Work Text:
Historically, there were only a few times when Yuri Briar called in sick. Three times, to be exact. He was the powerhouse of their Division; he didn't have the privilege to drop out and have others handle his assignments. Not if they got him closer to Twilight, especially when it involved the never-ending quest to arrest the spy.
Today, however, that might have been another story.
A cold hand slid over the right side of Yuri's cheek. In contrast, his face was warm, bright red with subtle signs of perspiration. Okay, temperature above average. Check.
Further below, the same hand traveled down, pulled up his palm, and opened it to reveal a shiny gleam of sweat. Evidently, a product of the high temperature. Hmm. Sweaty palms. Check.
Right after, Yuri groaned, pulling away his hand. He attempted to turn around, back facing her as his response, but failed astoundingly. He only managed to reach halfway before gravity pulled him down to his back. Restless muscles, weighty, with difficulty moving due to fatigue. Check.
Chloe let out a sigh.
Next to him, on his coffee table, lay a shadow of crumpled paper-mache decorated with a ridiculously obnoxious heart-shaped motif. By the quality of the wrapper alone, this appeared to be a gift meant for Yor, which, in hindsight, might have been a pretty expensive present. He was a Lieutenant now, of course, he could afford whatever his sister wanted if she made it known. Yuri was like that, endearingly excessive, willing to go beyond to prove himself. Nonetheless, Chloe also knew that same drive came back to slap him in the face more often than it should.
Chloe weighed the possibilities. Most recently, thanks to a few bold spreads on these new magazines that had risen in popularity, there was a quiet eagerness to celebrate a Western tradition called Valentinstag among the younger Ostanian population. Its premise being: a day you spent with the one you loved the most. And, in Yuri's case, the odds that that one person was his sister were high. But, due to the romantic undertones the holiday adamantly exuded, Chloe, reserved in her observations, knew that Yor was most likely to spend the day with her husband. Her true loved one, her partner.
Sparing him some grace at these turn of events, Chloe decided to play a commiserating role, since he was already suffering from a high fever. Poor Yuri. Yuri had probably broken down because of Yor's rejection by choosing to spend time with Dr. Forger. In fact, by now, by the endless mumbling and huffing Yuri made, she was definitely sure that was the case. He seemed to have gone through a lot of trouble to clear his schedule as well, given how a long list of points sat beside the discarded present.
Chloe frowned, wondering how she'd ended up in her place instead of Yor, embarrassed too, by how she'd agreed too quickly to follow suit, as soon as the First Lieutenant had posed it as an order.
'Every time his sister leaves town, he breaks down.'
'Briar starts sneezing when Yor forgets to call him at 8 pm.'
'Chloe, for the love of god, make sure he's well by tomorrow. You should check on him, or this case will be assigned to Division Seven, and we can't allow that. I know you'd much rather spend this day with someone else. But Briar… Briar might not survive this. There's an emergency kit on his top cupboard, an ingredient list of herbal leaves and honey, castor oil, wet towels, lemon extracts, and non-filtered water. Follow the instructions carefully and report back to me when he improves. It's an order, Officer.'
"AHCHOO!" Yuri sneezed, followed by a huff and a loud groan. He sniffled up, attempting to breathe, only to choke on air. He crumpled his hand around his T-Shirt and continued to complain.
"Yoooooooorddd…," he wailed through with a nasal tone.
"I'm not Yor." Chloe replied instantly; she, too, was more tired than amused by his state, which seemed far from improvement. Frankly, she was starting to get frustrated as well. She had followed every step the First Lieutenant had instructed and tracked time since he drank the odd mixture. Air escaped through her nostrils easily, which made Yuri more desperate to breathe in comparison. "Try lying on your sides, don't talk, Lieutenant. You'll only force your throat." Chloe urged, half sympathetic.
"But I gotd you aw prwesent… Yooordd," Yuri spoke back.
"I'm not— Listen," Chloe tried. She put a hand back on her lap as she sighed again. "Do as I say. Once you get well, you can give her the present. I'll drive you myself. But try keeping quiet for a while. Although…that would be new for you…" she said, in a lower register to avoid to poke fun at him, but mainly to relieve some part of her frustration.
"Okwaay…" Yuri huffed again. His eyes were closing due to the drowsiness of the medicine slowly kicking in. Chloe let an exhale and stood up, then pulled a sheet over him to keep his shivers at bay. Yuri finally turned to his side and curled up on his couch.
Good. How much time would she have to be there? Chloe shook her head. No. At least Yuri trying to rest was some semblance of improvement.
A good couple of minutes later, approximately around twenty, Yuri's alarm rang loudly, indicating it was time for him to take another sip of the drink. Apparently, this cold had been more aggressive than usual, needing him to take sips continuously until he felt better. In her boss's words, one sip was usually enough to bring him back to health. But Chloe suspected he might need more time, given the severity of the rejection.
Yuri drank the medicine and dozed off to sleep again. Meanwhile, Chloe had been flipping through one of these magazines to pass the time.
'Valentinstag: Learn how this popular day swooned over Ostania's couples thanks to 'Five Year Plan'!' read as the magazine's main headline. Chloe rolled her eyes. At least the other topics seemed less romantic, focusing on the traditional exchange of pleasantries and cards you could give to your friends or people you cared about. There was another one, focused on how decades ago, right after the Miteran collapse, it was customary to gift a pig-themed present to an acquaintance you admired, mainly as a sign of shared prosperity and respect.
Huh.
Yuri stirred again, hugging his knees as he curled into the green couch.
Chloe bit her lip in contemplation. Sure, she had already told him that before. That she respected him. That his drive was more than admirable, about his professionalism when it came to deadlines, and his ability to work in strict environments and hold up under pressure.
A soft smile curled at the edge of her mouth. She supposed there were worse things to do during Valentinstag than taking care of Yuri.
"Get away fromd my sis youug sister stealergg!" Yuri cried in his sleep.
Chloe stared at him blankly, wiping the smile off her face. Maybe not.
She looked at the clock, watching the needle hit way past ten. Yor hadn't called—she was probably having a lovely evening, which she definitely deserved. However, this didn't look too good for either of them. Tomorrow would be a long day ahead, and Yuri needed to be in top condition. And, if he didn't get better soon, not only would she have to spend more time around, she would definitely hear an earful from the Captain.
There had to be something, anything she could do. Chloe knit her brows together, thinking hard of a solution. She scanned his apartment, front and back, finding empty drawers and barely used cutlery.
Soon, curiosity followed her like a shadow. She realized with a sudden gasp the situation she had at hand. This was the first time she visited his place, and if it hadn't been for the sickness he was experiencing, she probably wouldn't have had the chance to come. Calmly, she paced around his lying frame, face turning towards the titles of his bookshelf. Chloe's fingers lingered on the covers until they stopped over a photo album.
When will I ever get the chance to come back?
Chloe gazed behind her shoulder just to be sure. One peek wouldn't hurt. In fact, it was necessary to gain his trust— for her to know him better.
One little peek and…
"ACHOOOOO!" Yuri sneezed suddenly, and Chloe jumped back as she placed the album back in place.
"L-Lieutenant! Here— Let me—" Chloe rushed back to his side, trying to check if his temperature had finally given him truce.
"Yoooooord…," Yuri complained again.
"I told you— I'm not—" Chloe insisted.
"Don'tg go." He called with a weak whisper.
"You don't really give me a choice here, Yuri," Chloe replied, exasperated. She was already resigned to the fact that she failed at her task. That they'd be assigned to another task, and clearly, something went wrong when preparing the tea, even though she had followed the recipe religiously.
"Are youg going withg Loig-Loig?" Yuri asked with his eyes closed, still struggling to breathe.
"No. I'm staying here. With you, Lieutenant." Chloe said quickly, glossing a little fondness over her admission. It was then that she took a wet towel and wrapped it around his now exposed forehead. She gazed at his sudden calmness, awed at his sincerity. For all that was worth, Yuri was still her friend—reluctantly— and that raw vulnerability gave her a funny feeling all along. Maybe Yuri wasn't that scary when he was ruthless, but in the privacy of his home, Chloe was sure now, this was even more dangerous.
"Chlowee…" Yuri spoke.
"I told you, I'm not— Wait—" She jumped, halting over the feeling of his hand reaching for hers.
This damn fever…
Chloe's chest heaved as he pulled her hand close to his own chest. Was he hallucinating now?
"Don'tg leave. Don'tg go," Yuri paused only to try to pull a deeper inhale.
"I-I-" Chloe shrieked, eyes widening at the sight. Suddenly, he laced his fingers together and tugged on her grip, harder. "You're clearly getting worse— Let me—" She spoke, trying to pull away unsuccessfully.
Yuri had to be mistaken, right? There's no way he wanted her that close, that his face protested with lines above his eyebrows, that his lips pouted when she tried to release him. He had to be mistaken, he had to. He—
"Yuri, I think it's best if you go to bed and get some proper rest. I'll explain everything to the Lieutenant, but make sure to get better soon. There's so much I can do by myself without you nagging me all the time," Chloe laughed at that, then delicately, she found her fingers slipping off his fingers.
Yuri frowned as his eyes opened slightly, not fully, but enough to register her presence. He was flushed with sweat pooling down his neck, but at that moment, Chloe couldn't tear her gaze away. She choked, almost as if she were the one who caught the cold.
"Don't—" Yuri began, to which Chloe heaved, looking away from his face. She was sure of what would come next, anticipating the roll of her tongue as she corrected him. No matter how much she tried, she could never be that person for him.
Her eyes widened.
Yuri had taken her hand again, lacing his fingers with hers, pulling them back to his chest. She dared to look back, quietly relieved at what she saw. Finally. Yuri had only been half awake, scaring her for half a second of semblance. She sighed, ready to try pulling away for the second time, until she heard him loud and clear.
Not Officer.
Not Yor.
Her name. Uttered with much more tenderness than she deserved.
"Chlowe… don'tg… Don'tg go," Yuri said, almost pleadingly. "Stayg with me agg little longer.".
Chloe stared at his subtle but captivating smile. Then, more confidently, she took her free hand to his face and caressed his cheek tenderly, enough to keep this moment's warmth locked in her memory.
"Get well soon, Yuri…" She said.
Yes. She supposed there were worse things in life, and she would deal with them in due time. But for now, maybe this was enough. Enough lies, blood, and all the uncertainty. The future was scary indeed. But, in the quietness of the night, with their hands linked as one, one single thought couldn't escape her mind, no matter how much she tried. No matter how much she'd deny it the next day. It was simple.
For now, there were definitely worse things than having to spend Valentinstag taking care of Yuri Briar.