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Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
The shrill, relentless sound clawed its way into Hirano's dreams until it finally dragged him awake.
Still caught somewhere between sleeping and consciousness, he frowned and blindly searched for the source of the noise. His eyelids felt impossibly heavy, refusing to cooperate, and his sluggish mind couldn't make sense of what was happening.
What the hell is making that noise at this hour of the night?
It couldn't possibly be his morning alarm. There was no way it was already time to get up, get dressed, and drag himself to class, right?
...Right?
With considerable effort, he managed to pry one eye open. A thin blade of golden sunlight slipped through the gap in his curtains, cutting across the dim room.
He turned toward his bedside table.
The alarm continued its merciless beeping.
"Ugh..."
Hirano groaned to no one but himself. He reached over to silence the blaring alarm, then immediately let himself fall back onto the bed with a defeated sigh.
His eyelids felt glued shut and his pillow seemed determined to keep him exactly where he was. He took a few deep breaths as thoughts of everything he had to do that day flooded his mind. Hirano usually didn't have any trouble getting up in the mornings, even when his days were packed with classes, assignments, and chores. But today, just thinking about getting out of bed felt exhausting.
After a few minutes of silently fighting with himself, he finally forced himself to sit up. The movement made his head throb, and a dull ache spread through his entire body. He swallowed, only then noticing the sharp sting in his throat.
No, I’m not sick. I don’t have time to be sick.
Hirano firmly believed you could fight off sickness through pure willpower. If you refused to acknowledge it, it wouldn't get you. It sounded ridiculous when put into words, but he was convinced it worked. He barely ever got sick, and on the rare mornings he woke up feeling under the weather, he'd usually be back to normal by lunchtime.
So he decided to ignore every one of his symptoms. Throwing the covers aside, and despite every muscle in his body protesting, he got to his feet and started getting ready as if nothing were wrong.
He changed into the first thing he saw in his closet—a pair of loose jeans and an oversized hoodie. It was far more casual than what he usually wore to class, but he didn't feel inspired enough to think about which shirt matched which pair of pants, let alone choose accessories to go with it.
He opened the door to his empty living room, only to be greeted by silence. He would never admit how lonely it felt when he was there by himself, but almost without thinking, he pulled his phone from his pocket and sent Kagi a quick good morning message.
At this hour, Kagi was probably on his way to practice. Hirano secretly hoped he wasn't too late to get a reply before practice started.
The response came a minute later, just as Hirano was brewing his morning coffee.
> Good morning, Hirano-san! I hope you have a good day at school. I miss you. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. ❤︎
A small smile tugged at Hirano's lips as he read the message. Just a few simple words, yet somehow they made the day seem a little less unbearable.
Tomorrow was Saturday, and he and Kagiura had a date planned. No plans had been set in stone yet, but Hirano didn’t really mind. Days with Kagi always tended to sort themselves out.
"Shit," Hirano muttered, glancing at the time. When did it get so late?
He hurried to finish getting ready, leaving his coffee mug and breakfast dishes in the sink. After hastily slipping on his shoes, he locked the apartment behind him and silently prayed for the day to pass as quickly as possible.
The gods must have been too busy to hear Hirano’s request, because the day dragged on painfully long.
He struggled to keep his eyes open during class, and was even quieter than usual during his project meeting. He tried to get some studying done in the library, but gave up about thirty minutes later. To make things worse, he felt like he was slowly losing the battle against whatever sickness had decided to take hold of him.
By the time he got home, the sun was already setting. The light outside had turned soft and dim, seeping through the windows in orange streaks. He had barely any energy left, so he decided to facetime Kagi while preparing some instant noodles, figuring he could go straight to bed once he was done eating.
The phone rang a few times before Kagi picked up.
“Hi, Hirano-san!” Kagi said as soon as he appeared on screen, clearly much more energetic than Hirano felt.
“Hey, Kagi-kun. Are you done with practice?” Hirano asked, propping his phone against the wall of his kitchen so Kagi could see him while he cooked. If you could even call putting noodles into water cooking.
“Yeah, I’m just on my way back to the dorms.”
“Good. And how was your day?”
Kagi began talking about how some of his classmates got in trouble for reading manga at school, which made Hirano think of the time he was still part of the school’s disciplinary committee. He remembered how annoyed Miyano got every time he had to record the items confiscated by teachers, though he still always took a peek whenever the item was a manga. Hirano wondered if he did the same this time.
“What about you, Hirano-san? Did you have a good day today?”
Hirano let out a heavy sigh, eyes closing.
“Oof… that bad?” Kagi asked immediately, a small chuckle slipping through, though his expression softened as he watched Hirano on the screen.
“It was fine, I guess,” Hirano replied, setting his phone down nearby as he sat to eat his dinner. “It just felt really, really long.”
Kagi was silent for a few seconds, bringing the phone closer to his face as if trying to read more than just Hirano’s words.
“…Are you feeling okay, Hirano-san?” he asked eventually, concern clear in his face.
Hirano didn’t want to worry him. There was nothing to worry about, after all. He gave a small shrug and forced a light smile, hoping it would smooth things over.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired, that’s all. I just need a good night’s sleep, and I’ll be good as new.”
Kagi studied him for a second longer. His brows were still slightly drawn, like he didn’t fully believe it, but he didn’t press further.
“In that case, I’ll let you go get some rest. Thanks for calling even though you were tired. I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!”
He nodded slightly, even though Kagi could only barely see it through the screen.
“Of course,” Hirano said, his voice gentler now. “You know I wouldn’t miss our nightly call.”
A small smile returned properly this time as he watched Kagi brighten at the words.
“Have a good night, Kagi-kun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Hirano-san!”
The call ended, the warmth of Kagi’s voice vanishing from the room leaving only the loud silence behind.
Hirano woke up feeling like he'd been hit by a truck.
Three times.
At full speed.
He groaned as he tried to move, only to have every muscle in his body protest. Somehow, he felt even worse than he had the day before. His head pounded, his throat burned, and even lifting an arm felt like more effort than it was worth.
Yeah... there was no denying it anymore. He was sick. Which meant he couldn't go on his date with Kagi.
Uuuuuugh. This suuuuucks.
With a sigh, he reached over to his bedside table and grabbed his phone. There was no point putting it off.
The phone barely rang before Kagi answered.
"Good morning, Hirano-san!" His voice was still thick with sleep, but it had its usual cheerfulness.
"Hey, Kagi-kun," Hirano replied. The words came out much rougher than he expected. He cleared his throat, wincing as it scraped against the soreness.
"I'm sorry... I think I caught a cold or something. I can't go on our date today."
"Oh..."
The brightness in Kagi's voice faded instantly.
"Do you want me to come over and take care of you?"
For just a moment, Hirano was tempted.
Normally, being fussed over while he was sick sounded embarrassing more than anything. But right now, the thought of Kagi sitting beside him, bringing him tea or simply keeping him company, sounded pretty comforting.
Still, he couldn't be that selfish.
"Nah, you don’t have to. I don't want to get you sick." He had to stop to cough a few times before continuing. "Besides, it's nothing serious."
"It doesn't sound like nothing serious," Kagi said quietly.
"I'm fine, really. I'll probably sleep through most of the day anyway."
There was a brief silence between them.
"...Okay, Hirano-san," Kagi said at last, though he still sounded unconvinced. "Go back to sleep, then. You'll feel better in no time."
Hirano couldn't hold back another fit of coughing.
"I'm sorry about our date, Kagi-kun. I was really looking forward to seeing you today."
Kagi let out a soft laugh.
"Oh, don't worry about that. Just focus on getting better, okay? I'll see you soon."
"...Yeah. Okay. See ya."
The call ended, and Hirano let the phone slip onto the mattress beside him.
Maybe they could see each other tomorrow instead, if he was feeling better.
He certainly hoped so. The thought of waiting another whole week to see his boyfriend felt worse than the cold itself.
A faint clatter drifted in from the kitchen, slipping through the narrow crack in Hirano's bedroom door. He slowly opened his eyes, his head still heavy with sleep. The room was quiet except for the occasional sound of dishes being moved around.
As his vision came into focus, something on his bedside table caught his attention.
A bottle of water.
A packet of medicine.
He frowned. He was certain those hadn't been there when he'd gone to sleep.
That could only mean one thing.
He opened his mouth to call Kagi's name, but the words caught in his dry throat instead. A coughing fit took over before he could get a single sound out. He reached for the water with shaky hands and drank nearly half the bottle in one go. The cool water soothed his throat almost immediately.
“You're awake!”
Kagi appeared in the doorway with a smile so bright it seemed to light up the dark room.
"What are you doing here?" Hirano asked, his voice even raspier than he'd expected.
Kagi blinked, as though the answer were obvious.
"What do you think I'm doing here?"
He crossed the room in a few quick steps before sitting on the edge of the bed. Gently, he cupped Hirano's face in both hands, his palms cool against Hirano's warm cheeks, and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
"I'm taking care of you, duh."
Hirano felt himself instinctively leaning into Kagi's touch, so comforting he could have closed his eyes and fallen right back asleep.
Instead, he pushed the feeling aside.
"You didn't have to come," he protested. "You're going to catch my cold."
Kagi only smiled as he reached for the medicine on the bedside table.
"Here." He shook a pill into his hand and held it out to Hirano. "This'll help."
Hirano swallowed it with another mouthful of water, wincing as it scraped against his sore throat.
"And I'm not going to get sick," Kagi declared confidently. "I'm as healthy as a horse."
To prove his point, he raised one arm and flexed his bicep with an exaggerated grin.
"As if that means anything," Hirano muttered.
Kagi laughed.
"Besides..." His smile softened as he looked at Hirano. "You look really cute like this, Hirano-san."
Hirano immediately felt heat spread across his face and down his neck. Whether it was the fever or Kagi simply being... well, Kagi, he honestly couldn't tell.
"No, I don't!" he blurted. "I must look awful right now."
Before Kagi could disagree, Hirano buried his face in both hands, trying to hide not only the pillow marks surely still pressed into his skin, but also the blush he was certain Kagi had already noticed.
Still, Kagi decided not to push the issue. He knew better than to argue with Hirano, even if he personally thought Hirano looked just as handsome as always.
"Well, it's still pretty early," Kagi said, reaching and giving Hirano's hand one last reassuring squeeze before standing. "Get some more sleep. I'll make you lunch when you wake up."
"Huh?" Hirano blinked. "No, really. You don't have to do that."
Kagi immediately sat back down on the edge of the bed.
"What if I want to?"
He reached for Hirano's hand again, gently lacing their fingers together.
"Hirano-san..." His voice softened. "You're always taking care of everyone around you. Especially me."
His thumb absentmindedly brushed across the back of Hirano's hand.
"So... just let me spoil you today. Okay?"
Hirano's heart gave an embarrassing little squeeze. He couldn't bring himself to meet Kagi's eyes for long. Instead, he stared at their joined hands and gave a small, reluctant nod.
Kagi's face immediately brightened.
"Thanks."
He finally stood again and made his way toward the bedroom door, but paused with one hand on the doorknob.
"I'm actually kind of happy I get to repay you for everything you do for me..." he said with a sheepish smile.
The words seemed to catch up with him a second later and his eyes widened.
"Wait, no! That's not what I meant." He waved his hands frantically. "I mean, I'm not happy you're sick! I just... um..."
He rubbed the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly.
"Forget I said anything."
Hirano couldn't help smiling.
"Idiot," he murmured affectionately.
Kagi pouted for all of half a second before smiling again.
"Call me when you wake up, okay?"
"I will."
With one last smile, Kagi quietly closed the bedroom door behind him with a soft click.
Hirano sank back into his pillow, unable to stop the smile tugging at his lips. He felt so ridiculously, hopelessly loved that, for a moment, he almost forgot he was sick.
Hirano opened his eyes and immediately felt sticky with sweat, but definitely better than before. He let out a quiet groan as he pushed himself upright, every muscle still protesting the movement, though not nearly as much as they had that morning.
He shuffled toward the bedroom door and opened it to find Kagi standing at the stove, his back to the room as he stirred something in a pot. The apartment smelled warm and inviting, filled with the comforting aroma of simmering broth. Hirano's stomach answered with a loud growl, only then making him realize just how hungry he was.
He glanced at the clock on the wall.
Almost noon.
"Hey," Hirano called, his voice still a little hoarse. "What are you making?"
Kagi seemed completely absorbed in whatever he was cooking, jumping slightly when he heard Hirano speak.
He quickly turned around, and the moment his eyes landed on Hirano, his whole face brightened.
"You're awake!" he said, setting the spoon aside without a second thought. "How are you feeling, Hirano-san?"
"Like I desperately need a shower," Hirano admitted with a sheepish laugh, suddenly very aware of how disheveled he must look. "But... better. The medicine probably helped. Thanks, Kagi-kun."
A relieved smile spread across Kagi's face.
"I'm glad," he said, and Hirano could hear the genuine relief in his voice. "Lunch is almost ready, so go freshen up. We'll eat as soon as you're done."
Hirano was about to head to the bathroom when he noticed the room felt… different from the night before. He couldn’t immediately tell why—besides Kagi being there, of course—but then it clicked.
“Did you clean?” he asked.
“Huh? Oh…” Kagi glanced back over his shoulder, already turning toward the stove again. “I just tidied up a bit. Did a few dishes, put some things away. Nothing big.”
Hirano’s first instinct was embarrassment. He was usually careful about keeping things in order, and he never went to bed leaving a mess behind. At least, not intentionally. He must have been too exhausted yesterday to even notice.
But then that embarrassment softened into something new, something warmer, almost overwhelming. It felt… oddly comforting. Like being truly, deeply cared for. Without any judgment or expectation, but just… because.
Kagi was almost too good to be true.
“Thanks,” he murmured.
Kagi just smiled briefly over his shoulder before turning back to what he was doing, and Hirano slipped into the bathroom.
After taking a long, refreshing shower and changing into clean clothes, Hirano returned to the kitchen. He instinctively kept a bit of distance from Kagi, though. Even now, he couldn't stop worrying about passing whatever he had on to him.
"So, you never answered me," Hirano said, stopping a few steps away. "What are you making?"
"Oh, right!" Kagi looked up from the stove. "Just some porridge. Nothing special."
Hirano raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't know you could cook... well, anything, to be honest."
Kagi let out an exaggerated huff, shooting Hirano an offended look.
"Hirano-san! Even I can follow a recipe, okay?"
A laugh escaped Hirano. He crossed his arms and leaned against the countertop, careful to keep a little space between them.
"I don't doubt that for a second," he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Besides, it smells really good."
The indignant look on Kagi's face melted into a proud grin.
"I worked really hard on it."
"I can tell."
Kagi carefully ladled the porridge into two bowls before carrying them over to the low table. He set one in front of Hirano with a small, satisfied smile, clearly pleased with himself.
Their conversation flowed as naturally as ever, the two of them catching up on everything that had happened during the week. And when they eventually ran out of things to talk about, the silence between them never felt awkward. Everything simply felt better when they were together. Even just sharing a meal.
"Hey, Kagi-kun," Hirano said after a while. "I'm sorry for ruining our date today."
Kagi looked up from his bowl, his expression immediately softening.
"Stop. You didn't ruin anything." He shook his head. "Honestly, I was going to suggest we stay home today anyway."
"Oh? You were?"
"Yeah." Kagi smiled. "You looked so tired yesterday. I figured you could use a day to rest."
He finished the last spoonful of porridge before setting the bowl aside.
"Besides..."
Leaning forward, he reached across the table and gently took Hirano's hand in his.
"Spending the day with you somewhere I can touch you as much as I want isn't a bad deal."
A grin spread across his face.
"Not at all."
Heat crept onto Hirano's cheeks.
Kagi always said things like that so naturally, never seeming to realize how easily they flustered Hirano. Then again, maybe he knew exactly what he was doing. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he'd teased Hirano just to watch him get flustered.
Hirano would never admit it out loud, but he treasured every one of those simple and embarrassing declarations.
"Well, you can't touch me too much. I don't want you to get sick."
Kagi pouted.
"But, Hirano-saan..." he whined as he shuffled over to Hirano's side. Wrapping his arms around Hirano's waist, he rested his head against his shoulder as though there were no safer place in the world.
Hirano made a half-hearted attempt to push him away. To be completely honest, he hadn't put much strength into it.
"You're so stubborn."
Kagi only smiled. He nuzzled into Hirano's shoulder before absentmindedly brushing his nose against the side of his neck.
"Thanks, Hirano-san."
Hirano blinked.
"What are you thanking me for?"
"For letting me take care of you."
"...Huh?"
He frowned in confusion.
"That doesn't make any sense. I should be the one thanking you."
Kagi lifted his head just enough to press a soft kiss to Hirano's cheek. Ever since he'd arrived, he'd been fighting the urge to dote on him at every opportunity.
"You told me not to come," he admitted quietly. "I was worried you'd be upset."
"To be fair," Hirano corrected, "I never said I didn't want you to come. I just said you didn't need to."
Kagi pulled back just enough to look at him properly, and his eyes lit up.
"Oh?" A hopeful smile spread across his face. "Does that mean... you wanted me to come?"
Hirano reached up and gently cupped Kagi's face, his thumb slowly brushing across his cheek.
"...Yeah."
A small smile found its way onto his lips.
"I'm really happy you came. Thank you for taking such good care of me, Kagi-kun."
Kagi felt his heart swell.
"N-No..." Kagi mumbled, suddenly unable to meet Hirano's eyes. "It was nothing."
"Yeah, it was."
Hirano's thumb stroked Kagi's cheek once more.
“You do so much for me without even realizing it. I just… really appreciate everything you do.”
Kagi's heart couldn't possibly fit any more affection.
He leaned forward almost instinctively, closing his eyes as he aimed for Hirano's lips, but his progress came to an abrupt stop.
Hirano's hand was covering his mouth.
"Hey," Hirano protested, unable to hide the smile in his voice. "I told you to be careful. I don't want you getting sick."
Kagi reached up, gently took Hirano's hand in his own, and pressed a lingering kiss into the center of his palm before lowering it.
"...Yeah", he said, smiling. "But it'd be worth it."
Before Hirano could protest again, Kagi closed the remaining distance between them.
Their lips met in a brief, gentle kiss.
It tasted of warmth, and happiness...
...and just a little bit of porridge.
A couple of days later, Hirano and Kagi were on their nightly phone call. Kagi’s voice was a little hoarse, scratchy around the edges.
“See? I told you you’d get sick,” Hirano said, sounding more frustrated at himself than at Kagi.
Kagi chuckled, though it broke into a cough halfway through.
“Yeah, well…” he said once he could speak again. “I’m a man of no regrets. That was 100% worth it.”