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It wasn’t a frequent thing for Yin Yu to get sick. He was quite good at keeping himself out of trouble, so it was a rare occurrence to see him end up bedridden with a fever and, frankly, in a miserable state. But he got hurt during a night hunt, protecting one of his shidis, and the wound gave the healers a bit of a fight.
He was getting better now, though: the worst had already passed.
“I brought you your medicine, Yu-er,” Jian Shi said, carrying a tray with a cup full of a herbal preparation that smelled quite strongly, along with a bowl of soup, “and some food too. Do you need me to help?”
“Ugh,” Yin Yu groaned, “I hate this so much. My eyes hurt, A-Shi…”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Jian Shi replied, leaving the tray over Yin Yu’s desk before approaching the bed. “Let’s get you sitting comfortably first, okay? No need to open your eyes.”
Yin Yu was basically dead weight at that moment, but Jian Shi didn’t mind, as long as he could help his friend.
“Thank you, A-Shi…” Yin Yu was now sitting upright, leaning against the pillows, with his eyes still closed, under a damp cloth.
“Did any of the sect healers visit you today?” Jian Shi inquired, while he brought the tray with him, to help Yin Yu take his medicine.
“Mn,” Yin Yu mumbled. “I just need to rest and take the medicines. They checked my wounds and everything is already starting to heal.”
“That’s good,” Jian Shi said, bringing the cup to Yin Yu’s lips. “Drink, Yu-er.”
Even if the concoction tasted absolutely horribly, Yin Yu did not complain. He wanted to heal soon, and recover his strength. And the first step for that was getting rid of his fever.
After Yin Yu finished his cup, Jian Shi changed the cloth that was covering Yin Yu’s eyes and forehead to offer some relief, placing a fresh one there after cleaning his face from any sweat.
“…I can feed you too, so you can keep resting,” Jian Shi said, suddenly feeling a bit shy.
“Huh, what are you, my caretaker?” Yin Yu tried to joke, but his voice betrayed how tired he actually was.
“I can be, at least until you get better.” Or forever, he thought, but of course he didn’t voice that idea. Jian Shi was blushing, but at least Yin Yu would not be able to see that, since he had his eyes covered.
Yin Yu moved to uncover his eyes, but Jian Shi stopped him.
“Just rest there for once, alright? I’ll help you eat.”
He brought spoonful after spoonful of soup towards Yin Yu’s lips, and the food disappeared quite soon. Yin Yu was a good patient, after all, easy to care for with how little he complained.
The atmosphere was peaceful, but it didn’t last for too long.
“…How’s Yizhen doing?” Yin Yu asked, worrying that his shidi would need something and no one would be patient enough with him to help.
“You should care about yourself first, Yu-er.” Jian Shi’s voice was bitter, as it tended to be whenever Yin Yu put Quan Yizhen’s wellbeing on top of everything else (including his own wellbeing).
“Well, you know I am supposed to take care of him!” Yin Yu responded, a bit angry, finally getting rid of the cloth that covered his eyes, to look at Jian Shi in the face. “He’s my responsibility, and he’s still getting used to this place.”
“He needs to learn how to behave and he won’t fucking do it if you keep protecting him all the damn time!”
That was a constant fight they had, a routine conversation where Jian Shi pushed for Yin Yu to let Quan Yizhen acclimate on his own, and Yin Yu pushed back, saying that his shidi needed some extra help and that he did not mind providing it.
“Would it kill you to care about him for once?! He’s your shidi too!” Yin Yu raised his voice, but immediately stopped himself, as his head throbbed, making him wince in pain. “You’re supposed to help me, not make things harder for me.”
Those words hurt Jian Shi, cutting like a knife right into his heart.
“I am trying to help you,” he replied, his fists closed and his nails almost biting into his skin. “But you won’t let me–”
“I am responsible for him, whether you like it or not.” Yin Yu covered his eyes again, craving the cool relief from his fever. “All I asked you was if he’s doing alright, I didn’t even tell you to do anything for him.”
Jian Shi didn’t want to talk about Quan Yizhen. Didn’t want that kid to keep getting in the middle of his and Yin Yu’s friendship, didn’t want him to keep stealing his Yu-er’s time and attention. But he also knew that Yin Yu was right. Yin Yu was the Head Disciple and the person in charge of helping Quan Yizhen and teaching him the stuff no one else could. At least the kid was a fast learner.
“…He’s acting up because he’s not allowed to come see you. He said he’s going to make a gift for you, and tried to fight me to get to be the one who brought your medicines, but our Shizun caught him on time.” Against his will, Jian Shi smiled a bit. He would never admit it, but Quan Yizhen had looked adorable with his determination and anger.
At least their Shizun didn’t indulge him this time, knowing that Yin Yu truly needed to rest, and Quan Yizhen would not be conductive to that.
“Is he eating as he should? Do you know if he’s attending his classes? Did the other disciples leave him alone or–”
“What are you, his caretaker?” Jian Shi retorted, using Yin Yu’s words against him now.
“Well, I guess I am, then,” Yin Yu said, cutting Jian Shi off before he could keep going. “He needs some extra help sometimes! It’s not a problem for me to do that until he learns.”
“He’s never going to learn,” Jian Shi replied, feeling angry again. “All you do is coddle him. He’s not a baby.”
Yin Yu sighed.
“I’m still tired,” he said, in a clumsy attempt to stop the conversation from progressing into the same eternal loops they always ended up, whenever they talked about Quan Yizhen. “I want to go back to sleep.”
“…I’ll help you get comfortable again.”
Jian Shi repositioned the pillows, and tucked Yin Yu under the covers, careful to not disturb his bandages nor cause him pain. Before he could leave, Yin Yu reached for him, blindly, and caught his wrist.
“…Would you read for me for a while, A-Shi?”
His voice was small and a bit sad. Yin Yu didn’t want to fight with Jian Shi! He simply was worried about their shidi, that was all. He wished Jian Shi could understand that, that he could see that he wasn’t trying to push him away.
And with how miserable and exhausted he was, he really could use listening to Jian Shi’s voice for a while, reading some poetry to him, or even some boring cultivation manual, if that would keep him in his room for a little bit more.
He wanted his company.
“Alright.”
Jian Shi grabbed a random book from Yin Yu’s stash and started reading, sitting beside the bed. He kept reading long after Yin Yu’s breathing had evened into the tranquil rhythm of his sleep.
He left right before curfew, after sneaking a kiss on top of Yin Yu’s head.