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Slingshot shivers, pulling the blanket on him even further. Stupid fever, he thinks, clutching the blanket tightly. He feels way too sweaty and way too cold at the same time. Man, how he hates being sick.
He had been at the café earlier, getting ready to open up, when he’d suddenly felt a wave of nausea rush over him. Vine Staff took notice almost immediately and sat him down at the table he was just wiping down.
“You don't look too good.” Vine Staff has the tone of a concerned sister, and she might as well be.
“I’ll be fine… just a bit dizzy, that's all.” Slingshot replies, rubbing his forehead lightly. God, why now of all times? Vine only stares at him, clearly not taking that as an answer.
She sends Shuriken to get the thermometer from the break room, and a quick check of his temperature immediately led to them trying to convince him to go home.
“You can't work like this!” Shuriken crosses his arms. Beside him, Vine Staff nods.
“Agreed. Take my word as a healer; you need to rest. Shuri and I can take care of the café.” She places her good hand on his shoulder. If he wasn't focused on the fact that they were trying to convince him to take time off, he would've thought it was sweet.
Slingshot, of course, protested, saying that he was completely fine and that it wouldn't affect anything, but that was quickly shot down the moment he passed out on the floor. It was right then and there that Vine Staff and Shuriken dragged him back to their home and dropped him onto his bed.
They went back to the café after convincing a half-asleep Slingshot that they would be fine, and that they wouldn't burn the whole place down, which leads him to his position now.
The house is awfully quiet, and he doesn't really have anything to do other than stare at the ceiling, doomscroll, or sleep. Not a lot of options there, he sighs internally as he grabs another tissue from the nightstand.
Slingshot hears the door creak open, then click closed. He automatically assumes it’s one of the siblings coming to check up on him, but someone’s hands cover his eyes.
“Guess who,” a familiar voice says.
Slingshot looks over his shoulder when the hands are removed to find the person he thought it was. It's Coil, leaning over him. The sun peers in through the blinds, framing him in a golden light. Fuck, he looks really pretty, Slingshot admires internally. Coil definitely notices the staring though, from the way there's a special light in his eyes. “Coil? What’re you doing here?” Sling very quickly becomes aware of how hoarse his voice sounds, and winces.
“To see my boyfriend, duh.” Coil sits on the edge of the bed, while Slingshot lays on his back, sprawling across the bed. “You look like shit.” Coil insults, but there's no real bite to it. Just fondness.
“I feel like shit.” Sling shoots back, sneezing into his arm right after. Coil shifts closer, placing the back of his hand on his forehead.
“Dude, you're burning up like crazy.” His words hold a certain tone of concern, and his face shifts in worry. Slingshot only sighs, staring back at the ceiling.
He can tell when Coil slips into the bed when the mattress dips, settling in beside him. Slingshot rolls over to face him, faux annoyance settling over his features. Coil only grins, propping himself up on one arm. “Like what you see?”
Slingshot groans and rolls his eyes at his antics. “You're gonna get sick if you stay.” He pushes Coil’s shoulder weakly, but he doesn't budge. Coil lays back down, pulling Slingshot closer and resting his chin on the latter’s head. Sling practically melts in his hold, heart jumping at the affection.
Coil— Slingshot discovers— is unnaturally warm, and comfortably so, causing him to lean further into his chest. It's a perfect contrast to how cold he was earlier. He presses his forehead into his neck, while Coil’s hands find their way around his back. He doesn't know if it's his fever making his brain hazy, or Coil’s presence alone. Maybe it's both, Sling muses.
“You're really hot…” Slingshot mumbles quietly, eyes growing heavier with each passing second, not processing what he said.
“Didn't think you’d be the direct type, huh?” Coil says teasingly, laughing lightly at the end. The rumbles of his chest make his stomach do flips, but it takes Slingshot an embarrassingly long time to put the pieces together, with his fever-frazzled brain. What did he mean by that- oh. Ohhh myyy SFOTH.
“I mean- I don’t mean it like that- Wait, I think you're really hot- but- Oh my SFOTH.” Slingshot’s eyes shoot open and his face flushes as he stumbles over his words. “You're so stupid.” He groans in frustration, covering his face with his hands.
Coil laughs again, landing a quick peck on the top of his head, and Slingshot’s brain effectively shuts down. “Don't worry, I know what you mean.” Coil’s voice softens, but Sling can practically feel him grinning against his head. He murmurs a playful curse against him under his breath, and Coil waits a second before speaking again. “Something about the crystals, or some shit.” Slingshot hums to let him know that he heard him, before tangling his legs with Coil’s own.
They stay like that for a moment, reveling in the warmth of each other. (Or just Coil’s warmth, really.) Slingshot definitely doesn't feel as cold as he was before, but the fever is still taking a toll on him. He closes his eyes, enjoying the warmth radiating from the literal heater of an inphernal. This was the kind of affection that always threw Sling’s brain for a loop.
A series of buzzes from behind Slingshot snaps them out of their little world, causing Sling to look over his shoulder. Slingshot sighs and pulls away for a moment to lazily grab his phone from the nightstand. It's a text from Shuriken, which probably isn't a good sign.
“What's it say?” Coil asks, not bothering to peer over at Sling’s phone. Slingshot skim reads his roommate’s text, trying his best to decipher the horribly misspelled words, then noticing Vine’s translation following it. He only sighs, placing his phone face down on the bed.
“Shuriken tried baking. I think you can guess what happened.” Slingshot turns his phone back on to show Coil the photo of the burnt… whatever that was supposed to be. He thinks that Coil can definitely tell why Shuriken is only a server, from his expression. “I told them to just close the cafe until I got better but- jeez.”
“Don't worry about that right now. That's,” Coil picks the phone out of Slingshot’s hands and places it back on the nightstand, “a problem for another time.” He cups Sling’s face in his hands, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Slingshot’s face becomes impossibly warmer, and it somehow felt even warmer than what his fever was. He wraps his arms around Coil, still obviously flustered. Slingshot buries his face into his lover’s chest, keeping him close.
Faintly, Slingshot hears the sound of sniffling above him. “You're definitely getting a fever too,” he laughs, poking his chest.
“No I’m- achoo-! not!” Coil sniffles, face scrunching up. “That was a coincidence.”
Slingshot chuckles lightly, nestling himself back into Coil’s arms and letting his eyes slip closed.