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"Aoba-san."
The blanket feels heavier than usual. Warmer, too. Aoba thinks he's sweating like crazy actually. Why is it so hot in the room?
"Aoba-san."
Someone's shaking his shoulders. It's so hard to open his eyes. His body feels sore and burns and his throat is dry.
"Aoba-san."
"Yeah, I'm awake. What's wrong?"
Aoba blinks. Finds worried pink eyes staring back at him.
"You're burning up, Aoba-san!", Clear states, "The internet says you are having a fever. There is also a chance that you are suffering severe kidney failure, that you need an oil change, and we should consider turning you on and off once."
"You need to stop looking stuff up on the internet", Aoba groans, "I'm alright. Probably just caught a cold."
"I knew going out in the rain was a bad idea!", Clear complains.
Aoba huffs in amusement. "Noiz didn't take his umbrella, you know he doesn't take care of himself if we don't force him to."
"Still!" Clear sits back on Aoba's bed and sighs. "Well, I have prepared something to help you get well soon!"
Aoba raises an eyebrow. "And the kitchen is still in one piece?"
"Of course!", Clear beams.
It's nice being cared for, even if Aoba doesn't trust Clear's cooking skills entirely.
"Noiz-san will be watching you while I get it. Don't move, Aoba-san!"
"Why would he need to be watching me for those five minutes?"
Clear squints angrily. "So you don't stop breathing when I'm not looking. Noiz-san!"
Noiz trails into the room just a moment later, looking a little annoyed. "Stop orderin' me around", he grunts, but Clear isn't listening. He's bouncing out of the room and Aoba can hear him rummage in the kitchen.
"Sorry about that", Aoba sighs, "Has he been bothering you much?"
"Yeah." Noiz takes Clear's spot at Aoba's bed. "All this ruckus for a fever, jeez."
"Don't blame him. He wants to help."
Something shatters in the kitchen and Aoba shrugs with an awkward grin. "He's trying his best at least."
Noiz rolls his eyes. Noiz isn't really one to do the cooking, and even if Clear has proven he's capable, Aoba would rather have his eyes on him. Last time he tried to secretly bake cookies, he covered the entire kitchen in flour. Tae wasn't amused.
Clear returns with a steaming bowl of chicken soup on a tray, along with tea and a blueberry muffin. Aoba groans when he finally forces himself to sit up and Clear sets the tray down on the blanket in his lap.
"What's that?", Noiz asks.
"Soup?", Aoba offers.
Noiz frowns. "Not pizza."
"That again?"
"Do you want to try it? I've made enough for refills, if Aoba-san is hungry", Clear immediately lights up.
"Right." Noiz takes the spoon and leans over, dipping it into the soup and brings it to his lips.
"Ah, Noiz-san! It's hot!", Clear tries to warn him.
It falls on deaf ears, as always. Noiz doesn't listen. He grimaces a little and his tongue pokes out to touch his now burnt lip. "Hot."
"I told you!", Clear whines and buries his fingers in his scarf.
"It's okay, Clear. Noiz has never seen anything but fast food. It's like releasing a kitty back into the wild."
"What was that?"
Aoba starts laughing. It's just too funny when Noiz pouts. A coughing fit immediately punishes him for that and he simmers down not to spill the contents on the tray.
"I made tea with honey", Clear points out, a little disgruntled by Noiz' behavior, "I hope it's not too sweet."
Despite his worries, the tea actually tastes delicious. Aoba hums and lets his eyes fall shut, reveling in the feeling of soothing honey down his aching throat.
"Should we get medication?", Clear asks. He's still all caught up worrying about him.
Aoba exhales audibly and groans. "Granny is probably going to force something on me as soon as she catches wind of it."
"Can I do anything else? Maybe a bath? I can wash you, Aoba-san!"
It's a little endearing how stressed Clear is about Aoba's wellbeing. He hasn't been sick while they've been together and most of this is still new to him. He really is trying his best.
"He can do that alone", Noiz grunts.
"But I wanna! Stop being so mean to him, Noiz-san!"
"I'm objective."
And it's equally endearing how they can never reach the same branch, but only when it's about Aoba. Despite his bluntness, Noiz cares a lot, and he and Clear click so well that Aoba could sometimes be a little jealous.
It has taken Aoba a long time to get through to Noiz, where Clear can simply lay his arms around him and has him all wrapped around his finger. Aoba understands, though. Clear does that to a person, even someone like Noiz.
He sighs. Sometimes he wonders how he ended up with such a strange pair, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
The soup is a little too salty, but it doesn't bother him. Clear poured so much love into it that makes up for it. After his tea is empty, he sets the tray aside on the nightstand. He'll leave the muffin for later (although he figures Noiz wants it, the way he's been eying it. He's just too stubborn to ask while Clear can hear it.)
"Since Aoba-san is sick", Clear proclaims, "Noiz-san is forbidden from kissing him! You also have to sleep on the couch."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?"
And they are right back at it. Aoba chuckles to himself. Clear usually isn't like this, ordering Noiz around, and it seems to irritate Noiz as much as it confuses him.
"Because I can't get sick, unlike you! And I am not making you soup! You're ungrateful."
"Not my problem if it's not pizza."
Clear obviously has enough. Instead of arguing further with him, he leans in and kisses Noiz.
He loses his balance and falls on top of Noiz into Aoba's bed, and Noiz somewhat awkwardly tries to struggle free from his weight. Aoba thinks that he should maybe make an effort to get sick more often. Room service, and he gets to watch his two favorite people being complete idiots.
"Hey guys."
Clear perks up right away, while Noiz has to readjust his hat again to even see anything.
"Yes, Aoba-san? Do you need anything? Can I help? Don't ask Noiz-san, I'll do it!"
"I can do it too y'know", Noiz mutters under his breath.
"Can not!"
"Guys." Aoba exhales in amusement. "Stop arguing. I'm grateful for both of you. Could someone call in sick at work for me?"
Aoba watches as both Noiz and Clear slowly turn to look at each other, before they bolt at the same time, racing out of the room to the phone.
"Jeez." Aoba sighs. There's a soft thud against his bed, and he spots Ren. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there."
"You make questionable choices in picking your companions, Aoba."
Aoba frowns. "Not true. They're the best I could have found."
"My point stands." Ren rolls into the blanket and Aoba scoffs.
They truly are a handful. But they are his handful, and he wouldn't want to miss them in his life.