It was one thing to be helpless and sick. It was also another thing to be helpless, sick and alone. Tsuchiura Ryoutaro sniffled and coughed his way to the medicine cabinet in the kitchen of his apartment. He rummaged blindly through the cabinet and found nothing to mend his cold and sore throat. He grumbled and shuffled to get his cell phone. Phone in hand, he texted his girlfriend;
Under the weather. Could you get some flu and cough medicine? Thanks, love.
He sent it and immediately collapsed onto the sofa.
Hino Kahoko was strolling past a few boutiques when her cell phone received his text message. She fished it out of her bag and read the message. Her brows knitted in concern when she read it. She had no plans for the rest of the day, although she had the idea of joining her friends for a cup of tea. She texted back;
I'll be there soon. Half an hour tops. Take care.
She slipped her phone into the pocket of her denim shorts. She rushed off to the pharmacy, but first, the super market.
Tsuchiura awoke from a flu induced sleep when he heard the clatter of keys and a lock, the creak of door hinges and his name. Groggily, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, red and slightly swollen. His vision cleared up and focused on the blurry figure in front him. Vaguely, he could make out the shopping bags, the raspberry red hair and the fair skin of Hino.
"Ryou! You're worse than I'd expected!" Hino exclaimed, setting the groceries down before helping him up.
"It's just a cold," he stated, nasal and between coughs. His eyes were slightly puffy, probably an allergic reaction, hair messy and shirt drenched in sweat. Her eyes narrowed at the image, not because it was unruly but because of the condition he was in.
"Really, I can't leave you alone…" she muttered as she led him to his bedroom. He stumbled quite a bit along the way but managed to reach his room. Hino sized him up for a moment and then proceeded to remove his sweat drenched shirt.
Confused and disoriented, he went along with it but not without question.
"Hino, I don't think now is such a good time to do it…" he mumbled as her hands reached the waistband of his slacks.
"Ryou!" She smacked the side of his hip and he winced a little. "You need to take a bath. It'll help. Gosh, how can you even think of doing such things when you're ill?"
He chuckled softly when he felt cool air wash over his legs. Shamelessly, he stood there naked and waited for his girlfriend to return with a towel. Her cheeks were tinted pink but it's not like she hasn't seen it before. She wrapped the towel around his waist and guided him to the bathroom.
His bathroom was compact, clean and white with marble tiles. In one corner, there was a simple glass shower area and in another was a porcelain tub, filled with bubbly, hot water. Hino gingerly untied the towel from his waist and helped him settle down in the tub. He sighed pleasantly from the heat and allowed it to soak him up to the bone.
"I'm going to go make you something to eat, alright? You sit tight and relax," Hino said as she walked out of the bathroom.
Reality sunk back in and he voiced out, "Wait!" She turned to look at him. "Won't you help me wash up?" He asked, pouting like a child. Hino laughed and replied, "Aw, I'm sure you can do that yourself. Ryou is a big boy." And with that, she left him to unwind in the tub.
Smiling, he leaned back in the tub and soaked up the heat and the scent of sandalwood and cinnamon.
Hino moved swiftly in the kitchen, unpacking groceries and restocking the medicine cabinet, which was close to empty. Soon, the table was laden with vegetables, potatoes and kitchen appliances. She proceeded to fill a pot with water and let it simmer over the stove's fire. She peeled, cut and sliced the other ingredients before dumping them into the pot and then adding some salt and other spices.
She left the soup to cook and went to check on Tsuchiura. Slowly, she pushed open the bathroom door and found him dozing soundly in the tub. The water was lukewarm by now and the bubbles had receded. She found herself smiling unconsciously. She knelt down beside him and cupped his cheek, rubbing small circles on the corner of his mouth.
His eyes fluttered open from her touch and she smiled. He hummed softly in response before nuzzling her palm.
"Couldn't wash your own hair?" she asked softly. He shook his head minutely. She laughed and picked up his shampoo. She readjusted herself as she lathered and massaged the almond scented shampoo into his dark green hair.
"Feel better?"
"Hn," he replied.
She washed the shampoo out of his hair, untangling them gently with water. The water that filled the tub was drained and she wrapped him up in thick, fluffy towels. After drying him off, which got him a little excited, she quickly pulled a shirt and loose boxers over his body.
"Much better," he said as he stretched his arms.
"Good. C'mon. I made soup," she said and they moved to the kitchen. "You can take your medication later once you've eaten." He smiled and nodded. Her selflessness had always amazed him, actually it was what had attracted him to her and still does. Their relationship began when hers and Tsukimori's ended.
They were still young and their relationship was still delicate, like a glass tea set but slowly, they were establishing stronger bonds each day. He sat down at the dining table and Hino served him a piping hot bowl of vegetable and potato soup with a side of fresh toast.
"Eat up!" She chirped while bringing a bowl of soup for herself.
"Have I told you how lucky I am to have you?" he said, kissing the back of her hand.
She giggled. "I can tell."
They drank the soup and ate the toast happily. It felt nice to have that warm, fuzzy feeling inside you and be with the person you love. They finished their meals and Hino gave him two tablets, one for his cold and another for his sore throat. He gagged slightly after taking them, the bitter taste printed on his tongue.
"Sleep it off. You'll feel better tomorrow," she said as she tucked him in bed. He reached out and held her arm. She took that as a sign to sit down on the edge of the bed.
"Stay."
"You're ill. Don't get any funny ideas, Ryou."
"It is proven that I heal faster when you're around me."
Her eyebrows rose and fell. She huffed at his adamant request.
"Fine," she said. "But no funny business." She wagged a finger at him. He raised his arms in surrender and smiled.
She took her slouchy sweater off and unbuttoned her shorts, giving him an eyeful of fair skin and supple curves. She slipped into one of his t-shirts that ended right above her thighs and crawled into bed with him. Being the helpless, sick child he was, he snuggled into her warmth and felt her body shake with laughter.
She pecked him on the crown of his head and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. Suddenly, she felt a strong thigh slide between her legs and press firmly against her mound. She couldn't stifle the gasp. She looked down and saw him smirking. She opened her mouth to snap at him when he kissed her full on the lips.
"You said you were sick, remember?!" she exclaimed, pushing his shoulders. He didn't budge one bit.
"Yeah, I did. But I never said I wasn't up for a little exercise," he replied, voice thick with innuendo before pulling the covers over them and pouncing on her.