Work Text:
Tsukasa pushed away the strands of hair sticking to Anzu's face, humming softly as he pulled the blankets over her.
“There there… just rest please. Don’t push yourself any further…”
Anzu grumbled but sighed as Tsukasa laid a cool cloth over her forehead.
“Just rest alright?” he begged.
“I am…”
He smiled gently, kissing her fingertips.
“I mean go to sleep. You’re sick.”
“‘S just a lil fever… I’m fine…”
“A fever means you are not fine, not to mention you’re practically delirious.”
“Nooo…”
Anzu groaned, trying to sit up, only for Tsukasa to push her right back down.
“I gotta finish my-”
“No, you don’t, my love.” he interrupted. “You need to sleep.”
He cupped her cheek, the heat seeping through his skin.
“No… kasa please…” Anzu whined.
Her eyes watered, pleading and begging for leniency, but Tsukasa refused to give despite the cuteness. He had to admit to himself at least, that this unusually whiny side was almost as appealing as her usual self.
“Let me take care of you, okay?” He said, standing up. “I’ll be back soon with some food, so please rest until I return.”
Anzu groaned against the pull of exhaustion drawing her eyes shut, barely keeping her arm up enough to cling to his shoulder.
“Then will you promise me something…?” She asked weakly, unfortunately in a way that made Tsukasa's heart try to strangle itself.
“Y-yes…?” He gulped as her hand began to slip down his collar bone.
“If I can’t work today… promise you’ll make the rest of Knights send me those photos I needed…”
His poor darling workaholic. He couldn’t say no to that face.
“… alright, I swear on my life,” he said breathlessly.
“Thank you… mnn, okay then I can… try…” her arm finally fell to her side, and she drifted into what Tsukasa hoped was pleasant dreams.
Instead she was met by a cloud of heat and darkness.
Foggy. Damp.
Echoes of familiar voices burning through her brain, only furthering the weight surrounding her.
Time lost meaning, consciousness and unconsciousness blended into a single disgusting emotion that can only be named pain.
Anzu opened her eyes just a crack before the light forced them shut.
The fog eventually parted, letting her feel that she had a physical body again as a cool sensation was laid upon her forehead.
“…help you sit up.”
Oh, and sound exists too, that's right…
At some point the light must have dimmed, because her eyes opened without issue now.
Sound may exist, but she wasn't exactly listening.
“Something something medice… something eat…”
It was fine though, whatever was happening didn't require any effort on her part. She could hardly taste whatever she was drinking, but she swallowed reflexively.
Then she sank back down into the heavy fog.
Tsukasa ran his hands through Anzu's hair, combing out the damp tangles as he went.
She pressed her equally sticky face against his leg, whining softly in her sleep as she made herself comfortable.
She’d definitely need a bath when she woke up, and new sheets as well.
“Mn… katha…”
His brain paused, giving him the time necessary to breathe and not have a breakdown out of delight because he was definitely a mature and responsible adult who could most certainly handle his girlfriend calling out for him in her sleep. Yep.
For sure.
Beyond the flutters he felt in his heart, he did feel genuine pride in being the name she called.
He smiled down at her sleeping form and took her outstretched hand, so very dry compared to her sweat soaked upper body.
“If you’re calling for me, I certainly hope I'm in your dreams to answer,” he murmured absentmindedly, resting their interlocked hands in his lap. “But even if not, I’m still right here~”
He didn’t move as her fevered sweat soaked into his pants. He remained in his place for a near eternity of Anzus shifting and groans of discomfort, until she finally awoke.
The soup had come out better than he expected, not that Anzu seemed to care, but it did make him feel quite proud of his capabilities as her caregiver.
He held her by the shoulder as she drank it down, her full weight pressed against him just to sit up.
“I can get back to working now?“
“Not quite… ah, please don’t try to get up!”
She had gained back some color at the very least, but after taking her temperature it hadn’t gone down at all.
“When your fever goes away you can work okay? Just keep resting” He would not in fact uphold this promise.
“Oh… what's it right now?”
“39, so just forget about anything work related please….”
She nodded, resting her heavy head on Tsukasa's shoulder.
“Thank you…”
“For taking care of you…? I’m your knight after all, I swore to always protect and care for you… and I’m also… y-your boyfriend… So it's my duty in every way to do this,” he explained shyly.
Anzu smiled, hugging his arm tight. "I really love you.”
He pressed a light kiss to her burning forehead. “I love you too. More even.”
“No.”
Anzu pulled him down into bed, surprisingly easily despite being too weak to sit up straight. She grinned devilishly before burying her face in his chest. So she was a gremlin in sleep and sickness… he didn't want it any other way.
“Ah…? What do you mean ‘no’…?”
“You don't love me more.” Her voice came muffled against his sweater.
“I assure you I do!” Tsukasa insisted, taking her cheeks between his hands and lifting her head.
“What makes you think I don’t ?” He rebuked.
“Because I know how much I love you, and there's no way anyone can love anyone more than that.”
Tsukasa froze, a dumb little grin replacing his expression of defense.
“Oh.”
This time his heart decided to silently combust.
“So you think you love me more than I love you?” He stated more than he asked.
If so, then she was wrong, but it certainly made him happy that she believed it possible.
“Mnn…” she thought, taking more time than usual. “no, probably not. I guess it’s equal. You do seem to love me a lot after all…”
Tsukasa nodded. “Equal… that is ideal I suppose, to be loved by someone just as much as you love them.”
“See you are a good boy…”
Anzu rolled off of him onto the bed, leaving a damp spot on his clothes. It reminded him he intended to get her into the bath at some point.
He slid out of bed and held out his hand. “You’re covered in sweat, you should wash up.”
“yeah that sounds good…” she muttered, letting him pull her up into his arms when she didn’t take his hand on her own.
“You’re really great…”
“Are you feeling better? You’re still feverish obviously, but anything else…?”
“Mmn… my head feels better now… still sore and hot, but I feel better.”
“Then I'm sure a bath will help clear your head. Can you stand?”
Anzu pouted, clinging to Tsukasa's hand.
“No… stay…”
“I just want to change the bedsheets for when you finish-“
“Stay.”
Clingy and cute, clingy and cute-
“It will only take a minute…!” Tsukasa said, closing his eyes so as not to be swayed by love.
Anzu dropped his hand, hiding her face behind her arms as she rested over the edge of the bathtub.
“Should I count it?”
“Just relax please… seeing you sick makes me stressed.”
A little light flickered in Anzu's eyes,making her seem far more pitiful.
“Sorry… go ahead then, I’m fine…”
“Ah! No no, I…! I’m sorry… I didn’t mean it's a burden, in fact I enjoy taking care of you, I just want you to be healthy is all…!”
He had forgotten to account for Anzu's intent to never burden anyone with her problems so they’d keep letting her take theirs. On the other hand though, her (misplaced) guilty puppy eyes were adorable. How he got so lucky, Tsukasa would never know. He scurried out of the bathroom back to the bed, working quickly despite being unskilled. Had Anzu not been patient enough to teach him when they moved in together he’d be completely helpless… his heart swelled with pride, for himself again for being able to do so much for his beloved, but also for Anzu. She was just so cool, taking someone immature and useless like Tsukasa and showing him how to be independent!
He smoothed out the comforter before deciding in her current state, Anzu would certainly prefer he just hurry up.
He grabbed the empty soup bowl and took it to the kitchen, picking up a few scattered papers from Anzus' ever spreading work and setting them on the dining table along the way.
He stepped into the bathroom after, to find her hanging over the side of the tub.
“Anzu…” He kneeled beside her, placing his hand on her still burning head.
“Hey, are you alright?”
“Mnnn… ‘m hot… but also cold…”
She snuggled against his hand, finding his skin to be pleasingly cool.
“Thas better tho…”
Tsukasa rubbed his thumb along her cheek. “Maybe your fever went up… or maybe moving you took too much energy…”
Anzu gave a half hearted noise of some sort before slumping down again, driving her already anxious boyfriend’s mind back into panic.
He grabbed her before her head hit anything, and shifted a bit closer so she could properly lean on his shoulder.
“heads hurting again,” Anzu murmured, reaching a weighted hand towards him.
He embraced his sick lover, lightly kissing her forehead.
“The medicine should start working soon enough. You’ll be okay.”
She hummed against his neck and gave a small nod before closing her eyes again.
By the time Anzu opened her eyes again, Tsukasa had carried her back to bed with a big fluffy towel wrapped around her.
“Lift your arms,” he said gently, guiding her into a big warm sweater. Her hands didnt reach all the way through the sleeves.
“This yours…?”
“It is.”
“Hm~” she drew in her knees, letting her eyes drift down again with a contented smile.
“Do you… like it?”
“Yeah. It's soft. And dark blues look really good on you as well.”
Tsukasa sat behind her with her hairbrush and hairdryer.
“Come here,” he said. “Let's dry your hair and let you sleep.”
She moved back into his arms and rested her head against his shoulder as he began brushing out her hair.
“You’re so good… really just the best…” she muttered, noticing they were sitting on their bedroom carpet.
Tsukasa smiled before switching on the dryer. “As you say my love~”
“No, really… all the time. You’re always… taking care of me…”
Water dripped from her hair onto his knees, cold enough to upset him that the water was still making her cold. “Well I think you usually take care of me more.”
“Letting me do that makes me really happy. So that counts as taking care of me.”
“I see…can you lean your head forward?”
“Mhm…” She flopped against him, seeming to tire quickly again. “This is nice too~”
“I can do this when you’re not sick too.”
“Are you done, drying my hair takes too long…?” She whined.
“Not quite my lady. That's a bad habit you know, not drying it. That can't have helped your health…”
“Id rather just wrap it in a towel.”
Tsukasa ran his hand through her hair, finally satisfied with its lack of moisture.
“Well I also think your hair looks pretty when it's dried like this. It makes it fluffier. And soft~”
“… so it's your preference then?”
“I suppose.”
“Then maybe… I will more often.”
His chest tightened aggressively. Did she really want to cater to his preference…? How adorable.
“Mm… you should get to bed now Anzu…” he said, pulling her up.
“Okay.”
Luckily it wasn’t far, because her legs still didn't seem to have functioning bones.
“Here we are…” Tsukasa murmured absentmindedly. He pulled up the covers and helped her under, gently tucking her in with another forehead kiss. “It seems you’ve cooled down. I’ll take your temperature again okay?”
She nodded and hugged a now clean pillow.
That should be me… Tsukasa thought as he grabbed the thermometer.
“Open your mouth please.”
“So polite~”
“Mhm, so please open your mouth now...”
“Ahhhh…”
“Good~ Hold it there for me please.”
“Mhm.”
He played with her bangs as they waited, while she occupied herself by watching his fingers until it gave her a headache from looking up too hard. The thermometer finally beeped in completion so Tsukasa pulled it out.
“Ah, 38.4 now. That's good…” he sighed.
“Am I better…?”
“Not quite. Do you want anything now? You should keep resting.”
“Mmm… could I have some hot tea?”
He nodded and put down the thermometer on the nightstand.
“I’ll go make some.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”
Anzu pulled the pillow under her chin and rolled onto her side, watching her pretty boy walk away.
“Maybe if there were two of him…” she whispered into it. It smelled somewhat like him, likely because it was the same detergent. “Then he’d be able to spoil me and still stay next to me. He’d probably get jealous of himself though…”
“Heres your tea. Careful, it's hot.” Tsukasa set the mug in her hands as she sat up, then joined her on the bed.
“That was fast, unless my sense of time is still off,” she said between breaths over her drink.
“I prepared the water in advance for you, so it warmed up quickly.”
“You’re pretty good at this, even though you’ve never taken care of a sick person before.”
She took a sip, the heat seeping through her chest.
“Am I?” He asked, wiping a runaway drop of tea from her chin. “I’m glad to be useful.”
Anzu nodded and cupped his cheek, rubbing her thumb just below his eye.
“Being spoiled is kind of nice I guess. At least when a pretty boy is doing it…” she decided.
“Ah, well… I don’t think such basic care counts as spoiling Anzu.”
“You sure? Well in that case, I suppose…” She quickly drank down the rest of the mug and set it aside, curling up properly against Tsukasa's chest. “Spoil me properly for a bit until I feel better,” she demanded. Tsukasa laughed softly and hugged her tight.
“As you wish, my queen.”