"Alright, so I just need to add pepper, and then let it simmer," Ishimaru said aloud, cracking the mill a few times over a saucepan of chicken soup. Ishimaru cooked often, both for himself, and his boyfriend, Mondo, but he normally didn't choose western recipes, as neither he nor Mondo were very fond of them. The only reason he was making such a western thing as chicken soup now was because Mondo had a nasty cold, and he'd heard that it was supposed to be good for a cold. It had seemingly everything the biker would need, to get better; carnosine, for reducing congestion, gelatine from boiling down the chicken bones, to reduce inflammation, and garlic, and onions, which were rich in phytonutrients, and gave a boost to the immune system.

Mondo almost never got sick, but when he did, it was always at the worst time. Last year, right before midterms, he'd come down with the flu. Then, this year, he'd fallen ill on the day that Mr Kirigiri set a massive assignment, one which counted for ten percent of their final grade. And then, today, on the day he'd promised to take Ishimaru to lunch in a nice restaurant, he'd come down with a cold, and a thirty-nine degree fever.

Ishimaru kept stirring, grabbing a spoon to taste the soup, before deciding that it needed a touch more salt, and maybe a little longer on the stove. He debated adding more onions, too, but at this point, it was too late, and everything else was almost done.

Mondo really could be an idiot at times. A very sweet, caring, if a little intimidating idiot, but still an idiot nonetheless. This morning, he'd managed to ride to Ishimaru's, sniffling and coughing, and almost instantly, the ultimate moral compass had told him there was no way they were going to lunch. But, Mondo being Mondo, had insisted that he was fine, and that he just wanted some quality time with his adorable hall monitor boyfriend, and that he wasn't gonna let being sick get in the way of that. Nonetheless, Ishimaru had insisted that he go home and rest, but he was having none of it.

Finally, a few minutes later, the soup was done, and Ishimaru carefully poured it into a bowl. He made sure not to fill it up too far, lest he spill some on the way up, or Mondo not be able to finish it. He'd barely been able to keep water down that morning.

He'd practically had to force Mondo into bed, when he eventually gave in and rode them home. That, and he'd promised to stay and take care of him all day, to which Mondo had said that he hadn't needed taking care of since he and Daiya were in diapers, but he was willing to make an exception, just this once, for 'Nurse Taka.' And despite being a little embarrassed at that nickname, Ishimaru had been the most dutiful nurse all day. He'd made sure Mondo was comfortable, made him take ibuprofen, for his fever, put cold cloths on his forehead, and now, here he was, making him soup.

The door creaked open, and he gently placed the bowl on the bedside table. Mondo was asleep, pompadour somehow staying up. He'd been dead to the world for most of the day, not that Ishimaru was going to argue with him over that. It was important that he rested as much as possible, lest he miss too much school; Mondo prided himself on being Hope's Peak's resident no-good-nik, as did most of his gang, but even he had things other than gang stuff he wanted to do after graduation. He was gonna be a carpenter, and he needed to finish with a few decent grades to get an apprenticeship, so, he'd resolved to behave a little bit better at school, both for himself, and Ishimaru's sake.

Ishimaru went carefully, gingerly removing the now lukewarm cloth from his forehead, to replace it with a new one. Somehow, Mondo was still attractive, even when he was lying in bed with a fever. He was bare-chested, exposing his rock hard abs, and only half-covered with the duvet, chest rising and falling in slow, peaceful breaths.

He stirred as he felt Ishimaru's hands on his forehead, purple eyes blinking open. "Taka?"

"Right here, kyodai," Ishimaru said softly, "How are you feeling?"

He tried to push himself upright, reaching for another tissue. He'd gone through half a box already. "Still like fuckin' shit," he wheezed, "Sorry. An' after I went and ruined our day, an' you spent all that time lookin' after me..."

Ishimaru got an extra pillow, helping him prop himself up. "Don't be. You're sick, and you need your rest," he assured him, "Besides, it's going to take longer than three hours for you to recover from a cold."

Mondo's eyes widened. "Is that how long I've been out? Fuck!"

The red eyed moral compass glared at him. "Language, kyodai."

"Calm yer tits, Taka," he scoffed, "We're not at school!"

Ishimaru shook his head. Some people would never change, especially Mondo. "I still don't like it, and you know that! Vulgar language isn't welcome, in our school environment, or in my home!"

"And you're in my home right now, ain'tcha?" Mondo snickered, "An' anythin' goes 'round here."

The ultimate moral compass could only sigh, at that. Mondo's entire family seemed to be ruffians, even his parents. Mr and Mrs Oowada had met because they were in a biker gang called The Red Butterflies, and they had been nothing but supportive when Daiya and Mondo had started their own gang, The Crazy Diamonds. They'd warned the boys to stick to their bikes, however, and not cause any serious trouble with the police, or with other gangs, but of course, that rule had gone out the window pretty quickly. Just last month, Mondo and Daiya had gotten three speeding tickets between them.

"Anyway," Ishimaru eventually said, "I made some soup for you. I did my research, and picked out the best one for your cold. It's got everything in it you'll need, if you want to get better quickly."

Mondo's face screwed up a little. He really hoped that whatever Ishimaru had put in it tasted ok, as, knowing him, he'd more than compromise on the taste, if it meant he got to pack it with more nutritious stuff. "What's in it?"

"Just chicken, and vegetables," he replied, producing the bowl, "It's a western recipe, and I've never made it before, so, I'm not sure how it will taste, but I did my best."

"Smells pretty good, though." he replied. If nothing else, he was grateful that Taka had gone to this much effort for him. It really looked like he'd done a good job on it, too.

Taka scooped up a little, holding it to Mondo's lips. "Here."

The biker backed away for a second. "Hang on, Taka, you're not plannin' on feedin' me, are ya?" he said warily, "Christ, how sick do you think I am?"

He put the spoon back, not wanting to spill any soup on the duvet. "Sick enough that even Daiya said you were in no condition to ride today, and I've seen you ride your bike blindfolded"-

"Nanako dared me to that time"-

"And with only one hand on the handlebars!" Ishimaru finished.

He stirred the soup a little. "And besides, sick people need lots of looking after," he continued, "Sick boyfriends are no exception, even if the sick boyfriend in question is a big scary biker!"

With that, Mondo gave in. If Taka was this insistent on making sure he got better, he couldn't say no. "Alright then, nurse."

Taka got a spoonful ready, stopping just short of Mondo's mouth. "You let me know if you don't think you can handle it all, ok?" he ordered, "I don't want to make you even more sick."

"Trust me, babe, ya won't," Mondo assured him, "Like you'd ever make me sick."

Ishimaru went in, carefully feeding him the first spoonful. "How is it?"

Mondo blinked. The soup was actually pretty tasty, though it did have a bit too much garlic in it. "Fu-Er, make lovin'" he corrected, not wanting to upset the ultimate moral compass, "Incredible, babe. Thanks."

He smiled softly. "It's the least I can do, when my boyfriend is sick."

Ishimaru kept going, gently feeding Mondo until the soup was gone. When he was done, the biker went to lie back down, but he insisted he stay sat up for a bit, on the grounds that it was bad for him to lie down right after he'd eaten.

"I suppose I should get you some more ibuprofen now," Ishimaru said, "And a new cold flannel. I was going to get you another one earlier, but then you woke up."

Mondo held a hand up. "You've been runnin' 'round after me all day, babe," he sighed, "I don't need any of that shit really badly right now"-

"Nonsense! You're burning up again," and Ishimaru touched the back of his hand to Mondo's still very flushed cheek, "And remember, we need to do everything we can to get you better, so you don't miss too much school."

"Ya say that like Mr Kirigiri actually wants me there," he scoffed, sinking into the pillow, "He flipped his sh-Excrement, at me for speedin' in front of the school on Friday!"

Ishimaru shunted off the bed. "I know," he sighed, "But you still need to go, kyodai."

"I know," he huffed.

The ultimate moral compass' cheeks turned pink. "Besides, kyodai," he said, almost shamefully, "I...I miss you, when you're not there. I miss hanging out with you, and having double-lunch dates with Sakura and Aoi, and riding on the back of your bike..."

Mondo's face turned up into a wicked grin. "That's not the only thing o'mine ya like ridin'..."

Ishimaru's face went bright red. "Just...Agh, you're such a...Penis-tease," he spat, fuming, as he trudged away to the bathroom.

The biker merely shook his head, chuckling. Ishimaru was so cute, it should be illegal, especially when he was embarrassed. Seeing his face go all red, and him getting flustered did more to him than he cared to admit. He shifted forward, fluffing his pillows slightly, before he settled back into bed.

He'd just gotten comfortable again, when Ishimaru returned, with the tablets and the flannel. Naturally, as soon as he'd sat down, he insisted that he take them, and placed the flannel on the biker's forehead, going careful, so as not to mess up his pompadour (Which apparently took at least an hour every morning).

"There," Ishimaru said softly, "How is that? Is it too cold?"

"Nah, 'sfine," he assured him.

The boy shifted a little closer, eyes moving over his large frame, like he was trying to examine him. "Do you need anything else?" he offered, "More blankets, or pillows?"

"I've got enough, thanks, Taka," he responded. Even lying there, with nothing but his boxers on, he was too hot, with his fever.

"How about something to drink?" he offered, "Something hot would help your congestion."

The biker rolled his eyes. "I know, nurse," he sighed, "But seriously, I'm ok for now. Ya don't have to run around after me all day, y'know."

Ishimaru shook his head. "Well, excuse me for being worried about you, and wanting to make sure you got well quickly."

"Hey, I ain't complainin'," he responded, "I like it. It's nice that I have such a sweet, caring boyfriend as you, Taka."

Ishimaru smiled. "Just doing my job as your boyfriend."

"Well, ya do a really awesome job," Mondo replied, "I mean that."

The boy leaned in a bit closer. "Course you do. Now, are you sure you don't need anything else?"

Mondo raised an eyebrow, lifting the duvet. "Well, maybe just one thing," he purred, "A good dose o'snugglin' from my adorable nurse should help me get better!"

The boy obliged instantly, settling atop Mondo's bare chest. His big, soft, warm chest, which he'd fallen asleep on too many times to count. "I think it makes me feel better, too," he responded, "Then again, who wouldn't feel better, after a snuggle with you?"

Mondo nuzzled the crook of his neck. "You're too cute, Taka," he sighed, "What did I do to deserve ya, eh?"

Ishimaru traced circles on his abs. "You were the first real friend I ever had. Let's leave it at that," he chuckled, settling into his embrace.

The boys drifted into a deep, peaceful slumber together, Ishimaru strangely comforted by Mondo's warmth, and the feeling of his muscular arms around him. Mondo was the best pillow, always so big, and soft, and great to snuggle up with.

A few days later, Mondo was fine again, and back at school. However, Ishimaru had caught his cold, but, being the ultimate moral compass he was, had still had the nerve to show up at school, even with a thirty-nine degree fever.

"Kyodai, I'm fine, I swear," he'd told Mondo, on the way to maths, "Now let's go. We can't be late to lesson!"

Mondo shook his head. "We're not going to lesson, ya make-lovin' blockhead," he sighed, "We're getting you to the nurse, and then you're goin' home and restin'. And then, as soon as I'm outta this dump, I'm comin' over ta take care o'ya."

"But what about all the lessons I'll miss?" Ishimaru protested, "And the English homework we have due?"

Mondo put an arm around him. "I'll give Mr Kirigiri your homework," he assured him, "An' if ya want, I'll give ya my notes when I come over."

Seemingly satisfied, the boy leaned into Mondo's touch. "Ok," he responded, sniffling.

The biker scooped him up into his arms. "I'm gonna take proper good care o'ya, got it? I'm gonna make sure you're better in no time!" he said proudly, "I'm gonna make you the best soup you've ever eaten, so, wait for me, k?"

"Ok," Ishimaru replied. Mondo was an idiot, and a thug, but he was his idiot, and his thug. His very sweet, loving, ridiculously hot, idiotic thug.