Of bratty demons and mushroom heads

CHAPTER 16

Akaya kicked his feet up on the corner of his desk and pulled his computer onto his lap. He’d been back at the school now for two days without his mushroom and was getting fidgety. After they’d both gone to see his family, Hiyoshi’d had to go home for one more day. He was supposed to call him when he got back, but it was getting late and he still hadn’t heard from him. Annoyed, he clicked onto his email and saw his boyfriend had messaged him almost two hours ago. The last paragraph caught his attention.

“My brother was home. It might have been nice to see him since I haven’t spoken with him in a while if he hadn’t been coughing all over me. Needless to say, I wouldn’t recommend visiting me in the next few days.”

Akaya’s eyes went wide as he understood what the entry was saying. Wakashi was not only back, but he was sick?! He set the computer back on the desk and closed it before slipping on his shoes and running out the door.

Hiyoshi was lying in bed fully clothed, hadn’t bothered changing or unpacking. He was cold but didn’t want to move, sleep eluding him. Whenever he finally felt himself drifting off, coughs would seize him and he’d have to sit up in order to breath again. His throat was sore and his head was pounding. He knew he had a fever but was too stubborn to take anything for it, determined to beat it off on his own. What kind of martial artist was he? Being defeated by a stupid cough... If he could just get some sleep, he was sure he would be fine enough to go to classes by tomorrow. Even if he wasn’t, he still wouldn’t miss them. He refused to miss Kendo again.

He hoped Akaya had read his email and gotten the hint not to come over. Knowing the brat though, he’d taken precautions and not only locked the door but bolted it with a chair as he’d once seen him do to keep Sanada out. The last thing he wanted to do was get his boyfriend sick or let him see him looking so pathetic.

Akaya turned the knob to Hiyoshi’s door only to find it locked. With a stubborn frown he pulled a lock picking tool (aka bobby pin) out of his mess of hair and got to work. He was used to picking this lock and it only took him a matter of seconds, but when he tried to open the door, he found it blocked once again. He glared at it and frowned. "Wakashi!! I know you're in there!"

Hiyoshi heard the lock being picked and had to smirk. Yep, he’d called it. Maybe if he just stayed silent Akaya would go away. Then a coughing fit hit him hard and he had to sit up again. Damn it. There was no way Akaya didn’t hear that. “Go away, brat. I don’t want you here right now.” His voice came out all scratchy and he both internally and externally winced at the sound.

"Lemme in!" The demon brat grumbled again and kicked at the door. "I don't care if you're sick!" He pouted and kicked the door again, not hard, but hard enough to rattle it against the chair.

Hiyoshi groaned. Akaya was such a pest sometimes, but he wasn’t going to give in just yet. “You’re going to get sick if you come in here. You won’t be able to play tennis.” He hated his body acting so weak like this, and would have growled if it didn’t hurt his throat to do so.

"Will not! I never get sick!" Akaya was proud of his immune system, damn it, he was not going to be underestimated, even by his boyfriend. Suddenly the pout was replaced by a devilish little smirk. "Come on Wakashi, I'm not going to try and sleep with you when you're not feeling well. We'll wait 'til you're all better. Then I'll make sure the walls rattle and that all your neighbors know just what we're doing," That should be enough to drag his stubborn hermit boyfriend out of his cave.

If Hiyoshi’s face hadn’t already been flushed by the fever, it would have been now. He angrily got out of bed, kicked the chair out of the way and yanked the door open. He looked like a mess, his clothes in disarray, hair ruffled, cheeks flushed but skin pale. “Stupid brat! Don’t say thi—“ He broke off in coughing fit.

As soon as the door opened Akaya’s little smug smirk fell, "O-Oi, you look awful!" He quickly ushered his boyfriend inside and closed the door before leading him back to the bed. "You were fine two days ago! What the hell happened?" He sat Hiyoshi down and took a seat next to him with an arm around him.

Hiyoshi continued glaring at his boyfriend but it was a weak glare since he didn’t have the energy to feel truly annoyed. He covered his mouth as he spoke, determined to keep his germs to himself, but unconsciously leaned slightly into Akaya’s warmth. For once, he actually seemed a little too warm, but it was better than being cold. “My brother brought it home and decided to share. The last day at home was hell.”

"Oh..." Akaya mumbled and nuzzled the side of Hiyoshi’s head before kissing his hair softly. "I'll take care of you then, since I won't get sick," he smiled and rubbed his boyfriend’s side softly, trying his best to be comforting. He had no idea how to take care of a sick person, but he'd manage somehow.

Looking over at his boyfriend skeptically, Hiyoshi debated the wisdom in that. He already felt like shit, he didn’t need to babysit a chibi demon brat on top of it. “I’ll be fine, brat. I can take care of myself. Why don’t you go bother one of your senpai or somet-“ His cough started again and stood up to get himself some more water. His throat felt like sandpaper and he cursed under his breath when his legs felt wobbly as he stood up, but he managed stubbornly.

Akaya stood up next to him quickly and wrapped his arm around him again to help support him, "Sit down, dummy! You're gonna make yourself worse, I'll get you some water."

Still glaring at Akaya but doing as told, Hiyoshi sat back down on the bed. He didn’t want to be babied, damn it! He silently vowed that he wouldn’t show any more weakness or fall asleep until the other boy left.

Akaya did as promised and got some water for his boyfriend and brought it over to him. "Here, now stop being stubborn and let me take care of you." He sat down next to him and frowned at him. He hated being powerless to cure Hiyoshi, but at least he could take care of him. "Now after you drink that lie down and get some rest, I'll go get you soup."

“I don’t want any soup.” Hiyoshi grouched out and crossed his arms over his chest. His face which was supposed to look menacing instead came out looking like a pouty five year old who’s mom just told him it was time for bed. “I will not be babied by you.” Besides, how was he supposed to get some rest with all his clothes still on? He conveniently forgot that just a few minutes ago he had been trying to do just that.

"I'm not babying you, idiot," Akaya glared right back and crossed his arms over his chest, trying his best to mimic Sanada’s intimidating look and actually didn’t do too bad of a job. "What's wrong with taking care of the person you like, huh? You'd do the same if I was sick." It didn't matter if he didn't get sick; it was the principle of the thing.

With his arms still crossed, Hiyoshi mumbled under his breath about how it was brat’s who needing to be taken care of, not him, and he stubbornly looked to the side wall and not at Akaya. “I’m not weak enough that I need you or anyone else to take care of me.” It didn’t matter if he was sick. It was the principle of the thing.

"Fine," Akaya said snappily and stomped out of the room and down the hall. As he walked, he pulled out his cell phone and called his mom to figure out how to take care of a sick person. He walked all the way to the cafeteria and got a bowl of soup to go and started his trudge back to Hiyoshi’s room. He knew his boyfriend was stubborn, but he wasn't going to have any of it. He'd take care of him if it was the last thing he did!

The minute Akaya was out of his room, Hiyoshi slumped back on the futon, his legs still hanging off the side. Resentfully, he reached for the water Akaya had brought over for him earlier and took a small sip, the coolness soothing his inflamed throat. He felt a little guilty for making his brat leave like that, but he still had his pride after all. He frowned slightly when he realized he was cold again but didn’t have the will power at the moment to move and get under the blankets. Closing his eyes, he hoped to fall asleep before another coughing fit hit him.

When Akaya walked back in, glad to find the door unlocked still, he immediately frowned and almost dropped the container of soup. Quickly, he set it on the desk and hurried over to try and maneuver his boyfriend back under the covers. "Stupid... Don't fall asleep on top of the bed like that... No wonder you're sick..." he whispered chidingly.

“…Akaya? What are you doing here?” In the moment, having forgotten time and place, Hiyoshi leaned into his boyfriend’s warmth, half asleep. When he felt himself being moved, his mental facilities woke up. “…Not asleep, idiot.” he mumbled, “don’t take that tone with me.” If he had known he sounded like his father, he would have kicked himself. One eye cracked open to look up at the other boy. “Stop it brat, I need to get changed first.”

"And you don't take that tone with me," Akaya growled back and started tugging up on Hiyoshi’s shirt. "Let's get you changed so you can go to sleep," he mumbled.

Hiyoshi let Akaya help take his shirt off but didn’t attempt to remove his pants. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I haven’t been able to sleep for more then ten-fifteen minutes at a time anyway. Damn stupid cough.” Of course, the coughs chose that moment to attack and he reached over for the water again. “Why did you come back? I thought you left.”

"Yes, it does too matter!" Akaya frowned deeper and he gestured to the soup. "I brought that for you. Eat it when you can, though you should probably rest for a bit first. It's not good to eat right before you sleep... You think I'm that terrible of a person to leave my sick boyfriend by himself? You know me better than that, Wakashi."

Hiyoshi’s eyes crossed slightly when he thought about what Akaya said and sighed, which came out as more of a groan. “This was not how I’d imagined coming back…” Looking over at the soup, he had to admit that Akaya hadn’t done anything a good boyfriend wouldn’t do. “Fine, I’ll allow you to take care of me, but just this once,” he stated stubbornly. Not willing to admit that it felt kind of nice to be taken care of.

Akaya grinned and lifted up the edge of the sheets. "Then get in here and I'll lay down with you. Rest for as long as you can, and then you can have the soup." He ran his hand through his boyfriend’s hair affectionately and waited for the other to do what he said.

Following orders grudgingly, Hiyoshi crawled under the sheets, kicking off his pants in the process, leaving him only in boxers. When he felt the hand his hair, a sense of relief ran through him and a small tired yawn escaped his lips. The brat was still a pest, but he was a warm and comfortable pest. He was still cold and having his boyfriend around was like having a convenient travel heater. “Just so we’re clear…” he was interrupted by another yawn followed by a set of small coughs, “I would be just fine by myself.”

Smiling, Akaya crawled into the bed and rolled to face his boyfriend. He slipped one arm under Hiyoshi’s head and wrapped the other around the other man’s waist and held him close, "Of course you would..." He said softly and ran his hand over the other’s back lightly and in what he hoped was a soothing way.

‘Good. As long as he’s aware…’ Was the last thing Hiyoshi thought before falling asleep to Akaya’s gentle touch, unaware of the small content smile on his lips.