Work Text:
Teto's eyes fluttered as she woke up, exhaustion almost immediately threatening to send her back into sleep. Her brow furrowed in discomfort, as she raised a hand to shield her eyes from the light filtering in through the window. Her skin felt terribly warm to the touch, one of the telltale signs of a fever.
She winced, rolling onto her side, her hair splaying out against the pillow. She curled into herself, mustering out a curse that sounded more like a weak cough than a word.
Teto was sick.
She absolutely hated being sick.
Her throat hurt, she couldn't breathe right, she felt like shit, and her head was spinning. She buried her hot face into the pillow, trying to fall asleep, but it didn't work. She was too uncomfortable to even try-- instead of sleep, she was stuck awake with a sore throat and a headache.
As she pulled the thin blanket up to cover her head, she didn't register the sound of another person entering the room.
"Teto?" A familiar voice called out.
Shifting under the covers slightly, Teto replied. "Rei?.."
"You're sick, aren't you?" Rei guessed, coming over to Teto's bed. Teto couldn't see what expression Rei was making right now, but she was sure Rei was smiling fondly.
Rei pulled down the blanket slightly, revealing a very clearly ill Teto, with a bleary, unfocused gaze-- she looked absolutely miserable. Concerned, Rei reached over and placed a hand on her girlfriend's forehead. Definitely sick. The heat was abnormal.
"I'm not sick," Teto claimed, a hint of a whine in her voice. "I'm perfectly fine, just... sleepy." She gently pulled away from Rei's hand.
"I think we both know you're lying." Rei mused, taking a seat at the edge of Teto's bed.
"Still!" The redhead insisted, pouting. "I don't want you to worry about me like this! I can just... sleep it off! I'll be fine!"
"You don't look fine enough to sleep." Rei said, poking Teto's cheek. "At least let your girlfriend take care of you for a bit. You deserve it."
"Still..." Teto weakly muttered under her breath, yet found herself turning towards Rei anyway. She pulled on her partner's jacket, silently asking for affection.
"Saying 'still' won't work on me, Teto. We've talked about this." Rei grinned, patting Teto's head. She was right. This wasn't their first time having a back-and-forth like this. Teto had learned that Rei was far too stubborn to stop insisting she take care of her. This stubborn sort of protectiveness was, of course, one of the things Teto loved the most about Rei, but it made it really hard to hide anything from her.
"Mean." Teto huffed, batting at Rei's hand.
"Sure, sure..." Rei giggled, now leaning back and slinging an arm around Teto's shoulders. "You call me all sorts of names, and then proceed to melt whenever I give you headpats..." She called out her girlfriend, not fazed in the slightest by Teto's small protests at that remark.
"Anyway, more importantly," Rei started, her tone shifting into something slightly more serious. "Do you need anything? Like... something to drink? Or food? Or something else?"
"Cuddle me." Teto answered, with absolutely zero hesitation this time. She tugged on Rei's clothing once more. "I... really want to be held right now. Like really. I hate being sick. Food or drinks can wait." She requested, her eyes appearing almost glassy.
"Of course!" Rei happily obliged, her eyes lighting up. She properly got into bed with Teto, adjusting the blanket so it would fit both of them. She immediately wrapped her arms around the other girl, using the opportunity to hold her hands as well. Rei's hands were almost always cold, whereas Teto's were usually warm. It felt nice.
Teto glanced at her and Rei's joined hands, smiling as she gently squeezed her partner's hands. Her nails were painted red, and Rei's were painted orange. They looked pretty, when they were close together like this.
Come to think of it, when was the last time Teto had been taken care of like this when she was sick? It had to have been a long time ago, at least when she was a child. The memory felt fuzzy. She could only remember that she had woken up sick on a school day, and that Fukase skipped school along with her so that she wouldn't be alone. They spent the entire day in their room, either talking or playing games together.
It was different from her usual fights with him, but she supposed that's how siblings work-- one moment you're getting along, and the next, you're at each other's throats.
Spending a sick day with Rei instead of her brother felt different, though. Rei was her girlfriend. Teto felt so very lucky to be dating her, of all people. To most, Rei was calm, reasonable, and consistent, but as a partner, she was so much more.
Teto was absolutely head-over-heels for this woman. Rei had a way of always knowing the right thing to say, and understanding those around her. She cared a lot about her interests, and loved talking about them to those who'd listen. Teto was one of those people. She could listen to Rei talk about her favorite game or show for hours straight, and remember every word.
To her, every little thing about Rei was breathtaking. The way her eyes lit up sometimes, her voice's gentle quality, her signature side-ponytail hairstyle, and the way she worded things whenever she spoke.
She wouldn't trade that for anything else in the world.
"Hey... Rei?" Teto softly called out her partner's name.
It took a little longer than usual for Rei to respond this time. "Hmm?"
"I love you..." The other girl whispered, her voice still somewhat hoarse. "I love you... so much, y'know? Really, everything about you. Thank you for being here with me today," She concluded, smiling even though she knew Rei wouldn't be able to directly see it.
"I love you too." Rei said back, hugging Teto tighter. "You're my world."
Teto felt Rei smile against the back of her neck.
"Get well soon, okay?"