Shiro woke up and stretched. Today was going to be a great day. The whole ordeal was finally over. He had remembered his past and was knew who he was. Kuroh had pledged his allegiance to him, against his protests. A smile lit up his face. Speaking of Kuroh where was he?
Shiro slid out of his bed and looked around his small room. The futon on the floor was ruffled, like someone had tossed and turned it in. Shiro knew that Kuroh like everything to be neat. Every morning he looked down and saw the futon folded up in the corner. So why was it different today? Kuroh had been acting weird, almost distance, recently.
He was starting to get worried. He felt his stomach drop. "Kuroh?" he said. No one replied. Had Kuroh left him? After all that they had gone through together had Kuroh abandoned him? Shiro put on his school uniform and went up to the top of the roof. Neko was there, her long hair blowing in the breeze.
"Shiro~" she said happily. She ran over to him and nuzzled into his shoulder.
"Good morning Neko. Have you seen Kuroh?" She scrunched up her face in thought.
"Not since last night. He said he was going out in the morning nya~" Where could he be? "Shiro?" Neko said. Shiro pet Neko sadly and started to walk back to the staircase.
"Stay here Neko. I'm going to go find him." He walked down to the gates and snuck out the side door. He would have to find his PA soon, but right now all he could think about was Kuroh. He tried to think of where Kuroh would go. Maybe the market down the street? Shiro quickly walked to the market and looked around inside. Kuroh was no where to be seen. He then went to HOMRA's bar. The Red King glared at him as he entered.
"What do you want here?" he said angrily. Kusanagi softly hit Mikoto's shoulder.
"Calm down, just let him talk." He lit a cigarette and looked at Shiro.
"I uh can't find Kuroh anywhere and since you've known him longer than me I just um wanted to ask if you would know where he went." A blush creeped up onto Shiro's face.
"Aw have you lost your pet?" Yata said sarcastically. Mikoto rolled his eyes and ignored him. Kusanagi shrugged at the two.
"We never been on good terms with the black dog. I'm not sure where he would be." Shiro sighed and walked out of the bar.
"Thanks for your help." Now he was starting to panic. It started to rain, which worried Shiro even more. He opened his umbrella and continued to look around the town for him. The wind picked up and blew his umbrella out of his hands. Shiro ran after it, trying to grab onto the handle. He was blinded from the rain and couldn't see where he was going. The umbrella finally got stuck in foliage of a tree. He sighed loudly and pulled it out after a few tries. He used one hand to wipe the water off of his face and the other to hold the umbrella. He hated being wet.
"Where the hell are you Kuroh?" He looked up and saw that he was in the entrance of a graveyard. How creepy. Someone was sitting next to one of the graves. They had no umbrella or coat. Their back was turned towards him, but he could see that they were shivering. Why the hell would someone be out here without an umbrella or a coat? He started to walk up to the shaking figure. "Oi are you okay?" He put his hand on the person's shoulder and sheltered them with his umbrella. Two startling blue orbs greeted him.
"Kuroh?" he said. Shiro's heart felt like it was about to burst. Kuroh looked awful. He was soaking wet and his face was deathly pale, with an exception of the two streaks of crimson across his cheeks. His eyes were glassy, but still seemed to penetrate his soul. Shiro knelt down next to Kuroh and put his hand on his forehead. He was burning up. Wheezing breaths left his chapped lips. "Can you hear me?" Shiro said worriedly.
Kuroh nodded slowly and started to close his eyes. "Master Ichigen," he whispered. Shiro put his free hand under Kuroh's arm and lifted him up slowly.
"Hey you can't go to sleep yet," Shiro said. Kuroh was heavier than him so it proved difficult to support his weight and carry the umbrella at the same time. Kuroh was drowsily shuffling along. He wouldn't make it much longer. He saw the HOMRA bar and internally screamed. This would have to do. He just prayed that they would take pity on him and Kuroh.
He opened the door and got stared down by The Red King for the second time today. Yata started to yell. "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU BRING HIM HERE!" Shiro threw his umbrella and brought Kuroh over to the couch in the corner. The red clansman then noticed how awful they both looked. His eyes widened. "God what happened to you guys?" Shiro didn't pay any attention to him. All his thoughts were focused on Kuroh. Kusanagi came over to them both and put his hand on Shiro's shoulder.
"Hey he'll be alright just calm down. What's wrong?" Shiro hadn't notice how fast he was breathing. He hadn't noticed how his legs were shaking, threatening to give way. He had even forgotten that he was wet. "I'll go get you some things for you guys." Kusanagi glanced at Mikoto and Yata and silently conveyed the message to not bother them as he walked into the back. Yata huffed loudly and Mikoto continued to smoke his cigarette. Shiro glanced back at Kuroh. He looked even worse if that was possible. He started to peel off Kuroh's shirt.
"Woah what are you doing?" Yata said, his face crimson.
"His clothes are soaked," Shiro said. "We need to get him into some dry ones."
"If someone would've told me that one day we would be having a strip show by the black dog I wouldn't have believed them," Yata said in disbelief. Shiro shrugged it off and threw Kuroh's shirt on the ground. Mikoto picked up two bar towels and threw them towards Shiro with a sullen look. Shiro caught them and nodded. At least Mikoto could be nice sometimes. He started to gently dry off Kuroh, who was shaking violently.
"It-ttts ssso-oo c-ooolldd." Kuroh murmured. Shiro's heart broke.
"I know, just bare with me for a second." He finished drying off Kuroh's torso and went to dry his hair with the already damp towel. Kusanagi came back with medicine, more towels, a change of clothes for both of them, a glass of water, and some blankets. He set them on the floor and knelt down next to Shiro.
"How's he doing?" he asked. Shiro's throat felt like there was something stuck in his throat. He tried to clear it, but then realized it was pure hysteria.
"I've never seen him like this." Shiro choked out while trying to hold back tears. Kusanagi looked at him with pity. Yata scratched his neck in awkwardness, while Mikoto said nothing. Kusanagi put his hand on Kuroh's forehead. It felt strange to touch the man so gently, but he was sick. Very sick by the feel of the warmth that burned against his palm. Kuroh moaned and leaned in closer to his hand. Kusanagi's eyes were wide.
"Shiro he needs to take this medicine. Now." Kuroh's brows scrunched up when Kusanagi took his hand away.
"Kuroh, wake up." Shiro said in a fearful tone. Kuroh's eyes flickered open for a millisecond. Shiro and Kusanagi helped him sit up. Shiro cupped Kuroh's face. "Kuroh you need to take this." He made an incoherent noise. Shiro reached down and picked up the bottle of pills and the glass of water. He gently opened Kuroh's mouth. "I'm going to put this in your mouth, okay? You need to swallow it." He slipped the pills into Kuroh's mouth and brought the glass of water up to the sick man's dry lips. He coughed when the water made contact with his mouth, but swallowed the pills and water. Shiro let out the breath he had been holding. He picked up one of the clean shirts and put in on Kuroh.
"Kusanagi could you help him stand up so I can change his pants?" There was a blush on both of their faces, but he nodded. He helped Kuroh stand while Shiro pulled down his pants. Yata's face was redder than both of their's. He turned his head away, but his red ears were still visible. Shiro pulled down Kuroh's boxers and gasped at his big member. Kusanagi's eyes were now closed as well. Mikoto chuckled. He had Kuroh sit down as he put his legs through the underwear holes. He pulled them up and did the same with the pants. Kuroh was now shivering a bit less violently. Shiro covered him with a blanket and looked up at Kusanagi.
"Thank you so much." He got on his knees and bowed in front of Kusanagi. Kusanagi let out a nervous laugh and waved his hands.
"Shiro get up. It's really no big deal." Shiro got up and suddenly felt fatigued. Kusanagi put his hands on Shiro's shoulders to steady him. "Woah," he said. Shiro's head started pounding. Kusanagi led him over to the other couch next to Yata. He set him down, picked up the towel, and started to gently dry off Shiro's still wet hair. "I know you want to take care of him, but you also have to take care of yourself." Yata looked very uncomfortable, but stayed on the couch.
"You need to change clothes too. Who's going to take care of him if you get sick?" He finished drying Shiro's hair and handed him the other pair of clothes. Shiro smiled weakly and went to go change in the back. All eyes went towards Kuroh as Shiro left the room. It was unusually quiet in the bar. The only sound that could be heard was his heavy breathing. He looked so uncomfortable. He was sweating like crazy and had a pained expression on his face. Kusanagi stood up and went behind the bar. He reached into the cabinets under the counter, pulled out a bowl, and filled it with water. Shiro came out from the back in the fresh pair of clothes. He looked exhausted.
Kusanagi went back over to Kuroh and picked up one of the towels on the floor. He wiped the sweat off of Kuroh's strained face. He then dipped another towel into the bowl, wrung it out, and placed it on Kuroh's burning forehead. Shiro started to shuffle over to them but his headache was intensifying. He gripped on to the counter. His eyes were squeezed shut. Mikoto, the closest to him, looked up. "Oi. What are you doing?" he growled. Shiro tried to answer him, but he felt like his skull was about to crack in half.
Mikoto watched as Shiro started to fall forward. He sprung up from his chair and grabbed on to him. He gently placed him onto the floor. Shiro had his hands on his head as if they would help block out the pain. Mikoto felt sorry for the kid. He used to resent him, but he looked so fragile and stressed. He sat down next to him and took Shiro's hands off of his head. What he did next shocked everyone. He slowly reached up and started rubbing Shiro's temple with a gentleness that was unimaginable for the normally violent king. Shiro's breath hitched when he felt Mikoto's touch, but slowly went back to normal. Mikoto's warm hands felt great on his splitting head. His head no longer felt like it was being run over by a semi. He slowly opened his eyes and looked into Mikoto's ruby ones. They held a compassion that he had never seen.
"Thank you," he said quietly, closing his eyes again. Mikoto nodded and continued to rub his temples. He remember when Tatara would do this for him. He remembered a time when he thought Shiro had killed Tatara. Now he knew better.
"Do you think you stand up?" he said after a few more minutes. Shiro nodded and Mikoto helped him back over to the couch next to Yata. Kusanagi was still sitting on end of the couch next to Kuroh. He looked out the window at the rain that was still pouring outside.
"You guys should probably spend the night." he said. He looked at Yata and Mikoto. "You guys can leave." Yata got up and went up the front door without any hesitation.
"Well I'm, um see you later. Hope you, uh feel better." He walked outside and went to his car.
Mikoto looked at Kusanagi. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" He looked over at Shiro, then at Kuroh. Shiro smiled.
"I'm fine now, " he said. "I don't want to burden you. If you could just give us a ride back to the dorms I'm sure I could take care of him." Mikoto gave him a skeptical look. Kusanagi sighed.
"I don't know if we should really move him." He looked down at Kuroh. "Mikoto seriously it's fine. I got it under control. If I need you I'll call you." Mikoto walked toward the door, waved, then stepped out into the pouring rain. Shiro reached forward and grabbed the painkillers off of the floor. He took out two and swallowed them without any water. He closed his eyes and waited for his headache to completely pass. The next thing he knew Kusanagi was shaking him awake. The rain had stopped but it was still dark outside.
"Shiro wake up. His fever spiked. We need to get him cooled down. " Shiro was no longer tired. His headache was gone and he was fully alert. "How far are the dorms?"
"It's about 10 minutes by car." Shiro said quickly. They both picked Kuroh up and brought him outside. The ground was still damp from the rain. Kusanagi opened the door to his car and carefully laid Kuroh in the back. He jumped into the front. Shiro got in the back with Kuroh who was quivering. Shiro laid his head on his lap. It felt like a flame on Shiro's legs. Kuroh snuggled closer to him. Shiro ran his hand through Kuroh's hair while Kusanagi sped through the darkness. They pulled into the school parking lot and went as quick as they could to Shiro's dorm. Kusanagi turned on the shower while Shiro stripped Kuroh down to his boxers. They lifted Kuroh up and placed him in the bath. His eyes shot open.
"Master Ichigen, help me." He was hallucinating. Kusanagi reached down and gripped Kuroh's hand. Shiro took the shower head off and brought it closer to Kuroh's body.
"I'm so sorry." Shiro whispered over and over. Kuroh was crying. Kusanagi didn't know what to do. After a while Shiro switched the shower head into his other hand and used the free one to feel Kuroh's head. "Kusanagi does it feel any cooler?"
Kusanagi freed one of his hands and felt Kuroh's forehead. It seemed cooler, not dangerously high like it had been. He nodded and turned the shower off. Kuroh was trembling violently. He looked terrified. Shiro stroked his hair and hummed quietly, trying to calm him down. He pulled the drain up and helped Kuroh out on to the bathroom floor.
"Kusanagi could you go get some clean clothes out of the dresser?" He nodded and left the bathroom. Shiro pulled out a towel and started drying Kuroh off. Kuroh stared at him.
"You're so kind Master." He said, resting his head on Shiro's. Shiro's heart was beating fast. He truly loved Kuroh. He'd always liked him as a friend, but it was a different feeling. He wanted to be there to take care of him. He wanted to be with him forever. Shiro kissed his forehead.
"I love you Kuroh." he said quietly. He slid his lip down from Kuroh's forehead onto his lips. It was a soft kiss, but it was filled with passion. Shiro's face was almost as red as Kuroh's. Kuroh broke the kiss first and looked directly into Shiro's brown orbs.
"Shiro?" he whispered. He slowly closed his eyes and slouched forward onto Shiro. What just happened? Kusanagi walked back into the bathroom with a pair of clean clothes. Together they dressed Kuroh for a second time. They helped him up and walked toward Shiro's bed. Shiro pulled the covers up and started to walk away when Kuroh grabbed his hand. "Please don't leave me." He pulled Shiro down into the bed.
Shiro's eye were wide as Kuroh brought him close to his chest. Kusanagi looked at Shiro and stifled a chuckle. He pointed towards the door and then pointed at his phone. Shiro got the message. 'I'm going to leave. Call me if you need me.' Shiro nodded and mouthed thank you. Kusanagi waved at him and slowly opened the door to leave. Shiro closed his eyes and fell asleep against his lover.
Kuroh woke up and saw Shiro in his arms. What had happened? He tried to recall what happened. He remembered walking to town and then going to Master Ichigen's grave. His head had felt hazy the entire time, but he disregarded it. It then started to rain but he didn't want to leave Master Ichigen alone. "I'll stay with you Master." he whispered.
He remembered someone picking him up and then walking somewhere. It smelled like cigarettes and he heard someone yelling. He was set down on something that felt like leather. He felt a warm hand on his forehead and leaned into it. It felt amazing. After that he remembers someone playing with his hair and then something cold. Someone whispered in his ear. "I love you Kuroh." Who was that? He struggled to remember. He looked down at the boy he was snuggling.
"Shiro?" he said quietly. He stroked Shiro's face softly. His eyes fluttered open.
"Kuroh?" he reached up and placed his hand on Kuroh's head. It felt a little warm, but it was nothing compared to yesterday. "Oh Kuroh," he said, tears falling down his face. He embraced him. Kuroh could feel Shiro's tears fall onto his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried." Shiro was sobbing. Kuroh stroked Shiro's hair.
"I'm sorry for worrying you." he said. He felt terrible that he had made Shiro cry. "Hey don't cry. I'm fine now, but uh what exactly happened?" Shiro composed himself and then spoke.
"You were so sick. I didn't know what to do. I found you in a graveyard and tried to walk you home but you were so weak. You could barely walk, so I took you to HOMRA." He paused and caught his breath. "Kusanagi helped me take care of you, but your fever kept on getting higher. We had to rush you here and put you in the bath. I was so scared Kuroh. I didn't know if you would be okay." Kuroh was shocked. He took him to HOMRA? He must of been desperate. And Kusanagi had helped take care of him? The red clansmen hadn't tried to kill him? He cupped Shiro's face.
"Shiro. I'm sorry for causing you trouble." He softly kissed the bridge of Shiro's nose. He felt Shiro's eyelashes tickle his face. "I love you." Shiro started to cry again. He moved so their foreheads were pressing together and he was peering right into Kuroh's eyes.
"I love you too." They kissed. They kissed again and again. He had longed to have those soft pink lips on his. Now his wish has coming true. Their tongues entwined with each other. He ran his hand through Shiro's hair. He never wanted to forget this moment. He would never forget this day. The day Shiro said he loved him.