not separated by a window.
He got up and turned to the night table that hosted the medicine. He poured the medicine that Yuji was supposed to take at this time in the respective glass and got the pills ready. Yes, he made a point to memorize Yuji's medicine routine. Those who came in to check on him often forgot to give him all his medicine and Yuji was too out of it to remember. If the sorcerers couldn't do their job correctly, Choso didn't need them. He would.
Yuji always took the medicine when Choso prepared it like that. He supposed that Yuji thought it was one of the workers here that had prepared it while he was asleep. It's okay. Choso didn't need credit. What mattered was Yuji's health and wellness. One day, Yuji would know it was him.
Finishing the medicine, he looked through the window. It was the middle of the day but no one was around. He would've noticed them. So he opened the window and slipped outside just as Yuji stirred again.
He spent the afternoon in the forest beside the school. Choso really liked green and seeing it made him happy. It reminded him of warmth and life, of Yuji, of everything that he wasn't. Because Choso was a curse, no matter how human he looked. His hands were cold. He wasn't even considered "alive".
He lay down on the soft grass, bathing in the warm sunlight against his cold skin and closed his eyes with a sigh.
If Yuji was the sun, Choso wouldn't even dare to compare himself to a moon. He was simply a black hole that swallowed everything, any form of life. If he came across something vivid and fragile, sparkling with life, it turned dull on his touch. Those hands were meant to take life away.
Kenjaku and his damned plans. He created him simply as part of an experiment. Choso was neither a human nor a curse. What was he? Would he forever be tattering on the edge of both worlds, too cursed to be human but not cursed enough? Ironic, that was a curse in and of itself.
He was always hesitant to touch Yuji. He couldn't take the life out of him. He couldn't break the very core of Yuji's soul, warm and bright. It would be unfixable and Choso would never forgive himself for it. His job was to watch longingly from afar, but sometimes, the loneliness got too much. Sometimes he needed to be with family. It was only rare moments in time where he allowed himself to get close enough to Yuji and actually touch him. In those moments, the vulnerability of the human life shined so clear in front of him, how Yuji was so human that it hurt, and he prayed with all that he had that he wouldn't break him, that he'd be able to keep Yuji forever by his side, no matter how wishful that was.
A flower was on the ground beside him. He turned to look at it. A pink daisy, its petals open and vibrant yet so vulnerable, easy to destroy. It reminded him of Yuji. It was just like Yuji really. It was beautiful, open and inviting and it needed all of his protection. Yuji needed all of his protection. Nothing would ever harm Yuji, not when he was here.
He reached out to the flower, caressing it's soft petals, before gently plucking it and bringing it to his nose. It smelled subtle, green and earthy, like an open meadow soaked in the sun. Beautiful in it's simplicity.
Before Choso could tell, time passed while he contemplated the beauty of the daisy for the first time in his life. He found himself standing up, flower in hand, when it was nearing early evening. The sun was barely in the sky, just enough to give that purply-orange shadow. He decided to visit Yuji again and see if he could get him anything.
Standing on the roof of the school dorms, he crouched to take a look inside his brother's room. He was asleep yet again and the medicine was taken. He smiled and was about to settle back in beside the window when he saw the coughs that wracked Yuji's body. He wasn't asleep, he was unconscious.
Choso got in and went to him. Yuji's coughs were violent, coming up one after the other and making him gasp for air. He gently put a hand on his forehead, grimacing when they touched. Yuji was burning hot. His fever had gotten the best of him.
But what could Choso do? He barely knew anything about human medicine but fever could be deadly, he knew that much. Should he wait for someone to check on Yuji? What if they don't and Yuji somehow got worse? He had no idea what to do and it's not like he could just ask for help.
He sighed. He couldn't really leave, no matter no matter how crazy or risky it was. He would just do his best until someone comes.
And so he did. He went to check the medicine. Earlier, he had memorized them by the shapes of the bottles. He actually had no idea what each one did separately. Choso cursed himself. He should've learnt to read and write, because now all the letters on the medicine bottles are nothing but weird scribbles to him. He didn't know if they had a cough soother, or a fever reliever.
Screw medicine. Yuji already took what he should for the day. Instead, he grabbed one of Yuji's tshirts and went to the bathroom-
Yuji didn't have a private bathroom. Oh God. He just needed some cool water. Why was it this hard?
He opened the door and peeked into the hallway. No one. Thankfully. He also didn't sense any cursed energy outside of their rooms. He took a step outside, heart thrumming loudly in his chest and went to look for the bathroom.
It was just down the hallway. He quickly soaked the shirt in water and practically ran back down the hallway, closing the door behind him. He let out a breath of relief. Back into safety. Safety.
Choso folded the t-shirt and placed it on Yuji's head. That should work to bring down his temperature.
Excess clothes were making Yuji drenched in sweat yet shivering, so as gentle as ever, Choso reached with hands that were almost trembling from the proximity. He pulled the red hoodie up and over Yuji's head, gentle as he could ever be not wake him up. He needed this. His brother was burning hot. He lay Yuji back down before putting back the makeshift compress on his forehead and folding the hoodie away. He covered Yuji with the blanket.
When he was done, Choso looked around the room. Yuji probably needed something to eat but he had nothing in his room but a kettle and a water bottle. Choso couldn't risk going to the kitchen area and be seen. He couldn't believe nobody had gone to check on sick Yuji all this time. Neglectful idiots.
He went to the kettle and the lonely teabag that sat beside it. At least Yuji could use some tea. He turned the kettle on and waited for it to reach a boil then poured it in the cup that had the picture of a blonde woman, a woman Yuji was obsessed with.
Choso set the tea on the bedside table along with the water bottle. Hydration is important. That was all he could do for now. Just watch from afar.
He leapt out the window and took a safe distance to watch from.
When Yuji woke up next, he found a hot cup of tea and a pink daisy on his night stand.