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Akito nudged the hotel room door shut with his foot, careful not to spill the tray balanced in his hands. A paper bag filled with warm takeout rested against his arm alongside a bottle of water, sports drink, thermometer, and a tiny plastic bag containing the fever medicine.
The room was quiet.
He slipped off his shoes before glancing toward the bed nearest the window.
Toya was exactly where Akito had left him.
Curled beneath the thick white comforter, only the top half of his face was visible above the blankets. His usually neat hair had fallen messily across his forehead, and even from across the room Akito could tell his cheeks were still unnaturally flushed.
Akito let out a small sigh before setting everything down on the bedside table.
"Hey," he greeted quietly as he reached over to gently brush a few strands of blue hair away from Toya's eyes. "I'm back."
Toya stirred almost immediately. His eyelids fluttered open sluggishly before unfocused grey eyes settled on Akito's face.
"Akito..." he murmured, his voice rough from sleeping.
"Yeah," Akito replied with a small smile as he rested the back of his hand against Toya's forehead. "Still me."
The heat startled him all over again. "Damn," he muttered under his breath as he frowned with concern. "You're still burnin' up."
Toya leaned instinctively into the cool touch before his eyes drifted closed again.
"It feels nice," he admitted sleepily as he pressed just a little more firmly against Akito's hand.
Akito's heart skipped for entirely unhelpful reasons.
"Quit makin' this difficult," he muttered as he reluctantly pulled his hand away before he forgot every ounce of common sense he possessed. "I brought food."
Toya blinked slowly. "...Food?"
"Mhm."
Akito unpacked the takeout container before setting it on the bedside table. Steam still curled gently from the rice porridge inside, carrying a warm, comforting scent through the room. Thank gods he found a Chinese restaurant nearby.
"I figured you should eat somethin' before takin' medicine," Akito explained as he grabbed the plastic spoon. "Can ya sit up?"
Toya nodded obediently before trying to push himself upright. He made it approximately halfway up, then immediately slumped sideways again. Akito watched him flop back onto the mattress with absolutely zero dignity.
"Seriously? Dude—"
To that, Toya mumbled into the pillow. If it wasn't incoherent before, having his face shoved into a pillow did not help at all.
Akito snorted despite himself. He set the spoon back down before carefully slipping one arm behind Toya's shoulders.
"C'mon," he said as he gently helped him upright. "Lean on me for a sec."
Toya did exactly as instructed. Perhaps a little too enthusiastically. The moment he was sitting, his forehead slowly came to rest against Akito's shoulder as though that had simply been the most natural thing to do.
Akito froze. "Toya."
"Hm?"
"You're leanin'."
"Mhm."
"You should probably not."
"Mm."
Neither of them moved.
Akito stared blankly at the opposite wall while every rational thought in his head desperately waved tiny red warning flags.
Toya is sick.
We're sharing a room.
We have performances. If I catch it— we'd be two people down.
Toya sighed softly against his shoulder and Akito's resolve cracked just a tiny bit.
"...Just for a minute, 'kay?" he mumbled under his breath before carefully ruffling Toya's hair with one hand. "Then you gotta eat."
Toya's eyes drifted closed again. "Okay."
The answer came so quietly that Akito almost didn't hear it.
He gently combed his fingers through Toya's hair again. It had become softer lately.
"...Your hair's all messed up," Akito murmured absentmindedly as he tried smoothing it back into place.
"Sorry..."
"The hell're you apologizin' for?"
"I usually keep it neater."
Akito couldn't help smiling. "No you don't..." he chuckled as he tucked a bit of Toya's hair behind his ear. Like how he usually would do himself if he wasn't suffering a high fever.
"Dude, you're allowed to look like you got hit by a truck when you've got a fever."
Toya let out the faintest little laugh. "Say that to yourself, Aki—"
"Oi—!"
Akito just sighed, not wanting to burden his sick partner with another scolding, and gave one final pat to the top of his head before reaching for the porridge.
"Now eat." he said. He scooped up a spoonful before holding it out.
Toya looked at it. Then looked at Akito. "Akito is feeding me?"
"Yeah."
"You don't have to." he pouted.
Akito rolled his eyes before nudging the spoon a little closer. "Open."
Toya obediently opened his mouth.
After swallowing the first bite, he blinked thoughtfully. "It's good."
Akito continued feeding him another few spoonfuls, occasionally reminding him to slow down whenever he tried eating too quickly despite barely being awake.
For several peaceful minutes, the only sounds in the room were the quiet clink of the plastic spoon against the container and the muffled hum of the hotel air conditioner.
Eventually Toya shook his head. "'M full."
"You barely ate half."
Akito studied him for another moment before deciding not to push it. "Guess half's better than nothin'." He reached for the bottle of water before handing Toya the medicine. "Take these."
Toya obediently swallowed the tablets before washing them down with several careful sips.
"There..."
Akito took the bottle back before setting everything aside. "Now," he said as he stood up from the bed, "You should get some more sleep."
His attempt lasted about two steps. Because the moment he turned away, gentle fingers wrapped around the sleeve of his hoodie. Akito looked down.
Toya was holding onto him.
"...Toya?"
Toya's gaze slowly lifted to meet his. His cheeks were still bright red from the fever, and his normally composed expression had softened into something much sleepier than usual.
Not that Akito has never saw the boy look sleepy, their many sleepovers with Toya sleeping in and waking up groggy...
Stay focused.
"Toya, what're you.."
"Could you..." he began quietly before hesitating. "Could you stay?"
Akito felt his heart sink. "I gotta be careful," he answered just as quietly as he gestured vaguely between them. "If I get sick too, we're kinda fucked."
No one wants to be sick while travelling in a foreign country after all. Let alone travelling for business—like singing.
Toya nodded once before loosening his grip. "I understand."
His fingers slipped away from Akito's sleeve. He looked so disappointed.
He didn't complain, didn't argue, heck didn't even try to convince him.
Akito stood there for several long seconds.
Common sense screamed at him.
Absolutely not.
Then Toya quietly sniffled.
Akito closed his eyes. "God fucking damnit."
Toya looked up again. "Hm?"
Akito rubbed both hands down his face before letting out the deepest sigh of his life. "I blame the fever," he muttered as he kicked off his shoes and climbed carefully onto the edge of the bed. "You better blame the fever too."
Before Toya could even process what was happening, Akito carefully settled beside him against the headboard.
He intentionally left a respectable amount of space between them.
"There," Akito declared firmly as he folded his arms across his chest. "That's all you're gettin'."
Toya looked at the empty space separating them. Then at Akito. Then back at the empty space.
His fever-fogged brain reached a very simple conclusion. Not close enough.
Without saying a word, he slowly scooted across the mattress until their shoulders touched.
Akito immediately looked over.
"Toya." he started.
"I'm still cold," Toya admitted quietly as he rested against him.
"You have a fever!"
"I know."
"You're literally hot."
"I still feel cold..." Toya mumbled miserably.
Akito opened his mouth. Closed it again. He looked on par with a catfish.
He hated that he couldn't argue with that.
"...Fine," he grumbled after another defeated sigh as he carefully draped one arm around Toya's shoulders. "Five minutes."
The effect was immediate.
Toya relaxed completely. He let out the softest content sigh before instinctively curling closer, his forehead settling against the side of Akito's neck.
Akito felt the heat radiating off him immediately.
"Seriously," he muttered as he rested his cheek lightly against Toya's messy hair, "You're like a damn heater... and 'm supposed to be the human heater here."
"...Sorry."
"Quit apologizin'."
Toya gave a sleepy hum of agreement before his arms slowly found their way around Akito's waist. He didn't cling tightly—surprisingly. It was almost like he simply held on as though reassuring himself Akito was really there.
Akito looked down at him.
Toya's eyes had already drifted shut again. His breathing had begun evening out. Anddd—he was asleep.
Akito couldn't help smiling. "So unfair..." he whispered as he gently rubbed slow circles across Toya's back. "You're all cute an' clingy when you're sick."
He shook his head before carefully pulling the comforter a little higher around Toya's shoulders.
"I'm definitely gonna regret this if I catch your fever," he murmured, though there wasn't much conviction left in his voice anymore.
Still...
He didn't move away.
Instead, he settled a little more comfortably against the headboard, keeping one arm securely around his partner while Toya slept peacefully against his side, and somewhere in the back of his mind,
Akito accepted with quiet resignation that if anyone ever asked how he'd managed to get sick too a few days later—
He was absolutely never telling them the truth.