Title: Failed Escape

Author: Neko Mastermind

Genre: General/Humor

Characters: MomoRyo

Comments: Written for the Tenipuri500 challenge – Sick.

Summary: Momo deals with a very stubborn boyfriend.  Based roughly off a college-timeline RP.

Word Count:  826

Status: Finished as of 06/27/03

Socked feet padded silently against the wooden floor of the dorm, each step slow and careful, silent.  He was almost there…all he had to do was grab his shoes and make a break for it down the hallway…

"Achoo!"  Well so much for silent.

"Echizen?" A spiky head popped out of the kitchen, glancing around with narrowed eyes.  Ryoma froze, hoping that by some act of the fates, Momo wouldn't notice him.

Holding his breath, Ryoma inched slowly out of sight of his lover, reaching down slowly to grab a sneaker.  One hand leaning against the door, he took a deep breath, focusing on the blurry object in his hand.  When had he picked up his other shoe?

Momo stepped further out of the kitchen, heading towards their bedroom.  He peeked in, noting that Ryoma was in fact inot/i where he had left him.  "Little brat," He muttered, trudging back into the living room.  "So damn stubborn…"

Ryoma paused as the room started spinning, eyes shuttering in hopes of making it stop.  He wasn't sick.  He was just…a little under the weather.  And stupid Momo-senpai just wouldn't listen to him when he said he'd been fine, that nearly passing out after class was something normal, and that nearly hacking up a lung was not something to worry about.

Who was he trying to kid?  He was sick, and no matter what he did, Momo would still worry and baby him.  Secretly, in some dark, recess of his mind, he enjoyed the attention.  But the more stubborn, prominent part of his mind protested that he was in fact very capable of taking care of himself and that he didn't need his stupid boyfriend taking care of him.

"Ah!  Echizen!"  Crap, he was caught.  "What the heck are you doing?"

Ryoma turned slowly, taking his hand off the wall and standing as tall as he could.  Golden eyes narrowed into a glare.  "I'm going to class, because I can't afford to miss any," He said, voice barely audible.  Silently he damned his vocal cords for rebelling against him.

"Like hell you are!" Momo countered in that tone Ryoma iknew/I left nothing to be argued with.  But as well as Ryoma knew that tone, argue he did.  "You can't keep me here!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Go ahead and try it."

"You know I'll do it."

Ryoma opened his mouth to argue, but suddenly leaned over, a sudden – and very inconvenient – coughing fit attacking him.  Momo took a few steps forward then, bending down and pulling the younger boy towards him.  With a grunt, he lifted Ryoma onto his shoulder and turned back towards the bedroom.

"Momo-senpai!  Let cough me down!" The younger boy yelped, hands clutching at his boyfriend's shirt.  When he got no response from the other boy, he moved to beating on his back.  "Let me down, you big oaf!"

"Is that any way to treat your caring boyfriend?" Momo huffed, wincing at a particularly hard punch.  Gently dropping Ryoma to the bed, he yanked the hat from his head and tossed it onto his dresser.  He then fixed his boyfriend with a firm glare.  "Stay here, rest, and quit arguing with me.  There's no way in hell I'm letting you out of this room until you're better!"

"I'm fine—" Ryoma attempted to argue, but broke down into another coughing fit.  His whole body was rebelling against him, it seemed.  Damn body.

"Right, you're fine," Momo said sarcastically, heading back towards the kitchen.  He returned a moment later with a bottle of some odd, yellow liquid and a small cup of the same substance.  Sitting down on the bed, he waited for Ryoma to calm down before handing the small cup to him.  "Take this."

Giving the liquid a suspicious look, Ryoma paused before downing it, face scrunching up at the bitter taste.  "Disgusting," He rasped, handing the cup back.

"Yeah, but it'll make you feel better." Momo said with a small grin.  "My mom sent it over when I told her you were sick."

"'m not sick," Ryoma muttered, lying down.  He yawned, bringing up a hand to rub at his eyes.  "'m fine."

"Of course you are." Momo said mildly, reaching out to feel his forehead.  At least the fever was gone; that had to be a good sign.

"I am." Ryoma responded hotly, yawning again.  Wrinkling his nose, he gave the bottle still in Momo's hand a glare.  "Is that stuff s'pposed to make me tired?"

The older boy gave his boyfriend a suspiciously blank look that Ryoma saw right through.  "Maybe, dunno."

 "You jerk," Ryoma mumbled, eyes slowly falling shut.  A few seconds later he was breathing soundly, fast asleep.

Momo smiled and leaned down to brush a quick kiss across his forehead before getting up and returning to the kitchen.  If the label was right, he had six hours until Ryoma would wake up again.  Just enough time to boyfriend-proof the door.