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Melt let out a loud groan as he came to his senses upon waking up, adjusting to the feeling of heaviness that had settled into his body seemingly overnight. That wasn’t normal, and it especially wasn’t normal how tight his chest felt either. He slowly raised his hand in a mock attempt at avoiding the inevitable and moved it under his bangs, pressing it against his forehead.
It didn’t take much after that to realize he was most likely running a fever.
Upon that realization, Melt groaned again, dropping his arm in defeat. He couldn’t even remember the last time he was sick, assuming this time around he was one of the unlucky ones who’d succumbed to seasonal influenza— or rather, a pain in the ass is what it should’ve been called, since he hated getting sick.
And it hadn’t always been like that, once upon a time ago Melt actually enjoyed being doted on by his worried parents when he fell ill, like any child would. Although those memories were fleeting and sparse, hazy flashbacks of sleeping in his parents bedroom littered his mind, from the times when he was still small enough to feel like the bed was about to swallow him whole, accompanied by homemade soup and brewed tea to help with his sinuses. The feeling of his mother’s cold hand pressed up against his forehead, alleviating some of the warmth from the fever.
The feeling of love.
Memories like that only chose to resurface as a reminder that things weren’t the same. That it had been years since Melt’s parents had truly been around, aside from stopping in for less than half of a day before taking off again, with promises of calling when they could spare the time to. As if that ever happened.
Melt hated getting sick now, because it meant he had to solely rely on his own abilities to nurse himself back to health. Meaning, staying in bed for most of the day with the smallest possibility of making himself some kind of instant ramen later on in the day. And that was only if he could stomach it, let alone stand for the few minutes it took to actually cook the damn thing. Otherwise he’d rely on some kind of delivery food service, but even then, did he really want anyone else to see him like this?
Well, maybe if it were a certain person, that would be okay, but Melt didn’t give it much thought.
Melt’s gaze drifted downward as he checked his phone, barely able to even make out the text under his several notifications, assuming they were from friends. Come to think of it, did he even have anything going on that day?
Chances were that he did, after all, these days he found his schedule more packed than it ever had been before, littered with modelling, acting and singing gigs, not to mention the plans he made to hang out with the friends he’d accumulated over the months that passed. Not that Melt was complaining, he’d always been used to a larger social circle, but in this instance, he actually had people he could rely on, could trust. And that was a foreign feeling, something he was still getting used to.
Such as the feeling of also having to adjust to being in a relationship— a real relationship. Not that Melt hadn’t dated when he was younger, but those days were filled with flings that barely made it to the end of the week, nothing even remotely close to being called love. When he’d changed he became more self-reserved, putting in more energy into bettering himself overall rather than trying to chase after girls who couldn’t give a shit about him.
Before, being in a relationship was a status quo of sorts, he’d get made fun of by his so-called friends if he didn’t have a partner. As if being in a relationship put those people above anyone else, that kind of mentality no longer made sense to the current Melt. He’d learned that love was a delicate thing, not to be thrown around just because he could. But that also scared him, because there was so much unknown to him. And he hated that being in a real relationship meant trial and error, meant figuring things out as they went along, and he couldn’t help but worry. Was he doing the right things, or even doing enough?
If there was one thing in the world he didn’t want to fuck up, it was his current relationship with Aqua. But things were fine as they stood, Melt knew that, and as he’d discussed with Aqua when they first started things, they’d figure it out as their relationship progressed, together.
However, in that moment, those kinds of anxiety-causing thoughts were far in the back of his mind, forgotten about in his current dilemma of being sick.
Melt figured he should at the very least notify his closest friends of his sickness, since disappearing off the radar without any notice wouldn’t go well in any circumstance. Melt squinted at his phone screen as he specifically chose to notify Aqua and Kana of his unfortunate predicament, as well as his manager, even if he wasn’t urgently scheduled for anything that day, the chances of him being sick for longer were likely without any proper care.
With how things were looking in his current state, Melt wouldn’t be with proper care anytime soon. As much as a part of him wanted to call upon Aqua to tend to his needs, he wouldn’t verbalize those thoughts. Melt knew Aqua had a packed schedule— he was always in demand as an actor, and even if they were in a relationship, it felt a little selfish to take Aqua away from his work, so he didn’t even bother.
The phone dropped from his grip and onto the pillow beside him with a gentle thud, and that was about as much Melt could muster to do before he felt himself slipping back into slumber, thoughts hazy and disoriented.
At least nobody would think he was dying, or something absurd like that.
Melt didn’t know how long he slept for, until he was disturbed by the sound of footsteps approaching him. Or maybe he was still dreaming, it was hard to tell, until he felt a hand on his shoulder that was definitely real. He shifted a bit before his eyes opened, blurry vision was enough to focus on the figure in front of him.
He blinked. Once, twice, and then through his sleepy state he realized it was Aqua. And he was confused, with several questions wanting to surface, but he somehow managed to keep himself in check by not bombarding the poor guy with a million questions.
“What—” Melt started, pausing for a moment to cough as he realized how dry his throat felt, his voice coming out in some kind of scratchy, hoarse mess, “Why are you.. how did you get inside?”
Aqua, who quirked his eyebrow ever-so-slightly in amusement, reached into his pocket to pull out a set of keys— specifically the spare set of keys Melt had given him when they’d gotten serious with each other, before deadpanning, “You said I could come and go as I pleased.”
“Okay, okay fine,” Right. Aqua was always right— Melt forgot that detail in his half-asleep state. He shifted more, moving to sit up in bed before continuing, “but what are you even doing here?”
“Is that really a question?” Aqua gestured towards the sad and pathetic state that Melt could only assume he was in, after all he hadn’t even made an attempt at getting out of bed, and he certainly hadn’t attempted to take control of his bedhead. “You can’t even take care of yourself right now.”
Melt wanted to retort in response, but any attempt at protesting fell upon deaf ears as Aqua moved away, leaving Melt to sulk in bed while he waited for his lover to return, trying to hide how happy he actually was to see that Aqua cared enough to show up to his aid, even when he wasn’t asked to. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside— a feeling that was all too common since they’d gotten together.
Aqua returned a few moments later, with what seemed to be a thermometer in one hand, as well as a bottle of water in the other. Melt reached out to grab the water bottle, but instead Aqua moved swiftly to place the thermometer in his mouth, despite his sounds of protest. Melt, who probably appeared to look like a frustrated child at the moment, crossed his arms and huffed, but made no attempt at removing the thermometer.
“I’m taking your temperature first, if you drink water it’ll skew the reading,” Aqua explained, and yeah, that did make sense, but Melt still kept his arms crossed in some kind of attempt at a protest against being taken care of. His gaze fell onto Aqua, because really, what else was he going to look at, before Aqua continued, “You haven’t taken any medication yet, have you?”
“No, I was planning on just sleeping it off..” Melt trailed off, discomfort biting at him from the thermometer under his tongue, making note of the brief surprised expression that crossed Aqua’s face, but before either of them could continue the conversation the thermometer beeped, signifying it was done taking the temperature.
“How did you even manage to get yourself so sick?” Aqua muttered as he removed the thermometer from under Melt’s tongue, staring down at it as he took in the results, almost as if the gears were turning in his head on what he was planning on doing next.
Melt wanted to retort back in response, but as he went to speak he was cut off by his own coughing fit, sending his body into a fit of shivers at the same time from a sudden cold flash. He threw his head back against the pillows and groaned, mostly in dramatic effect, letting the moment pass before he finally felt able to somewhat respond after his coughing fit finished, “I’m not that sick, really.”
Aqua gave Melt a blank stare, as usual, but his eyebrow raised ever-so slightly showed that he didn’t buy Melt’s excuse one bit. The way that his skin was paler than Aqua had ever seen it, or the way that Melt’s voice was raspier than ever from the rawness in his throat clearly showed that he was sick, and there was no denying that.
“Tell that to your fever.” Aqua stated plainly as he held up the thermometer, the number clearly reading 38 degrees.
There was no arguing against that.
Melt sighed and slumped more under the blankets, not wanting to meet Aqua’s gaze. He knew Aqua was right, but he wouldn’t admit to that. For whatever reason, he still had some sense of pride, which he absolutely did not need to keep in check when he was as sick as a dog.
Aqua finally offered Melt the water bottle, and after that he was gone again, disappearing into the depths of Melt’s house. Melt sighed as he drank from the bottle, wincing from the scratchy pain he felt in his throat upon swallowing.
With Aqua being gone for longer than a few moments, Melt was left with his own thoughts wandering. Mostly filled with thoughts of Aqua, wondering why he decided to show up unannounced. Was he that worried, or was it something else? Aqua had a tendency to silently do as he pleased, and Melt knew all too well he was better with showing things through actions over words.
Either way, in the end Aqua was there because he wanted to be there, not because Melt had asked him to come over. That made him feel loved, accompanied by those warm fuzzy feelings inside again.
Melt had found himself in and out of slumber again for the duration that Aqua was away doing whatever the hell he wanted— he had full reign over the house, after all, and Melt was in no condition to protest against that.
Aqua returned a few minutes later with a bowl in one hand, and something in the other hand that Melt couldn’t quite make out, setting both items on the nightstand by the bed. After pulling up a chair at Melt’s bedside, he reached over to grasp the bowl, presenting him with it.
Melt stared into the bowl, a confused expression spreading across his face. What he saw wasn’t anything close to the instant ramen he would’ve expected, instead there was some kind of miso broth in the bowl, garnished with cut green onions, something Melt knew he definitely didn’t have kicking around, considering he almost never bought produce, a waste of money since he really didn’t know how to prepare anything properly. “Did you.. make this yourself?”
“It’s not hard,” Aqua shrugged, as if it was the easiest thing in the world, which, maybe it was for someone who had basic knowledge of cooking, unlike Melt. “It’s just dashi powder and miso paste, really.”
“But that’s—” Melt furrowed his brow, both in frustration and confusion. “I know damn well I don’t have either of those laying around in my kitchen.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured,” Aqua dismissed Melt’s obvious confusion by pushing the bowl towards him, “It’ll get cold soon.”
“Fine, fine, thanks..” Melt accepted the meal begrudgingly, but internally he couldn’t get over the happiness he felt. Not only did Aqua go out of his way to come visit in person, but he also brought over ingredients to prepare a homemade meal.
And it was exactly the kind of meal he needed, light on the stomach but still with enough nutrients for him to get by with— Aqua, full of random tidbits of facts as always, had to point out that miso was a fermented food, and fermented foods helped somehow to improve the body’s immune response. In the back of his mind, Melt made note of that for the next time he got sick.
Melt settled back under the blankets once he was done, but not before Aqua offered him some kind of cold medicine in a tiny, plastic cup. So that was the other thing he’d brought in when he returned. Begrudgingly, he accepted the medicine and took it, sputtering from the artificial cherry flavor— the worst kind, lingering on his taste buds and overstaying its welcome.
Aqua, who seemed ever so slightly amused by Melt’s reaction to the medicine, collected both the plastic cup and bowl from the soup, retreating to what Melt could only assume was the kitchen. He returned momentarily, taking his place at Melt’s bedside once again.
Melt felt the warmth from the blankets wanting to pull him into a deep sleep, combined with the cold medicine, he was soon to be knocked out and fast asleep, which was what his body needed. He shifted, laying on his side to gaze up at Aqua, wondering if he should speak up about his thoughts or not. It might’ve just been his sleep-ridden brain, but he thought it was a great idea for Aqua to join him in bed.
And he debated that internally for a few moments, unsure if he should verbalize those wants or not. Aqua wasn’t one who showed a lot of physical affection unless Melt made the first move, and that was fine, that’s just the kind of person he was, and Melt wouldn’t change that for the world. On the other hand though, it wasn’t like he’d been begging Aqua to take care of him all day, he came by on his own accord, so wouldn’t it be alright to make a selfish request, just once?
In the end, Melt decided to speak up, “Aqua?”
Aqua, who’d pulled out some kind of book on sea life in the meantime, assuming he was going to settle in for a few hours as Melt rested, glanced over at him, “What is it?”
“I have a.. request,” Melt bit his lower lip as he thought, silently cursing himself out for speaking up, putting him into a position where he couldn’t exactly back out. He didn’t know what exactly urged him to continue speaking, blaming it on the effects of the medicine trying to lull him into sleep while he resisted, “Will you hear me out?”
Aqua fell silent for a moment, probably thinking to himself what to respond with, his expression not really offering any insight into what was going on inside of that head of his, “Only if it’s something that will help you feel better.”
That response caught Melt off guard, but he continued pushing onward, since Aqua wanted to hear him out. And yeah, maybe what he wanted wouldn’t help with his physical symptoms, but it would sure help to ease some of the anxieties that lingered in the back of his mind.
“It is,” Melt paused as he thought, and somehow he managed to have a half reasonable thought despite everything in his current state, “Actually, nevermind, I don’t want you to get sick.”
Which was the truth, Melt would feel awful if he passed his illness onto Aqua, even if it were just nothing more than a cold. That was part of the reason why he hadn’t asked Aqua to come over in the first place, yet he still showed up anyway.
“Melt,” Aqua started, giving him a look. “I’ve been around you all day, if I get sick then it’s not a big deal.”
And that was a fair point, too, Melt figured. It wouldn’t make sense to help take care of someone if the caretaker wasn’t willing to put themselves at risk either.
“Right,” Melt looked awkward as he thought about what to say. But he knew it was too late to steer the conversation away, so he decided to double down and go all in, “I.. I was going to ask you to lay in bed with me.”
“How is that going to help you feel better?” Aqua questioned, a response that partially frustrated Melt, because it gave no insight into how the other felt about the request. Aqua was always doing things like that, it seemed.
“You don’t have to do it if you’re not comfortable,” Melt, on purpose, completely ignored Aqua’s question.
“You’re ignoring the question,” Aqua retorted back before continuing, “How is that going to help you feel better?”
“I don’t know, just.. the presence of knowing there’s someone beside me helps relieve some of my anxiety, I guess?” And there it was, Melt laying part of his heart out in the open for Aqua to see, a part of him feeling worried about being judged, but even then that didn’t make sense, they were in a relationship, doing things like that was normal.
Aqua looked at Melt like he didn’t really understand, silently urging Melt to add on to his sentence, which he did, “It’s just nice having someone actually care about my wellbeing. It’s.. been a while since that happened.”
That seemed to be enough for Aqua to understand what he meant.
After double checking that Melt didn’t need anything else, Aqua crawled into bed beside Melt, laying on the other side of him under the blanket. Worries momentarily occupied Melt’s mind, thoughts of taking up too much of the bed or getting too close to the other lingered, until they slowly retreated into the back of his mind, replaced instead with focusing on the warmth radiating from Aqua’s body, warmth Melt wanted to move closer to.
So he did, shifting closer to Aqua, his fingertips gently brushed over his hand, a request for something physical. And Aqua laced his fingers with Melt’s in a silent understanding, his head turning to make eye contact, “If you get me sick, you won’t be hearing the end of it.”
“Don’t worry!” Melt beamed, despite the sickness he was fighting off he could still smile. He’d blame Aqua for that one, “If you get sick, I’ll take care of you!”
Melt spoke as if he fully believed in his ability to care for the other, but Aqua gave him a blank stare in return, as if he didn’t believe his claim, which was fair, all things considered. “You can’t even take care of yourself half of the time. I had to come over and take care of you.”
“That’s not important,” Melt felt his cheeks grow warmer, and not from the fever. But Aqua didn’t need to know that, “it’s the thought that counts!”
Aqua looked as if he wanted to retort back in response, but instead he smiled, just ever so slightly, but it was enough for Melt to notice. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Melt gave a soft hum in response, shifting closer to Aqua, his head finding its place on his chest. He was tired of fighting off the urge to sleep, finally giving in after he couldn’t hold out any longer. He felt Aqua’s arms move around him, holding him in a gentle embrace as he drifted into a deep slumber, anxious thoughts replaced with ones full of the wholehearted feeling of being loved, of being taken care of.