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Mizuki knew what consequences were. Consequence— a result or effect, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant. She understood the concept. Sure, she didn't have much firsthand experience with consequences, but that wasn't her fault. It was the people around her who actively chose not to reprimand her for her actions. Growing up, her parents would easily forgive her for any mistakes, probably a perk of being the youngest child. Even now that she was older, she often managed to get away with purposefully annoying her friends and even her partners, because honestly, who would dare scold someone as cute as her?
So yeah, Mizuki didn't really have to deal with consequences. Until now. It was as if the universe took one look at her, saw her adorable face and bright smile and decided she just had to suffer.
It all started on Monday, when her parents left on a week-long trip. Mizuki had been happy at first. No parents meant no one forcing her to ruin her outfit by adding a puffer jacket because it was too cold outside. But no parents also meant no one telling her to be careful when having cold drinks. And of course, no parents meant no one watching the weather forecast and reminding her to take an umbrella when going out.
No parents meant that Mizuki had to lie in bed all day, sick and feeling miserable, as a result of her own carelessness. Consequences sucked.
Mizuki sighed, wrapping her blanket even tighter around herself, not for warmth, but for comfort. She felt horrible. She had a throbbing headache and her eyes hurt so bad she could hardly keep them open. She was nauseous, probably because she hadn't eaten all day, but she didn't have the energy to go to the kitchen.
She considered calling her parents, but what good would that do? They wouldn't be able to help from kilometers away. Also, calling them would only cause unnecessary worry. Mizuki will be fine on her own. Probably.
She just needed some sleep. Then, maybe she'll feel well enough to make breakfast—or was it lunchtime?— and to take some medicine. Actually, she should probably take the medicine before going to sleep. But it was in her parents' room, and that was so far away...
Sleep it is, then.
Mizuki rolled on her side, grabbing the pillow closest to her and hugging it tightly. She closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would claim her soon so that she'd no longer have to feel this bad. But just before the world around her faded, replaced by the beautiful land of dreams, the doorbell rang, forcing Mizuki to come back to her painful reality.
Mizuki groaned, covering her head with the blanket, praying that this dreadful sound would cease. Of course it didn't. Probably part of the punishment bestowed upon Mizuki by the universe. With a sigh, she pulled herself out of bed—more like fell out of bed— and somehow found the strength to drag herself to the front door. She stopped herself right before opening it. Only now did her fever-fogged brain finally realize that no visitors were supposed to arrive today. So who could the person at the door be? Why were they here? Why did she have to deal with all of this today, of all times? Couldn't this person bother her some other day, when she didn't feel like she was dying?
She was about to walk back to bed, when suddenly, the stranger outside changed strategies. Instead of ringing the doorbell, they were now loudly banging on the door, cursing her out.
"Mizuki, you idiot! If you don't open the door this fucking instant—"
Ah, Mizuki could recognize those insults anywhere. So taking a deep breath and forcing herself to smile, Mizuki finally opened the door.
"Why, hello there, Ena! What a lovely surprise to see you here! To... see you all here..." Mizuki added, noticing Mafuyu and Kanade standing right behind her. Ena coming over wasn't too unusual. The artist frequented one of the bakeries in this area, and she often stopped at Mizuki's house to hang out. And make out. So yeah, her being here made sense. What didn't make sense was seeing Mafuyu—who was always busy with school club activities, studying or helping other people study—and Kanade—who hated going out and sometimes didn't leave her house for weeks—standing in her doorway.
Ena huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms. "We would have no reason to be here, had you remembered about our date!"
"Date?" Mizuki repeated. Her throat was starting to feel scratchy, but she resisted the urge to cough. No point in causing more trouble for her girlfriends.
"You're unbelievable!"
"We were supposed to have a date at the usual diner, but you didn't show up." Mafuyu clarified. "We texted and called you, but you didn't answer, so we came here."
"We were really worried..." Kanade added.
Right. The date. Mizuki recalled it now. She'd been too busy feeling horrible to remember about it. As for her phone, it was probably out of battery. Or maybe she'd set it to silent mode. Hell, maybe both. Either way, her head hurt too badly to think about that now.
"Ah, you're right! The date— I completely forgot about it! I'm sorry!" She whined, trying to act like her usual self. Maybe they wouldn't notice how hard it was to keep her eyes open and how close she was to collapsing.
"You shouldn't be so careless! We were worried sick about you! Did you not think about that at all before ignoring us?!"
Mizuki was already feeling horrible because of her cold. Ena's words only worsened that feeling, because she was entirely right. Yeah, Mizuki was sick, but that wasn't an excuse to act so carelessly and ignore her girlfriends. They'd been worried because of her. They had to go through the trouble of coming to Mizuki's house just to check on her. All because Mizuki couldn't be bothered to send them a single text and let them know she wouldn't be coming to the date. She was such a terrible girlfriend.
"Hey, I've already said sorry! No need to be so mean to me!" Mizuki complained, crossing her arms. "And besides, I'm perfectly fine, as you can see, so no reason to be worried."
Before Ena could retort, Mafuyu spoke up. "You don't look fine."
Of course the girl who was studying for med school would notice that Mizuki was clearly ill. That would make lying more difficult. It'll be fine though. Half-truths were always more convincing anyway.
"Ah, well~ I am a bit tired. I spent all day sleeping and that's why I couldn't answer you. Sorry~" She made sure to chuckle for good measure. This should be convincing enough.
"Are you sure?" Kanade asked, a concerned expression on her face. "You really don't look alright."
"Are you saying there's something wrong with my appearance? Oh, Kanade, you wound me!" Saying this, she clutched her chest and leaned on the doorframe, partly for dramatic effect and partly for support.
"That's not what I—"
"It's true." Mafuyu interrupted. "Your face is flushed, your eyes are slightly unfocused and you're slightly shaking. It seems like you're struggling to stand upright."
"Mafuyu, what are you talking—" Before Mizuki could finish her sentence, the purple haired girl tugged her closer and placed the back of her hand on her forehead. The cold hand made Mizuki shiver and try to pull away, but Mafuyu's iron grip wouldn't let her.
"You're sick." She stated, finally letting go. Mizuki almost collapsed when she lost the support, but she managed to catch herself, leaning back on the doorframe once again.
"It's just a little cold, no big deal."
"So what if it's just a cold? You're not feeling well and you shouldn't be hiding it from us!" Ena protested, grabbing Mizuki by the arm and dragging her inside. "Come on, you need to go back to bed now."
"Alright, I'll rest. But you know I can walk by myself, right?"
"Doesn't look like it." Mafuyu said, following them. Kanade was also closely behind, locking the front door with the key Mizuki had forgotten.
"I'll be fine, just please go on your date and stop worrying."
"Date? Forget about that. Our main priority is to take care of you now."
"But—"
"Ena's right." Kanade added with a nod. "You're our girlfriend. If something's wrong, it's our responsibility to try to help."
Mafuyu nodded in agreement and opened the door to Mizuki's bedroom, holding it open for the others.
"Damn, you really are sick." Ena remarked once they entered. Mizuki's bed was unmade and a few of the pillows had fallen on the floor. The shelf next to her bed was covered in used tissues and all sorts of medicine foils. Mizuki blushed in embarrassment at the mess that was her bedroom, though her face was already flushed so the others probably couldn't tell.
"Sorry about the chaos..."
"Kanade's room looks just as bad." Mafuyu said with a shrug.
"Actually, I think mine might be worse." Kanade added.
Mizuki chuckled at that. Ena finally loosened her hold on her so she could finally pull away and sit on the bed. She almost fell to the ground but managed to somewhat regain her balance and fall on the soft mattress instead.
"Are you okay?" The artist questioned, her voice unusually gentle.
"Y-yeah... I think I'll just... I'll sleep a little..."
And with that, Mizuki closed her eyes and let darkness engulf her once again, temporarily taking away all of her pain.
☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★
When she woke up, Mizuki was snugly wrapped in a soft blanket, her head resting on a warm and comfortable pillow as someone stroked her hair while humming a tune. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the bright room. Upon opening her eyes she realized that the pillow wasn't a pillow at all, and she was instead lying her head on Kanade's chest, as the other girl cuddled her close.
Probably not a good idea, considering the risk of transmitting germs, but Mizuki wouldn't dare complain about receiving affection, so with an appreciative hum, she leaned into her girlfriend's touch.
"Oh, you're awake." She noticed, and momentarily stopped playing with Mizuki's hair.
"Mhm, I've had a great nap. How long was I asleep for?"
"About an hour or so, I think..." There was a pause, then she continued running her fingers through the soft strands of Mizuki's hair. "Mafuyu and Ena should be about done with lunch."
Mizuki couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at that. Her girlfriends were supposed to go out and have fun, not waste their time caring for her.
"Sorry for causing so much trouble..." Her voice was muffled, as she burried her face in Kanade's shoulder, in a poor attempt at hiding away.
"It's not your fault for getting sick."
"But it is! I was careless and stupid and—"
"And we still love you. That's why we're here, taking care of you."
"So you're not upset?"
"Not at all. In fact, you're quite adorable when you're sleepy and cuddly like this." To drive her point further, she tightened her hold on Mizuki, pulling her closer.
"Was I not adorable before?" She asked, moving her head away from Kanade's shoulder to pout in mock hurt.
"You're always adorable and you know it. Stop fishing for compliments." She swatted Mizuki over the shoulder, but the gentle and loving smile on her face betrayed her actions.
"Aw, but I like hearing you say it!" Mizuki whined, only to be shushed by the other girl.
"Talking will only make your sore throat worse. Just rest and wait Mafuyu and Ena, alright?"
Normally Mizuki would have protested, but she was still pretty tired, so with a defeated sigh, she laid her head back down on Kanade's chest and closed her eyes.
"Looks like it's easier to get her to listen when she's sick." Ena said with a chuckle and entered the room—probably followed by Mafuyu. Mizuki didn't bother to look at her, and only let out an annoyed 'Hmp!'— the artist took it as a sign to continue her teasing. "So much quieter, so much less annoying~"
"Maybe you should try to get sick too. Then we wouldn't have to hear you complain about everything." Mafuyu said, her tone as flat as ever. Mizuki let out a mocking laugh, while Ena huffed in annoyance.
"I don't complain about everything!"
"You were quite nagging when we were making the soup."
"Only because you weren't doing things properly!"
"You made soup?!" Mizuki exclaimed, though her voice cracked on the last syllable. She swiftly got up, looking at the other expectantly. Soup wasn't really one of her favorite meals, but due to not having eaten anything all day, the mention of any type of food made her mouth water. And sure enough, Mafuyu was holding a tray with a bowl of steaming hot soup and a mug full of what was presumably tea.
"We did." Ena replied, handing the bowl and spoon to a visibly excited Mizuki.
"I did most of the work." Mafuyu added, earning a glare from Ena.
"Be careful not to spill anything." Kanade said, quickly settling down next to Mizuki. "Actually, should I spoon feed it to you?"
"Kanade, she's not a child, she can eat on her own."
"What's that, Ena? Are you jealous that Kanade wants to take care of me?"
"You'd better not use being sick as an excuse to take advantage of us!"
"What?!" Mizuki gasped dramatically. "You seriously think I'd do something like that?"
"Yes." Mafuyu replied, setting a few paper towels on Mizuki's lap.
"Yeah, it sounds exactly like something you would do." Ena agreed with a nod.
Mizuki looked at Kanade pleadingly, hoping she'd take her side.
"They are kind of right..." She said with a shrug.
"Traitors! Backstabbers! All of you—"
"Just shut up and eat your food." Ena said, shoving a spoonful of soup in Mizuki's mouth.
After a brief moment of consideration, Mizuki decided to comply. Heah, she got told to shut up, but Ena just went against her own earlier comment about not feeding Mizuki, so really this was a win.
☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★
After a few minutes, Mizuki was no longer starving and the soup bowl lay empty in her lap. Carefully, she sat it on the shelf near her bed, before turning her attention back to her girlfriends. Ena was looking at her expectantly, no wonder waiting to hear Mizuki's thoughts on the food. And because Mizuki's favorite activity was starting chaos, she couldn't help but mess with the artist—just a little bit.
"The soup was great! You've really outdone yourself Mafuyu!" She said, smiling brightly and noticing a very annoyed Ena through the corner of her eye.
"What about me? I've helped too, you know!"
"Hmm, you probably just slowed Mafuyu down." Mizuki said with a shrug.
"You ungrateful piece of shit!" She cursed, reaching for the nearest pillow and throwing it at the girl. She had been expecting this reaction, so she leaned back and let herself fall on the bed, effortlessly dodging the attack.
Unfortunately, as the pillows missed its target, it ended up hitting Kanade square in the face.
"Shit, I'm sorry Kanade! I didn't mean to!"
The composer didn't even react to the hit, probably because it had been one of Mizuki's smaller, lighter pillows. Still, she couldn't miss this opportunity to increase the drama.
"How could you hurt our poor Kanade?!" She said, sitting up and hugging the very much not hurt girl close.
"Hey, I'm fine. It was an accident." She tried to reassure.
"No, you aren't! What if that pillow broke your nose? Or gouged out your eye?"
"Mizuki, I don't think that's possible..."
"Don't worry, Kanade! I shall avenge you!" She declared, picking up a pillow of her own, ready to attack Ena. The artist cought on, and responded to the challenge by grabbing a pillow to defend herself with. But before either of them could attack, Mafuyu spoke up, taking away Mizuki's pillow.
"Mizuki, as entertaining as it would be to watch you lose another pillow fight against Ena, you're still sick and should be resting."
"Hey! First of all, you can't be sure I'll lose again. And second of all, I feel better now, so you should totally let me wipe the floor with Ena!"
"As if you could do that!" The artist scoffed, rolling her eyes, only to be scolded by Mafuyu.
"Don't encourage her."
"Come on, Mafuyu, a little rest was all I needed. I'm fine now, I swear!"
"Your voice is still a little hoarse. And the fever might be back too if you don't rest and take your medicine. Speaking of which..." She stood up, reaching for the tray on the shelf and picking up the mug. She also examined the medicine foils that sat on the shelf—in complete disarray, because Mizuki had looked through them earlier that morning and completely forgot to put them back into place. After examining it for a few moments, she took out a white pill and handed it to Mizuki, along with the mug. "This will make sure your temperature won't go up. And the tea is still warm, so it should help with your throat."
"Alright..." Mizuki said with a sigh, taking the items from Mafuyu. She placed the small pill on her tongue, her face scrunching up at the bitter taste. She sipped some of the tea, hoping to wash away the bitterness, and nearly choked when the liquid entered her mouth.
"What is this thing?!" She cried, holding out the mug as far away as possible. "It tastes horrible!"
"Onion tea. It's good for sore throats and coughs."
"Who puts vegetables in tea?!"
"Many people. Onion tea is especially good—"
"I am not drinking this!"
"Oh, come on, Mizuki, how bad can it be?" Ena said skeptically.
"Why don't you see for yourself?" She placed the mug in Ena's hands and crossed her arms. The artist hesitated a bit before finally drinking from the opposite end, not wanting to catch a cold too. Her reaction was identical to Mizuki's.
"What the fuck is this?!"
"Is it really that bad?" Kanade asked, reaching for the object.
"Kanade, no!" Mizuki and Ena shouted in unison.
"It's horrible!"
"Don't do this to yourself!"
Kanade drank anyway. No reaction. After a few sips came the verdict.
"It is pretty bad... I've had expired drinks that tasted better than this."
"Expired?!" Ena and Mizuki glanced at Kanade, then at each other, then at Kanade again.
"I've had expired food a few times. But not anymore, not really." She said, her voice flat.
A long silence followed. After processing the information, Mizuki was first to talk.
"Mafuyu, you should stop focusing on my health and seriously study how Kanade is still alive."
"I've asked myself this question quite a few times. Still no definitive answer though."
☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★
After a bit of convincing and a ten minute rant about the benefits of onion tea, Mizuki did end up drinking it—not without whining and complaining until the mug was empty.
"I better never have a sore throat again after having to drink this thing." She said once she was done, shuddering slightly.
"Actually, it won't have that much of an effect if you only drink it once." Mizuki immediately turned her head around to stare at Mafuyu in horror.
"So I'll have to drink this again?!"
"Yes. I'll talk with your parents and make sure they give you the tea, even after we leave."
"Good luck with that."Mizuki scoffed. "They're on a trip. Won't be coming back until the end of the week."
"That explains why they weren't around..." Kanade murmured, almost to herself. Then, a bit more loudly, she spoke up again. "So you've been all alone until now? With no one to take care of you while sick?" There was obvious concern in her tone. It made Mizuki immediately feel guilty. She already caused enough trouble by making her girlfriends take care of her, the last thing she needed was for them to worry. Again.
"I only started feeling sick this morning! Well, maybe last night, actually... but I wasn't alone for too long! And I'm fine and you're all here so why worry?"
"So if we didn't come check on you, you would have asked for help?" Ena inquired, crossing her arms skeptically.
"Of course!"
Neither of her girlfriends seemed to believe her words. Honestly, not even Mizuki herself believed them.
"I mean... probably? Maybe?"
...
"Okay fine. I didn't want to tell any of you, because I didn't want you too worry. I-I've caused so much trouble already, so..."
"Mizuki, stop being an idiot." Ena scooted closer to Mizuki, taking the girl's face in her hands and locking their eyes together. "You haven't caused trouble for us. We chose to help you, to be here for you, and to care for you."
"Mhm!" Kanade agreed, placing a reassuring hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "There's no need to feel guilty."
Mizuki felt like she was about to cry. What had she done to deserve such amazing partners? As if on cue, Mafuyu leaned down and gently wiped away the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"We love you. And we'll be here as long as you need us."
"Thank you all." For worrying? For taking care of her? For loving her? "For... everything..."
☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★
So just like that, acting careless and getting sick led to Mizuki receiving endless affection and coddling from her girlfriends. As she lay down in bed, snuggling with her favorite people, she couldn't help but think that—maybe—consequences weren't so bad.