A/N- Well, my writer's block is gone, yay~! ^^ I've got my girlfriend's blanket and a comfy bed and a brilliant (maybe...?) idea for a fluffy-ish RinTori one-shot. So, I hope you guys enjoy- and remember, feedback is much appreciated~ :)
The sound of half-stifled coughing from the bunk above him dragged Rin into consciousness. Eyes still barely open, the redhead sat up and groggily tugged a hand through his tousled hair.
"Nitori?" his slurred words came out as more of a low growl than the concerned tone he had intended, "You sick again?" He received a low grumble as a reply, that could only be taken as a 'yes'.
Rin sighed, before crawling over to the ladder and climbing up to the top bunk. Nitori got sick often, so the sight of him tangled in blankets, skin flushed and looking miserable, wasn't particularly unusual- or Rin had long since learned how to deal with it, at least.
Rin leapt deftly to the floor, gathering a small pill bottle of painkillers and a glass of water, before returning to the bunk bed. Nitori had sat up sleepily by that point, hair poking up at random angles all over his head.
The sight was rather endearing, but Rin pushed that though to the back of his mind in favor of handing a small orange pill and the water glass to the silver-haired boy. He took them eagerly, drinking the water like it was the last glass on earth.
"Better?" Rin asked, and Nitori shrugged. Rin could tell he wasn't actually feeling any better, if the pale hue of his skin was anything to go by.
Actually, he wasn't really pale so much as a vague shade of green, and Rin leapt to the floor so that Nitori could scramble down the ladder and make his way to the bathroom at a speed that shouldn't really have been possible for someone who was sick- well, unless they were trying to make it to the bathroom before the contents of their stomach decided to make a reappearance, anyway.
Rin waited until the sounds of gut-wrenching retching had stopped before entering the bathroom, having learned from experience that Nitori preferred to be alone while reduced to such a state, instead of having Rin there.
How many times has he been sick, that I don't even question the little things like that? Rin wondered idly, as he flushed the toilet of the foul-looking liquid and lay a hand across Nitori's shoulders, helping him to his feet and out of the cramped room that still smelled vaguely like vomit.
At Rin's prompting, Nitori took a seat on the edge of the bottom bunk bed, accepting a fresh glass of water before curling up into Rin's just-vacated blankets. Normally, Rin insisted that Nitori stay in his own bed when he was sick so that the redhead wouldn't risk getting sick as well, but for some reason he didn't really mind this time.
Once it was clear Nitori wasn't going to throw up again and was about as comfortable as he could be, Rin settled himself onto the edge of his bed, sitting with his back against the headboard. They weren't touching, but they were as close as could be without any physical contact.
"... Better?" Rin asked after a while, breaking the silence. It was evident that Nitori had every intention of falling back asleep, and his eyes fluttered back open sleepily.
"Mm... Yeah. Thank you, senpai." he half-mumbled. Then, whether he was really aware of it or not, the silver-haired boy snuggled into Rin's side, just a bit- it was hardly a monumental movement, but in the space of a second they had gone from no contact at all to the slightest, fever-heated brush of physical contact.
Without his expression really changing at all, Rin reached a hand over to slowly stroke Nitori's hair. It was tangled, probably from tossing and turning most of the night, and Rin worked his fingers through the silky silver strands.
Rin remembered absently that he should he getting up and getting ready for class- but really, they wouldn't miss him that much, and if Nitori needed him there then he really didn't feel the slightest inclination to leave.