Title: Fever

Author/Artist: xXxKeYbLaDeMaStErxXx

Pairing: Akira/Mikoto

Fandom: Princess Princess

Theme: (#18; "say ahh...")

Rating: T (just for language)

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Princess.

"Say ahh, Mikoto... "

Mikoto glared weakly at the blond princess, red eyes bright and glossy with fever. A rose red blush streaked across his cheeks and down his neck; he felt like he was boiling. An ice pack had been laid over his forehead, though it did little to soothe him. His body kept alternating between freezing and burning up; the sheets wrapped around him remained in a tangled state of disarray, kicked off one moment and then huddled around his shivering body the next. He was utterly miserable.

And Yuujirou was enjoying every moment of it.

"C'mon, Mikoto... " he coaxed, biting his cheek to keep the grin from spreading across his lips. He held a thermometer in one hand, the other balanced on the sheets beside the red princess' head. Mikoto refused to open his mouth; instead he kept his lips in a tight line, turning away. "Don't be so stubborn," Yuujirou chuckled, waving the thermometer idly in front of the red head's face. "We have to see if your fever's gone down."

Mikoto could damn well bet that it hadn't. He still felt just as stuffy, foul and hot as before, with no clear end to his suffering in sight. Yuujirou and Tooru weren't making it any better. They couldn't stand in the same room as him without getting that pained, tight expression on their faces, one he knew very well. They were trying not to laugh at him in his miserable state, and doing a rather bad job at it.

Inwardly, he sighed. He supposed he should appreciate their efforts, at least.

"Mikoto," Yuujirou sighed, standing. He twisted the thermometer between his slender fingers. "You're too stubborn for your own good, you know that?"

His only response from the red-eyed male was a glare and a tug of sheets over a ruby head. Yuujirou stared at the lump beneath the covers with annoyance, followed by concern (though, of course, he wouldn't admit it) before turning and leaving the room.

He was met with questioning blue eyes. A shake of his head was the only explanation Tooru needed. "He didn't take it." It wasn't a question.

Yuujirou nodded his head, blond hair spilling over his shoulders. "No, he didn't." He leaned against the wall beside the door to the P-Room, closing his eyes. "He'll never get better if he won't let us help him."

"He's stubborn," Tooru said, shaking his head. "If he doesn't want our help there's not much we can do about it."

"About what?"

Tooru and Yuujirou jumped at the voice, turning to see Akira standing in the hallway, a stack of papers cradled in his arms. They smiled at the emerald-eyed teen.

"It's Mikoto," Tooru said, crossing his arms as he leaned back. At Akira's look of confusion, he explained. "He's sick, with a fever."

"And he's too stubborn to let anyone help him," Yuujirou finished, scowling. He glanced at the papers in Akira's arms, frowning. "What are those?"

"Oh? These?" Akira shuffled the papers, a distracted look on his face. "They're just some documents President Arisada wanted me to drop off at the central office." His eyes drifted to the closed door between the other two princesses. "How... how is he?"

Yuujirou glanced at Tooru, a thoughtful, scheming expression on his face. Tooru returned the look with a grin, eyes trailing back to Akira. "He's got a bit of a fever," he said, "and a stuffy nose. Nothing much else, though."

Akira looked relieved, though his eyes still hadn't left the door. "Oh," he murmured. "That's good then... "

Yuujirou slid from his position against the wall, throwing a friendly arm around Akira's shoulders. "You could... go visit him, if you'd like," he said, smiling.

"Oh! I-I couldn't!" Akira's emerald eyes were wide, his grip on the papers tightening. "I-I have to take these to the office right away! I.. uh... " He trailed off as Tooru approached the two, gently slipping the pile of papers from Akira's arms.

"Me and Yuujirou will take them for you," he grinned. "I'm sure Arisada-sama wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, so go on ahead." Yuujirou pushed the green-haired boy forward, making him stumble. "Maybe you can get him to take his medicine, hmm? No one else has been able to."

"But... " Akira still looked like a cornered animal, looking from one princess to the other. "Are... are you sure..?"

"We're sure!" They chorused, before turning and walking away, waving over their shoulders. "Have fun!"

Akira stared after them for a moment, still a bit confused. He sighed as they drifted further away, around the corner, before turning to the closed door.

"Um... " He raised his hand, knocking gently three times. "... Mikoto?" He could hear no sound from within, only his own breathing in the otherwise silent hallway.

"Come in." Mikoto's voice sounded frail, even through the door. And annoyed.

Akira steeled himself for the glare that was surely on Mikoto's face and pushed open the door, letting it slide shut quietly behind him. He glanced around the room, his eyes falling on the huddled figure laying on the only occupied bed.

"Mikoto... " his heart clenched in sympathy at the sight of the red-haired boy. Mikoto was nestled among a pile of thick blankets, only his head and neck visible above the blue fabric. He looked utterly miserable, his face a deep red shade and his nose swollen and stuffy.

"Sakamoto-sama?" Mikoto peered through bleary eyes at the other boy, only able to make out a blob of emerald and black. He scrunched up his nose as he released one of his hands, wiping at his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Akira shrugged helplessly, almost about to explain the other two princesses' involvement in his being there, but paused. "I... I heard that you were sick." He sat down in one of the desk chairs after pulling it over to the bed. "I wanted to see how you were."

"O-oh... " Mikoto murmured, his cheeks a little redder than before. 'Stupid Yuujirou and Tooru, can't keep thier mouths shut...' "I'm... I'm fine. Perfectl-" A violent sneeze interrupted him, and he cursed as he tugged a tissue from the box on the bedside table, rubbing his nose. "Damn it... "

Akira smiled gently at the red head, green eyes warm. He glanced at the table and saw the tissue box, already half gone, along with a bottle full of amber liquid, clearly untouched. A thermometer lay beside the medicine. "Maybe," he murmured, eying the bottle, "you'd feel better if you took your medicine."

Mikoto scowled at the mere thought, glaring at the bottle of no-doubt foul tasting liquid. "I'll be much better without it, thanks." He huffed as he rolled onto his side, facing Akira. He watched the green-eyed boy with confusion. "Why did you want to see me?" he asked, his hand gliding underneath his pillow. "I mean... I'm sure you were busy... "

Akira thought of the paperwork he had been assigned to deliver and grinned. "Actually, Yuujirou and Tooru took care of that." At Mikoto's confused look he explained the incident in the hall. The red head grumbled when he was done.

"They're up to something," he mumbled, closing his eyes as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He felt so damn drained...

"Up to something?" Akira asked, puzzled. He watched Mikoto press the pillow to his red cheek, his heart warming at the sight. "Why would you say that?"

"When are they not up to something?" Mikoto groused, scowling. "Meant for each other, the way they scheme all the time... " He opened fever-bright eyes to stare at Akira. "It's annoying, if you ask m-" He cut off abruptly as a spasm of coughing hit him. He brought his hands up to his mouth to contain it, his shoulders jerking.

Akira raised up in alarm, his hand settling on Mikoto's back without thought. "Mikoto?" He gently rubbed his hand along the boy's spine until the coughing gradually subsided. He peered into Mikoto's face as the boy gasped in air, his hands rubbing against his sweat-soaked hair and skin. "Are you alright?"

His eyes clouded with fever, Mikoto groaned and nodded shakily, his head falling forward. Akira caught him before he could fall, hands steadying the red head's shoulders. "'M fine... Saka.. moto...sama... "

Akira frowned, reaching up with one hand to slide wet bangs behind the shell of Mikoto's ear. "No, you're not fine," he muttered, gently running his fingers through Mikoto's hair. The boy leaned into his touch, a sigh falling past trembling lips. "You need to take your medicine, Mikoto."

The ruby-eyed princess grumbled, shaking his head from side to side. "Don't... don't wanna... " he breathed, eyes closing as his energy drained.

Akira frowned, eying the bottle on the table and the boy in his arms. He shook his head once as he decided, reaching over with the hand that was raking through Mikoto's hair to the grab the bottle, along with the teaspoon that had been set beside it. He carefully poured the amber liquid onto the spoon, tilting Mikoto up so that he could see the boy's face.

"Open your mouth, Mikoto," he commanded, the spoon resting at the boy's lips. "You have to take this... "

Mikoto jerked his head away from the medicine with what little strength he had left, eyes still clenched shut.

Akira sighed, setting the spoon and its contents on the table beneath a tissue. He glanced at the bottle still in his hand, eyes drifting back to Mikoto, who was now shivering as he leaned against him.

"..." Without a second thought he lifted the bottle to his lips, allowing a generous amount of the liquid to slide into his mouth. He set the bottle down quickly, afraid he would accidentally swallow the stuff, before tilting Mikoto's face up, sending the boy a silent apology before sealing their lips together.

Mikoto gasped in surprise as soft flesh touched his lips, giving Akira the opening he needed. He slipped his tongue inside Mikoto's mouth, the liquid following soon after. He leaned forward on his knees, his hands coming up to cradle Mikoto's head, pressing his mouth harder against the other boy's, making sure every last drop of liquid was released.

A quiet groan left Mikoto's lips as he swallowed, the taste of the medicine, foul or not, barely registering in his mind. He felt as though he were floating, his head blissfully clear as he pressed himself closer against Akira, lips moving against the other's in a slow caress.

Gradually Akira pulled himself back, eyes opening -when had they closed?- to the sight of Mikoto's own ruby orbs, the blush on the princess' face no longer because of his fever. Akira smiled at the sight, hands smoothing Mikoto's hair behind his ears.

"You need to rest," he whispered, arms encircling the other boy's waist. Mikoto nodded sleepily, his eyes drifting closed as he laid his head against Akira's shoulder.

"Alright... " he murmured, his voice drifting away into a giant yawn. Akira smiled as the red head settled against him, his soft breaths soon evening out into sleep.

"Get well soon," he whispered, pressing a kiss to Mikoto's forehead. The princess murmured in his sleep and moved closer, a smile curling his lips.

-

When Yuujirou and Tooru returned moments later, it was to the sight of their fellow princess wrapped in the arms of their green-haired friend. The two were lying side by side on Mikoto's bed, Akira's arms wrapped around the other boy's waist, Mikoto's head lying on Akira's chest. Both were sound asleep.

"Guess he took his medicine," Yuujirou grinned, pointing to the bottle lying on the table, the lid absent and some of the liquid gone.

"Guess so," Tooru said, smiling at the pair on the bed. He gestured to Yuujirou. "C'mon, let's leave 'em alone."

The blond princess nodded, grinning at the mix of green and red on the bed before slipping out the door with Tooru. He flipped off the light switch on his way out, leaving the room bathed in darkness. "Goodnight, you two," he whispered, shutting the door with a click.

The pair on the bed smiled as if they had heard, curling tighter around each other.

Owari