Beads of sweat caked across Takumi's brow as he drew his bow taught under the blinding sun. He released a sharp hissed of air that whistled between his teeth. Ignoring the heat, the burn of the sun and his muscles, Takumi honed his impenetrable focus. He straightened his stance and let the arrow fly.

Thwack!

The arrow lodged just outside the centre ring of the target. Takumi clicked his tongue, scowling at the myriad of arrows dotted around the bullseye. His aim was off. It wasn't good enough.

He wasn't good enough.

Takumi swiped the sweat beading on his forehead and huffed, stomping over to the target to retrieve his arrows, glaring under the harsh scrutiny of the sun. His muscles ached in protest. Swallowing the dry burning in his throat, Takumi yanked out each arrow and unceremoniously tossed them into his quiver. He marched right back and took up his stance again. Arrow notched, bow taught, Takumi levelled his eyes at the target. He blinked. A haze washed over his vision. He narrowed his eyes, blinked again as the world dipped beneath his feet.

Everything went black.

Takumi's head burned. His throat burned. His body burned. The scorching heat behind his eyes was unbearable as he peeled them open, squinting and blinking back the tears that formed. A dry croak rasped from his throat as he tried to speak. His head swam, aching body objecting as he tried to sit up in the bed he'd found himself lying in.

"Lord Takumi!" Hinata and Oboro's cry sounded too loud. Too close, as if their voices were ringing inside his ears, inside his head. Takumi groaned, squeezing his eyes tightly shut at the onslaught of sound. His head throbbed.

"Here, have some water," Oboro offered, toning her voice down this time.

Takumi grunted, cupping his forehead as he opened his eyes for a second time. It took a moment for his vision to clear, for him to blink through the searing heat behind his eyes and make out the cup of water Oboro was holding out to him. With Oboro and Hinata's help, he sat upright and hastily gulped down the water. It provided only a fleeting relief from the dry ache in his throat and was gone as quickly as it had soothed.

Clearing his throat through the pain, Takumi looked up from the bed to find that he was in his room. The last thing he remembered was training in the archery.

"How're you feeling?" Hinata asked. He and Oboro watched their Lord with sympathetic concern that tightened Takumi's gut into an unsettled knot.

"Fine," Takumi huffed, running a hand through his fringe. At the sceptical looks on his retainers' faces, he changed his answer to, "better."

"You had us worried," Oboro said. She took the empty cup off him and gentle placed it on his bedside table. "We didn't know what to think, seeing you collapsed in the archery like that."

He'd collapsed.

The churning knot in Takumi's gut tightened. "I just fainted, that's all. No big deal. I'm fine." He made sure to speak clearly despite the rawness in his throat, brushing off their concern. Throwing the light sheets off his legs, Takumi swung them over the side of his bed and made to stand.

"Whoa, you can't get up!" Hinata objected, holding his hands out to stop Takumi standing up. "You need to rest!"

Takumi swatted away Hinata's hands. "I said I'm fine."

"You didn't look fine when we found you." The worry in Oboro's tone made Takumi wince infinitesimally like a tiny needle had stabbed into his heart. The guilt drove it in deep, deep and deeper still.

Takumi stood despite Hinata and Oboro's defiance. "You don't have to worry about me." He pushed through their worried demur, brushed off their concerned protests. "I'll be fine."

He was fine. He had to be.

Takumi had taken but a single step towards the door when it swung open. He barely had a moment, a split second, to grimace before Corrin rushed over in alarm.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Corrin chided, placing a cool hand over his brow as she looked him over in a fretful glance.

Takumi swallowed the bite in his tone and snatched Corrin's hand away. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Corrin levelled a calculating glare at him. "Someone who's fine doesn't faint in the middle of training, doesn't have a fever and doesn't cry out deliriously in their sleep!"

Takumi's heart plummeted, driving the needle of guilt further, further, plunging it right into his core. "Well, I'm feeling better now," he reiterated, trying not to snap at her. She was just concerned. Just worried about him.

A torrent of nausea swirled in his stomach. She was worried because of him.

Corrin placed her hands on her hips and planted herself in his path. "Well, I don't believe you. You're head still feels hot. You're not going anywhere until you're better."

"What!" Takumi scoffed. "I can't just sit in here and do nothing."

"You won't be doing nothing, you'll be resting." Corrin's glare softened but remained firm and noncompliant. "That's important too."

Takumi huffed, ignoring the way his throat clamped tightly at her words. "Resting in here when I could be out there training or helping or anything else!"

"What good is training if it's only going to make you worse? You're sick enough as it is!"

"You're not listening to me," Takumi bit back. The throbbing in his head was pounding like a drum, like a hammer striking into his forehead to the racing beat of his heart. "I said I'm fine, so I'm fine!" He made to push past Corrin when he was shoved back by a huge claw slamming into his chest. He stumbled, his legs colliding with the bed and sending him sprawling onto it on his back.

"I'll listen to you when you stop lying to me!" Corrin's voice broke. Takumi stared, in shock, as if he were winded, as if the force she'd shoved him with had done anything but unbalance him on his already unsteady feet, at the tears streaking down Corrin's flushed cheeks.

A pensive silence descended over Takumi's room. All that could be heard was the quiet sobbing from Corrin as she tried to calm herself, as she dabbed away her tears with her fingers. Oboro and Hinata decided that this wasn't the place for them and slowly, silently, edged out of the room and shut the door.

Corrin drew a sharp, quavering breath, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Her hands trembled into fists at her sides.

"Corrin–"

"Do you know..." Corrin cut him off, beginning quietly, her voice like a whisper in the silence of his room. "Do you know how worried I was when I saw you…?"

Takumi's heart stopped.

"You were just lying there." Corrin swiped away a tear that trickled down her cheek. She inhaled deeply, still not looking at him. "You didn't respond and we couldn't wake you. You were burning up and then crying out in your sleep and– and I couldn't do anything."

Takumi had no words to say. Even if he had, a heavy lump had wedged itself into his throat. His fingers knotted into the bedsheets beneath him.

"It was just like that time back in Nohr. When you got sick with that fever – when you were dying. I couldn't do anything then and I couldn't do anything now." Corrin's eyes fluttered closed, anguish drawing her brow, her lips, tight. "I'd never felt so hopeless in my life."

"I… I'm not dying, Corrin," Takumi reassured her gently, softly. "It's just a fever."

Corrin sighed. Her lips wobbled as she looked at him, a sob leaping from her throat before she could stifle it. "I know. I just… I just wish I had noticed sooner…"

Takumi's throat tightened. "That's not your fault. I… I didn't want anyone to know." He breathed a sigh, ashamed at telling her, ashamed of hiding it for so long.

"But I know that. I know you're like this, that you hide things and bear them by yourself." She shook her head and looked away, her voice dropping into a quiet, soft tone. "I'm supposed to be a leader; I'm supposed to look after everyone but what good am I when I don't even notice that the person I love is suffering in silence?"

"What good am I when I don't tell the person that I love when I'm suffering?"

Corrin raised her head and looked at him. A shameful blush colour Takumi's cheeks as he stared down at his lap, his words lingering in the air.

"Takumi…" Corrin's heart ached. She stepped closer, drew herself over to him and sat beside him on the bed, taking one of his hands in hers. He squeezed her hand in return.

"I'm sorry," Takumi apologised softly. "I shouldn't have hidden this from you."

Corrin nodded slowly. His hand was warm. "Why did you?" There was no accusation in her question, only concern, only understanding.

She wanted to understand.

Takumi sighed. His throat burned as he exhaled deeply. "I… I felt weak. Pathetic. I'd already been sick and a burden to you before and I didn't want to admit that it was happening again. I thought I could push through it. Guess I was wrong."

"Everyone gets sick sometimes, Takumi. You can't help it when it happens."

"I know, I know," Takumi huffed. "I just… didn't want to worry you. I hate feeling like this. Like a burden, like I can't take care of myself."

"You're not a burden, Takumi." Corrin squeezed his hand gently. She shifted closer and Takumi raised his eyes to meet hers. "You'll never be a burden to me. Never."

Takumi nodded, though it felt hard to believe. As much as his heart wanted to accept it, wanted to believe her words, his gut still felt heavy and tight. Churning sickly. "Bit hard to believe when I'm going to be stuck in here 'resting.'"

"You know I rely on more than just your skill as an archer, right?" Corrin said. "There are more ways that you can help out than training yourself."

Takumi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters, you've got a keen eye and a sharp mind," Corrin began, a small smile finding its way onto her face as she spoke. "And you're a decent cook as well. You're intelligent and have great instincts in battle. I was actually wondering if you wanted to study strategy a bit more. I could always use a second opinion before we head off into a fight."

Corrin's seemingly endless praise and compliments sent a rush of heat up Takumi's neck, to his cheeks, right to the very tips of his ears. He could hardly believe she was talking about him like that.

"You… you really want my help with that?"

Corrin's smile brightened. "If you don't mind. I can bring you some books on strategy for you to read. Leo recommended me a ton but I'm finding them difficult to get through."

"Oh, so you're just passing the buck onto me then," Takumi said, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"What– no, of course not!" Corrin protested until she saw the twinkle of mirth in Takumi's eyes and pouted.

Takumi laughed, though it ended up causing him to cough. He cleared his throat and said, "I may as well read through them. Not like I'll be doing much else in here."

Corrin nodded happily. "I'll bring them to you when you're fever's gone down a bit. I don't want to overwork you when you're supposed to be resting." She reached over and placed her hand on Takumi's forehead, her lips curling in concern. "I don't think you're fevers gone down at all. Your face still feels very warm."

Takumi felt warm. Especially with Corrin so close, practically leaning over him on his bed.

"Here, let me try something. Don't move," Corrin said, inching closer.

Takumi's heart stopped, his breath catching in his throat as Corrin dipped her face towards his. A protest leapt into his throat, mouth dropping open as a flood of heat, a rush of warmth like lightning, coursed through his veins. Her breath dusted across his lips. Takumi squeezed his eyes shut instinctively, his mind screaming at him to stop her, to protest, to do anything but stop her from kissing him when he was sick but he couldn't move, couldn't speak with his heart in his throat and he waited for the inevitable press of her soft, soft lips against his.

Corrin's forehead touched his, and for a moment Takumi waited and held his breath. His heart roared in his ears. Just as soon as their foreheads touched, Corrin shifted away.

"Nope, it still feels warm," she sighed.

Takumi's eyes fluttered open. He blinked at her, unable to comprehend what in the world had just happened. "Wh-What?"

Corrin sighed. "Camilla told me that if you really want to check someone's temperature than you should test with your forehead, not your hand. She said that your hand can make their forehead feel warm so you should compare it to your own."

"That's what you were doing?"

Corrin looked at him. "Yes. What did you think I was doing?"

"I… well…" He pressed his lips together, a shameful flush of heat burning his cheeks. Corrin was looking at him so innocently, so expectantly, that he had no choice but to answer her. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I thought you were going to kiss me."

"Oh!" Corrin's cheeks flushed a dark crimson. She stole her eyes away and worried her lips together. "S-Sorry… I-I didn't… I should've told you what I was doing."

Gods. Seeing the adorable flush on Corrin's cheeks made Takumi want to kiss her. He cleared his throat and desperately tried to push that thought away. He definitely didn't want to make her sick. "No, no, it's– it's fine." His voice cracked, rising to a strange pitch that he couldn't hide. They both avoided the other's eyes, both thinking the same thing. Both wanting something they couldn't.

"I-I should get going," Corrin said hurriedly. "I was meant to tell Sakura when you woke so she could get you some fever medicine." She got to her feet, finding that she was still holding Takumi's hand and dropped it quickly.

"R-Right."

Corrin turned and made for the door, stopping suddenly in her tracks after taking a few steps. She paused. Her hands tightened by her sides. Takumi opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when Corrin moved and her lips were pressed firmly to his cheek. He didn't have time to process what was happening. How she'd whirled on her toes and closed the gap between them in a second, how she'd leant over him swiftly and planted a kiss to his burning, crimson cheek, lingering long enough for Takumi to feel the softness of her plump, rosy lips.

Corrin stepped back quickly, her cheeks as red as his. "That– That's a down payment. For later. When you're feeling better."

Takumi blinked at her, his mouth falling agape. He could still feel the press of her lips, his skin burning, sizzling, as if her kiss had branded him. As if she'd marked him as hers.

Corrin ducked her head and turned to leave, only to have Takumi capture her hand. With a burning flush and his heart soaring in his chest, Takumi took her hand and pressed a firm kiss to the back of her knuckles. His lips lingered. He looked right into her eyes as he kissed her hand, as he drew his lips back slowly enough that his breath dusted her fingers. Corrin's gasp was music to his ears.

"That's my down payment," Takumi said, finding his voice breathless and heavy. "For later."

Corrin flushed as if she were the one with the fever. She nodded stiffly, a bashful smile curling her lips. "Okay."

Takumi released her hand as if electrified by it, as if the sudden realisation of what he'd done had sent a jolt of magic through his body, right down his spine. With a final wave, Corrin left the room quicker than she'd tried to before. Her legs wobbled beneath her and she braced a hand against the door as if winded. As if Takumi's kiss, the sweet, daring touch of his lips on her fingers, had stolen the air from her lungs.

In the silence of the hallway, Corrin lifted her knuckles to her lips, her eyes squeezed shut as she remembered the heat in Takumi's eyes, the hazy longing that seared her to her very core.

Alone in his room, Takumi cupped his face in his hands and groaned to himself. His face burned. His heart flustered away in his chest as his mind returned from its enchantment. She'd enchanted him. She must have. Or it was the fever. He was still delirious. He wasn't thinking. There's no way he would've done something like that if he were in his right mind.

Her voice, tinted with embarrassment, rang in his ears.

"That's a down payment. For later."

A kiss on the cheek as down payment… for what?

Takumi's heart raced. He felt as though he were going to combust at the very thought. His fever wasn't going to go down at this rate.