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Yosuke looked at the mirror again, trying to fix his hair. He liked it shorter nowadays, but he didn't know why it always seemed to tangle by doing nothing. He had to look good for his date with Yu. Sure, they have been dating for a while, but he still got butterflies in the pit of his stomach from the anticipation of meeting with him, even now that he's way past his high school crush. Sometimes he felt like Yu had put a spell on him. He brushed his hair again to get it just right when, suddenly, his phone buzzed with a new message from Yu. He thought it would be the typical message notifying that he was ready, so his eyes widened upon reading it closely.
“Yosuke, I have a fever. Sorry, we'll have to cancel :(”
Yosuke blinked. A cold had been going around Inaba lately, and it hit most of the former Investigation Team. First, it was Chie. Then, it was Yukiko. Even Yosuke caught it last week, but it didn't last long. He thought Yu might have been lucky to avoid it, but guess sometimes even his luck can fail. He immediately typed back, asking Yu how long he's been feeling like that. Yosuke's cold had been mild, so he didn't expect Yu to get a fever so suddenly. Yu replied by saying that he had a small cold yesterday, but it wasn't that big of a deal until he woke up feeling like he'd gotten run over. Yosuke's brow furrowed in mild concern, but then, a spark flashed in his eyes as he typed back.
“I'll go to ur place, wait for me”
He didn't wait to read Yu's response as he went out of his house.
Now standing in front of the Dojima residence, Yosuke's butterflies intensified. He'd never seen Yu sick before, and he didn't know if he should let him rest instead of bothering him all afternoon. Then again, he was his boyfriend, and this is what good boyfriends do, right? He felt his palms sweat as he pressed the doorbell and some muffled footsteps reached his ears. When the door opened, Nanako’s head peeked through.
“Yosuke! I knew you would come,” she greeted with a bright smile. Before Yosuke could address that, Nanako left the door open as she went to the kitchen. “Dad, Yosuke is here!”
“Um, sorry to intrude,” Yosuke took off his shoes and stepped inside, a bit embarrassed, as Dojima looked at him.
“Guess it was to be expected for you to come,” he said, and Yosuke's cheeks flushed. He wasn't completely used to his relationship with Yu being known by everyone yet. He still remembered the look on Dojima's face when they decided to tell him back in high school. Chie insisted that everyone's surprise came from discovering Yosuke could score someone in the first place. “And just at the right time. You can take this to him.”
Yosuke looked at the mug that Dojima placed on the counter. It seemed to be a type of tea.
“It's a homemade recipe, that fever will come down in no time,” he explained, and Nanako stood up on the chair next to the counter.
“Tell big bro to drink it all!”
“Sure, I will,” Yosuke smiled sheepishly, grabbing the mug. “Do you think he's asleep?”
“Probably not, I heard him cough some minutes ago,” Nanako said, looking at the stairs. “If you give him a true love's kiss, he might get better quickly.”
This made the heat rise from Yosuke's face to the top of his ears. Dojima only chuckled, focusing on washing the plates left from lunch.
“You really should stop reading those romantic fairytale books,” Dojima told her, and Nanako only looked at Yosuke with a bright smile. Well, at least someone trusted Yosuke's scoring skills.
“Okay, I'll go up now,” Yosuke said and ruffled Nanako's hair before going up the stairs, trying to calm down his stupid blush. Sometimes he felt like a teenager.
He softly knocked on the door and placed an ear close to listen inside.
“Come in.”
Yosuke opened it and the first thing he did was look at Yu. He was expecting a mild cold, but he quickly found out that would be an understatement. He looked pretty bad, with bags under his eyes, his nose red and irritated, his body sweaty and his cheeks flushed from the fever. Still, when Yu looked at Yosuke, a smile brightened his face, making Yosuke's butterflies come back.
“Hey,” he spoke up, his voice rough.
“Hey,” Yosuke closed the door and placed the mug on the table as he walked towards his boyfriend, who was laying down on the bed with a duvet covering him up to his neck. Yosuke noted the pile of tissues that was beginning to form in the wastebasket. He grabbed a chair and pulled it closer to the bed to sit on it. “Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to look this bad. No offense.”
Yu chuckled, which only made him muffle some coughs against his duvet.
“None taken, I know I'm not the sexiest person right now,” he sat up slowly, his arms trembling from the effort. Yosuke placed a hand on his back to help him.
“Woah, take it easy,” he said softly, helping him sit down properly. He didn't miss the shiver that ran through Yu's torso. “Looks like your amazing immune system isn't invincible after all.”
Yu smiled, rubbing his nose with a hand. “I guess it was bound to happen, I swear I see someone sneeze or cough repeatedly every time I go out.”
“It doesn't help that we've all been sick, too,” Yosuke brushed a strand of hair away from Yu's sweaty face.
“You really didn't have to come, you know. What if you get sick again?”
“I already caught this, so I can't catch it again, right?” Yosuke smirked, looking pretty confident in his words.
“I don't think it works like that, but let's trust you,” he sniffled thickly, his nose blocked. Yosuke suppressed a wince as Yu turned away, muffling a series of irritated coughs into his duvet.
“Jeez, I wonder how it got this bad. I mean, you remember my cold last week. I pretty much just slept it off,” he rubbed Yu's back as he recovered from the coughing. “How do you feel?”
“Well, I'm coughing, my body hurts, my voice sounds like an old man's, and…” He trailed off, his gaze unfocused. Yosuke raised an eyebrow, but he soon understood what would happen when he saw Yu grab a tissue from the pack on the nightstand as his breath hitched. His eyes closed and he buried his nose into the paper, turning away from Yosuke. “Hh’tSHhh! ’kSHhuh! Hehh— eiksHhhn!”
Yosuke saw his shoulders tremble slightly with each soft sneeze. He had to admit he's always found Yu's sneezes kinda cute. They were small and unobtrusive, and they also tend to come in fits. It was a stark contrast to Yosuke's sneezes, which were usually loud enough to draw attention. After the fit subsided, Yu let out a congested sigh and sniffled.
“And you're sneezing,” Yosuke finished for him, smiling.
“A lot, yeah,” Yu crumbled the tissue and threw it into the wastebasket. “At this point I might sneeze a piece of my brain out.”
“Dude, gross!” Yosuke exclaimed, making Yu give a raspy laugh. “Seriously, if I didn't know you, I'd say you're completely healthy.”
“Hmm, maybe I'm not actually sick and this is all a plan to get you in my room.”
Yosuke averted his gaze, knowing his cheeks were giving him away. He would never be able to keep a straight face when Yu smiled at him like that, even when he was sick.
“Seems to be working,” he huffed, gaining an amused stare from Yu. Then his eyes widened as he remembered the mug. “Oh, right. Dojima made some tea for you.”
Yosuke stood up to grab the warm mug from the table, blowing softly to try and cool it a bit. He sat back on the chair while handing his boyfriend the tea.
“Nanako says you should drink it all.”
“Thanks,” Yu smiled and grabbed it. That's when Yosuke noticed how shaky his hands were, and suddenly, Yu spilled a bit of tea on the bed. He clicked his tongue. “Ugh, shit.”
“Okay, wait,” Yosuke cupped his hands around his boyfriend's, warming him up and steadying his grip on the mug. "Here, let me help you."
Yosuke carefully guided the mug to Yu's lips, tilting it slightly to allow him to take small sips. Yu's eyes met Yosuke's, filled with gratitude. Yosuke gulped, a feeling of tenderness blooming in his chest. He didn't know giving Yu tea like this would make him fall more for him, but here they were. When Yu gulped a bit more, he grimaced, making Yosuke raise an eyebrow.
“It's not good?”
“It's certainly… medicine,” he said plainly, gaining a laugh from Yosuke.
“The worse it tastes, the better it will work,” Yosuke assured, helping Yu take another gulp of Dojima's concoction. He could hear Yu sniffle more frequently and wetly, and he assumed the steam was making his nose tickle a bit. When Yu finally took the last gulp, he sighed. “There, Nanako will be proud of you.”
Yu rubbed his nose. “Are you proud, too?” He asked, his eyes resembling those of a puppy. Yosuke rolled his eyes.
“Jeez, yeah, I'm proud too," Yosuke chuckled, feeling his cheeks warm up. He set the empty mug aside and reached out to brush Yu's bangs from his forehead. "You always know how to get the answer you're looking for, don't you?”
“I have my ways,” Yu closed his eyes, enjoying the contact of Yosuke's hand against his warm skin. “Mmm, you're cold…”
“And you're pretty warm, man. I hope the fever isn't going up,” Yosuke murmured, gently placing his palm on Yu's forehead. The heat radiating from his skin was concerning, and Yosuke couldn't help but frown slightly. "Maybe I should get you a damp cloth. Do you have, like, a towel or something?”
Yu nodded and took a small towel from under his duvet. “Nanako placed it on my forehead earlier, but I think it's mostly dry now.”
“Perfect,” Yosuke grabbed it and stood up, making his way to the small bathroom in Yu's room. “I'll just wet it a bit. I'll be back!”
Yu waved at him teasingly as Yosuke entered the bathroom and opened the washbasin. He wet his hand first, then tapped it on the damp cloth. He repeated the action a few times as he heard Yu cough softly, then sniffle. After this, he recognized the sound of him taking a tissue from the box and he knew what would happen.
“Hehh—” Yu took in a ticklish breath, followed by the sound of his nose being covered by the tissue. “Hh’ksHuh!”
“Bless you,” Yosuke said from the bathroom, though he knew Yu wasn't done yet. Just like he expected, another breath was heard.
“ih’kShh! Hh—kSHhuh!” Two more sneezes, then a gurgling nose blow. Yosuke couldn't help but smile to himself as he finished dampening the cloth. When he went back to the room, he found Yu gearing up for another sneeze, the lower half of his face covered by the tissue and his brows furrowed in ticklish need. “h’ksHhh! …iksHhh!”
“Bless you again,” Yosuke chuckled. Yu got rid of the tissue and rubbed his irritated nose.
“Thanks. You'll definitely get tired of saying that today.”
“Is that a challenge?” Yosuke shot back, making Yu's smile warm up. “Here, let me put this on your forehead." He gently put Yu's bangs aside and placed the damp cloth on his forehead, watching as his eyes fluttered closed at the cool sensation. "How's that feel?"
“Amazing,” he sighed, sniffling. Yosuke stifled a laugh at the way Yu leaned forward, almost resembling a cat receiving pats. He placed the towel on Yu's flushed cheeks next, then his neck, then his clavicles. When he did the latter, Yu's torso shivered and Yosuke retracted the towel.
“Sorry, was it too cold?” He asked, but Yu shook his head.
“Don’t worry, I'm just sensitive right now,” Yu grabbed Yosuke's arm to place the towel on his forehead again. “This feels good...”
“I'm glad,” Yosuke smiled. He was honestly happy at the fact that Yu seemed to be enjoying his care right now. He wasn't used to taking care of people, and despite knowing Yu wouldn't mind it if he messed something up, he didn't want to end up feeling like an idiot. When the towel started to warm up, Yosuke took it away from his boyfriend's forehead, who made a disappointed sound in response. “I'll cool it again later, ‘kay?”
Yu's eyes were starting to droop, and Yosuke could see the fatigue settling in. He gently squeezed Yu's hand, offering a comforting smile. "Hey, why don't you try to get some rest? Looks like you need it."
“No, I don't want to sleep,” Yu shook his head, rubbing his nose. When his breath hitched and his nostrils flared, he turned slightly away to press his nose against his wrist. “Hngxt! snf— I want to do something.”
“What? But you're sick, what can you do except rest?”
“Well…” Yu sniffled, which triggered another tickle at the back of his sensitive nose. “HhkxT! We could watch a movie, now that you're here. Isn't this a date?”
“Wha— this isn't a date, you can't even stand up from your bed!” Yosuke said, incredulous. Then, Yu pinched his nose shut as he lowered his head, another small, contained ‘nkT!’ making itself known. Yosuke shot him a disapproving look. “Also, stop doing that.”
“Snf— do what, sneezing?” he asked, his voice thick and congested. Yosuke rolled his eyes.
“No— I mean, yeah, but the… weird stifle thing,” Yosuke gestured vaguely toward his own nose to mimic Yu pinching it shut. He knew Yu would sometimes stifle his sneezes on a normal day, which was more of a habit than anything else. “You'll give yourself a migraine.”
Yu snickered, his teasing unwavering despite his sickness. Yosuke found it surprising how much energy he seemed to have when he should be sleeping all week straight.
“You sound like a mom,” he teased, and Yosuke blushed a bit. He was going to answer, but then, Yu pressed a knuckle against a nostril, the itch bothering him again. “Hehh—”
“Don't stifle, or I'll make you regret it," Yosuke threatened playfully, his eyes narrowing in mock seriousness. Yu's eyes widened slightly at the threat, a mix of amusement flickering across his face. Unable to hold back any longer, Yu's breath hitched again as he prepared for the inevitable sneeze.
“Can you pass me a—hHH!” His breath hitched while he gestured towards the tissue box, proceeding to bury his nose into the crook of his elbow just when Yosuke understood what he wanted. “—ishH! Heh’ksHhh! kshhHuh!”
Yosuke saw his body tremble with each soft expulsion that seemed to take a lot out of him. His nose remained buried into the fabric, and Yosuke could note every twitch and flare of his nostrils while the relentless tickle controlled him. Yosuke grabbed a tissue from the box and raised his hand.
“Sneeze here, that way you won't—”
“Hehh—kshHh!” Whatever Yosuke was going to say got interrupted by Yu sneezing into the tissue in his hand. Yosuke's eyes widened as he felt Yu’s warm breath against the tissue, and he took in another breath. “ikshHh! Hh’tsHhhu!”
“Bless you, bless you,” Yosuke said, his voice filled with concern and a hint of amusement. He gently wiped Yu's nose with the tissue, careful not to irritate it further. He'd never cleaned someone's nose like this before, and now that he'd done it to Yu, he found it cute in its own way. It felt like they trusted each other enough to do something like that. "Man, that's like… the tenth time you've sneezed since I came here. You okay?"
“Yeah, I'm just…” Yu rubbed his nose against the tissue Yosuke was holding, the contact tickling his sensitive sinuses. “Hh’tsHhh! I'm just sneezy. You should've seen me this morning.”
Yosuke couldn't help but chuckle at Yu's words, imagining him sneezing his way through the morning. He got rid of the tissue before he gently rubbed Yu's back, feeling the warmth radiating through his shirt. "I can imagine," Yosuke teased. "I bet you looked cute.”
“If having too much mucus come out of your nose with every sneeze is cute, then yeah, I was adorable,” Yu laughed stuffily.
“Okay, whatever. I don't want to hear you complain about me not giving you compliments.”
“Fine. I'm sorry, will you forgive me?” Yu asked in a dramatic tone as he grabbed another tissue and blew his nose harshly into it.
“I'll think about it,” Yosuke smiled at the sight of his boyfriend with his nose red and irritated. He looked like a copy of one of those cartoons they would have on health advertisements to represent sick people. “So, do you want to rest or will you still insist on this being a date?”
“This is a date,” Yu crossed his arms. “I think every instance of you and I meeting in a place counts as a date.”
“And I think that definition might be too general,” Yosuke argued. “Would you think you and I meeting in a funeral also counts as a date?”
“Let's go watch a movie,” Yu insisted, wrapping the duvet around his shoulders.
He tried to stand up, but his legs felt like jelly and they wavered as soon as his feet touched the cold floor. Yosuke was at his side in a second, placing Yu's arm around his shoulders to stabilize him.
“Fine, you win,” Yosuke sighs, balancing Yu. “But I won't let you stand up again, got it?”
“What if I want to piss?”
“Except for the bathroom,” Yosuke clarified, starting to walk next to Yu. His body felt heavy and shivery, but Yosuke managed to keep their balance until they reached the couch. He helped Yu sit there as softly as he could. “All comfortable?”
“Yeah, thanks,” he smiled warmly, his body still shivering a bit. Yosuke didn't miss it.
“Are you cold?”
“I'm just acclimatizing, I spent too much time on that bed,” he coughed against his duvet, the sound raspy and irritated.
“I'll go get you some water, though. You sound like you're eating gravel.”
Yu chuckled at Yosuke's comment, then nodded gratefully. "That'd be nice, thanks." As Yosuke headed to the kitchen, Yu settled deeper into the couch, pulling the duvet tighter around himself. He could hear the faint sounds of Yosuke rummaging through cabinets, followed by Nanako and Dojima indicating where the glasses are. A small smile played on his lips despite his discomfort. When Yosuke came back, water in hand, Yu didn't notice he'd started to close his tired eyes. The brown-haired gave the glass to Yu, making sure he won't spill it, then made his way towards the nightstand to grab the half-used pack of tissues.
“Okay,” Yosuke spoke up, looking at the overall arrangement on the table in front of the couch. “Water, tissues, a duvet, a comfortable couch. Do you need anything else?”
“You.”
Heat rose to Yosuke's face. This asshole, how come he always manages to make him red as a tomato?
“Smooth, I'll give you that,” Yosuke laughed, rubbing his nose in an attempt to hide his blush. He knew it was useless, though, when Yu shot him a knowing smile. “I have to pick the movie first. What would you like to watch?”
Yu covered his mouth as he yawned, barely keeping his eyes open. “Just whatever. I have a lot of movies there, you can choose.”
“You're definitely not making it through the whole thing,” Yosuke sighed, yet he rummaged through the selection of movies to pick one that looked interesting enough. “Oh, look. I haven't watched this one in ages.”
“Then it’s decided.”
Yosuke turned on the TV and inserted the disc into the DVD player. The movie began playing shortly after, prompting him to return to the couch and settle in next to his boyfriend. Yu took another gulp of the water, placed it on the table, and seized the opportunity to snuggle closer to Yosuke. Being slightly taller, Yu leaned his weight against him, causing Yosuke to gradually shift towards the armrest.
“Uh, hello? Do I look like a pillow to you?” Yosuke asked, more amused than anything. He could see Yu stifle a chuckle as he lightened his weight on him.
“Couldn’t help it,” he said, rubbing his nose as he sniffled. “You’re just so…”
Then, silence again. Yosuke raised an eyebrow. “I’m so what? And heads up, whether or not I stay here depends on your answer.”
“Sneeze.”
“Huh?” Yosuke noticed Yu’s eyes were closing on their own as a tickle tormented his nose again. “Oh, bless you.”
Yu's breath hitched as he turned away from Yosuke, burying his face into the duvet. "Heh'mfshh! Hh'pshh!" The sneezes came out muffled but forceful, causing Yu's body to shudder against Yosuke's side.
“Jeez, you’re the weirdest person to sneeze. You could just say ‘I need to sneeze’ instead of going silent,” Yosuke laughed, seeing his boyfriend smile in the midst of his hitchy breaths, unable to answer properly. He buried his red-tinted nose into the thick fabric again.
“Hh’mpshh! Hehh—mfshH! Hh… mfShh!”
Yosuke grabbed a tissue from the table in front and offered it to his boyfriend. “Here, stop using your duvet as a tissue.”
Yu took the tissue gratefully, blowing his nose with a congested sound. "Thanks," he mumbled, his voice muffled by the paper. "And I'm not weird, I'm just... efficient with my words."
Yosuke chuckled at Yu's attempt to defend himself. "Right, because 'sneeze' is so much more efficient than 'I need to sneeze.' You're lucky you're cute when you're sick."
“I’m cute anytime,” Yu corrected, grabbing another tissue to massage his nose with it. Yosuke rolled his eyes.
"Oh, shut up," Yosuke retorted, but there was no real heat in his words. "By the way, what were you going to say?”
“Hm?”
“Before you sneezed. You were saying I was so…?”
“Oh,” Yu remembered, sniffling thickly as he let his head fall on Yosuke’s shoulder. “I was going to say you’re warm, like a human heater.”
Yosuke laughed, his cheeks warm. “Says the one with a fever right now. Are you sure it’s not just an excuse to hug me?”
Yu hummed and nuzzled closer, his breath tickling Yosuke's neck. “You caught me.” He said in his raspy, congested voice. Yosuke felt his heart skip a beat, a mix of affection and concern washing over him as he wrapped an arm around Yu's shoulders. He knew they shouldn’t be so close, that the risk of catching this cold again was very high, but Yosuke couldn’t give less of a crap. Just having Yu so close was enough to send some butterflies to the pit of his stomach.
As they watched the movie, Yosuke made sure to hug his boyfriend tightly each time he felt a shiver pass through his torso, or pat his back each time he had to turn away to muffle some coughs. Just being present in such a vulnerable moment for him was enough, and, despite the fact that he wouldn’t admit it out loud, it made him feel like a good boyfriend. When another shiver hit Yu, Yosuke moved his hand to his forehead, checking his temperature again. He couldn’t quite tell if the heat was dissipating, but he did seem to be sweating more.
“Everything okay?”
Yu nodded slowly, his eyes half-closed. "Yeah, just tired," he mumbled, nestling even closer to Yosuke. Yu has always been clingy when they were in their more intimate moments, a habit that made Yosuke's chest feel warm. "Thanks for being here." He mumbled, the sound muffled against Yosuke's shoulder.
“Of course. Honestly… I wanted to take care of you today. I mean, do the whole ‘boyfriend’ thing and keep you company,” Yosuke admitted, rubbing his neck. Though they had been dating for a while, Yosuke was still a bit lost when it came to being all romantic with Yu. “So… I hope I’m doing well?”
“You’re doing great. This is probably the first time I’ve ever enjoyed having a fever,” Yu smiled, and Yosuke pulled him closer, a bit flustered. Yu sniffled thickly, rubbing his nose against Yosuke’s shoulder before he had the chance to resist. “Hmm, I might sneeze agaihH— Hh’kxT!” Yu stifled a sneeze tightly into Yosuke’s sleeve, letting out a congested groan afterwards. The sneeze had caught him completely off-guard. “Sorry.”
“Jeez, first I’m your pillow and now I’m your tissue?” Yosuke chuckled, grabbing another tissue as he made sure not to jostle his boyfriend too much. He wiped Yu’s nose with care, noting the way his irritated nostrils would flare at the contact. “If you get me sick, you’ll definitely hear from me.”
“You like doing this, don’t you?” Yu asked with a cheeky smile, signaling towards the tissue that Yosuke was pressing against his nose. Yosuke averted his gaze.
“I’m just helping,” he mumbled, taking the tissue away. He wasn’t going to admit out loud that he kinda liked to wipe Yu’s nose.
Yu chuckled softly, his eyes bright despite his fatigue. "Thanks. You're adorable, Yosuke," he murmured, his voice thick with congestion but warm with affection. Yosuke felt his cheeks heat up at the compliment, and he found himself unable to keep eye contact.
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just… watch the movie.”
He could hear Yu snort, which only deepened his blush. As the movie played on, Yosuke found himself paying less attention to the screen and more to the warm weight of Yu against his side. He couldn't help but smile softly, realizing that despite the change in their plans, this moment together was surprisingly the most fun he's had in a while. The sound of Yu's congested breathing mixed with the movie's dialogue, and, after a while, Yosuke noticed Yu was staying suspiciously still. When he moved a bit to take a look at his face, he found out he’d fallen asleep.
“So much for not wanting to rest,” Yosuke said, moreso to himself, smiling at the sight. Yu looked so peaceful, his features relaxed and free from the discomfort of his fever. Careful not to wake him, Yosuke gently adjusted their position, allowing Yu to rest more comfortably against him. He turned down the volume of the movie and prepared himself to be awake when Yu opened his eyes again. He was glad their date wasn’t cancelled, after all.