"Am I hot?"

"Yes, you are."

Somehow, his answer did not strike him right.


Hot


Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura. This is a purely fictional work.

This one-shot was inspired by Johnny Storm's quote from the Fantastic Four trailer and loosely modeled upon the Athrun-Cagalli fluff Strawberry Lollipopby my online imouto Jess-chan. The gang here is fifteen and in high school. Rated PG-7 for Tomoyo's antics, Eriol's discomfort and Syaoran. Enjoy. ^_^


When Daidouji Tomoyo came down with a fever that day, Hiiragizawa Eriol realized how much he still had to learn about language, life and love.

It had started somewhat innocently enough. That morning saw a strangely listless Tomoyo. She was slow on Yamazaki's latest uptake, sat out their morning calisthenics session and was too tired to catch Sakura on her video cam. Despite these, she had waved off her friends' concern with her customary ho-ho laugh. And despite her voice sounding weaker than usual, they all fell for it.

Come recess, adversity struck. Tomoyo was taking a nap when she accidentally knocked her pencil off her desk. As she stooped down to pick it, her vision suddenly went all hazy and black. She promptly slumped onto her seatmate's lap.

That seatmate happened to be Eriol. To say he was startled was understating it. That was the first and closest this half of Clow Read's reincarnation came to actually yelping. Apparently, his prescience did not cover embarrassing accidents. He certainly didn't see this one coming. Never.

The commotion they caused was beyond belief. Sakura began wailing her head off. Chiharu and Rika immediately followed suit. Three girls bawling at the top of their lungs made heads ring.

Syaoran tried to get his girlfriend to calm down. He coerced Takashi Yamazaki to help with the latter's own fiancée using a death threat.

As for Eriol? He was stuck in his seat, Tomoyo asleep and quite at home on his lap.

Bystanders immediately understand that things are not going to go well from here on.


Apparently, Tomoyo had caught a fever sometime in between last night and this morning. She was clearly sick and needed help. The anxious Sakura was in no state to help out. Syaoran was, thus, also unavailable. So, there could only be one person available to play the role of her 'knight in shining armor'.

To tell the truth, Eriol cordially detested that image. In his opinion, it was preposterous and stupid.

But he found himself fatefully burdened with the unenviable chore of accompanying Tomoyo to the infirmary. Carrying her, actually, as not ten steps out of the classroom, she lost all the bones in her legs and nearly collapsed unto herself. She did topple onto Eriol for the second time that day.

He couldn't just carry her in his arms. That would be too dramatic (and therefore stupid). Not to mention that it would call unneeded attention to him.

So he had to lug her piggy-back. Not exactly comfortable or dignified, but necessity called for it. Simple answers were always the best.

The problem was that the rest of their class found their situation interesting. Wide eyes followed the Brit boy and his charge until they had disappeared out of sight around a corner. And that was just their classmates. The people populating the corridors and classrooms leading to the infirmary gave them a lot more looks.

Most were congratulatory. Some were envious. A few were dirty.

Whatever, Eriol's dignity was gone forever.

Upon his back, the cause of all his discomfort and chagrin stirred. A drowsy Tomoyo tightened her arms around his neck. He grimaced.

"Am I hot?"

"Yes, you are."

Somehow, his answer did not strike him right.

"That's nice," she drowsily mumbled.

And then Tomoyo snuggled herself upon her transporter's back.

Eriol nearly missed a step. That would have been disastrous, as they were currently going down a flight of stairs. He actually quit breathing until they were safely down them.

"Um, Tomoyo?" he uneasily began.

"Yes?"

"Please don't get so close to me?"

"Why?"

"Please. Just– just don't do that."

"Do what?"

"You know 'what'."

"What 'what'?"

Eriol would have grumbled, but he was above such pettiness. "Snuggling, that's what" he said.

"Oh. You mean, like this?"

And she sleepily burrowed herself into his back even more.

They really came close to falling that time.

Catching himself, he checked the terrain before them. Then he groaned inwardly. Two more flights of stairs and corridors more of staring to endure.

On Eriol's back, Tomoyo stirred and mumbled in her sleep. Her smile was scary.

This is not going to end well…


Her arms were hot and tightly wrapped around his neck. He had trouble breathing due her surprisingly strong hold. Her own hot breath was running down his neck with her every small pant. To compensate for every semi-conscious shifting of her weight and body, Eriol had to shift his own grip from her knees up her thighs.

Then he jerked to a stop as he realized something horrible was happening.

Tomoyo was nibbling at his ear.

For the first time in his life, Hiiragizawa Eriol blushed.

That's so unhygienic! I know I clean my ears every day, but it's still disgusting!

Indifferent to his mental pleas, she began worrying at his earlobe some more.

Please don't bite down on it. Please don't. It's okay to nibble on it. Just don't bite it off.

He caught himself there and then. What was he saying?

No! Wait! Don't nibble it! Don't bite it, either! Stop tormenting me!

All the while, Tomoyo nibbled.

Obviously his day had gone down the gutter from the moment of waking, when he got off the left side of his bed instead of the right side.

But they actually made it down the last flight safely and in one piece. Excluding his dignity, that is. That was long gone. Eriol didn't even think he might get it back, ever. That was one thing even the most powerful magic couldn't fix.

Wait a minute!

Now he did hit himself on the head. Magic! Magic could solve the problem draped upon his back. I could simply cast a healing spell on Tomoyo! Why didn't I think of it before?

Maybe it's because you like doing this the old-fashioned way?

Ignoring his cynical side's comment, Eriol set Tomoyo down on the floor so he could cast his spell.

More accurately, he tried to set her down.

But she didn't want to be set down. Neither did she want to let go. Tomoyo clung onto him like a burr. Eriol grunted in surprise. Then he tried to pry her off.

Big mistake. Her death grip on him tightened with every effort of his to break free. Some sick girl she was. She had a grip stronger than a professional wrestler.

For the first time that day –indeed, the first in years– Eriol came close to losing his patience.

But he lost his footing first.

He toppled onto his back. The sleepy Tomoyo fell on him.

She was heavy. He'd never tell her that to her face, of course. Oh, and her face rested right upon of his chest. Her labored breathing was hot. Oh, and so was Tomoyo herself.

Literally? Yes.

Figuratively? Ask Eriol.

Surely? Ask Sheo Darren.

But the way she snuggled herself upon the disconcerted Eriol was absolutely adorable. Not to mention illegal. Fortunately, there was no referee to disqualify him for that.

Unfortunately, there were Sakura and Syaoran.

"Hiiragizawa-kun, Tomoyo-chan, are you–"

That was Sakura, by the way. At least, that was her before the sight of her two friends in a compromising spot rendered her dumb for ten long seconds.

Then she fainted into Syaoran's arms.

Eriol was never going to live this day down.

No one was.


Their troubles weren't over yet.

Poor Sakura. She couldn't handle the sight of what appeared to be Eriol molesting her best friend. She was currently more dazed than the sick Tomoyo.

Meanwhile, Eriol was trying to think of a satisfactory alibi for the 'incident' earlier. He sensed that he had better find one quick. Syaoran looked to be planning a fatal 'accident' for him.

The only good thing in that bad day? Tomoyo was awake and lucid. And she didn't know just what she had done to ruin Eriol's life.

What you don't know can't hurt you– or double you over in laughter.

The nurse checked her temperature with a thermometer. Three minutes later:

"Your fever is gone. You're well now."

"WHAT?"

That was Eriol and Syaoran. Sakura was still in a bemused state.

The newly-revitalized Tomoyo gave them a huge smile. "Happy for me?" she asked.

Eriol almost said "No."


Syaoran would have accompanied them back to the classroom had not Sakura remained insensible. He badly wanted to. He wanted a chance to kill Eriol before the 'sick pervert' got away.

Uncharacteristically, Eriol kept his eyes on the ground. It was better so. Otherwise, he might have throttled the annoyingly cheery Pandora beside him.

Tomoyo was sunny as ever. She didn't walk. She danced. Like she had not utterly destroyed his dignity and put his life at the mercy of Syaoran's sword or Sakura's tongue without knowing it.

If a knife in the back didn't kill Eriol, the gossip would.

"So you carried me all the way to the infirmary?" she half-asked, half-sang.

Her companion muttered something under his breath.

"Hmm? What was that, Hiiragizawa-kun?"

"Yes."

She paused and looked at him. And despite his grudge against her, he looked up into her shining countenance.

"Thank you," Tomoyo told Eriol.

That almost made him smile.

Almost.

Again she began her walking dance. Her clothes danced along with her. The semi-mesmerized Eriol's eyes followed her every movement. He fixed his gaze upon her when she stopped again.

"Hiiragizawa-kun?"

"Yes?"

"One more thing, you know."

"What is it?"

She beamed at him.

"Aren't I hot?"

He stared.

Tomoyo smiled back.

And, unable to think of any retort, Eriol wryly grinned.

"Yes, you are."

"Why, thank you. You're hot, too."


Owari/End/Katapusan