Chicken Soup
by
Chibijem
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters herein and am making no financial gain from this work of fiction.
A/N: I got the ideas for this story from all the people suffering from colds in my area and then the rainy day we had pushed the image of Yuki at the window into my head. I hope you enjoy the story.
Todo Yukifumi stood at the window, holding the curtains out of the way, watching the rain fall. He raised one long finger to follow the wet trails sliding down the glass. He turned his head when he heard Maria shifting in their bed. He moved to her side and laid one gentle hand on her brow; her fever is finally beginning to come down. He leaned over and felt Yukihiko's forehead and relief flooded his mind and body. Since the phone call had come a few days ago and through the flight back from Hokkaido, worry had been a constant companion. He wasn't the only one, Sakuya was taking care of Aine and Atsuro had his hands full with Yuka. Tokyo was in the middle of a flu epidemic. He was not happy the vaccinations Maria and their son had gotten had failed.
"Yuki." Maria's warm hand reached out and covered his forearm; her voice soft and weak.
He smiled down at her, cupping her overly warm cheek. "Feeling better?"
"Gomen ne, Yuki." She said in reply, her voice full of tears.
"Iie," he assured her softly, pressing a loving kiss to her brow. "I'm right where I want to be and need to be."
"We interrupted your work..."
"Nothing is more important than you and Yukihiko. The music will be there." He reached down, tucking his arms underneath her and lifted her against his broad chest. "You are my world, you and our son. I am nothing without you."
"Aishteru, Yuki."
A few hours later, after Yuki had given both his patients wash cloth baths and changed the sheets, he had them both settled comfortably. He had left them with reading material and DVDs as he went to prepare something for them to eat. He was on a conference call with Sasaki, Sakuya, and the rest of the members of /\ucifer all the while stirring the pot on the stove. "I think the worst has passed. Both their fevers are beginning to come down and they're hungry...Kuso!" The exclamation made it passed his lips before he remembered he was on the phone. "Gomen ne, minna."
"What did you do?" Sakuya's laughing voice clear.
"I'm making dinner." Yuki replied with a slight laugh.
"Better you than me." Atsuro added in. "Okasan has been bringing food."
"We would have known if you were doing the cooking," Santa teased. "The fire department would have been camped out on your doorstep."
"Santa." Towa softly rebuked, although everyone could hear the humor in his voice.
"What about Aine and Yuka?" Yuki asked, trying to get everyone back to matters at hand.
"Aine's fever is still high. I think she forgot to get something done." Sakuya answered, the last part meant for the person in question. "She says she feels better though...Probably because I'm home," he added.
"That is so you." Yuki laughed. "Atsuro?"
"Ah, Yuka is doing much better. I'm having trouble keeping her in bed."
"You'll think of something," their vocalist replied.
"Okay, okay, can we get back to business." Sasaki begged trying to stifle his laughter along with everyone else. "We need to set a date to get into the studio to edit down the footage from Hokkaido. We need to get it to the network in less than four weeks." He told them; /\ucifer had spent several weeks traveling around the country on tour and one of the television networks wanted to put together a special for broadcast.
"Give me another couple of days?" Yuki asked to which the others agreed.
"Aine should be feeling better by then." Sakuya mused.
"Was there anything else, Sasaki-san?" Yuki asked wanting to get back to Maria and Yukihiko. All of sudden he sneezed.
"Yuki?" Towa's voice flowed.
"Heki, must be the seasonings." He answered but he had a sinking feeling. He could feel the congestion starting and cursed the doctor who had pushed the vaccine on him. He had remembered getting the flu the one time he had gotten a flu shot but Yukihiko had refused the nurse until Maria suggested, with the doctor egging her on, that Yuki get one too.
"You sure?" Sakuya voiced everyone's concern. Everyone had gotten colds or been sick since they had started the band, everyone but Yuki.
"I'll be fine." Yuki insisted. He hated being sick and thankfully it didn't happen often but when it did, he was miserable and tended to be more sick than anyone else. "If that's it, I need to get my patients fed." As everyone said their goodbyes, Yuki ladled out dinner and put together trays. He entered his and Maria's bedroom and set the trays down on the table in the sitting area. "Want to eat in bed or here?"
Maria looked at her husband, noticing the high color on his cheekbones. "We'll eat there," she replied, helping Yukihiko put on a small robe and setting slippers on his feet. "Are you feeling alright?" She asked when she reached Yuki's side.
"I'm fine. Eat." He ordered, covering her with a throw.
She ate all the while observing him as he helped their son with his dinner. She began wondering when her stubborn other half would fall prey to the virus going around. I should never have forced him to get that shot. Knowing Yuki as long as she did, she remembered when he was still in junior high and had gotten vaccinated and had come down with the very illness it was supposed to protect him from. He had been so sick, his parents had almost been forced to hospitalize him.
Maria sat up in bed and turned her head, she saw it was almost three in the morning. She looked to the sitting area and saw her husband sleeping on the couch, barely covered by a blanket. She silently approached him, saw him shivering and shook him gently. "Yuki?" She shook him harder. "Anata, wake up." She watched as he opened fevered eyes and smiled ruefully. "Come on, you need to get into bed."
"Iie," he argued, pulling the blanket up over his shoulder. "You and Yuki-chan need it."
Maria pulled the blanket back and tugged on one muscular arm. "There's room for you too." She got him tucked into bed and climbed in behind him; she could feel him shaking and reached around him to feel his forehead. "You're burning up!" She climbed back out of bed and went into the bath, coming back with a basin of cold water and some cloths. She wrung one out and placed it against his forehead to which he gave her a weary smile; she stuck a thermometer in his mouth. "How long have you been running this fever?" She asked him, placing another towel on his neck.
"A couple of hours." He managed around the instrument in his mouth. "I'll be fine."
Just then it beeped and seeing the number it read, Maria looked at her sheepish spouse. "It's 38.3(around 101)!"
Yuki's teeth started chattering and he shook, "Gomen ne, koiishi." He apologized.
"Iie, it's as you told me: I'm right where I want and need to be. I should have never forced you to get a shot just so Yuki-chan would." She told him replacing the cloth on his forehead. "I'll be right back." She came back in under two minutes, carrying a steaming cup. "Here, drink this. It should help." She braced him against her and held the cup to his lips.
"Ugh, what is this?" He asked taking one sip and making a face.
"Medicine." She told him, nudging the cup against his lips. "Your mother stopped by and explained they gave this to you last time. It was their last resort when you got so sick."
"Hmmmm, that's where I remember this." Yuki replied, sipping. "Bad thing is, it worked. I was up and on my feet in a couple of days." He then stopped, "My mother?!"
"I remember. I visited you and they were talking about hospitalizing you and the next visit, a few days later, you were up and practicing with your father." Maria smiled at the memory. "And yes, your mother. She was worried about the flu outbreak and remembered how sick you can get and came by." When Yuki was silent she looked down and saw he was fast asleep, the cup empty. "Oyasumi, anata." She pressed a loving kiss to his temple.
Two days later, Yuki was on the phone on yet another conference call. "How is Sakuya, Aine-chan?" He asked, watching Yukihiko playing at his feet. Maria had him still confined to bed and his son had decided to keep him company.
"Mou! If I survive this, I'll kill him."
Yuki laughed and heard his other band-mates doing the same. "Better not. We kind of need him."
Hearing Maria's laugh, Aine addressed her. "Maria-san, is Yuki-san very difficult when he's sick?"
Yuki shook his head vehemently to which Maria just smiled and settled into the cradle of her husband's lap. "No more than usual."
"Hah, told you." They could all hear Sakuya's hoarse voice in the background.
"Take care of Saku-chan, Aine. Yuki needs his lunch, I'll call you later." Maria and Yuki said their goodbyes and disconnected.
Yuki lifted his head so he could look into Maria's sparkling eyes. "'No more than usual'?" He asked petulantly. "I'm a very good boy."
Maria caressed his cheek, thankful his temperature was close to normal. She ran her fingers through his long, soft hair. "That's because you're usually too sick to fight back." She leaned down and kissed his pouting lips. "I'm so glad you're feeling better." She sighed.
"So am I." He grinned up at her. "What have you made us men for lunch?" He asked as Yukihiko grasped onto his father's out stretched hand.
"Men, huh? Lunch?" Maria laughed as she picked up her son and settled him into a chair. She went over and picked up the tray she had brought in, setting it before the duo. "Chicken soup."
FIN