"Say aaah."
"Aaaaa..CHOO!" Touta sneezed. "Sorry."
Yukihime presented the thermometer again and the other vampire opened his mouth for it. They sat in relative silence as the numbers scrolled on the digital display. The afternoon sun came in through the open blinds of the guest room, and outside the sliding door, dishes clinked together as nonhuman workers shuffled down the hallways. Despite the occasional muffled cough or sneeze coming from one of the nearby rooms, it was a pretty typical day at the inn.
"You know," Yukihime said, pulling the thermometer from Touta's mouth, "when your grandfather sneezed, it blew everyone's clothing right off."
"Grandpa was that powerful?" Touta rubbed at his upper lip with his wrist. "Wow. I hope I can get that strong."
Yukihime suppressed a chuckle. "Even without magic, I'm sure you could, someday. You definitely take after him in that regard."
Touta tapped the side of his face, thinking. "What if I sneezed, then everyone flew back like they'd just gotten punched... WHAM!" He shot his other arm out from under the blankets, making a fist. "That'd be awesome! Then I could fight even when I was sick."
This time, Yukihime actually laughed. "You are a lot like him. Incredibly magnetic yet totally oblivious."
"What?"
"Just focus on getting better, Touta. You have a lot of people worrying about you." Yukihime ruffled his messy black hair. "And stop wiping your nose on your hand. I'll get you another box of tissues."
Touta pulled his wrist away from his face and rolled onto his side, grumbling.
"It's my fault," Kuroumaru murmured. He was laying on the futon turned away from Ikkuu, who was pouring him a glass of orange juice.
"Hey, you can't help getting sick. It's just something that happens." Ikkuu set the pitcher of juice down and offered Kuroumaru the full glass. "Here. You should get a lot of fluids to help your body fight it off."
"No, I mean, I sneezed on Touta a few days ago, while we were cleaning. I got him sick..." Kuroumaru gently sat up.
"Come on, Touta would have gotten sick no matter what. It's flu season, and I know for a fact he doesn't wash his hands as much as he should." Ikkuu playfully bumped the cold glass of juice against Kuroumaru's sweaty cheek. "I know you want to protect Touta, so when you're both feeling better, maybe dunk him in the baths for me." He winked.
Kuroumaru blushed bright red, but said nothing and took the glass in his hands. Shaking from the chills, he tried to keep the glass steady while he took a sip. He puckered his lips for a split second, but then forced on a neutral expression.
"Haha, it's sour, right?" Ikkuu laughed again when Kuroumaru shook his head. "You don't have to fib to spare my feelings. The guys in the kitchen squeezed it fresh, so it's pretty strong. They're worried about all of you."
"How are Touta and Santa doing?" Kuroumaru took another slow sip.
"Yukihime told me Touta's fever went down, so that's good. I think he's feeling a lot better. Santa's going through the same stuff you guys did a few days ago, but maybe when you and Touta are better, you can go visit him. I'm sure the company would help."
Kuroumaru gave a soft smile. "I'm glad to have you and the others checking on me. Thank you."
"Why do I have to do this!?" Kirie pulled at the elastic band of the facemask to adjust it.
"He keeps phasing through the thermometer." Karin handed the device in question to Kirie and knocked on the door.
Kirie rolled her eyes and huffed. "Really!?" Without waiting for a response, she shoved the sliding door to the side with a whoosh and a bang and shouted into the room. "Hey newbie! I'm going to take your temperature!"
"I don't think he's doing it on purpose," Karin said, but Kirie was already halfway to Santa's futon.
Santa lay on his chest, pajamas scrunched up to his knees and elbows and long black hair splayed out around him. His whole body and the futon under him were soaked with sweat.
"How are you doing, Santa?" Karin approached the other side of the futon.
"I feel like I'm dying," Santa croaked out.
"You're already dead, incompetent." Kirie readied the thermometer. She said her incantation and cast a spell under her breath. "Now I can touch you. Open your mouth or this is going in your butt."