First KH fanfic, so please be nice! Review, follow, favorite, do something if you like it!
Summary: Over the course of three days, Sora's common cold gets worst and with his parents and Kairi not around, only one friendly night-time visitor can help him.
Disclaimer: I've never seen a shooting star so I've never been able to make a wish, and that children is the reason I don't own kingdom hearts... (Dang it, Disney! Why does it have to be a shooting star?!)
The first time it happened, Sora figured it was a hallucination or a dream, brought on by a cold that seemed to overtake him out of the blue. Sora had no idea how he managed to catch a cold in the middle of summer, and it completely wasn't caused by him staying outside, to play in the rain puddles (a fact he continued to deny every time Kairi questioned him), during the middle of a vicious, raging storm. Yep, the keyblade wielder definitely wasn't bed ridden due to a couple of shallow puddles.
I just wanted to have a little fun. Sora whined to himself, later that night as he laid in bed. He was covered head to toe by a mound of blankets, yet he continued to shiver. Along with the shivering, there was a dry cough that refused to leave him and prevented him from falling into a deep sleep, so no matter how many times he tossed and turned to find a more comfortable position, the sleep just continued to evade him. Forced to take short, shallow naps throughout the night, Sora only got worse since he wasn't receiving a proper amount of bed rest for a sick person.
...
It hurts. His throat felt like sandpaper being scratched by claws every time he swallowed down some water, so he eventually gave up on that. Food became out of the question just a couple of days before liquids did. Now, after three days with a worsening cold, Sora didn't even attempt to move in his cocoon of warmth, and for the most part he ignored the growing hunger of his empty stomach that longed for food. His shivering was almost constantly occurring with only brief intervals of peace, his cough was more of a harsh hacking that loved tormenting him by waking him every three hours during the night, and a chilling sweat that did nothing to calm his fever only added to his discomfort.
I should probably take some medicine... but how would I reach it? Do I even have any medicine? Sora's pounding head only had its pain increase as Sora weakly opened his eyes to take in the blurry sight, which was his room covered in complete darkness except for the slithers of moonlight that came in through his window. Letting out a low moan, Sora shifted a thinner than usual arm to the edge of his bed, but stopped when a harsh shivering fit forced him to halt all movement.
I can do this. Sora weakly cheered himself on, as he slowly raised a shaking arm. The arm was being racked with tremors however, and it barely lifted halfway to its destination, which was the lamp switch above the drawer top, before it collapsed and flopped down to lay motionless on the bed.
No, I can do this... just gotta try again. Sora mumbled to himself in his head, forcing his torso to move a few inches to the left. Now near the edge of his bedside, Sora once more attempted to lift his wobbly arm towards the lamp switch, and with a sudden surge of power, Sora managed to get the arm to land right next to the switch. A weary smile made its way on Sora's face for his small accomplishment, but it soon gave way to an expression of fear when the left half of his body began to slide off the edge of the bed.
Ah! Sora's throat was too dry for him to verbally scream; as he began what he knew would be a agonizing trip down the side of his bed. Closing his already half lidded eyes, in order to brace himself, Sora felt nothing but air surround him for just a split second. To his shock though, right after that second the air was replaced by something tangible and firm.
What? Sora squinted in the dim light for a moment; taking in the view of what he first assumed was the silver streams of moonlight before realizing it was hair.
"You shouldn't be moving around too much in your condition." The silver-haired figure spoke, using a voice Sora recognized but was too tired to actually identify. Instead, Sora just stared at the figure for a few seconds before shutting his eyes close due to the weariness he now felt. The exertion of lifting an arm had made him too drowsy to keep his eyes open.
He'll help me... He's safe... Wait, 'he'? Sora's thoughts were in a jumble when the solid thing beneath him, arms he soon realized, lifted him up slowly. Sora vaguely wondered why he didn't feel any fear even though he could tell he was being lifted a few feet above the ground.
Because he won't let anyone or anything hurt you. A voice reminded him within his head. To show his agreement with the voice, Sora drove himself deep into the arms cradling him.
I trust you. Sora wanted to say out loud, opening his eyes slightly to give the silver figure encouragement. Sora wasn't sure why, but he could sense the figure was hesitant in his actions, almost like he was intimidated by himself.
You're not going to hurt me. Sora conveyed by giving the hazy figure a small smile and digging himself deeper into the arms.
"Sora." He heard the figure whisper, before he brought Sora closer to him. Sora was happy for the physical touch on a regular basis, but now with the chill seeping through his body, which was currently unprotected by his cocoon of thick blankets, Sora was even happier to snuggle against the warmth.
"Sora... such a sap." Sora heard the silverette mutter, as he gently ruffled some of Sora's strangely limp hair. Sora only made a playful, annoyed sound for a reply, since he didn't trust his throat to form a comeback without causing him great pain.
"Let's get you back in bed." The figure spoke to him in a light whisper, while lowering Sora back into the bed.
No, it's cold. Sora immediately let out a small whimper when he felt the lack of warmth, since he was no longer next to a warm body or under a pile of comforters. The chill was only momentary however, and the figure had already started wrapping tons of blankets on him before the shivering could become as violent as it had been for the past few days. Sighing in relief, Sora relaxed when all the blankets had been returned to their rightful place (AKA, wrapped around his body like he was a mummy) and a pale hand began stroking his head.
"I never should have let you get this bad... I should have come sooner." When the words were uttered, the hand suddenly stopped its stroking and just rested on Sora's head. Opening his bleary eyes to a world that seemed to be a complete blur, Sora stared deeply into those light blue, almost electric blue, eyes and he became saddened by the guilt he saw within them. The fact that the blue-eyed figure stopped the eye contact before Sora did, only furthered Sora's distress and taking a chance Sora convinced himself to speak.
"...Not your fault... Mines." Sora scraped the words out, but immediately quieted as the claw like sensation returned. Sora choked down the whimper of pain, when he was suddenly rewarded by a tiny, timid smile on the silver figure's face. Sora smiled a wider grin in return, only for the serene moment to be ruined by a harsh, ragged coughing he had been holding back for such a long time that he had almost forgotten about it. Apparently angered by his forgetfulness, the cough made his body collapse on itself as the horrid tremors took control of his body.
"Sora!" A concerned, slightly panicky voice emerged from the figure, who pushed Sora onto his side in order to relieve the pain. Breathing easier, Sora's coughing fit slowed until he was left out of breath, and taking in large gulps of air while softly wheezing.
"Sora, are you okay?" Silver, whose real name he still hadn't thought of, sounded unconfident and worried as he questioned Sora's condition. In response, Sora tried to cheer him up by offering a shaky smile that hopefully didn't reflect how terrible he really felt.
"You're a terrible liar even when you're not speaking, Sora." Silver chided lightly, without any real force behind it. His stern frown only deepened at Sora's attempt to lift his spirits. Sora thus let the smile drop off his face, seeing no point in acting when the figure wouldn't be fooled. A tense, uncomfortable silence soon fell among the two and with the only person who would normally break the silence (Sora of course) muted by his illness, the silence carried on for quite a few minutes.
"..." Silver with his concerned, observant gaze.
"..." Sora with half lidded eyes that showed his swiftly growing confusion.
"..." Silver's eyes narrowing for reasons unknown to Sora, as his stare searched deeper.
"..." Sora's eyes widening a bit more in an attempt to see clearer, while hesitation shined through them as if to say, "You're staring is making me uncomfortable, but I don't want to say anything just yet."
"..." Silver's eyes apparently being naturally narrowed in shape, so they appeared slightly narrowed even when he didn't attempt to make them look that way, scanning for something he apparently thought he could find on Sora.
"..." Sora's eyes giving off "stop staring" vibes, as the longing to look away formed in his facial expression.
"..." Silver refusing to appease Sora's discomfort, while his gaze started to intensify to the point where it was like he was staring straight through Sora.
Sora had reached his breaking point of withstanding the silence and the knowing, searching gaze of Silver when he then opened his mouth to attempt another painful sentence, but shut it when Silver let out a short, heavy sigh.
"Why are you so nice and open, Sora? It's worrying how trusting you can be, how much kindness you can show to those that have hurt you. I kind of envy you, but maybe you already knew that." Silver's head was down as he took in a steadying breath, before rising from the bed side and moving way. Sora didn't hesitate to latch onto Silver's shirt end like a lifeline when he noticed he was moving away from him. Silver then turned back to give Sora a long, examining stare before recognition came across his face.
"Sora, it's okay. I'll be right back." Silver (name starts with an 'R', right?) spoke softly as he gently pried Sora's hands off his clothing, and Sora allowed him to, though he was noticeably reluctant. Gazing at Silver's blurry and fading figure, Sora grew anxious when his figure completely disappeared from his unclear eyesight.
No, come back... Sora shrugged off the drowsiness and opened his half lidded eyes just a little wider as fear gripped his heart. Shifting with more energy than he had in days, Sora pulled himself away from his safe nest of warmth and willing entered the chilling edge of his bed.
Have to reach him. A part of Sora knew he wasn't thinking straight for a lot of reasons, but his emotions convinced him to ignore that reasonable part of his brain in favor of listening to the irrational fear, which guided him. Sora had already crawled to the edge of his bed and was attempting to push himself up, when the reasonable side started yelling at him to stop. By the time he listened though, it was too late and he was slipping off the bed. With no one there to catch him this time, Sora collided with the ground, making a large thump noise, and causing a searing agony to lace his head soon after.
"Sora!" The voice that belonged to Silver sounded muffled, but he couldn't tell if it was the distance between them or the pain scorching his head that made it sound like that. Either way, Sora could only let out loud gasps of pain as he endured the agony, which remained with him until he felt a familiar pair of arms gently cradle his body.
"...Crazy... Why would you... leave without you hurting yourself... What am I going to-" The sentences were scrambled, being spoken to quickly for his stunned mind to process it all at once.
"Cura." Silver whispered and suddenly the pain was replaced by a nice, soothing sensation. The headache was gone, though his throat continued to feel like sandpaper and all his other symptoms of illness lingered with the same intensity as before. With a bit of apprehension at the thought that the headache would return, Sora cautiously cracked open the eyes he had closed in order to ease the pain of his collision with floor.
"I told you I would be back." Silver scolded, lifting Sora back up once more and laying him carefully onto the bed. On the bed, Sora curled up slightly with his sweat filled hair making his spikes droop a little and cling to his forehead. Sora forgot this hair observation though, as he felt the blankets being tucked around him and he quickly buried himself into the warmth.
"Maybe this will help you sweat out the fever." Silver stated and Sora was shocked a little when a cold, moist rag was placed on his head. It was chilling, slightly uncomfortable, and he kind of wanted to get rid of it. Sora turned his head a little so it would fall off, but when it started to slide, Silver just placed it back on the middle of his forehead.
It's too cold. Sora made a noise of discomfort and tried to remove the rag again only for Silver to correct its position once more.
"I knew this would be the hard part, but you're going to hate the next part even more." Silver sounded just a bit guilty as he spoke, and this confused Sora. Confusion changed to distress when he saw the dim figure of Silver tuck the blankets around him more securely before rising from his bedside.
Hey, wait... Stop! Sora attempted to lift his arm to reach for him, but he couldn't even twitch it from under the covers. Sora experimented with the rest of his body, trying out a leg, foot and hand, only to find them all unmovable.
It's the blankets... Sora had a realization that the blankets were so tightly coiled around him that all his limbs were practically pinned to his body. The only part of him with the ability of movement was his head, and even that mobility was limited.
Why would he do this? Sora felt a little betrayed at the idea that Silver had probably done this on purpose. Sora wasn't the type of person who enjoyed just sitting around, and regardless of his health, he felt the urge to move. Without the ability to move though, Sora felt trapped and vulnerable, and he didn't like those feelings by themselves, let alone together. Gathering up the little energy he held throughout his illness, Sora squirmed as much as he could beneath the blankets, feeling the heat reach an uncomfortable point and no longer finding solace in its warmth. He was forced to halt in his struggle, when the hacking coughs returned, forcing him to let it wrack his body for several minutes. The pain lessened when he felt the familiar pair of hands push him into a more comfortable position, the hands never leaving his side until the coughing was no longer present.
Why did you leave? Sora's eyes, half lidded still, shone his feelings of betrayal like a beacon, if Silver's shame filled, blue eyes said anything.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't want you to get yourself hurt again." Silver seemed to read his mind and answered his question out loud before placing a strange cylinder on his drawer top. Sora turned his gaze to stare at the strange cylinder and it took him only a few moments to realize it was a cup filled with a strange liquid. Sora turned back to Riku with a question in his eyes, which soon became dread when Silver picked up the cup and moved over towards Sora.
No! I don't want to drink anything, it'll just hurt! Sora turned his head away from the cup as it neared his mouth.
"Come on, Sora. It will make you feel better, and don't think I don't know how you haven't drunk anything for the past two days. You're dehydrated and you need this to get better." Silver was using a no nonsense tone while attempting to persuade Sora, but he was ignored by Sora who decided to be stubborn about not drinking the possible medicine or juice. They soon started to play a strange dodge game, where Sora would move his head every time the cup almost made contact with his mouth and Silver would just move it to Sora's new position.
"Stop messing around." Silver spoke, before suddenly using his only free arm to hold the back of Sora's head.
"Nooo..." Sora managed to whine as his head was tipped upwards and kept still in that position, while the cup got closer. Clamping his mouth shut, Sora closed his eyes and hoped for anything to come to his rescue.
"Sora, please." Silver sighed, pressing the cup to closed lips. The tone he used was exasperated and Sora cracked open one eye to examine his apparent helper and he was soon moved to pity when he noted just how tired the figure seemed. With his pale shoulders pointed downwards, his silver hair messier than usual, and his eyes downcast, Sora couldn't prevent himself from preparing to offer a few comforting words. This action was used to Silver's advantage though, and he soon found the liquid he now identified as lemonade with some form of medicine in it, entering his throat from the slight opening of his mouth he gave while preparing to speak.
"Uhn." Sora voiced his displeasure, as a dull ache lit up in his throat. Coughing out a few drops of the liquid, hands steadied his shaking body before lowering him back onto the welcoming bed.
"It wasn't that bad, right?" Silver (Reku? Rike? Something like that was his name...) questioned softly, only to receive a still betrayed look from Sora's eyes. Silver was right, it didn't ache as bad as it did a couple days ago, plus it did leave a soothing air in his liquid deprived mouth, but Sora still disliked the fact that it was given to him without his consent so he continued to glare at the silverette in response. Sora was annoyed when all he got for his glare was a soft, nearly inaudible chuckle and a hair ruffling, since the glare apparently looked more like a pout from a child than a glare from a young adult (didn't Silver, or something like Ruku, say that once?).
"You're going to get better, Sora. I promise." Silver muttered, most likely speaking to himself than to Sora. Regardless of whether Sora was intended to hear the words, he didn't doubt the promise. Something about him told Sora he was safe, trustworthy, and would never willing hurt him.
He just wants to protect me. Sora acknowledged that all of Silver's actions were just meant to be helpful, and he was overcome by the urge to hug him in order to show his appreciation. Unable to do so, since the blankets continued to hold him in a firm grip, Sora just closed his eyes and tilted his head out towards Silver's hand, which was resting on the bed side. It took a few seconds for Silver to apparently understand what he meant to say, but soon the hand was laid on his brown spikes and they began to slowly stroke them in a gentle, affectionate way.
"Thanks, Ri." Sora wasn't completely sure where the words came from, but the half a name felt right when referring to Silver and Silver didn't seem to mind or take offence as he continued to just pet the top of Sora's head. The petting had a calming manner, which began to lull Sora into a state of security and exhaustion. His throat only held a dull ache, he felt no urge to fall into a coughing fit, and his shivers had disappeared long ago. Sora vaguely wondered just how long (minutes or hours?) Ri had been taking care of him and how long they would both need to sleep to compensate for the night time adventure. The fuzz was clearing in his head now, the headache long gone, and the block in his memory started to disappear. Without the strength to open his eyes to even a mere squint, Sora's last sensation was one of a peace he hadn't felt for days.
Just as his consciousness drifted to a deep slumber, the name came to mind.
Riku.
And Sora didn't stop the smile from forming on his face, as sleep officially took over.
So, what do you think? Not bad for my first KH fanfic, right? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the fluff and if so, let me know by giving me a review! Anyway, thanks for reading!